Title: Esther Eskelson's Danish Raspberry Cookies
Yield: 8 dozen

2 1 oz squares unsweetened-chocolate
1/2 c Butter
1/2 c Sugar
1 Egg
2 c Cake flour
1 ts Vanilla
1/4 ts Salt
1 c Milk chocolate or white
Chocolate chips or a mixture
1 c Seedless raspberry preserves

Melt chocolate in top of a double boiler over hot not boiling water. Remove from heat and cool. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until light. Add egg and melted chocolate; beat until fluffy. Stir in cake flour, vanilla and salt until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hr.

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. Divide dough into 4 equal parts and divide each part into two pieces. Roll each piece into a rope 12" long on a lightly floured board. The ropes should be about the thickness of a finger. Place 2" apart on the prepared cookie sheets. With your finger tip, make an indentation along the length of each rope. Bake 8 min or until firm.

Meanwhile melt the chocolate chips in a small bowl over hot water. If you are using both kinds of chocolate, melt separately. Stir until smooth. Stir preserves and spoon them into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4" tip. [You can use a plastic bag with a corner snipped off with scissors.]

When you remove the cookies from the oven, press preserves down the indentation in each cookie strip. Return to the oven for 2 min and remove to wire racks. While cookies are still warm, drizzle melted chocolate over the tops and cut into 1" diagonal pieces. Refrigerate until the chocolate has set.

This recipe was learned by my mate Roslind many Christmases ago from her first husband's grandmother, Esther Eskelson and has been a family favorite ever since.
Jim Weller