Cate's Cookies

Sunday

Apr092017

The problem with seeking out recipes that have been handed down from immigrants is that they always come with stories. Most of the stories are fantastic history lessons, but some are ...

You guys.

I've known Cate for a few years and when I asked her for the recipe for the cookies that she makes every Christmas, I knew there was a story. I knew Cate's grandparents were immigrants. I just didn't realize that their story was one of perseverance and, well, the very definition of the American Story.

Comfort.

War.

Fear.

Escape.

Hard work.

Success.

More hard work.

Cate's Grandma was the bread winner of the family when they first settled in the United States. She brought with her an incredible work ethic and a willingness to do things others wouldn't. She went from being a grade school teacher to cleaning houses under the table. She worked and she worked and she worked. She sacrificed so that her kids would have a better life and never once looked back.

There's more to her story, but we're here to talk about cookies.

This recipe was passed down from Cate's Grandma to Cate years ago. There's nothing particularly Slovakian about them, which led Cate and I to wonder how the recipe found its way into her family. The story that explains it is gone, but the cookies live on.

Cate's Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 cups sifted flour
1 cup finely chopped walnuts (I put mine through a food processor to chop them up extra finely)
1/2 cup powdered sugar (Yes, more powdered sugar)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the butter and vanilla together with an electric mixer on high speed until creamy.

Slowly add in the powdered sugar and flour and then stir in the walnuts.

Roll into little balls that are about one inch across and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Once the cookies have cooled, roll them in powdered sugar a few times or until they look like little snowballs.