Belgian "Good Year" Cookies
The treats I most associate with the holidays are small, crispy, Belgian cookies that look like thin waffles and taste buttery-good. At least one Flemish-Belgian cookbook I own calls them nieuwjaar's wafeltjes (New Year's waffle cookies), but my family, whose ancestors came from the French-speaking southern part of Belgium, calls them "boonohs,” a nickname that probably evolved from a French term for "good year."
My family uses an heirloom stovetop iron to make these, but you’ll need an electric Belgian cookie iron. They’re available from Palmer Manufacturing; call 724-872-8200 or visit www.cpalmermfg.com and ask for Model #1110, which has the smallest grids.
The recipe yields 12 to 14 dozen cookies; they may be eaten as is (bet you can’t eat just one!) or used to make ice-cream sandwiches.
Ingredients:
1 pound Organic Valley Cultured Unsalted or European Style Cultured Butter, softened to room temperature
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
8 large Organic Valley eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
6-7 cups flour
Instructions:
Cream butter with wooden spoon. Gradually add sugars, creaming all the while. Beat in eggs, vanilla and salt. Stir in flour until stiff dough forms (less flour makes crispier cookies). Cover dough and let it chill overnight.
Roll chilled dough between palms of hands into balls that are slightly larger than marbles. Heat a fine-grid Belgian cookie iron. Keep extra dough balls chilled while you bake cookies one or two at a time in the cookie iron until they are golden brown. The amount of time depends on how hot the iron is and how cold and dense the dough is, but it shouldn’t take longer than a minute or two.
Cool cookies on racks. Store or freeze them airtight.
Copyright by Terese Allen
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I too, grew up on this tradition, although we called the cookies, Lukkun, same recipe, process and same old iron, one at a time in the kitchen all day huddled around the stove for the next cookie. Christmas time favorite