Cream Sherry Cookies with Brandy (1965)

• 2 cups and 3 tbspns, sifted flour
• 1 cup California Cream Sherry
• 2/3 cup and 2 tbspns  butter
• 1/3 cup cold  milk
• 2 tspns vinegar
• 1/3 cup California Brandy
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tspn cinnamon
• 1/2 tspn cloves
• 1/2 tspn nutmeg

Resift flour with salt; cut in 2/3 cup butter until it resembles coarse cornmeal.  Mix in milk.  Shape into a ball and chill.  

Meanwhile, heat Sherry to boiling, and add spices and vinegar.  Mix together 3 tablespoons of flour with brown sugar, then work in 2 tablespoons of butter.  Add to Sherry mixture, and cook, stirring constantly until very thick.  Remove from heat, and stir in Brandy.  Add raisins and nuts.  Cool to warm.

Roll chilled pastry into 4 oblong rectangles (4 x 12 inches). Cut into strips 4 inches wide.  Place filling down the center of each pastry strip.  Turn in edges, overlapping.  Place filled strips on slightly greased cookie sheet.  Prick with fork so steam can escape.  Bake at 375 degrees until crust is done, about 20 minutes.  

Remove from hot oven. With sharp knife, cut the strips diagonally every half-inch, making individual cookies.  Remove from cookie sheet before any of the syrup that might leak hardens. Makes 3 dozen.

(Origin - "Adventures in Wine Cookery" collected and published by the Wine Advisory Board of San Francisco, 1965. Recipe was from Mrs. Louis P. Martini of Louis M. Martini vineyards in St. Helena, California.)