Kids begin the fall school term this week in our area. The beginning of school always brings back memories of getting off the bus in the afternoons and going straight to my mom's kitchen for a delicious snack. Whether that ended up being peanut butter and crackers or a big delicious buttermilk cookie and glass of milk, it was always one of my favorite parts of the day.
You can start the school year right while making some sweet memories for your children, when you bake up a batch of "Amish Buttermilk Cookies." These stay soft, moist, and delicious for at least a week, and they make enough for kiddos to share with their friends. What's even better, when the kids arrive home, you'll get an "A" for these amazingly good cookies.
Let's get started by gathering these ingredients:
This is what you'll need:
2 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring
a "dash" (about 1/4 tsp) of almond flavoring
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
Begin by preheating the oven to 425F degrees. Either line your cookie sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease them.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the sugar and shortening until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Stir in the flavorings.
In another large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until well blended.
Alternately add the dry mixture
and buttermilk to the shortening mixture a little at a time, beginning and ending with the dry mixture.
(Note: I usually add about a third of my dry mixture, then half of my buttermilk, then another third of dry mixture, then the rest of the buttermilk, and finally, I end with the last third of dry ingredients. Are you totally confused now? :-)
Drop cookie dough by rounded teaspoonfuls (or use a cookie dipper for more uniform cookies), 2 inches apart, onto prepared (parchment lined or lightly greased) cookie sheets.
Bake one cookie sheet at a time on the center rack for 6 to 8 minutes, until cookies are set. (Mine baked perfect at 7 minutes on parchment paper.) Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes (do not reduce this time), and then transfer them with a spatula to wire racks (or foil lined countertop) to cool completely. Store tightly covered.
Don't forget to print the recipe (below) or copy and paste it to your recipe files for future reference.
I pray you and your children enJOY a BLESSED school year ahead!
One quick p.s. before you print your recipe (and this has nothing to do with the recipe :-)... Since both my grandmothers passed away before I was born, I never did have the blessing of getting to know them or enJOY their good cooking. But, we had a neighbor who was "like a Grandmomma" to me. I can still see her kitchen table and the BIG, soft, butter cookies and glass of fresh milk that she always gave me when I visited.
Even if you don't have children or grandchildren, you can still bake up some memories for someone with these cookies. Next time you cook, pay attention to the memories that are sparked by the dishes you make. Perhaps you have old recipes lying around that you have forgotten about. Bless all those who sweeten your recollections, thanking God for the spiritual nourishment these people have brought to your life. As you add each ingredient, note that alone, that ingredient may not taste good, but added to all of the others, it makes a delicious dish.
AMISH BUTTERMILK COOKIES
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring
a "dash" (about 1/4 tsp) of almond flavoring
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 425F degrees. Either line your cookie sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease them. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the sugar and shortening until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the flavorings. In another large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt . Whisk until well blended. Alternately add the dry mixture and buttermilk to the shortening mixture a little at a time, beginning and ending with the dry mixture. Drop cookie dough by rounded teaspoonfuls (or use a cookie dipper for more uniform cookies), 2 inches apart, onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake one cookie sheet at a time on the center rack for 6 to 8 minutes, until cookies are set. (Mine baked perfect at 7 minutes on parchment paper.) Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes (do not reduce this time), and then transfer them with a spatula to wire racks (or foil lined countertop) to cool completely. Store tightly covered and enJOY!!
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