I’m worried, is this enough dessert???

Our family has never been shy when it comes to dessert – as the 1960’s table above paints quite a picture! As we were gathering recipes for the cookbook, we realized we had as many dessert recipes as all the other sections combined. Some of the mainstays from the table pictured above include Sophie’s Danish Cookies, Gingerbread Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cowboy Cookies, Oatmeal Crisps, Russian Tea Cakes, Rosettes, and Spritz (I think our all time favorite) pictured below with the recipe. All of these recipes, and many, many more our found in The Holm Family Cookbook.

Spritz Cookies

Granny carried on the Danish tradition of celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve by inviting friends and relatives for lunch. She served traditional foods such as her famous Danish pickles,open-face sandwiches, and spritzkage or butter cookies. This is her recipe. She used a cookie press (we still use her’s, shown in the picture below), which is needed for these cookies. In the evening, the Holm children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren opened presents and sang discordant carols. Ione’s granddaughters have carried on her tradition of making spritz cookies at Christmastime. In true Holm fashion, they make a party out of it. Makes 5 dozen cookies.

 – Ione Teeter Holm

• 21/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• Dash salt
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Sift together the flour and baking powder. In a bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and salt. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well mixed. Add the dry ingredients, a little at a time. Put the dough in a cookie press using the 1/8-inch ridged cookie design disk and press the dough out onto cool, unbuttered cookie sheets.

Bake until set but not brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cut the strips into 3-inch lengths while they are still hot.

The End!