During the Olympics, the display of Canadian patriotism was inspiring, heartwarming and thrilling. It reminded me of a trip we made to Ottawa in 1991 to visit my brother and his family. We spent July 1 on Parliament Hill, with thousands of other Canadians who celebrated Canada Day with passion, singing and red and white Canadian flag decals.
It was the first time I felt overwhelming pride in being Canadian. As the Snowbirds flew above the Peace Tower and the crowds sang Oh Canada, I stood tall and felt proud to be a citizen of this country.
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For many, the 2010 Vancouver Olympics were when they first celebrated being Canadian.
The Olympics made me wonder about the true Canadian cookie. For me, it is a maple cream.
Maple cream cookies are not generally available in the United States and are often taken as a gift by Canadians.
In August 2007, Canadian astronaut Dave Williams and his NASA crew members took Canasnacks to the international space station.
Canasnacks are bite-sized sandwich cookies with maple, cranberry or blueberry cream filling. They were the first Canadian food developed by Agriculture Canada specifically for astronauts. The cookies were made bite-sized to reduce the possibility of crumbs, which could contaminate the spacecraft. Each package contained five cookies imprinted with a maple leaf design.
I found this maple cream cookie recipe at www.allrecipes.com.
Maple cream cookies
1 c. butter, softened 250 mL
1 c. packed brown sugar 250 mL
1 egg
1 c. maple syrup 250 mL
1 tsp. vanilla extract 5 mL
1 tsp. maple extract 5 mL
2 tsp. baking soda 10 mL
1/2 tsp. salt 2 mL
4 1/2 c. all purpose flour 1.125 L
maple leaf cookie cutter or cookie stamp
In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add the egg, syrup, vanilla and maple extracts and mix. Combine the soda, salt and flour, mix and then slowly add to the butter and sugar mixture, then mix until well blended. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
Sprinkle a pastry board or clean counter top with flour. Roll the dough to about 1/8 in. (3 mm) thickness. Using a maple leaf-shaped cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Carefully transfer to cookie sheet and bake four to six minutes. Cool completely on cooling rack.
If you don’t have a maple leaf-shaped cookie cutter, you could roll the dough into one inch (2 cm) diameter balls and press flat with a maple leaf cookie stamp or a fork. They may take longer to bake. Once cooled, ice one maple leaf cookie with the filling and then place a second cookie on top to create a sandwich.
Filling:
1/2 c. butter, softened 125 mL
2 c. icing sugar 250 mL
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. maple extract 2 mL
1 tsp. vanilla extract 5 mL
2 tbsp. maple syrup 30 mL
Cream butter with a mixer, add one cup (250 mL) of icing sugar and the salt, beat together well. Add the flavourings and maple syrup. Beat again until mixed, add icing sugar until thick enough to spread and hold shape when placed on a cookie.
Soft chocolate frosting
Dear TEAM: When my children were small, I used to make an icing called Fluffy Icing. It was made with cocoa, not cooked and called for two or three eggs, which you beat well between each addition. Would you have this recipe? – J.H., e-mail.
Dear SH: This recipe is from Amy Vanderbilt’s Complete Cookbook, 1961 edition. Due to concerns about salmonella from raw eggs, it is now recommended that eggs be cooked.
6 1-ounce squares of unsweetened chocolate 6 x 28g
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 c. sugar 375 mL
3/4 c. milk 175 mL
1 1/2 tbsp. butter or margarine 22mL
pinch of salt
2 tsp. vanilla 10 mL
Melt chocolate in saucepan over hot water. Beat egg yolks in heavy saucepan until thick. Add sugar and beat smoothly together. Add milk and butter or margarine, stirring well. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and boil one minute only. Remove from heat, stir in chocolate, add salt and vanilla. Beat until it spreads nicely. It makes enough to use between two layers and frost the cake. This frosting has gloss and stays soft.
Try this icing on the following cake. It is a family favourite from my friend, Karen Weimer.
Chocolate oatmeal cake
2 c. boiling water 500 mL
1 c. rolled oats 250 mL
1 c. margarine or butter 250 mL
1/2 c. cocoa 125 ml
2 1/2 c. brown sugar 625 mL
4 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. vanilla 10 mL
2 tsp. baking powder 10 mL
2 tsp. baking soda 10 mL
1 tsp. salt 5 mL
2 c. flour 500 mL
Mix together rolled oats and water and let stand five minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat. Put in a 9 x 13 inch (22 x 33 cm) cake pan or two layer cake pans greased and floured and bake at 350 F (180 C) for about 45 minutes.
Credit card selector tool
Are you looking for a new credit card or want to know more about the features and rates of your current credit card? The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada’s credit card selector tool (themoneybelt.gc.ca) makes it easy to compare more than 250 credit cards from 28 different issuers, including student cards and secured cards.
By answering a series of questions it sorts the credit card products into categories and compare the conditions, options, rewards and other features. The information is easy to read in a side-by-side chart format.
Betty Ann Deobald is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and a member of Team Resources. Contact: team@producer.com.
