Today is National Cookie Day!

Observe this important day by making at least one batch for your Christmas Cookie Table.

Join the Route 19 Writers as we browse and bake some of our own favorite recipes.

The Pittsburgh Cookie Table baking blogs here on Route 19 present a great selection. (Each recipe comes with hints for tasty reading or writing, too!)

If you have a taste for the classics, allow us to suggest our: 

Fruit-cake bars

Spritz

                    

• 
  

• Apricot-Pineapple-Macadamia Fruit-Cake Bars
• Double-Quick Shortbread
• Judy's Gingers
• Spritz

Craving something new and different? Try

    Bourbon Currant Cutouts 

Butter fudge fingers

Auntie Mary Fudge Slices

Chocolate might be the flavor you favor:

• Butter Fudge Fingers
• Auntie Mary Fudge Slices

Feeling nutty? Go for these super-easy

Walnutty Cheesecake Bars

You can spice things up with the grown-up flavors of

       Blackberry-Sage Thumbprints        Chocolate Spice Cookies

Or revel in ethnic favorites like

Cream cheese kolache

       

Aunt Lee's Biscotti

Cream Cheese Kolache

Grandma's Pizzelles

Spritz

Yugoslavian Kifle   

      
   

Yugoslavian kifle

Grandma's pizzelles

       
           
                                                       

Russian tea cakes

                                     

Easy, merry, and familiar—you can never get 

enough of these
family favorites:

•    Auntie's Light as Air Sugar Cookies
•   Double-Quick Shortbread
•   Judy's Gingers
•   Rum Balls
•   Russian Teacakes

     

Rum balls

Every good wish for your happy holidays from Susan Chapek and all the Route 19 Writers.

Let's Rum Ball!

By Cynthia Light Brown

I love rum balls. As a college freshman with very little spare cash, I would walk once a week to the local bakery and treat myself to a few rum balls. That has been – ahem – a few years ago, but I still remember that little pop of pleasure. Mmmm. They’re like a brownie with a kick.

Most recipes call for vanilla wafers, but I think using chocolate cake or brownies makes them more chocolate-ey (always a good thing) and, well, like a souped-up brownie. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

1 cup confectioner’s sugar (plus some for coating the outside)

2 cups brownie crumbs or chocolate cake crumbs

¼ cup rum

2 Tablespoons corn syrup (you can substitute honey)

Directions

Place the chopped nuts in a mixing bowl. Add the cocoa, stir, then add the sugar and stir again until everything is coated. Break the brownies into small pieces (as small as you can get them) and add. Stir in the rum and corn syrup. Put the bowl in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to help the dough firm up. Put some confectioners sugar in a small bowl.

Shape the dough with your hands into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in the confectioner’s sugar, then roll in your hands to spread the sugar evenly. You can use candy sprinkles instead of sugar if you’d prefer. Place the ball on wax paper. Refrigerate overnight. Then eat!