It's been over twenty years since I lived in New Orleans with my best friend, but the memories of life in "The Big Easy" remain as strong as a Pat O'Brien's Hurricane. One favorite memory is sharing in the tradition of the King Cake, which are baked and served frequently during the Carnival Season, lasting from Epiphany Eve until Fat Tuesday. Inside one of the servings of the cake is a plastic baby, representing the Child Jesus. Whoever ends up with that particular piece must bake the next King Cake.
With today's Super Bowl in NOLA, I decided to serve a variation of this Mardi Gras tradition with the following King Cake Cookie recipe.
Here you go:
Margarine ~ 1 & a half cup
Sugar ~ 1 & a half cup
Flour ~ 7 cups, sifted
Baking Powder ~ 5 tsp
Salt ~ 1 tsp
Almond extract ~ 4 tsp
Eggs ~ 8 eggs
Icing ~ Vanilla , white, or butter cream
Sugar sprinkles ~ purple, yellow, green (Mardi Gras colors)
Craft Store "Babies" ~ Plastic, optional
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Melt the margarine in the microwave at 15 to 20 second intervals. (Apparently, butter, which I usually use for cookie recipes, does not work for this recipe.)
Mix in the sugar, flour, baking power, salt, almond, and
eggs well. Roll into balls about 1 tablespoon each and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes.
Allow the cookies to cool before spreading each with icing and sprinkling with a mix of sugars. I usually put the baby on top so no one chokes on it ~ and now everyone who eats one is obligated to make cookies until Lent.
Have A Wonderful Super Bowl:)
