Best Amerikaner Recipes

"AMERIKANER" (GERMAN VANILLA BISCUIT)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
• In a big bowl cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Little by little add the milk and the eggs.
• In a second bowl mix flour, baking powder and starch. Add to the butter-mixture and stirr in until just blended.
• Using 2 tablespoons drop 6 heaps of dough onto each paper-lined baking sheet (you will need 2). Make sure to leave enough space in between the heaps as dough will spread during baking.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire-rack and allow to cool.
• If using the glaze stir together icing sugar and lemon juice and spread this onto the even side of the Amerikaner.
• Idea: For children you can spread the curved side of the biscuit with a chocolate icing and stick slivered almonds into them to make them appear like little hedgehogs. :).

AMERIKANER

Steps:

• Mix all dry ingredients together.
• Mix together water, milk, eggs, and extracts.
• Cream butter.
• Mix in sugar, a little at a time.
• Add liquid ingredients, mix well.
• Add dry ingredients in several steps, blend well after each.
• The dough needs to be fairly firm, not like cookie dough but drier than cake dough, if it is too runny add a little more flour.
• Put dough about two tablespoons on a greased cookie sheet, don't place too close together as this will spread.
• Bake in a preheated 300ºF to 325ºF oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
• After about 10 minutes in the oven brush the exposed side with some milk.
• Finish baking till the dough turns a golden brown, don't overbake.
• Light Glaze:.
• Mix powdered sugar with enough water to make a spreadable mass, you can't mess this one up, too thin- more sugar, too thick- more water.
• Dark Glaze:.
• Mix powdered sugar and cocoa and proceed as for light glaze.
• Glaza the underside of the Amerikaner with either or both glazes.

AMERIKANER YAPCHIK

Steps:

• Grate onions and potatoes, starting with an onion and alternating between potatoes and onions. Drain as much as possible. Add eggs, salt, pepper, and oil and mix very well. Taking large handfuls of the mixture press gently to drain excess liquid and make an even layer in the bottom 1/3 of the disposable pan. Add your deli meat, laying the pieces neatly so the entire area is covered. (I did pastrami, turkey, corned beef, but you can pick your own deli meats and combos. Just make sure you lay the meat evenly and so the entire surface area is covered.) Make an even layer of potato mixture over the meat, pressing gently to remove excess liquid, til the pan is filled. Take a bit of salt and pepper and sprinkle a fine layer over the top of the kugel. Bake in preheated oven for 2-3 hours, or until a knife inserted comes out clean and very hot to the touch. Turn off oven; leave in for another hour or so to cool slightly. Yield one regular 9"x13" disposable pan and a bit extra for a small regular potato kugel (6" round) OR one deep 9"x13"disposable pan)