A dash of folklore and dish of cranberry-apple cookies

By Jim Bailey
theyankeechef.blogspot.com

Here’s a cookie recipe that combines the New England goodness of cranberries and apples.

Before we start, here’s a little New England folklore to help you find a potential mate: Take the pip (seed) of an apple and walk around in a circle of people, squeezing it between your index finger and the thumb while chanting:

Pippin! Pippin! Paradise!
Tell me where my true love lies!

The person that the seed  hits when it shoots out from your fingers is your potential lover. By reciting this poem, you will be continuing a tradition that has been repeated by our forebears for centuries.

And now, the recipe:

Cranberry apple crisp cookies.

Makes about 4 dozen
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks(1 cup) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 large apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 cup whole, fresh cranberries

Place cranberries in a small saucepan, cover with water and boil over medium-high heat until they are popping, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, drain well and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt well, then set aside. With a tabletop or hand mixer, beat butter and sugars together on high until fluffy and creamy looking. Reduce speed to low and add eggs and vanilla, mixing well. Slowly beat in the four mixture until well-blended.

Stir in the oatmeal, apple and cranberries, combining until apples and cranberries are evenly distributed. Drop by the rounded tablespoon onto an ungreased cookie or baking sheet. Bake 11 to 13 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove to cool in pans for a couple of minutes, transferring to racks to finish cooling.

Here’s a bit more folklore: If you want to know what your love future holds, press the apple seed on your forehead as hard as you can stand then let go. Start reciting the following verse. Whichever verse you are reading when the seed falls off will determine your love future.

One, I love.
Two , I love.
Three, I love, I say.
Four, I love with all my heart.
And five, I cast away;
Six, he loves.
Seven, she loves.
Eight, they both love;
Nine, he comes.
Ten, he tarries.
Eleven , he courts.
Twelve, he marries;
Thirteen wishes,
Fourteen kisses. All the rest little witches.

Schiffer Books of Pennsylvania has released Jim Bailey’s new book The Yankee Chef: Feel Good Food for Every Kitchen. It contains more than 550 traditional New England comfort-food recipes tweaked for today’s palates with hundreds of kitchen tips and food facts. The hardback book is 312 pages and contains 200 color images. Its ISBN is 978-0-7643-4191-5 and the cost is $34.99. The book can be ordered through Misty Valley Books, 802-875-3400.