Friday, December 23, 2011

Opa's Rock Cakes

These are the traditional Swiss Christmas cookies, from Tante Lulu's recipe and converted to American measures.

2 sticks + 2 1/2 Tbsp. butter
1 C. sugar
2 eggs
4 oz. raisins (both dark and golden)
4 oz. Korinthen (dried currants)
Candied fruit, to taste and by eye

3 1/2 C. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
Dash salt

In the Kitchen Aid, whip the butter creamy. Add the other ingredients, with the flour/baking powder mix added last. The dough should be very stiff.

Use a teaspoon to make little piles, looking jagged like broken rock. Place on a buttered baking sheet and bake at 350-400 degrees. The heat should be high enough to quickly bake the outside in order to preserve the shape of the cookies without letting the dough flow into flat cookies. Dust with powdered sugar while still slightly warm.

1 comment:

Opa S. said...

Actually, this is a British recipe which my grandmother brought from S. Africa (Bloemfontein) after the Boer War. The original does not work here in the U.S. Because the ingredients have changed so much and, apparently, our eggs are much bigger than those my grandmother's hens laid. Opa