There's not much more inviting that a tray
of freshly dipped Mushroom Cookies!		 Here I am with the first Mushroom Cookie that came off the assembly line! If you notice, there isn't a lot of fat in these cookies... sugar, yes, but fat is low.
 

Throughout Scandinavia and around the Baltic, cookies have one common ingredient : Cardamom! Cardamom is much easier to come by than it was years ago in America as more people have come to enjoy this wonderful spice! In Lithuania, they take this familiar recipe and mold the cookies into the shape of mushrooms for luck in the Christmas Season!

 My parents started making these back in 1972, and they have been a family favorite ever since!

Making Lithuanian 'Grybai' is a time intensive and challenging process. However, the rewards of nibbling on them before a fire on a cold wintery night with a mug of chocolate, coffee or tea is extraordinary! And for that special person you make them for... they will be eternally grateful! So, if you'll looking for something special to give... here it is! My #1 Christmas Cookie Favorite! -- Karen:)

Karen's Secret Ingredients

 How to Prepare!
 

  1/2 cup granulated sugar
  4 tbsp butter
  4 tbsp brown sugar
  1 cup honey
  3 tsp ground cardamom
  3 tsp cinnamon
  3 tsp ginger
  1 tsp nutmeg
  1 tsp cloves
  3 tsp grated Lemon Peel
  1 tsp grated Orange peel
  2 eggs
  1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  5 1/2 cups bread flour
  1/2 tsp salt
  4 tbsp sour cream
  frosting (powdered sugar/confectioner's sugar    and water)
  Poppy Seeds
 
 STEP 1: Heat the honey in a medium saucepan until it bubbles around the edges. Remove from heat and add: SUGARS, PEELS, SPICES and EGGS.

 STEP 2: Measure the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the honey mixture alternately with sour cream. Knead the dough for 5 minutes and roll into a ball! Let rest for about 20 minutes.

 STEP 3: Heat oven to 375°F. Roll 1/4 dough into ropes of about a pencil's width. Cut 100 stem pieces and smooth the ends. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for about 7 minutes.

 STEP 4: Roll 100 balls from the remaining dough. Make an indentation in each ball (I use the rounded handle of a wooden spoon). Bake the indented side down for 10-12 minutes.

 STEP 5: With a small knife, enlarge the holes in the baked caps ( to accommodate the stems). Dip the stems in thickened frosting and insert one end of the stem into the caps. Invert and dry (stem side up)

 Step 6: Dip the caps into a thinner frosting and sprinkle with poppy seeds! Let dry on their sides on foil.... then ENJOY! :) -- KAREN:)
 

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