I don’t cook. I don’t bake. If it were up to me, we’d be eating Boca burgers and yams every night (which were my go-to single lady foods), or maybe grilled cheese and tomato soup (from a box).
My husband, as you may remember, is an excellent baker. He cooks dinner for us too, which I’m eternally grateful for. Nathaniel loves helping him, especially when they make sugar-laden treats.
Last weekend the fabulous duo made my favorite Christmas cookie, the sand tarts that I helped my grandma make when I wasn’t much (if at all) older than Nathaniel. She used Helen Corbitt’s Sand Tarts recipe in The Cotton Country Collection cookbook published in 1972 by the Monroe, Louisiana Junior League.
Helen Corbitt’s Sand Tarts
1/2 pound butter
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 cup finely chopped pecans (Note to Drew: This is pronounced “pecan” like Chaka Khan, not like kick the can.)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Sifted confectioners’ sugar
Cream butter and sugar. Stir in flour, nuts, and vanilla. Mix well. Shape in crescents and bake at 325 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Roll in powdered sugar while still warm.
My grandma let me help roll the warm crescent cookies in the sweet, sticky powdered sugar. I thought of her when we made them last week, while I stood by my son as he licked confectioners’ sugar from his cookie-covered fingers. When I took the first bite I was transported back in time to her kitchen, in a home that I later lived in with my parents and late brother. I miss her very much, and I’m grateful for the memories.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you! Thanks for reading and commenting on my posts this year. I’m super excited about 2014, and I’ll be back here on Thursday, January 2nd to ring in the next chapter. Love to you all. xo