Christmas Countdown 18 : Moravian Spritz Cookies

http://www.ncfolk.org/moravian-cookies/

Today, 8 December, Christmas Countdown 18 is the feast of the Immaculate Conception - a Catholic Church celebration of the birth of the Virgin Mary, free from original sin. I must admit that I had not heard of Christmas cookies called Moravian Spritz, or Moravian Spice Cookies until today. They are prepared traditionally as part of the ritual of observing the Feast of the Immaculate Conception - a national holiday in many Latin countries and significant in the United States.

The spice laden cookies are said to celebrate the purity of the Virgin Mary, since Mary, too, "gave forth sweet smell like cinnamon and aromatic balm and yielded a sweet odour like the best myrrh." In the spirit of Advent, abstinence is practised, for traditionally the cookies must stand for ten days in the refrigerator before baking, and are then shaped into Christmas figures, especially hearts and liturgical symbols.

How did Moravian cookie recipes become popular in the USA?

Preparing Moravian cookies , Leaksville Church, Richmond, USA http://www.newsadvance.com

Moravian Church missionaries came to USA in 1735, from Herrnhut ( modern Saxony, Germany). They came to minister to the scattered German immigrants, to the native Americans and to enslaved Africans. Winston-Salem has one of the highest concentrations of Moravians in the United States, and the city is home to companies that continue the Moravian baking tradition. Aside from the buns and sugar cakes, Moravians are still best known for their signature spice cookie. A descendent of the German Lebkuchen cookie (many Moravians fled Moravia, in the present-day Czech Republic, and settled in Germany before heading to the United States), the Moravian cookie combines a powerful and exotic spice blend with some unique baking techniques to produce a thin, crisp cookie that cannot be resisted.. from http://www.ncfolk.org/moravian-cookies/

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/moravian-spice-cookies/

MORAVIAN COOKIES

1 c. molasses
1 stick butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 tbsp. soda
3 1/2 - 4 c. flour
2 tbsp. grape juice (or wine)
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ginger
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix butter, sugar and molasses. Then add dry ingredients and grape juice; stir to mix well (very stiff dough). Cover and keep in cool place at least 3 days to ripen. Roll very thin (use a cloth-covered, floured board and plenty of flour). Cut with cookie cutter and gently place on cookie sheets and bake at 275 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Store in air tight container indefinitely.

from http://www.cooks.com/recipe/2f4vr283/moravian-cookies.html

Because we all love gingerbread, I think this recipe will be a hit.... I am ready to try it today - hope I am not tempted to bake too soon... at least this recipe suggests three days resting rather than the traditional ten!

#the100dayproject : Inspiring Women Days 1 - 4

#The100DayProject is a *free* global art project that takes place online 🎨 E very year, thousands of people all around the world commit to 100 days of creating. Anyone can participate . The idea is simple: choose a creative project, do it every single day for 100 days, and document and share the process online. 2026 is my 8th year of participating. I have stitched daily observations, painted my egg cup collection, collaged postcards and envelopes, written poems, explored colour palettes .... this year I am researching, sketching and stitching 100 inspiring women. Fortunately I purchased a piece of beautiful linen, with preprinted outlines of 100 women ... just one issue - the figures are tiny (height 6cm /2.5 ins) My first week started tentatively ... I thought I would start with Empress Wu, after whom I named my creative activity. This is when I discovered how difficult it is to applique and stitch on these very small figures - I used tweezers to put pieces of fabric down, tried t...

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"Temari Or Not Temari?" Tutorial

Background Information: Temari (literally translated “hand ball”) is a Japanese folk craft that is alleged to have originated in China and was introduced to Japan five or six hundred years ago. Traditionally, the balls were constructed from wrapped kimono fabric remnants and silk threads. They were made by mothers and grandmothers for children to play with. Nowadays, decorative embroidered temari represent a highly valued and cherished gift symbolizing friendship and loyalty. Recently I've wondered if your don't use traditional techniques whether you should call what you create "temari". That is an ongoing debate but today I share what I do to make a "non-traditional temari".... 1.I start with a polystrene ball ( traditionally the balls were wound silk scraps or other organic materials) and begin to wrap with approx 4 ply wool, turning the ball as I wrap. 2. I then wrap another layer of wool in a similar fashion , this time a 3 or 2 ...

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

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