Dutch St. Nicholas Cookies

Some people celebrate St. Nicholas's feast day on December 6 by leaving out their shoes to be filled with treats. Although we did not particularly celebrate that day, these cookies are a traditional treat for the feast day. The cookies are usually molded or imprinted with various designs such as an image of St. Nick. Mom's recipe called for using the spritz cookie press, which worked well with this dough.

This recipe has an intriguing ingredient list including spices and even black pepper. The cookie itself is not overly spicy, but just spicy enough. I also liked the contrast of the sweetness of the chocolate frosting. Mom's recipe did not contain the ingredients for the frosting, so I used the chocolate fudge frosting from Mom's recipe for eclairs. Even if it is not St. Nicholas day, give these delicious cookies a try.

Dutch St. Nicholas Cookies 

• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ginger
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1/8 tsp. baking powder
• 2-3 Tbsp. milk
• 1 cup flour
• Chocolate Frosting

Beat butter and sugar until creamy; beat in spices, salt, pepper, and baking powder. Beat in two tablespoons milk and gradually beat in the flour. Use additional milk if the dough is too stiff. Put the dough into a spritz cookie press with a rosette plate. Press onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Allow to cool a few minutes before frosting. Prepare the chocolate frosting. Spoon a little frosting onto the center of each cookies. Press an almond onto the frosting. Enjoy!