Martenitsa Cookies

Today - a fun proposal to celebrate Baba Marta. According to the Bulgarian tradition, Baba Marta is a grumpy old temperamental lady, whose mood swings reflect the weather in March. People wear red and white woven threads to ease her spirits. Here is my sweet interpretation of the ritual.

In a medium bowl, beat the butter and the brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in lemon zest, vanila extract and salt. Gradually add flour until you get soft and brittle dough. On a lightly dusted with flour surface, roll out dough until ¼ inch thick. Cut out cookies with cookie cutters or use knife to cut different shapes. Reroll scraps and cut out more cookies.

Place the cut out shapes on a baking paper and place in preheated oven at 150 F for 10-15 minutes or until cookies are light golden. Let the cookies cool down completely before removing them to avoid falling apart.

The icing:

Beat in the lemon juice and the eggwhite. Gradually add the powdered sugar until the icing is thick and fluffy. To make sure the icing has just the right consistency, drop a dot of icing on the surface and if it doesn't melt in 5 sec. you are ready to go. Color portions of the icing in different containers and let the fun begin.

Once covered, the cookies should dry out. Enjoy!