Recipes & Remedies: Sour Cream Cut Out Cookies and Deny-A-Cold Tea

By Sara Dahmen

Did anyone celebrate Imbolc earlier this month? We did, but barely – it’s a tricky fire feast here in Wisconsin because other than the slowly lengthening days, it’s still basically the deepness of winter around here. Sometimes I think these fire feasts were developed on some land that had a completely different understanding of “winter” months. Ha! And since we’re still in the thick of it, I’m sending you all my very favorite potion for telling a cold to ‘take a hike’ once you feel symptoms coming on. I’m guessing it will help with Covid-like symptoms, too. And then, I’m also including our family cut-out cookie recipe. It’s one from Old Germany and includes nutmeg and sour cream – it makes outstanding cookies. And since it’s February, we may as well make hearts to celebrate Valentine’s Day, even if it is just past – we could all use a little love! 

SOUR CREAM CUT OUT COOKIES

This recipe is also available in my book, Copper Iron & Clay: A Smith’s Journey (available anywhere books are sold), and it has been in the family a long time – one of those recipes I have handwritten down from my mother’s handwritten recipe, which she got from HER mother’s handwritten recipe. These are the things we all try to preserve, is it not? They are quite fail-proof, and I always add a tad bit more nutmeg than it calls for. 

Makes about 3 dozen cookies (but honestly it feels like five, LOL;)  I also bake these on my tin-lined copper cookie sheets because the even heat is awesome sauce.

1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
1 cup full-fat sour cream
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
4½ cups all-purpose flour, more as needed for rolling out the dough

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, cream the shortening and sugar. Add the sour cream and eggs to the shortening/sugar and mix until there are no lumps. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix together until smooth. 

Refrigerate the dough (covered) for at least 1 hour. (Sometimes I leave it overnight.)

When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F.

On a heavily floured surface, roll out the dough to ¼-inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes of your choice. Place them on the baking sheet and bake for 9-12 minutes – watching to make sure you don’t overbake (unless you want crispy cookies, then let the very bottoms get medium-brown in the color).

Cool cookies completely before frosting them!


DENY-A-COLD TEA

This concoction actually tastes pretty darn good – it’s like the healthier version of a hot toddy (and I suppose you totally could add whiskey or brandy to this, too!). This tea is NOT safe for children ages 12 and younger, as the garlic is too powerful for them.

Drink 1.5 cups of this per day while cold symptoms exist – it’s especially effective if you can start drinking it right when you first get that itchy tickle in your throat or nose!

1 crushed garlic clove
1 Tbsp crushed fresh ginger root
1 tsp honey
¾ cup very warm water
The juice of 1 freshly squeezed lemon

Combine all ingredients, let sit for 5 minutes to combine, strain, and drink while still warm.

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​​​About the Author
Sara Dahmen is a coppersmith, award-winning author and novelist, and entrepreneur. Her expertise is of vintage and modern cookware; she manufactures pure metal kitchenware in her Port Washington, Wisconsin garage for her company, House Copper & Cookware. All of her current designs are based on American traditions and wares and are sourced in the USA. When unable to recreate traditional elements, she uses only small family owned and operated makers or Armed Forces veterans to help with the production of her cookware pieces. Her work also includes refurbishing and restoring old and damaged copper using vintage tools.  Learn more about Sara at: https://www.saradahmen.com/​  ​Order Sara's book! Full color, hard-cover COPPER IRON AND CLAY (Morrow/HarperCollins)

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