Its the Preakness!
This Saturday is the 141st running of the The Preakness Stakes, the second jewel in the Triple Crown series. Since Nyquist won the Kentuck Derby two weeks ago, we have been looking forward to cheering him on in the last two races of the Triple Crown. How cool it would be to have a Triple Crown winner two years in a row!
The only thing that I ever really knew about the Preakness is that while the winner of the Kentucky Derby is draped in roses, the winning horse in the Preakness is draped with a blanket of Black-eyed Susans. At least that is what we are told! Interested in the tradition behind the race, I decided to do a little research.
According to the official Preakness Stakes website, the first winner to wear the flowered blanket was Bimelach in 1940. The Black-eyed Susan was chosen because it is Maryland's state flower. (The race is run at Pimlico in Baltimore.) Unfortunately, the Black-eyed Susan doesn't bloom in Maryland until June. So the 18 inch by 90 inch blanket is actually Daisies with the centers painted with black lacquer to emulate the Black-eyed Susan!
Regardless of whether the flower is the Daisy or in fact the Black-Eyed Susan, I figured that we needed an appropriate dessert to commemorate the occasion, so I looked around and found a recipe for these cute cookies. The original recipe calls them Lemon Sunflower Spritz Cookies. I intend to call them Lemon Black-eyed Susan Spritz cookies. Perfect for Preakness viewing!
I found the original recipe at bakelovegive.com. I tweaked it just a little.
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. With an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy.
3. Mix in egg, lemon curd and vanilla extract.
4. Gradually add flour, stirring until fully mixed in. Add a little bit of food coloring until desired color is reached.
5. Fill the cookie press cylinder with the dough and extrude through the flower plate according to the instructions on your particular press.
6. Decorate with chocolate jimmies or decorating sugar BEFORE BAKING.
7. Bake for 5-7 minutes until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet for one minute. Then move to wire rack to cool completely.
Print Recipe Here.
The only thing that I ever really knew about the Preakness is that while the winner of the Kentucky Derby is draped in roses, the winning horse in the Preakness is draped with a blanket of Black-eyed Susans. At least that is what we are told! Interested in the tradition behind the race, I decided to do a little research.
According to the official Preakness Stakes website, the first winner to wear the flowered blanket was Bimelach in 1940. The Black-eyed Susan was chosen because it is Maryland's state flower. (The race is run at Pimlico in Baltimore.) Unfortunately, the Black-eyed Susan doesn't bloom in Maryland until June. So the 18 inch by 90 inch blanket is actually Daisies with the centers painted with black lacquer to emulate the Black-eyed Susan!
Regardless of whether the flower is the Daisy or in fact the Black-Eyed Susan, I figured that we needed an appropriate dessert to commemorate the occasion, so I looked around and found a recipe for these cute cookies. The original recipe calls them Lemon Sunflower Spritz Cookies. I intend to call them Lemon Black-eyed Susan Spritz cookies. Perfect for Preakness viewing!
I found the original recipe at bakelovegive.com. I tweaked it just a little.
Lemon Black-eyed Susan Spritz Cookies.
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon lemon curd
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour, sifted
Yellow food coloring (I use a gel), optional
Chocolate jimmies or black decorating sugar for decorating.
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. With an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy.
3. Mix in egg, lemon curd and vanilla extract.
4. Gradually add flour, stirring until fully mixed in. Add a little bit of food coloring until desired color is reached.
5. Fill the cookie press cylinder with the dough and extrude through the flower plate according to the instructions on your particular press.
6. Decorate with chocolate jimmies or decorating sugar BEFORE BAKING.
7. Bake for 5-7 minutes until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet for one minute. Then move to wire rack to cool completely.
Print Recipe Here.
I tried both chocolate jimmies and black decorating sugar.
I think I prefer the jimmies, the sugar looked pretty, but it was a mess to try to get in the center of the cookies!
I hope that you have a chance to relax and enjoy the Preakness with a little treat! Thanks for stopping by today!
~Cynthia
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