Happy Feast of St. Nicholas, Patron Saint of Children

Icon of St. Nicholas

We have had celebrations of the feast of St. Nicholas over the years. St. Nicholas, patron saint of children, bishop from southwestern Turkey, who was born in the third century and lived into the fourth, has brought us many gifts of friendship and enjoyment as we celebrate his feast with others. Included in this post are pictures from a few of these celebrations started in the nineteen nineties and continuing into the twenty-first century. The post will concluded with one of our favorite recipes and a prayer. Wishing you a Happy Feast of St. Nicholas!

Rooney children rehearsing a St. Nicholas play 1996

Prayer to St. Nicholas

Heavenly Father, as Christmas draws near we commemorate the feast day of your beloved Bishop

and Saint, Nicholas. We love and honor his memory because of his tender concern for children and the

poor. We thank you for the merriment that his feast has brought down all the centuries. We ask you from

the bottom of our hearts to help us to remember, on this his feast day, that we should try to retain the

innocence of childhood and a sincere faith in you all our lives. Show us, too, how to share the good

things that we have with others, and to imitate St. Nicholas in generosity and goodwill. We ask him to

pray, for us from his place in Heaven.

Speculaas Cookies

INGREDIENTS
 

2 cups dark brown sugar 

2 eggs

grated rind of one lemon

2 teaspoons cinnamon 

½ teaspoon ground cloves  

1/8 teaspoon cardamom

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Optional Icing (see below)
 

EQUIPMENT

electric mixer

large spoon or rubber spatula

sifter

wax paper or plastic wrap

cookie cutters, cookie molds, or wooden board of St. Nicholas

large cookie sheets

wire racks

clean paint brushes for decorating

DIRECTIONS: YIELD: 3 dozen cookies

1 In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar until fluffy. Stir in the eggs one at a time, blending thoroughly after each addition. Stir in the lemon rind.

2 Sift the spices and salt with the flour and baking powder, and stir gradually into the butter mixture. Wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap and chill for several hours or overnight. (If you are in a hurry, start the chilling proves in the freezer: leave the dough in the freezer for about 20 minutes.)

3 On a floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch. If you are going to make large figures – over about 6 inches – you might roll out the dough a little thicker, to about ¼ inch: the figures will be less fragile. Cut out with cookies cutters, or with a sharp knife. This dough can also be used with your St. Nicholas mold or board. Follow the directions you received with your mold or board to form and bake. Hint: chill the board and you will find the dough comes out more readily!

4 Place the cookies on a lightly buttered baking sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, or until set and lightly browned. Large or thick cookies will take somewhat longer and yield less than the 3 dozen listed. If you like your cookies soft, remove them from the oven when they are just set – the longer the baking time, the firmer the cookies. Move from baking sheets to wire racks and let cool. Decorate. An icing recipe is given below.

OPTIONAL ICING

In small containers, place about 1/3 cup of powdered sugar in each one. Add a little bit of water and a drop or two of lemon juice or use egg white. Stir. Add a small amount of food coloring and stir until the consistency is fluid enough to paint with, but will not run all over the cookie. Apply with small paint brushes or a decorating tube. You can really let your creative imagination takeover and decorate these as fancy or as simply as you and your children like. (You can also use ready made frosting and add food coloring.)

*Adaptation: Use a refrigerated gingerbread or spice cookie dough as a substitute for making the cookies from scratch. You can cut them out and decorate them just like the ones from the recipe. Follow the directions for baking on the container or package.