Wednesday in the Kitchen: Potato Strudel and Jam Sandwich Cookies

I got to spend nearly the whole day home today.  Well, the whole morning at home.  Well, a good portion of the morning at home today.  So, of course, I got up early and started playing in the kitchen.  I made a beet green and feta quiche that was amazing for breakfast.  No, there are no pictures … we ate it at seven o’clock this morning.

Then, after my run, for lunch I tried this recipe from Simple Bites for potato strudel.  It was the first time I had used a mandoline.  My store-bought puff pastry was in two sheets, so I had to make two smaller strudels instead of one big one.  They looked and tasted amazing.  They were actually really simple following her directions, and I even think a kid could make them if you trusted them with a mandoline  (which I do not.)  It might seem kind of strange to try out a fancy looking recipe like this for lunch, but I love to play in the kitchen when I am at home and I like to try out new recipes on unsuspecting children before I serve them to company.  This will definitely be made again.

While the potato strudel was  baking, Maximus came into the kitchen to help make jam sandwich cookies.  After making one Grandma’s recipe for raisin bars last week, I got to thinking about these wonderful cookies my other grandma taught me to make.  Certainly not quite as easy, but not that hard either, these are a wonderful shortbread cookie that I loved when I was a kid.

If you don’t have a stand mixer to make this dough, I am really sorry.  When I am as rich and famous as the Pioneer Woman, I will give y’all one.  Until then, start saving your money or begging your honey.  My honey gave me my Kitchen Aid for our second wedding anniversary.  I was not happy with the gift – not romantic.  Needless to say, it has been in use daily and more often than that for 15 years.  I do not know what I would do without it.  I’d probably be skinny, because I don’t hand cream butter.

Jam Sandwich Cookies

Makes a 9 x 13 pan (don’t eat it all yourself)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

3  cups flour ( I used 2 all-purpose and 1 whole wheat pastry)

1 1/2 cups jam of your choice

cinnamon sugar for sprinkling

Cream together shortening, sugar, egg and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients and blend until smooth.  Spread half of the dough mixture in the greased baking pan.  It is easiest to spread by wetting hands and spreading.

It looks like this:

Then a great helper should spread the jam on the dough while you roll out the other half of the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap or waxed paper.

Spread rolled out dough on top of jam, and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.  Bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until barely brown.

Allow to cool before cutting and enjoy.

 

Posted by jenthegranolamom on November 16, 2011

https://anothergranolamom.wordpress.com/2011/11/16/wednesday-in-the-kitchen-potato-strudel-and-jam-sandwich-cookies/