Cookie Recipes from the TinCrafts Kitchen

The Christmas holidays were especially joyous and family oriented for me as a child and teenager growing up in the 1950s and 1960s.

My mother baked a lot and in the month or so following Thanksgiving she turned her attention to Christmas cookies. Almond Crescents, Hermits, Walnut Refrigerator Cookies, Chocolate No-Bakes but most of all... Anise Cookies.

Pop muscled the last of the flour into the dough, Mom rolled out the dough and cut the cookies, the children tended the timer and the oven. Everyone helped in quality control by making sure that rejects and burnt cookies never made it past the cooling racks! Later, the Almond Crescents were coated with confectioner's sugar and the Anise Cookies were iced and Mom made up holiday gift packages for friends and relatives alike.

Gingerbread Man Shaped Cookie CutterGingerbread Woman Shaped Cookie CutterGingerbread Boy Shaped Cookie Cutter

Anise Cookies

  • 1 ½ cups Butter
  • 1 ½ cups Spry or Crisco
  • 5 cups Sugar
  • 2 cups Buttermilk or Sour Milk
  • 5 Eggs
  • 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
  • 1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • ½ teaspoon Oil of Anise
  • About 5 pounds Flour

Note: 3 cups Margarine may be substituted for the Butter and Shortening

Note: Oil of Anise is not the same as Anise Extract

  1. Mix liquid ingredients
  2. Add dry ingredients with flour last. Add flour gradually to thicken dough until it can be touched without sticking to your fingers
  3. Chill dough in refrigerator overnight
  4. Roll out portions of dough to desired thickness (keep remaining dough chilled to ease rolling)
  5. Cut desired cookies from dough
  6. Bake at 375 degrees on bottom shelf of oven until cookies just begin to brown on the edges (about 6 or 7 minutes)
  7. Move cookies to top shelf of oven to finish (about 2 to 3 minutes - someone should watch closely so as not to burn the cookies)

Dog Paw Shaped Cookie CutterDog Bone Shaped Cookie CutterDog Paw Shaped Cookie Cutter Medium

Dog Biscuit Recipe - Courtesy of Falcon888 (about 200)

3 ½ cups all purpose flour
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup rye flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 cups cracked wheat (bulgar)
½ cup nonfat dry milk
1 tablespoon salt (or less)
1 package dry yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup warn water (105 - 115 degrees)
1 pint chicken stock (or Swanson's chicken broth)
1 egg, beaten, mixed with 1 tablespoon milk

In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients. Add the dissolved yeast and the chicken stock or other liquid. Mix together. Knead for about three minutes into a stiff dough. Roll the dough into 1/4" sheets. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on baking sheet. No need to let rise. Place directly into a 300 degree oven for 45 minutes, turn off heat and leave overnight.

If your dog has a sweet tooth, add sugar, honey, or molasses. If on a salt free diet, omit salt. Add vitamins if needed. Add additional eggs or butter if desired. Price is roughly 30 cents a pound.


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