Don’t you love Christmas cookie season? Trying new recipes, pulling out old favorites, sharing them with friends? Me too! Since moving to Pennsylvania from Utah a few years ago, I have picked up a few new recipes that I have added to my Christmas cookie arsenal. It’s so great to discover regional favorites and make them your own, and it’s fun to bake cookies from different places and feel the nostalgia of your hometown, your favorite city, or where your grandma lived when you taste them. So today, I am so excited to share one of my favorite cookies from Pennsylvania, my current home state, as part of Bob’s Red Mill’s United States of Cookies – a recipe for Cranberry and Walnut Pennsylvania Sand Tart Cookies!
Sand Tarts originated in the Pennsylvania Amish and Mennonite communities, and are made of simple ingredients that combine wonderfully. Generally you will find these thin, buttery cookies with a dash of cinnamon mixed in or with pecans pressed on top, but I decided to make them a little more festive by adding some cranberries and walnuts for a holiday flavor. Here’s how you make them:
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 c Sugar
- 4 c Flour
- 2 c Butter
- 2 Eggs; well beaten
- 1/4 c. dried cranberries (chopped)
- 1/4 c. walnuts (chopped)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar together.
- Slowly add in flour, mixing until well-combined. Add beaten eggs and mix thoroughly. Carefully fold in cranberries and walnuts. Covered tightly and chill over night.
- Roll out dough on lightly floured surface. Cut out cookies and place on greased cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350-F about 10 minutes or until set.
(Recipe adapted from the Pennsylvania Dutch Cookbook, Culinary Arts Press)
These cookies are so fun to roll and cut out. It’s the perfect recipe for Christmastime because it is a simple recipe that kids can get involved with making! Don’t you love the little bits of red cranberry peeking through the dough? It’s gorgeous. And along with the color, the cranberries add the perfect little bit of tartness that is divine. Combine that with the sweet, buttery flavor of the cookie and the crunch of walnuts your ready to have a VERY delicious Pennyslvanian Christmas!
I love baking with Bob’s Organic Unbleached White Flour for this recipe and so many other because it is so versatile. This flour is wonderful in anything from bread to baked goods and I love knowing that it isn’t enriched by any additives. You HAVE to check out all of the ways it can be used by visiting Bob’s United State of Cookies where 50 bloggers from all 50 states share their favorite cookies from their state! And save on your favorite Bob’s products by visiting this page for a special coupon!
What is your favorite cookie from your state? I can’t wait to hear your recipe!
Happy baking!
ox. Liz
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Love this company. I buy there Gluten free flour.
http://www.amysfashionblog.com/blog-home/
The recipe doesn’t even say when to add in the cranberries and walnut. May want to correct that.
Buckeyes!! Chocalatey peanutbuttery heaven!
OBSESSED with Buckeyes! YUM!