The thing that surprised me most about this recipe is the cost of poppy seeds -- a couple of bucks for the quarter-cup called for in the recipe. Jan was a woman who thought that if you paid more than 99 cents for a pint of blueberries, you were a sucker. Yet she splurged on poppy seeds. Go figure. Guess she liked the nice crunch that the seeds add to this soft and homey cookie dough.
Jan also called these "mun cookies" -- mun is German and Yiddish for poppy seeds, which were an integral part of European baking but never quite achieved the crossover success of chocolate chips and raisins. Mun cookies can be thick or thin. Jan's were rounded and pillowy -- and incredibly yummy.
Makes 25-30 cookies
1/2 cup oil
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 cups flour
1/4 cup poppy seeds
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Juice of one orange
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix oil and sugar. Beat eggs slightly. Add along with orange juice and beat.
Mix dry ingredients and poppy seeds. Add to batter, and mix well.
Drop by tablespoon on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake 20 minutes or so until golden. (Jan suggests you check after 15 minutes.)
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