Lekvar Cookies

Melissa and Julia making lekvar cookies in 2003

Ida made these every Christmas. Melissa has made them for several years now.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Crisco
• 2 eggs
• 1 jar lekvar (prune butter)
• 8 oz evaporated milk
• 6 cups flour
• 1 yeast cake

Directions

1. Cream Crisco and add eggs.
2. Combine yeast and lukewarm milk
3. Add alternately cups of flour and milk to Crisco and egg mixture
4. Shape in balls and chill. (if wrapping in plastic, leave room for expansion of dough)
5. Roll dough out over sugar (instead of flouring the table)
6. Cut dough into 1 1/2" squares
7. Add a bead of lekvar diagonally with a pastry bag
8. Fold the dough over the lekvar
9. Roll the cookie in sugar
10. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes on ungreased sheets

Notes

In 2008 Melissa discovered that evaporated milk works better than condensed. The dough rises better. We had thought condensed milk was the thing. And Melissa tried sugaring the table instead of flouring it. They taste better after sitting for 2 days or so.