The first time I remember tasting these delicious sour cream cookies I was visiting my maternal great-grandmother in DuPont, Pennsylvania, in the early 1960s. My Grandma Rose brought this recipe from Hungary. She was part of the wave of immigrants to the United States in the late 1800s. Her firstborn children, born in 1900, were twin girls, one of whom was my grandmother, Nanny.
My Nanny was a fabulous baker. The recipes I inherited from her include this one for pugatchels and pay tribute to my Hungarian heritage.
In this photo, taken in 1983, I am holding my son and a platter of freshly baked pugatchels. That little boy is now a father of two who love my pugatchels. What a joy it is to bake for my grandsons (four in all).
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Ingredients:
1/2 pound butter
1 cup sour cream
2 egg yolks
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
4 cups flour
Combine all ingredients.
Chill dough for several hours.
Roll dough into medium-size balls.
Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten with a fork to form crisscrosses on top.
Bake in a preheated 350 F oven 20-25 minute. PJC
Do you have a tried-and-true dish that comes with an interesting origin story? If so, we want to hear from you! Submit recipes along with their backstories to newsdesk@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org, and write “Recipe” in the subject line. Please include a photo of the dish. You may see your submission as part of our column “Savoring Stories”!
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