THE MAD BAKERS

For those of you who read my blog for its coastal content and decorating ideas, I'd like to apologize in advance for the recent and upcoming glut of recipes... but it's that time of year!

I promise the more usual topics will re-appear in a mere 8 -10- days.

Tonight, we celebrated the first night of Chanukah at my house with noodle soup and potato latkes with apple sauce.

For years, one of my mom's traditions has been to hand out plates of homemade cookies to family and friends and for the last two weeks, the two of us have been baking up a storm.

We also mailed a tin to my son Fred, who has far less time off now that he has a job. Since he was home for Thanksgiving, he'll be in celebrating Chanukah in Los Angeles this year.

As a little holiday gift to all of my friends in Bloglandia...

I'm going to post one of my favorite cookie recipes for each of the
8 Days of Chanukah.

* Betty's Cookies
* Sicilian Fig Slices
* Cardamom Drops
* Pecan Crescents
* Chinese Almond Cookies
* Amish Raisin Cookies
* Holiday Hearts
* Gingerbread Men

I hope you'll try them and vote for your favorite.

On January 1st, I'll pick one winner from everyone who has left a comment from now until midnight on the December 31st.

THE STORY BEHIND BETTY’S COOKIES
For several years when I was in elementary school, my father worked in an Italian salumeria (an Italian deli) in Brooklyn. For Christmas, each of the store's two partners would invite all of the employees to their home for a party. Each owner's wife tried to out do the other one.

It wasn't much of a competition though. One woman, whose name was Betty, made wonderful cookies.The other wife, whose name I've mercifully forgotten, made cookies that most reminded me of rocks.

Fortunately, Betty shared her recipe with my mom who has been making these cookies ever since I can remember. They are irresistible right out of the oven, keep for weeks and get even better with age.

Everett, by the way, recognized these cookies instantly the first time my mother made them for him. He remembered them as his great aunt Julia's cookies, which his mother once explained to him were actually made by his great uncle Jack.

BETTY'S COOKIES
1 pound butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs, separated (you use yolks first but save whites in the fridge as, you will need them later)
Cinnamon
About 4 cups of flour
A 1/4 cup of Cinnamon Sugar or a mix of cinnamon & sugar to taste
Chopped walnuts

Bring butter to room temperature, then add egg yolks, sugar and a pinch of cinnamon and mix together until tacky.

Add 3- 1/2 cups of flour and mix well. Add more flour, as needed until dough is no longer sticky.

Divide dough into 4 pieces, then make each piece into a long roll. Wrap rolls in wax paper and refrigerate overnight or longer.

To bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, beat egg whites. In another small bowl, mix chopped nuts with cinnamon and sugar.

Cut cookies into 1/4-inch thick slices and place on a cookie sheet. Brush tops of cookies with beaten egg whites, then sprinkle with nut mixture. Bake until very lightly browned.