This weekend, I will be baking. I will be carrying on a tradition my late mother began long before I was born. My sisters and niece have carried on this tradition, too.
My family heritage is Hungarian, and at this time of year we make a filled cookie that is more like a pastry. It’s a rich cream cheese and butter dough rolled out and filled with goodies such as walnuts and raisins, prune lekvar, or apricot preserves.
As a little girl, I watched my mother make hundreds of these every December. It’s a big project that takes a long time, significant effort, and a lot of counterspace. The cookies we did not sneak off the cooling racks were parceled out for the various family get togethers we would attend, and to give as gifts to friends and colleagues.
That’s another part of our tradition that my mother’s heirs have continued: giving these treats away at the holidays. I vividly remember her saying that the ingredients were special, and the time and effort to make these treats was exceptional compared to other baking projects. Therefore, the people who received these packages were special to us. They were the people we wanted to present with not just something delectable, but something that included a little bit of ourselves and our love, care, and friendship.
This holiday season, whatever you might be celebrating — Christmas, Hanukkah, the Winter Solstice, the arrival of the New Year, none of the above, or all of the above — I wish you happiness, good health, and special treats that come with love, care, and friendship.
What is the name of the delectable filled cookie?