Mitzi’s recipe was also passed down on a recipe card in a box Jennifer inherited when her mother Shelley passed away. It was tucked in among cards for other recipes including grandma Syl’s turtle cookies. Syl, whose full name was Sylvia, and her sister Liz (who family lore says invented this recipe) always kept these cookies on hand in their freezers. When Jennifer and her family arrived in Tucson for the family’s annual Thanksgiving celebration at Liz’s home, her father Alan would “go to see if the grandma Syl cookies were in there,” Jennifer says.

When Jennifer delivered her first child, her mom was gravely ill with cancer, but insisted the family host a baby naming. Unable to bake or to attend because of her illness, Shelley’s best friend came over the day before to drop off sweets. Sadly, Shelley passed away a week later. More recently, when Jennifer’s brother had his first child, the family once again hosted a baby naming. “I know, had my mom been alive, she would have baked all of these recipes,” Jennifer says. “That’s the way she would have given of herself for this event.”

Living in New York and planning to fly to Chicago for the naming ceremony, Jennifer diligently baked and froze batches of grandma Syl and grandma Mitzi’s cookies, along with a recipe for Kermit or raisin walnut cookies from her sister-in-law’s grandmother Carole Lindes. “So there were cookies represented from all of these generations,” she says, even though her grandmothers and mother couldn’t be there.

Jennifer, who gave birth to her son this week, had already mentally prepared to make cookies for the freezer for her son’s bris later this year. Those plans were halted by the pandemic. Still, Jennifer plans to bake cookies when she returns from the hospital. Of course, they will be popped into the freezer, ready for when family comes to visit.

Grandma Mitzi’s Mandelbread

Makes: About 45 cookies
Total Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes active + 4 hours inactive

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoons baking powder
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups pecan halves

Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two medium 9 inch x 5 inch loaf pans with non-stick spray.

2. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl. Set aside.

3. Place the butter and sugar into a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until combined well. Add the eggs, one at a time and make sure each egg is incorporated before adding the next. Add the vanilla and mix. Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add the pecans and mix until the pecans are distributed evenly throughout the batter. Place half of the batter into one loaf pan and the remaining batter into the second loaf pan. Spread the batter in both loaf pans to make the surface smooth.

4. Transfer the loaf pans into the oven and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick placed into the loaf comes out with some crumbs. Invert the loaves onto a rack to cool. Wrap each loaf with aluminum foil and freeze for at least 4 hours.

5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

6. Remove the loaves from the freezer. While still frozen, slice the loaves crosswise with a serrated knife into thin cookies, about ¼ inch thick. Place the cookie slices onto the baking sheets and transfer into the oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven, cool and serve.