In some ways it is hard to believe that it is already February, and time to start thinking about Valentine’s Day. I have warm memories of helping my children prepare valentines to distribute at school and baking heart-shaped cookies, so when I saw a hundred-year-old recipe for Valentine Wafers, I decided to give them a try.
The Wafers were delightful. Each cookie has half of a candied cherry in the center. A unique feature of the recipe is that it calls for whole wheat flour, so I guess that the cookies are marginally healthier than the typical cut-out cookie.
Here’s the original recipe:
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Valentine Wafers
1 egg white
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup water
2 cups whole wheat flour
candied cherries, cut into halves (approximately 18 cherries needed; may be more or less depending upon size of cookie cutters)
Preheat oven to 400◦ F. Put egg white into a bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add cream of tartar, baking soda, and vanilla; stir to combine. Then add half the water and half the flour; stir. Add remaining water and flour; stir until thoroughly combined, then fold in the beaten egg white. If the dough is sticky, add additional flour to get it to a good consistency for rolling. Roll out the dough on a prepared surface to 1/4 inch thick; then cut into heart shapes. Place on greased baking sheets. Put half a candied cherry in the center of each heart, and press firmly. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Those look delicious.
They’re tasty.
Wonderful.
They look so sweet!
They were lovely.
I wonder if your even allowed to bring cookies and cupcakes to the school kids anymore?
I don’t think that parents are allowed to bring homemade treats to school around here. I understand the safety concerns, but nonetheless, I think that it’s sad.
Lovely cookies for a sweet holiday.
Agree – they are lovely cookies for a sweet holiday.
Yes!
Whole wheat flour is a bit different for cookies. I made everything from whole wheat, before I found out I could eat it.
I was surprised when I saw that this recipe called for whole wheat flour. I don’t think that I have ever previously seen a cookie recipes that listed whole wheat flour as an ingredient.
How sweet with a cherry in each cookie!
When I saw that the recipe called for the candied cherries, I wasn’t sure how well they would work. I worried that the cherries might not stay in place on the baked cookies and that the cherries might brown in the process of baking the cookies, but I worried needlessly. I pressed the cherry halves firmly into the cookie dough and they stayed in place after the cookies were baked. And, the cherries still were nice and red after I baked the cookies.
They look and sound wonderful!
They’re yummy.
They look easy enough to make! I’ll have to see if I can find candied cherries – they tend to disappear after Christmas!!
These are lovely with the cherry adding a stunning garnish! It is interesting they used whole wheat and a whipped egg white in a cookie recipe. I don’t recall ever seeing a cookie recipe with those ingredients used before.