Day of the Dead ~ Día de Muertos ~ Sugar Skulls Cookies

 

Day of the Dead ~ Día de Muertos/Día de los Muertos is celebrated from November 1st to November 2nd and is associated with Allhallowtide - All Hallow's Eve, All Saints Day and All Soul's Day. Day of the Dead originates in Mexico, where it is observed and mostly celebrated by people of Mexican heritage, however it is also observed in other countries and cities throughout the world such as the Philippines, Guatemala, Peru, Costa Rica, Brazil, Australia and America to name a few.  

The day is for family and friends to gather and pay their respects and remembrance to those friends and family who have died. November 1st, traditionally is the day to honour deceased children with November 2nd, traditionally honouring deceased adults. Some traditions of honouring the deceased are with Calavera, a word that means skull in Spanish, and marigold flowers or creating a home altar with gifts and offerings and visiting graves leaving gifts and tokens of remembrance. 

Sugar skulls or Calaveras are a representation of the human skull. They are often edible but more often are not. They are made of sugar or clay and may be decorated with items such as icing, beads, nuts, chocolate, colourful foil and feathers and wood. They are an offering to be placed on altars for Day of the Dead and will usually have the deceased name written across the forehead of the skull. Small sugar skulls represent children who have died while a larger sugar skull represents adults who have died. These Sugar Skull cookies are my homage in honour of Day of the Dead, edible and easy to make when using the Bakerlogy Day of the Dead Floral Skull cookie cutter and the recipe for a vanilla sugar cookie posted on their website.   

Calaveras have been produced and used since the 1630's and have origins in Aztec, Mayan and Toltec culture. Jose Guadalupe Posada became famous for his depiction of Calaveras, with the most famous one being, Catrina. Catrina is considered to be the personification of the Day of the Dead itself, with her feathered hat, long flowing dress and fancy heeled shoes, she has become an unmistakable icon in both Day of the Dead and Mexican Folk Art. 

Samhain ~ Halloween ~ All Hallows Eve ~ Pumpkin Walnut Oatmeal Cookies ~

Samhain - Halloween - All Hallows Eve - October 31 to November 1, in the Northern Hemisphere - is a Celtic festival marking the end of harvest season and the beginning of winter and is considered to be the darker half of the year. The skies are turning grey, the leaves have fallen from the trees and the garden is bare. It is a time where we honour the dead, protect the living and petition the spirits for wisdom and prediction. 

Death is a reoccurring theme during this time as boundaries dissolve and the veils between worlds during equinoxes and solstices are at their thinnest. That is why it is believed that the spirits, faeries, ancestors and darker entities could more easily roam our lands as the portal between our world and theirs is considered to be at its thinnest; therefore we want to honour and hold offerings to our ancestors, the dead, the departed and the otherworldly for this reason. Other festivals celebrated during or around this time are: Day of the Dead (Mexico), Day of those who have Died/Undas/Araw ng mea Yomao (Philippines), Dia de Finados (Brazil), All Saints' Day (Christian), All Souls' Day (Roman Catholic & Christian), Hallowmas (Christian), Martinmas/Armistice Day (Scottish/British/UK), The Huron Feast of the Dead (Wyandot Nation - Canadian, Ontario, Canada) and another Celtic tradition, Feast of the Dead/Féile Na Marbh, (Irish)   

Samhain is a magical time. As the dark half of the year begins, death is followed by rebirth, the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year, it's a time of rest and reflection as we go inward to honour the darkness as we descend into winter and the darker half of the year. Remember... light is born from darkness and darkness has potential and growth... through death we find rebirth.

These densely rustic pumpkin cookies honour Samhain in such a spirited spiced seasonal way.  

Pumpkin Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

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3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar 

1 egg

1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 3/4 cups rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnuts

dark chocolate,  melted, for decorating

Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC) and line a baking sheet with baking parchment paper.

In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and beat well. Add the pumpkin and stir to combine.

In another bowl combine the flour, rolled oats, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, ground ginger and cinnamon, add the chopped walnuts and stir together. 

Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture. The dough with be sticky and thick. Drop by teaspoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until done. Remove from baking sheet and allow to cool on a wire rack.

When completely cool. Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave and drizzle over top of the cookies. Decorating them with drizzled chocolate isn't necessary however it just adds that hint of sweetness and darkness to this delicious festive cookie.     

Soul Cakes

Soul Cakes are traditionally made on November 2nd for All Soul's Day or for those observing ancient Celtic or Pagan festivals, Samhain, on November 1st. I like to make them anytime between October 29 and November 3rd and especially this year as there will be a full moon on Halloween and the veil will be even more thin and this offering, packed with currants and mixed spice, is another way to remember those who have passed on and mark the beginning of winter during Hallowtide. 

An old Soulers rhyme... 

A soul, a soul, a soul cake, 

Please good missus a soul cake, 

An apple, a pear, a plum or a cherry,

Or any good thing to make us merry.  

Soul Cakes

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2 cups flour (almond and oatmeal flour make good substitutes)

2 teaspoon mixed spice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup currants

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

2 egg yolks   

1/2 cup sugar or maple syrup

1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Line a baking tray with baking parchment paper. Set aside. 

In a bowl add the flour, mixed spice, salt and currants. Stir to combine.

In another bowl cream together the butter and sugar using a hand held mixer on medium high speed. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until the mixture crumbles. Gradually add enough milk until a soft dough forms.

Turn the dough out on a flat surface and knead until it is uniform. Form the dough into flat cakes, you may use a 2 inch round biscuit cutter if you wish, and using a knife mark each with a cross. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown. 

Notes : almond flour and oatmeal flour make good substitutes for flour.