meridian_rose

Oh, my family has made these for decades, but I never knew them by the name “Sand Tarts”! I think we always just called them “Christmas Cookies” since that was the only time of year we ever had them.

Back around the year 2000, when I first began to suspect I might have celiac disease — turned out on later testing that I actually have NCGS — I developed a gluten-free version of the recipe Mom used. It wasn't a straight substitution, since I had to do some experimentation to get the texture and flavor just right and ended up having to make a few adjustments (e.g.: substituting a little canola oil in place of some of the butter and cooking at a slightly higher temperature, etc.). But they came out very well.

Alas, I've since lost the recipe to an over-zealous house guest who had severe OCD and who decided to appease this by — without my permission — going through everything I owned in a fit of “tidying”, and she may have not recognized my recipe notes for what they were so might have thrown them out! 😱 It took me forever and a day to finally find my recipe folder after she was kicked out by my parents, but alas, that and several other hand-written recipes are gone. So if I were to want to make some now, I'd have to start all over again with basic experimentation. 😢

On the other hand, I'm a way better baker than I used to be, so I could probably figure out the ratios and other important adjustments more quickly this time. And some of the memories might come back as I start making a few cookies at a time in small batches.

And yes! I weigh nearly everything! In grams, not ounces. I do, however bake in Fahrenheit, but whenever I enter recipes into google docs, I always put in Celsius conversions in case I ever get around to sharing them with friends online.

— Sage