Approaching Hour 19.5, dear friends, and things have improved considerably, with Fats Waller on the jukebox and Julie’s homemade peach sorbet in the freezer, exactly the kind of coolants a hot, tired brain needs to make it through the night.
As promised, here is the recipe from Maida Heatter that made me laugh so whilst talking to Bunni. Please note that the name does not refer to any form of burlesque, but rather to the shape of the cookie:
Connecticut Strippers (from Maida Heatter’s Cookies, Andrews & McMeel, 1997)
makes 40-48 1"x 1 1/4” strips
For the cookies:
2 cups (8 oz.) sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
5 1/3 oz. (10 2/3 tbsp) unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup (7 oz.) dark or light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk (reserve white for topping)
1 cup (3 1/2 oz.) walnuts, cut into medium-sized pieces
1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 oz.) currants
Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and set aside. In a mixer, cream the butter. Add vanilla and sugar and beat to mix well. Add the whole egg and egg yolk and beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients on low speed, beating only until incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to get all of the unblended dry ingredients. Mix in the nuts and currants. Refrigerate the dough, in bowl, for 1/2 hour, or until it is firm enough to handle.
Adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat to 400F (Gas Mark 6). Line two 12"x 15 1/2” cookie sheets with parchment or foil.
Generously flour a large board or smooth work surface. Divide the dough into quarters and work with one piece at a time. Flour your hands, form the piece of dough into a ball, and turn it over several times on the board to flour it on all sides. With your hands, form the dough into a roll 13” long and place it lengthwise on one of the cookie sheets. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough, placing two rolls on each sheet about 4 inches apart.
With floured fingertips, press each roll of dough to flatten it to 1/2” - 3/4” depth. Prepare the topping:
For the topping:
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped
reserved egg white
Stir the sugar and cinnamon to mix thoroughly. Stir in the nuts, In a separate bowl, beat the egg white until foamy but not stiff. Use a pastry brush to brush the egg white onto one of the strips. Coat the strip with 1/4 of the sugar, cinnamon and nuts. Repeat with the other three strips.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, reversing sheets from front to back and top to bottom. The tops should spring back when pressed lightly with a fingertip.
Slide the parchment off the cookie sheets and let cookies sit for 10 minutes. Then, with a wide spatula, release the cookie strips but do not remove them. Let them stand until cool, then transfer to a large cutting board. Cut at an angle into 1"x 1/4” strips with a large knife.
Note: The same advisory I gave concerning Nela Rubinstein applies here, too.