Thursday, December 18, 2008

Butter Tarts and Cocaine Cookies


Earlier in the week (Monday to be exact), I made a pan of butter tart squares. They were nicely "curing" in the fridge until family and friends came over and cleaned out every last one. This time I decided to take the lazy person's way - use store bought tart shells and make my go to recipe for the filling.



Butter Tarts

1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp cream
1/2 cup raisins
pinch salt

Mix together melted butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, cream and salt.
Add a few raisins to each prepared tart shell
Fill tart shells with approximately 1 heaping tablespoon of mix


Bake in 350 F oven for 22-25 minutes
My yield on this recipe was 16 tarts.

I met this very lovely Greek lady in my building. The first time we met on the elevator she shared with me that she was going to a doctor's appointment; that she'd had knee surgery and she was feeling dizzy. She reminded me so much of my own mother who goes into similar descriptions so I know enough to realize that this lady just wanted someone to listen to her. Obviously, I couldn't fix anything. I commented on her very beautiful cane and she responded by saying she was going to see a Greek doctor. I asked the question - "are you Greek?". Yes, she said. I said, maybe when you're feeling better you can teach me how to make cocaine cookies. Sure, sure, when I make them, I'll call you.

Tonight there was a knock at my door. Her son was at the door with a package for me and inside were my cocaine cookies.



One of my all time favourite cookies - Kourabiedes. I can't pronounce them, I can't spell them and I've always called them Cocaine Cookies. Peter at Kalofagas came to my rescue. You can find the recipe for these amazing icing sugar loaded gems of goodness on his site. Ivy from Kopiaste tells me she'll be making them next week but using pistachios for hers. Gotta watch for those.

The interesting thing is this woman reacted to my willingness to watch her make them and translated it into her making them for me. This is the exact same reaction my mother gives me. Is there something wrong with my communication or is this a cultural thing?

No matter what, this year I managed to press the EASY button on both the butter tarts and the cocaine cookies. StumbleUpon

15 comments:

Ivy said...

Giz they are addictive as cocaine, so watch out for those Colombian/Greek cartels. They may steel your kourabiedes. That reminds me that I have to get off the computer and get some baking done.

Anonymous said...

I've tried those cookies--I see why you call them that!!

FOODalogue said...

I wasn't sure whether it was the powder or the potential addiction but reading the comments before me, I see it's both. I must say the title took me by surprise.

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I wish I still had such generous neighbours. Where we lived in Calgary we were well stocked with fruit and vegetables from our neighbours gaden. I would make raspberry liqueur from our bushes and donate a bottle or two to them as well. I have lived here in the condo a year and never even met any of my neighbours.

Anonymous said...

I thought I read that title wrong! haha

Hopie said...

Wow, those butter tarts sound amazing! Can't go wrong with those ingredients. I'm afraid to try these cocaine cookies...and yet intrigued ;-)

Peter M said...

I'm not sure what I'm drawn to more...the butter tarts or Cocaine cookies aka Kourabiedes!

Thank you so much for linking to my recipe and give me a call, all to glad to teach you how to pronounce them. Reward? Pick up some Kourabiedes.

kat said...

I've never had a butter tart, oh man do they look good.
How nice of her to make you those cookies, you probably made her feel very needed

giz said...

kat - nice of you to say that - what's probably more accurate is that I looked entirely pathetic. Maybe being on my hands and knees had something to do with it.

That Girl said...

I've never even heard of butter tarts - but they look fantastic, and as a child who used to eat sticks of butter plain, they sound right up my ally.

Adam said...

Ah, so these are the cocaine cookies you speak of! Well, let me say that they both look the part on both a literal and metaphorical level. Very sweet looking :)

And your butter tarts, yup those would be perfect on a cookie exchange plate. Maybe if you mailed some today to me...

Half Baked said...

I've never had the cocain cookies, but now I must! They look deadly...in a good way:)

Bunny said...

I've wanted to make the butter tarts for a while and haven't done it yet, they look so good. I've never heard of these cookies, sometimes I feel like I live under a rock!

grace said...

i think cocaine cookies is a highly appropriate nickname for those suckers. and meanwhile, butter, brown sugar, cream...and raisins? i guess you've got to get a little something healthy in there. :)

Dreams of cakes said...

These cookies look delicious! Really delicious!!

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