Midwest Living November December 2019 Recipes

By Hannah Agran
October 21, 2019
Credit: Blaine Moats
Our holiday issue brings you heritage Midwest cookie recipes, fresh ideas for sweet potatoes, a post-Thanksgiving turkey sandwich and more.
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Apricot and Orange Blossom Kolacky

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This tender pastry cookie, a cousin to Jewish rugelach, has Polish origins. In her book Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland, Shauna Sever's apricot filling nods to Hungary.

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Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Orange and Mascarpone

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A pat of butter and a sprinkle of black pepper is all it takes to crown this rich and creamy sweet mash.

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The Poinsettia

Credit: Brie Passano
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Caitlin Corcoran, of Kansas City's Ca Va bar, says, "We found this cranberry juice and Grand Marnier cocktail in an old recipe book. People gush because  the rosemary sprig looks like mistletoe. Plus a lower ABV cocktail means you can have a couple of drinks. Holiday parties are a marathon, not a sprint."

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Cracker Toffee

Credit: Blaine Moats
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In Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland, Shauna Sever describes this kitschy, candy-like classic as "the unicorn of the cookie tin" —irresistible, elusive, and mysterious.

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Gramma's Sugar Cookies

Credit: Blaine Moats
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Shauna Sever grew up thinking this beloved recipe was special to her family with its unique additions of vegetable oil, confectioners' sugar and cream of tartar. So you can imagine her bewilderment when she found this exact recipe in a vintage Illinois state cookbook. This recipe is in her book Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland as well.

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Sausage-Sweet Potato and Cider Soup

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Sweet potatoes contribute their sweet taste to this hearty weeknight soup which is balanced by tart apple cider.

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Champagne Cocktail

Credit: Brie Passano
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Feeling creative? Caitlin Corcoran, of Kansas City's Ça Va bar, likes to substitute a favorite spirit, such as mezcal, for the bitters.

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Peanut Better Blossoms

Credit: Blaine Moats
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In her book Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland, Shauna Sever ramped up the nuttiness and opted for a creamy ganache filling in her take on this Midwest favorite.

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Honey Vinegar Pie

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It's all in a name, right? That's what Lou Ginocchio of Cincinnati's O Pie O discovered when Honey Vinegar Pie sent customers' heads spinning. "No one was expecting a pie with vinegar in its name to be this luxurious."

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Cheater's Fudge

Credit: Blaine Moats
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  • This shortcut fudge—from Shauna Sever's cookbook Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland—gets a 21st-centery boost with bittersweet chocolate and flaky sea salt. If you want to streamline a little, use high-quality chocolate chips, such as Ghirardelli.

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Mustard-Dressed Roasted Vegetables with Cranberries

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This pretty dish is perfect on a holiday table or alongside any roasted meats.

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Lebkuchen

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The secret to perfect lebkuchen is in the resting phase after glazing. An apple wedge in the storage container provides moisture that softens the cookies. This German classic is from Shauna Sever's book Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland.

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County Cork

Credit: Brie Passano
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"This is one of Ça Va's most popular drinks. I use Jameson, honey and yellow chartreuse, a botanical liqueur that's more mellow than its green cousin. It's easy to drink, so that's dangerous," says Caitlin Corcoran of Kansas City's Ça Va bar.

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Anisette Buttons

Credit: Blaine Moats
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"Anisettes feel so Italian because it's about abundance," says Chicago food writer Shauna Sever of these deliciously soft, cakey cookies with a licorice flavor. "Small bites, but a huge yield."

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Turkey Cubano

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Swap turkey for roast pork in this Thanksgiving spin on a Cuban sandwich. (Or file this recipe for Christmas and pair leftover ham with deli turkey.)

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Sandbakkels

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Sandbakkels means "sand tarts" because the cookies (which, flipped over, can double as tiny shells to hold cream and fruit) have such a fine, crisp texture. Find them in Shauna Sever's book Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland.

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Polvorones

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Polvorones are Mexico's crispy, airy answer to shortbread (you may know them as Mexican wedding cookies). Food writer Shauna Sever coats them in cinnamon sugar for a churro-like effect.

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Bacon-Wrapped Sweet Potato Bites

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These sweet and salty caramelized bites are so good, you may not even want to dip them. But be sure you do for a tangy, creamy finish.

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Ca Va Punch

Credit: Brie Passano
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"You look like an amazing host with punch at a party, but people serve themselves—so easy. This one has dark berry notes from crème de cassis, which is a black currant liqueur. It goes great with a cheese board," says Caitlin Corcoran of Kansas City's Ça Va bar.

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Spiced Apple Shrub

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Tingling with fennel and allspice and infused with a pound of apples, chef Jonathon Sawyer's shrub (an old-timey drink mixer) evokes the taste of spiced cider in a sourful new-old way. The recipe comes from his cookbook House of Vinegar.

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By Hannah Agran