You Better Knot Die

by Betty Hechtman

  Mrs. Shedd’s Santa Lucia Buns

  1 cup milk

  1 package dry yeast

  ¼ cup lukewarm water

  1 tsp. sugar

  ⅔ cup sugar

  5½ cups sifted all-purpose flour

  ½ cup softened butter

  2 eggs

  1 tsp. salt

  1 tsp. ground cardamom

  1 egg white, slightly beaten

  1 tbsp. cold water

  ¼ cup slivered almonds

  Scald milk and cool to lukewarm. Proof yeast by stirring it into the lukewarm water and teaspoon of sugar. Cover and set aside. After 5 minutes it should begin to bubble. Pour the proofed yeast into the mixing bowl. Stir in the lukewarm milk and ⅔ cup sugar.

  Gradually add 2 cups of flour and beat until smooth. Add the butter, eggs, salt and cardamom and beat until well mixed. Add the remaining flour and mix. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured pastry cloth, board or piece of wax paper and knead until smooth and elastic.

  Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover. Let rise until doubled in bulk (about 1½ hours). Punch the dough down, cover and let rise until double in bulk again (about ¾ hour).

  Divide the dough into about 26 equal pieces. Roll each piece between hands and coil the rope into a circle. Cover and let rise until double in bulk. Brush with egg white and cold water and sprinkle with almonds. Bake at 350 degrees for about 23 minutes.

  Showstopper Stained Glass Cookies

  1 bag of fruit-flavored roll candy or other hard candy

  1 cup softened butter

  ⅔ cup sugar

  1 egg

  2½ cups sifted all-purpose flour

  ½ tsp. salt

  2 tsp. vanilla

  Separate candies by color; put each color in a plastic bag. Cover the bag with a towel and crush candies with a hammer. Set aside.

  Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and beat until well mixed. Gradually add flour and mix until well blended. Add salt and vanilla and mix well. Chill the dough for at least 3 hours before rolling out. Roll out the dough to about ¼-inch thickness and cut out cookies. Cut out a hole in the center, leaving at least a ½-inch border. Place cutout cookies on parchment-lined cookie sheets. Fill cutout space with crushed candy. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Candy should be melted and cookies lightly browned. Let the cookies cool before removing them from the cookie sheet.

  An alternative: The dough can also be shaped into logs before chilling and then sliced and decorated with colored sugar or sliced almonds or a few chocolate chips and baked at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.