St Herman Spruce Island Cookies

St Herman of Alaska has many feasts days. He is commemorated November 15, December 13, and August 8th! That leaves us with many opportunities to remember him! His main feast day which is widely celebrated in America is December 13th, which, in our family, is when we celebrate St Lucia. So, this year, I am excited to have another chance to learn more about this wonderful saint along side my children and establish some fun traditions together!

Here is a fun activity to help you and your family celebrate his feast day! St Herman lived nearly 40 years on Spruce Island, a small island with many many trees. A Presvytera friend of mine shared her recipe for making "Spruce Island Cookies", which she got from the cookbook "When You Fast..." by Catherine Mandell, which you can order here. These are a fun way to remember St Herman! They are lenten cookies, which is perfect for fasting periods and they are exceptionally tasty! You’ll need a Christmas Tree cookie cutter (amazon sells one for less than $2 here). Blessed Feast!

You can find more activity ideas for celebrating St Herman’s feast day in my August Feast Day Guide!

Ingredients

1 c. confectioner's sugar
1c. lenten margarine, softened
1 T white vinegar
2 1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 to 2 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cream together confectioner's sugar, margarine and vinegar. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, and salt into a separate bowl. Add to the margarine mixture and stir until blended. If the dough seems dry, add a little liquid (soy milk, water, etc.) to correct consistency.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes (like a tree!) Place cookies carefully onto ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle cookies liberally with green sugar or leave plan to frost after baking. Bake 6-8 minutes (I'd check at 5 minutes) or until lightly browned. Cool slightly on the pans, loosen cookies with a spatula, and let sit on the baking sheets one minute more. Remove to wire rack to cool completely. Makes 3-4 dozen, depending on the size of your cookie cutter!

To Make the Frosting :

2c. confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla or orange extract
2 T water or soy milk
green food coloring

Beat all ingredients together until a smooth and spreadable consistency results, adding food coloring as needed for desired tint. Frost cookies, leaving trunks plain. Decorate as you’d like! You can also sprinkle wet frosting with sprinkles. Place on wire rack to allow the frosting to set.

Recipes from "When You Fast..." by Catherine Mandell, which you can order here

You can find more activity ideas for celebrating St Herman’s feast day in my August Feast Day Guide!