by Sarah Price
The day might be over, but for Myrna, it seemed to be just beginning. “And I love you, Ezekiel Riehl,” she replied.
Recipes
Why not gather your friends
and start your own cookie club?
To help you get started,
here are some of the recipes mentioned in
The Amish Cookie Club.
EDNA’S CINNAMON ROLLS
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 package active dry yeast
½ cup warm water
½ cup milk
¼ cup white sugar
1¼ cup butter
pinch of salt
2 eggs, beaten
4 cups all-purpose flour
vegetable or corn oil
1½ cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
OPTIONAL: 1 cup chopped pecans, divided
Dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar and yeast in warm water and set aside for ten minutes.
Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat.
Mix in ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup butter, and a pinch of salt; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.
In a large bowl, stir together the yeast and milk mixtures, eggs, and 1½ cups flour. Add the remaining flour, a little bit at a time and mixing well before adding more.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.
Set the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and place in a warm spot, letting it rise until doubled in size.
Melt ¾ cup butter over medium heat and add ¾ cup brown sugar, whisking until smooth. Pour the sugar mixture into greased baking pan and set aside.
Combine remaining brown sugar, ½ cup pecans, and cinnamon and set aside.
Melt remaining butter and set aside.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, roll into a 20 x 14 inch rectangle.
Brush with half of the melted butter and then sprinkle the top with the brown sugar mixture.
Starting at long side, tightly roll up, pinching seam to seal.
Brush with remaining 2 tablespoons butter.
With serrated knife, cut into 12 to 14 pieces and carefully set them, cut side down, in the baking pan. Set aside, covered, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in volume.
Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.
Let cool in pan for 4 to 5 minutes before inverting them onto a serving platter.
Best served warm.
MYRNA’S SUGAR COOKIES
2¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1½ cups white sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder and set the mixture aside.
Cream the sugar and butter together until smooth.
Beat in egg and vanilla.
Mix in the dry ingredients.
Roll teaspoonfuls of dough into small one-inch round balls.
Spread out the dough balls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 10 minutes in a preheated oven at 375 degrees.
Let stand on cookie sheet for a few minutes before removing them to cool on wire racks.
VERNA’S CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter
½ cup shortening
½ cup white sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
Combine softened butter with shortening, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla and beat until creamy.
Beat in the egg.
Slowly add the flour mixture and mix well.
Stir in chocolate chips.
In a preheated oven at 350 degrees, bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 8 to 10 minutes.
VERNA’S EASY BREAD RECIPE
2 cups warm water
⅔ cup white sugar
1 package of active dry yeast
1½ teaspoons salt
¼ cup vegetable oil
6 cups flour
vegetable or corn oil
Dissolve the sugar in warm water and then stir in yeast. Set aside until creamy.
Add the salt and oil into the yeast. Mix well.
Slowly add the flour one cup at a time, mixing well.
Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth.
Place in a well-oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat.
Cover with a damp cloth and set in a warm place, allowing it to rise until doubled in size.
Punch down the dough and then knead again for a few minutes.
Divide the dough into two equal amounts and shape into loaves. Place each one into oiled 9 × 5 inch loaf pans.
Set aside and allow it to rise until dough has risen above the pan.
Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Turn the page for a sneak peek of An Amish Cookie Club Christmas by Sarah Price!
Sugar and spice make love extra nice . . .
Baking cookies every other Friday for their respective church districts gives Edna Esh and three of her closest friends a chance to give to the Plain community and strengthen their bond with one another. Now, with the blessings of Christmas in the air, they may even whip up a recipe for love . . .
With the holidays around the corner, Edna is busier than ever, juggling her baking with her business serving meals to Englische tourists.
Thank goodness for Mary Ropp’s help—until she breaks her leg. Mary’s daughter, Bethany, is available to fill in, but Edna isn’t so certain. She knows Bethany is so painfully shy that she’s never even courted, never mind interacting with Englische tourists!
How will she be able to interact with her customers?
But the remedy may be closer than they think . . .
When Bethany gets into a scrape with her bicycle, a personable, talkative young man comes to her rescue, and even accompanies her home. And he’s none other than John Esh—Edna’s oldest son. When he stops by again the next day, Mary gets an idea. Soon, with the encouragement of the Cookie Club, Bethany is indeed helping Edna, and spending more time around the Esh household—and John. As Bethany slowly comes out of her shell, it seems she and John have much in common—maybe enough to inspire a winter wedding—and the club’s sweetest creation yet . . .
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Chapter 1
Edna sat at the kitchen table, her calendar book opened to the month of November. In the past, the calendar pages might have had a scribble or two here and there. But not this year. The rest of November and all of the December pages were anything but empty.
Removing her reading glasses, she rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed. Not only was every Friday and Saturday leading up to Christmas scheduled for serving the noon meal to tourists, but starting next week, so was every Wednesday and Thursday. Even Thanksgiving week was full, with Tuesday scheduled as a makeup for the holiday.
She felt as if she might just succumb to tears. How on earth had she let this happen?
“Maem?”
She looked up as her eldest son, John, walked into the kitchen.
Forcing a smile—no sense in letting him see her fret—Edna set down her glasses and turned around in order to better see him. With his dark pants and white shirt, he wore the traditional clothing of an Amish man. But it was his piercing blue eyes that made him stand out in a crowd. Regardless of how handsome he was, John would always hold a special place in her heart, not just because he was her eldest child but because he was the most caring of her three boys.
/> “You’re home early from the auction haus.” Her eyes shifted to the clock on the wall. Was it already four thirty? She hadn’t even started supper yet! “Oh help!”
John leaned against the counter and smiled at her, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “Let me guess.” He reached up and tipped back his straw hat. “Lost track of time again, ja?”
Edna took a deep breath, willing away the sense of anxiety that grew inside her chest. “Seems to be happening a lot these days.”
“You work too hard.”
She couldn’t argue that point, so instead, she changed the subject. “Speaking of work, how was your day?”
Something changed in his expression. A dullness, she thought, replaced the twinkle in his eyes as he shrugged. “Usual. Busy like most Thursdays. Lots of horses coming in tonight for tomorrow’s auction. Had to get the stalls ready for them.”
The lack of joy on his face said it all. At twenty-six, John was old enough to run his own farm. The only problem was that the family farm wasn’t large—or profitable—enough to sustain the entire family. Dairy farming had taken a hit in recent years due to the decrease in milk prices. And that meant the family needed supplemental income in order to survive.
A few years back, Edna had started serving the midday meal to tourists during the late spring and summer months. This year, however, she’d agreed to continue hosting the Englischers throughout the autumn season, too. And not just one or two days a week, but four days. The family needed the money, after all.
Shortly afterward, John had been the next one to seek other work in order to help the family pay the bills. His love of livestock made him a natural hire for the local auction house. He worked Tuesdays through Fridays, helping to prepare for and oversee the livestock auctions on Wednesdays and horse auctions on Fridays. Unfortunately, Edna knew that while he was happy to contribute to the family, John should’ve been the one to stay home, while his two younger brothers, Jonas and Jeremiah, should’ve been the ones to leave the farm and find employment elsewhere.
But sometimes what should’ve been wasn’t what actually happened.
John glanced over her shoulder at her calendar. His eyes widened and he whistled under his breath.
“Overbooked again, eh?”
Shutting the calendar, Edna pursed her lips, a feigned expression of irritation on her face. Truth be told, she could never be irritated with John. Of her three sons, John had always been her rock. Unlike Jonas and Jeremiah, John was sensible and responsible, a levelheaded man with a righteous reputation and a strong faith in God. And, of course, he was a man devoted to his family.
The only problem was that his family consisted of his parents and brothers. Most of his friends had already settled down with children of their own now. It was high time for John to do the same, but he showed no inclination to court any of the Amish women in their church district.
“Oh! You know me far too well, John Esh!”
The last thing she wanted to do was complain to John about her having taken on far too much work during the holiday season. Because she’d had no choice. No sense in complaining about something she couldn’t change.
Standing up, she made her way toward the kitchen counter.
“And it seems I’m far behind on making supper for you men.”
It was Tuesday and she had promised the boys—for she always referred to Jonas and Jeremiah as “the boys”—steak and mashed potatoes for supper. They’d spent the day spreading manure in the fields, preparing the soil for the next year’s crops. With the weather turning crisp and cold, a hearty supper was definitely in order.
“Need help?”
Edna gave him a soft smile. “Nee, John. You relax a spell. Seems you’ve been working extra hard of late.”
She watched as he took a seat at the table and stretched out, his long legs crossing at the ankles. “Ja, the auction haus has been busier than usual. Reckon that’s good. Lots of horses and livestock, even though it’s nearly winter.”
“What about buyers?”
He sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Ja, plenty of those, too.”
It broke Edna’s heart to see him so tired. All he wanted was to work on the farm. But he’d never complained about having to find outside employment. If only Jonas and Jeremiah were inclined to do the same, she thought. Maybe then John could work on the farm year-round.
“Reckon that’s gut, eh?” She hurried about the kitchen, trying to refocus her mind on supper and not on how overbooked she was for the next six weeks leading up to Christmas.
“They really need the help,” John continued, but there was a forlorn undertone to his voice. Despite the auction house needing extra hands to help move the livestock, John would have preferred to work on the farm full-time. He paused long enough for Edna to look at him. “Mayhaps that’s what you need, Maem. Help.”
She smiled to herself. “I already told you, I’m fine. Supper won’t take but half an hour.”
“I meant real help. With your business.”
Not that again, she thought. She’d been struggling with so much for so long, and both John and her husband, Elmer, had been after her to hire someone to assist her with the meal preparations and serving the guests when they came. But she’d fought it.
“And I already said I’d think about it,” she said.
The truth was that she had thought about it. Hiring help would cut into her profits, and they really needed every dollar, especially with dairy prices so low.
“You can’t keep doing all these things by yourself,” John retorted. “You work too hard, Maem. Now you’re taking on more. And just before the holidays.”
The holidays.
Edna loved Thanksgiving and Christmas, that was for sure and certain. There’d be family suppers with Elmer’s siblings, as well as with her own. Not just one or two supper invitations, but a dozen or more. Edna knew that they’d try to attend as many as they could. After all, it wasn’t often that they could get together and see everyone: nieces, nephews, cousins, new babies.
And, of course, they’d attend the school pageant, as they did every year. Despite not having children attending the school anymore, Edna always enjoyed seeing the young children as they sang hymns, recited Scripture, and reenacted the Nativity scene.
Yes, the holidays were a busy time for everyone.
Despite her love of the holiday season, inwardly, Edna groaned. This year would be different, for John was right: she was working too hard and, most likely, wouldn’t come up for air until just a few days before Christmas which left little time to actually enjoy the season. Between meeting every week to bake cookies with Verna, Mary, and Wilma for Yoders’ Store in Shipshewana and running her own catering business, Edna wondered if she’d taken on more than she could chew. Or “swallow,” in this case.
At least tomorrow was Wednesday. Her friends would be coming over to bake the cookies for Yoders’ Store. She’d have to tell them that it would be her last Wednesday helping. Hopefully she could keep meeting with her friends to bake cookies every other Friday morning, for they always made goodies to share at fellowship after their respective worship services. No matter how busy she was, she certainly enjoyed meeting with her friends, but she knew she’d have to forfeit Wednesdays for a while.
The Cookie Club. That’s what people called it. And while Edna didn’t particularly care for that nickname, she’d grown used to hearing it over the years.
“You really do need some help,” John repeated.
“I’ll think about it,” she agreed for the dozenth time, trying not to glance at him over her shoulder.
Leveling his gaze at her, his expression doubtful, John raised an eyebrow. “You say that all the time, but thinking and doing are two different things.”
Edna couldn’t help but laugh. That had been her most often repeated expression to the boys growing up, especially Jonas and Jeremiah, who tended to think more than do, unless doing was something they wanted done.
Turning around to fa
ce him, she gave him a warm smile. “Danke for your concern, John. And since you are so insistent, mayhaps I will let you help me by peeling these potatoes.” She walked over to the table and plopped down a large bowl of unpeeled potatoes. “Now, what do you think about that?”
He laughed at her as he picked up the peeler. “Think I put my foot in my mouth this time.”
“That you did, John,” she said in a lighthearted tone. “That you did.”
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photo credit: Cat Zimmerman, CZ Mustangs
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