Acorn Cookies

A New Ulm Thanksgiving is one of the Babel favorites. Like many family celebrations, the holiday is an all-day affair of filling food, festive drink, drinks, cards, and several pies. Something uniquely "Babel" is Mom/Esther's Acorn cookies. Nuts in shortbread, topped with chocolate. The only tricky part is shaping the acorn, then deciding when to stop eating them.

Esther Babel's Acorn Cookies

  Ingredients

• 1 cup softened butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/16 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1 cup finely ground walnuts
• 2 1/2 cup white flour
• 1 pkg (14 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp paraffin wax

Directions

1. Cream butter and sugar together
2. Add salt and vanilla
3. Stir in nuts
4. Gradually add flour 
5. When all ingredients have been combined, cover and chill for several hours
6. Preheat oven to 350°
7. Roll 1 tsp of dough into an acorn shape*
8. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for ~12 minutes (they should not be brown)
9. Remove and cook completely
10. In a double boiler, heat chocolate chips, vanilla, milk, and wax until smooth
11. Spread the chocolate onto the top of the cookie, like a brown cap on the acorn!

 

 

Rachel (left), Joe, and Britta shaping acorn cookies
early one Thanksgiving morning in 2014.

The acorn technique

From Madeline Babel: "To make them, I take about a tbsp worth of dough, roll it into a ball, and using my pointers and thumbs shape them into acorns.  My left hand squeezes the bottom to make the point and my right hand pushes the middle in to make the cap.  Then i pinch the top to make the very top."

Mini Pancakes

You know all those drips of batter that fall onto the griddle while you're struggling to form a perfect pancake disc? Did you know that they are not only edible, but also delicious? Did you know that they fit in your hand?! Mastermind and future chef August Babel unlocked the destiny of pancakes with this resourceful innovation.

August's Mini Pancakes

This contraption is completely unnecessary with
this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsp cooking oil

Directions

1. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture to later add liquids
2. In another bowl combine the egg, milk, and cooking oil.
3. Add liquid mixture to the dry mixture. Stir just till moistened (batter should be lumpy).
4. Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet; making sure to splatter batter about the hot surface (these are your mini pancakes!).
5. Watch the little splatters until they begin to brown on one side, then flip. These will be done when each side is brown.
6. Cook the large pancake disc over medium heat about 2 minutes on each side or till pancakes are golden brown, turning to second sides when pancakes have bubbly surfaces and edges are slightly dry.