Magic!!!!!

Magic!

There's something magic
In just the thought!
It seems so ordinary,
So small,
So everyday ---
Thee is something magic,
Something that changes
The way I feel,
The way I think
When I remember
Those special days
When Opoe made
Those large,
Soft,
Luscious
Cookies!
"Just One,"
She always said,
But somehow ---
Somehow I managed
To get two ---
Two of those great big,
Soft,
Chewy,
"Boterkoek" cookies!
And as I waited --
Patiently ---
She told me all about
Windmills,
Canals,
And poor children
in Holland.
I listened,
Politely, I think,
But mostly,
I ate.
I loved these buttery cookies!
More than any other
Cookie,
I loved Opoe's boterkoek
Best of all!

There's something magic
In just the thought
Of Opoe's
Boterkoek!
Something that drives me
To try to bring
Back to life
The memories of
Those bygone days.
Nothing else will do ---
No Oreo,
No Soft Batch,
No Toll House,
No Nutter Butter
Can still the stirring
Deep within my heart.

When once I get
That magic feeling
That I need to taste
Once more
A really big
And tasty Boterkoek
Like Opoe used to make --

I BAKE!!!!

--Cora

One of my all time favorite. . . .cookies???. . . . has to be BoterKoek. This means Butter Cake in Dutch. But to me, it's more like a butter cookie bar. Crisp on the outside, chewy and soft on the inside. A little more dense than a brownie. Why they call it cake is beyond me. My sister made this yesterday and it is just too good . . .melt in your mouth good . . . .who care's if you get fat good . . . .!!!!!

12 servings 50 min 20 min prep

2/3 cup butter or margarine or half-and-half
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract (I like 2 1/2 teaspoons in mine!)
1 egg, beaten (reserve 1 tsp)
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
sliced almonds, for garnish (optional but not the same with it)

In medium bowl, mix together butter, sugar and almond extract.
Add beaten egg except for 1 teaspoon.
Sift flour and baking powder, and add to bowl, mixing with wet ingredients.
Put dough in greased 9 inch pie plate.
Mix the reserved 1 tsp of beaten egg with 1 tsp of water, and brush over dough.
Sprinkle with sliced almonds, if desired. (My Oma always used the almonds, it looks pretty and adds a nice touch!).
Bake at 350 degress for 25-30 minutes or until done (firm to the touch).
This is a dense cake (like a bar cookie or hard brownie), but should be soft on the inside and hard on the outside, but not too hard!