Delicious Christams Cookies: Earcakes Ausikės, Cream Cheese Cookies Sūrio Sausainiai, Lemon Snowballs Citrininės Sniego Gniuždės, Pineapple-Oatmeal Cookies Ananasiniai-Avižiniai Sausainiai, Gingerbread Ornaments Imbieriniai Papuošalai

LET’S COOK LITHUANIAN
with Dana Silidnas

DELICIOUS CHRISTMAS COOKIES
EARCAKES Ausikes

2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
5 Tbsp. milk and 1 tsp. rum extract or 5 Tbsp. rum
3 cups flour
Cream eggs and sugar. Add milk and rum extract or rum. Add in flour. Mix together to form stiff dough. Roll out dough to V2 inch thickness. Cut dough into diamonds, approximately 1 inch by 4 inches. Cut a slit in the center of diamond. Put one end of diamond through slit (dough will be curved). Fry dough in hot oil until light brown. Let cool on paper towels. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Earcakes stay crispy if kept in a closed paper bag.

“Ausikes are usually translated as ‘little ears ’ in Lithuanian cookbooks, but in my family, they are always “earcakes. ” This traditional Lithuanian dessert is often prepared for Christmas. ”
Submitted by Kathy Hazlewood Overland Park, Kansas
(They’re… Hie!… Good. — Dana).

GINGERBREAD ORNAMENTS
Imbieriniai papuošalai

1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup molasses
1 egg
5 cups flour
1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. baking soda
Assorted decorating icing
Assorted Christmas candies

Cream butter and brown sugar. Add molasses and egg. Beat until smooth. Sift together flour, pumpkin pie spice and baking soda; add to mixture. Beat until well mixed. Cover and chill 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350°. Divide dough in half. Roll dough, half at a time, to a lA inch thickness. Cut out dough with assorted 3 to 5 inch cookie cutters. Make hole for hanging with toothpick near top of each cookie. Bake cookies on greased baking sheets 9 to 11 minutes or until edges darken slightly. Cool for 5 minutes then remove to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough. Re-roll scraps as necessary. Decorate cookies with icing and Christmas candies as desired.

LEMON SNOWBALLS
Citrinines sniego gniuždes

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 Tbsp. grated lemon rind
1/4 tsp. lemon extract
1/8 tsp. ginger
1 cup unsifted all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
Confectioners’ sugar

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add lemon rind, lemon extract and ginger. At low speed of electric mixer beat in flour. Stir in nuts. Shape dough into balls the size of small walnuts. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 325° for 15 to 17 minutes until cookies just begin to brown. While cookies are still warm, roll in confectioners’ sugar.

CREAM CHEESE COOKIES
Surio sausainiai

1 stick butter, softened
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 egg yolk
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 pkg. yellow or devil’s food cake mix

Cream butter and cream cheese together. Blend in egg yolk and vanilla. Add dry cake mix V3 at a time. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes. Heat oven to 375°. Drop on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 6 to 8 minutes. Cookies will be just slightly brown on edges. Do not overbake.

PINEAPPLE-OATMEAL COOKIES
Ananasiniai-avižiniai sausainiai

20 oz. can crushed pineapple in syrup or juice
1 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup margarine
1 egg
3 cups rolled oats
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped almonds, toasted

Drain pineapple well, reserve 1/2 cup syrup. Beat sugar and margarine until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, pineapple and reserved 1/2 cup syrup. Combine remaining ingredients; blend into pineapple mixture. Drop by heaping tablespoonful onto greased cookie sheets. Shape with back of spoon. Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes until golden. Cool on wire racks