By Pierogi at Patty's. Babcia Rose came on Saturday and the apartment smelled like Saturday has always smelled in this family: flour and potato filling and butter and the particular warmth of a kitchen where several women are doing serious work. I am always admitted to this kitchen as a participant and also always slightly in the category of student, which is accurate, which I accept.
Babcia Rose showed me the dough again. She has shown me the dough before, several times over several years. Each time I understand more. The dough is not difficult, exactly, it is specific, and specific is harder than difficult because difficult is a matter of effort and specific is a matter of understanding something that exists in someone else's hands. I am getting closer. I can feel myself getting closer. The dough I made this Saturday was better than the dough I made last December.
Babcia Rose is ninety years old and she has been making pierogi since she was a girl in Poland and she does not slow down in the kitchen in any way that I can measure. She stands. She rolls. She presses the edges. She talks while she works, sometimes in Polish, sometimes in English, sometimes in both, and I listen and watch and try to catch what I can.
Owen and Nora were in their playpen in the living room. Through the kitchen doorway I could see them: Owen systematically testing what every toy could do, Nora watching me through the doorway with her considering gaze. Babcia Rose noticed her looking and called to her in Polish. Nora smiled at Babcia Rose with her whole face. Babcia Rose called it back, a full generous smile from a ninety-year-old woman to a ten-month-old baby, and said, quietly, this one knows things.
After Babcia Rose left and the pierogi were wrapped and the kitchen was quiet, I still had that particular baking-day feeling — the one where your hands want to keep working and the oven feels like it belongs on. The Christmas baking marathon was already underway in spirit, and shortbread has always been my contribution to the cookie tins we assemble every December: something buttery and yielding, less technical than pierogi dough but no less satisfying to make. This year I added a caramel-apple version because Nora’s considering gaze from the doorway made me want to bake something she could eventually reach for, something that would make her smile the way she smiled at Babcia Rose — with her whole face.
Caramel-Apple Shortbread Cookies
Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 14 min | Total Time: 39 min | Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 cup finely diced dried apple pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 20 soft caramel candies, unwrapped
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (for rolling, optional)
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar. Beat softened butter and powdered sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla extract and mix to combine.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until just combined and a soft dough forms.
- Fold in apples. Gently fold in the dried apple pieces with a spatula or wooden spoon until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Chill the dough. Shape the dough into a log about 2 inches in diameter. If using, roll the log in granulated sugar to coat the outside. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until firm.
- Preheat and slice. Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice the chilled dough log into rounds about 1/3 inch thick and arrange 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake. Bake for 12—14 minutes, until the edges are just barely golden and the centers look set but not browned. The cookies will firm up as they cool. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
- Make caramel drizzle. Combine the unwrapped caramel candies and heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until fully melted and smooth, about 3—4 minutes.
- Drizzle and set. Using a spoon or a small piping bag, drizzle the warm caramel over the cooled cookies. Allow the caramel to set at room temperature for 15—20 minutes before serving or storing.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 162 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 20g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 55mg