Going Back to the Original

The last few years I have been lazy when making the traditional family pfaumenkuchen dessert. This year…is different. I went back to the original way my father had taught me to make the dessert and how my Grandma Marie made it in her Minnesota kitchen.

My father used to hand me a small…small ball of dough and a large cookie sheet and I had to stretch the crust with my hands to cover the entire cookie sheet. The original way to make this crust means you have finger prints in it from making it thin and many areas where you can see the pan color below. (It’s a pain to do it this way!!)

It is a rather easy desert to make. Yet if you don’t like pies or crisps then it wouldn’t be the dessert for you.

I really enjoy making pfaumenkuchen, not only because it’s a family tradition, but because it means fall is on its way. And because unless you freeze enough for the year (and don’t eat them all!!) you can only enjoy this dessert but once a year :)

***A story about my Grandma Marie, “Grandma Known, Unknown” can be found in the anthology Dear Nana: Grandmother Tales of Love, Secrets, and Going Home, 2015.