Guest Post (and a Giveaway!): Marta Perry & Amish Christmas Cookies

‘Tis the season for guest posts, and I’ve got a yummy one for you today! (Not that the Kiss or Miss post from yesterday isn’t yummy in its own way…. but this one is about COOKIES. Amen.)

I’m delighted to be a part of the TLC Winter Holiday Recipes (and Reads!) blog tour, featuring some delicious books and recipes to keep you warm over the holidays! Each tour stop features a guest post from a different author, plus a fun giveaway!

Check out the TLC tour page for a list of participating blogs and dates.

Amish Christmas Blessings

(2-in-1) with Marta Perry & Jo Ann Brown

Series: Love Inspired
Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired (October 18, 2016)

Holiday Greetings From Amish Country 

The Midwife’s Christmas Surprise by Marta Perry 

Three years ago, the man Anna Zook hoped to marry left her and their Amish community for the English world. Now devoted to proving her abilities as a midwife, Anna has given up on marriage and children for herself. But when Benjamin Miller returns, now a changed man, can delivering a Christmas baby reunite these two hurting hearts?

A Christmas to Remember by Jo Ann Brown 

When a little girl leads shop owner Amos Stoltzfus to an Amish woman in distress, he rushes them to his family’s farm. “Linda” has no memory and doesn’t know if the sweet child is her daughter or even her kin. As Christmas arrives and Linda’s identity is revealed, will Amos be able to claim his holiday guests as his own?

Marta Perry lives with her husband in a century-old farmhouse in the Pennsylvania countryside, but spends winters at their vacation home in South Carolina. When she’s not writing, she’s active in the life of her church and enjoys traveling and spending time with her three children and six beautiful grandchildren.  Connect with Marta at her website and on Facebook.

AMISH CHRISTMAS COOKIES

A recipe guest post by author Marta Perry

It would never do for anyone to go away from the table at an Amish house without being filled to the bursting point. As the old Amish saying goes, “May a child never run out of your pantry with a tear in his eye.”

And this is never so true as it is around the holidays. Although Amish cooks are famous for their cakes and pies, no Amish housewife would want to be considered lax in the area of baking Christmas cookies. In fact, there’s an unspoken sense that a woman’s culinary skills can be judged by the quantity and variety of her Christmas cookies!

My mother was a true Pennsylvania Dutch cook when it came to her Christmas cookies, the baking of which usually started early in December. The problem was to keep my brother and sister and me from eating them before the holiday season had properly started!

Here, for your enjoyment, is a favorite Amish recipe:

Pfeffernuss

Pfeffernuss, or pepper nuts, are a spicy traditional cookie, and there are as many variations of the recipe as there are Pennsylvania Dutch cooks.

¼ cup butter

3 cups brown sugar

4 eggs

3 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1 tablespoon ground cardamom seed

Cream butter and sugar together. Add the beaten eggs. Sift in the flour with the baking powder and spices. The dough should be very stiff. If necessary for handling, add a little milk or cream. Roll into small balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, or until light brown. If desired, dust with confectioner’s sugar.

Do you have a favorite traditional cookie recipe for the holidays?

a Rafflecopter giveaway