AUTUMN COOKIES

Fall is in the air and I just had to make some autumn cookies yesterday. My friend, Pat, made these for me one Christmas and they are quintessential autumn cookies! Oh my, did the house smell good!

SWEDISH PEPPARKAKOR (if you rap the cookie with your knuckle and it breaks into three pieces, you'll have good luck!)

3 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 egg

2 Tablespoons molasses

1 Tablespoon water

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

Raw sugar and or almonds, halved, optional

In a bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.

In a large mixer bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg, molasses, water, and orange peel. Beat well.

Add flour mixture and beat until well mixed. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill for 2 hours or until easy to handle.

Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8" thickness. Cut dough with cookie cutters. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with raw sugar and/or top each with an almond half.

Bake in 350 oven for 8 minutes or until just brown around the edges. Cook on wire rack.

NUT CRESCENTS

1 cup butter

6 Tablespoons confectioner's sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour

1 cup finely chopped pecans

Cream butter, sugar, vanilla. Add flour and salt. Fold in nuts.

Take approximately 1 Tablespoon dough between palms and roll into a small log. Curve into crescent shape.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Roll in confectioner's sugar while warm. Cool completely on rack.

TINY PECAN TARTS

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup flour

Beat butter and cream cheese in mixing bowl until combined. Stir in flour.

Using 24-36 ungreased 1 3/4" mini muffin tins, press a rounded teaspoon of pastry evenly into the bottom and up the sides of each cup. Fill each pastry cup with the pecan filling:

Pecan Filling:

Beat together 1 egg, 3/4 cup packed brown sugar, and 1 Tablespoon melted butter. Stir in 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans.

Bake at 325 for about 30 minutes or until pastry is golden and filling is puffed. Cool slightly in the muffin cups, then remove and cook completely on a wire rack.

(Jim and The Girls appproved of each of these cookies!)