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Welsh cookies and other things

EvaB's picture
EvaB

Welsh cookies and other things

Ok shall try this again, I spent the past weekend without power for most of it. We had a freak snowstorm which took down all the trees the hydro company hasn't been taking off right of ways etc. We spent from about 8 am on the 22nd to 5:40pm on the 23rd without power. Fortunately I have a gas stove which while I couldn't use the oven (one of those electric start things) I could light the burners and cook.

Its deadly boring without power and reading only worked for so long, so I wound up searching for something to bake on the top of the stove, and came up with Welsh Cookies. I collect recipes so having seen this lately could find the printed off recipe without too much trouble.

This is the downed trees that took out my clothes line, and squashed my hawthorn beneath its top.

 

Same trees a day later, after some saw work, still woking on that after spending yesterday with help.

The cookies, recipe as follows 3 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp soda (this is because of the currants and if you don't use currants or raisins is likely not needed) 1 1/4 tsp salt, and 2 tsps nutmeg,  1 cup shortening (I used butter because I don't like anything else) 1 cup currants (which I plumped with hot water but isn't necessary) 2 eggs beaten into 6 tablespoons of milk (didn't have milk so half and half had to do) sift all the dry ingredients togehter, cut in shortening, until crubmly, add wet mix, and mix to dough. Chill 1-2 hours (not havign a fridge working I simply covered the bowl and set out into the snow on my deck) You have to mix this well as I had some unmixed in dry stuff in the bowl and thought I had mixed it quite well. Divide into small enough portions to fit well on your cutting board, and roll out about 1/4 inch thick, with about a 2 inch cutter, maybe its a three, its not my regular biscuit cutter though. Heat the griddle till water sprinkled on will dance same as for baking pancakes, and bake the cookies until golden and turn. As you can see they got a bit more than golden, but they still taste good. The recipe says 4 doz, but I got 65. You turn them just like pancakes when they get sort of shiny and puffy on top, and bake the other side, greasing the griddle often.Variations could be additions of chopped nuts and flavouring, pecans and vanilla for instance, lemon zest and flavouring, or almonds and almond flavouring.

Whatever the flavour I will be making these again as my non cookie eating daughter loved them, she said they weren't too sweet. She doesn't like raisins because they are too sweet. Go figure!

this is the griddle I baked them on, its reputed to be over 100 years old being my great grandmother's, I'm not sure of that, but its still at least 75 if not older.

This a bit of my bread baking I've been doing, these are Bread in Five minute doughs, the left is a whole wheat with some rye and buckwheat flour added, the braided loaf is brioche filled with fruits and cream cheese, and the twists in back are brioche rolled into strips and rolled in chopped pecans, and cinnamon sugar and then folded over and twisted together. I'm told all were wonderful, I tried the twists and they wern't bad, but I'm not a big bread eater and baked this for my husband who was living out on his job.

these were supposed to be hamberger and hot dog buns, from a recipe gotten here, but the water was left out, and these were way too wet, and as a result spread out all over the place, good but not exactly what I wanted.

And just so you have an idea of me, this is a picture the camera snapped as I replaced it on its power charging dock. First time I've ever had that happen!

This Day's picture
This Day

Your Welsh cookies look delicious, EvaB.  I first tried these last summer and loved the nutmeg flavor.  I'm usually too lazy to roll out the dough, however, so I make a log, chill or partially freeze it, then slice it.  They're similar to scones, but sweeter and richer.

Sorry about the damage to your property from the freak snowstorm, EvaB.  Thank you for sharing your story.  Your breads are very pretty.

 

davidg618's picture
davidg618

A rose by any other name still smells sweet.

Here's a link to a my blog entry I wrote about a year ago, dealing with my love affair with a little Welsh lady, and her recipe.

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/11821/welsh-cakes-la-grandma-aka-welsh-cookies-recipe

David G

EvaB's picture
EvaB

for the nice comments, and as I tried to reply yesterday am wondering if the net was odd, however I enjoyed the cookies and making them relieved the boredom of not having anything to do, couldn't even wash dishes, the pump runs on electricity!

We are in the process of clearingup some of the downed trees, and the cookies were a hit with my daughter who doesn't like sweet things.

I will try the chilled and cut type but don't find rolling them exactly hard work, I have a nice marble rolling pin, so don't have to expend tons of effort to roll and cut.

I had thought that cookies really wasn't the right name but hesitated to change what I didn't know for sure, but like David G says a rose by any name smells as sweet.

David G, I managed to get to your entery about the cookies from your Grandmother, and can relate to that as I bake cookies handed down from my Grammy, which are probably bakeable on a griddle too, just have to try it out, and see.

I did enjoy your pictures of the perfect golden cakes,and the info to set the griddle at 350F if I ever get an electric griddle. But then again it wouldn't have done me any good to have it the other day!