Tasty Recipes
All of these recipes have been kitchen tested and biker approved.
This month’s recipes brought to you by Dave Tjarks
It is once again that time of year when I look back at
some of the memories of my youth and one of my
favorites is always getting a box of holiday cookies in the
mail from my Grandma. Ever since my dad was a baby-the family recipe book says 1946, my Grandma and her
neighbor would get together and make this huge variety
of Christmas cookies all in one day (in a small 19??
something era kitchen no less) and at the end of the
day their family, friends and neighbors would come over
for coffee and cookies. Of course growing up and living
three states away, we always missed that part but my
Grandma would make up a big box for us and wrap the
cookies in those little bags with the twisty ties.
Here are a couple of my favorite of those recipes (one for
each saddlebag) that I have made over the years with my
dad as well as with my own kids as a Christmas present
to my two wheeled family. Hope you enjoy making them
with someone as well as sharing any that are left.
Brown
Peppernuts
(aka Pfeffernusse, Pebernodder and a bunch more
names I’m sure)
1c sugar
3/4 c melted butter
2 large eggs
1 c sugar (1/2 dark 1/2 white) or sorghum
1T soda in a little water
1 t cloves
1 t cinnamon
1 1/2 quarts flour (not quite)
Add part of the flour. Then add more as needed. Bake
at 350 degrees
So here’s how I remember things, use the sorghum,
trust me. Soda as in baking soda, the cloves are
ground. Mix it all up, and jump into the way back
machine to your Play Doh days and roll out some long
snakes of dough about as big around as your finger
and then cut them into about 1” long potato chip bags
(actual description I used in Kindergarten for this). Roll
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up your bags into little balls and bake them on your
friendly neighborhood cookie sheet until done. I’ve
heard they’re great to dunk in your coffee, although
I’ve never tried it as coffee makes me gag. I just
know they’re great to grab a handful of and munch
when your mom’s not watching.
Fudge Nut Bars
1 c margarine (I think we’re lucky this didn’t say oleo)
2 c brown sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
2 ½ c flour
1 t soda
½ t salt
3 c oatmeal (the pilgrim in a round tub kind not the
packets)
Mix in order given.
For filling mix and cook over water (don’t sweat this
whole double boiler thing, just put a smaller pan into a
bigger pan with a bit of water in the bottom of the bigger
pan until it gets all melty):
1 (12oz.) pkg. chocolate chips
1 cup Eagle brand milk (that sweetened condensed
stuff)
2T margarine
1/2t salt
Add:
1c chopped nuts
2t vanilla
Pat 2/3 of mixture in a 15x10 pan, (I think they built
houses out of 4x2’s back then too) Add filling then dot
with remainder of oatmeal mixture.
No temperature was given (I told you these were from
my Grandma’s cookbook) but as someone once told
me, everything cooks at 350 eventually. You’ll have
to watch it, I’d give it somewhere between 10 and 15
minutes when I start checking it all. Let them cool a bit
to set up and then bust out the glasses of milk!
Merry Christmas
to you all!
December 2015
Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado 23