Virtual Cookie Exchange!

You probably remember me blogging about my fabulous MIL, Grandma Vera. This wonderful woman was an Expert at All Things, from Babies to Baking. I remember when my SIL, Aunt Julie, had Big Bear, her first. He wouldn't stop screaming when Julie Eliz tried to put him down for a nap.

"Put him down and close the door," Vera counseled.
"But he still screams," Julie said.
"Then go down the stairs," Vera advised. "If you can still hear him, go to the kitchen. If you can still hear him then, go outside, close the outside door, and sit on the steps."

Vera knew such things instinctively. She also knew her way around a kitchen. Baking-especially Norwegian Christmas treats such as Lefse, Cut Out Cookies and Sandbakkels-was her specialty.

Sandbakkels-Norwegian for Sand Tart-are basically a different kind of sugar cookie, from Across the Pond and Up Nort in the Old Country. The recipe is deceptively simple, and the cookies are pressed in special Sandbakkel Tins to hold their delicate, sunburst shape. Some folks put some kind of custard in the Sandbakkel shells, or sprinkle sugar on them. Most of us here around the Pop'rs Family prefer them plain.

So here, then, is Grandma Vera's special recipe for Sandbakkels. We're playing along with Tracy P.'s Virtual Cookie Exchange. Click on over there for a delightful, delicious way to spend the Holidays!

Grandma Vera's Sandbakkels
1 stick butter
1 stick margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
3 cups flour
big, rounded teaspoon of cardamom

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and margarine together. Add the sugars and the egg to this mixture, and stir well. Gradually add the flour, stirring each time, and putting the cardamom in the first cup of flour. Chill the dough overnight. The next day, press the dough into Sandbakkel tins. Bake at 350 degrees until light brown, about 10 minutes. Turn the tins over on a sheet of aluminum foil, and after they cool slightly, squeeze each gently until the Sandbakkels pop out. Enjoy!