Continental Cookie Recipe

Continental Cookie Recipe makes an old fashioned spicy, exotic buttery bar cookie filled with current jelly, topped with a crunchy glaze and slivered almonds.

A Christmas Tradition!

I ordered this recipe from a classified ad in a women's magazine in the early 1970's for 25 cents.

It is our best cookie ever!

It makes a perfect gift from the kitchen with three different colored and flavored jellies.

Continental Cookie Recipe

• 2 large eggs
  
  
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
  
  
• 1 1/2 sticks butter (do not substitute with margarine)
  
  
• grated zest of 1 lemon
  
  
• 3 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
  
  
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
  
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
  
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  
  
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
  
  
• Currant Jelly*
  
  

In mixing bowl, beat eggs, butter, and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Stir in lemon zest.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.

Lightly, fold into butter mixture until mixed well. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Now, roll dough on lightly floured board or pastry cloth to 1/2 inch thickness.

Cut into long strips, 1 1/2 inch wide.

Carefully lift strips onto a greased cookie sheet, placing 2 inches apart.

With a wooden dowel or round spoon handle, make a groove down center of each strip, being careful not to cut groove all the way through dough.

Spoon or pipe jelly into groove.

Bake in a preheated oven 350 F. for about 8 minutes, until tops are slightly firm, but not browned.

Remove from oven, brush on glaze, sprinkle tops with slivered almond and return to oven.

Bake about 5 minutes more until tops are lightly browned.

Remove from oven.

Working quickly, cut strips crosswise into 1 1/2 inch diagonal bars and place on rack to cool.

Cookie Glaze

• 1 whole egg
  
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
  
  

Beat egg and sugar together until frothy.


*Currant Jelly can be substituted with Blueberry, Raspberry, Strawberry, and Grape Jam, or any other fruit jelly or preserves of your choice.

Lemon Curd would make an excellent flavor substitution!

Make up several different flavors and colors for a lovely presentation or gift giving.

These cookies are best stored in a flat container with a tight fitting lid rather than a cookie jar because they are so delicate.

Because they are dainty, delicious, unique professional quality cookies, bake them for special occasions to enjoy and show off your culinary skills!

Don't wait until Christmas to try this yummy, Continental Cookie Recipe!

Old Fashioned 
Almond Bars

• 3 sticks (1 1/2 cup) butter, room temperature
  
  
• 2 large egg yolks
  
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring
  
  
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
  
• 1 1/2 cup sifted cake flour
  
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
  
  

Topping

• 1 egg white
  
  
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  
  
• 1 cup slivered almonds, coarsely packed

In a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until light and fluffy.

Fold in the softened butter and the granulated white sugar.

Fold in the almond flavoring and vanilla extract until all is well combined, but not overbeaten.

In another bowl or on a sheet of parchment paper, sift together the flour and baking soda. 

Fold half of the flour into the mixture and fold in the water.

Then fold in the rest of the flour.

Pour into a greased 7" by 11" baking pan and smooth the top.

Bake in a pre-heated oven 325F. about 30 minutes until it tests done when probed in the center when probed with a toothpick.

Remove from the oven and let it cool in the pan.

Meanwhile, prepare the topping:

In a stand mixer, beat the egg white until stiff. 

Fold in the brown sugar and spread the topping  on the cooled uncut bars.

Sprinkle on the chopped almonds.

Place back into the oven to brown. Should take about 8-10 minutes.

Let the bars cool completely, leaving them in the pan to cut into rectangular bar shapes before serving.

History Of Thumbprint
Cookie Recipes

The above Continental Cookie Recipe does not have historical information online, that I can find.


There is an abundance of historical data online for the Thumbprint Cookie Recipe.

The two cookies have a different shape, but I consider the recipes to be variants.

The earliest Thumbprint Cookie Recipes in print in the United States Of America was published in Hutchin News Herald, June 20th, 1949.

The cookies did not contain a fruit filling at that time.

They were sprinkled with nuts on top and a thumbprint was made halfway through the baking.

In 1953, a recipe for Thumbprint Cookies appeared in a Joy Of Cooking cook book 

In that cook book, the recipe was called Jelly Tots.

Indeed, the recipe listed drained strawberry preserves and pecan meats in the cookie thumbprints.

Then dust the top with powdered sugar. 

In 1956, a similar recipe titled Thumbprint Cookie, was published in Betty Cocker's Picture Cook Book.    

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Whoopie Pies Recipe

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