Esther's purses

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
  
       Title: Esther's Purses
  Categories: Cookies
       Yield: 72 servings
  
            Filling:; (recipes to
            -follow)
       3    Eggs; or 3/4 cup egg subst
       1 c  Sugar
     1/2 c  Canola oil
     1/2 c  Orange juice
   4 1/2 c  Flour
     1/4 ts Baking soda
     1/2 ts Salt
       3 ts Baking powder
            Confectioner's sugar
  
      Make the fillings and set aside until ready to use. Heat oven to 350. In
   a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs (or substitute), adding the sugar as you
   beat. Continue beating, adding the oil and orange juice.
      In another bowl, conbine the dry ingredients, mixing well. Add these to
   the beaten egg mixture. The dough will be a little sticky, but don't add
   more flour at this point or the cookies will come out hard.
      On a lightly floured pastry board, roll part of the dough to a thickness
   of 1/8". Cut out circles with a 3" cookies cutter. Always include the
   scraps from one rolling with fresh dough from the bowl. This way, you will
   not use too much flour and the cookies will come out tender, not hard.
       Fill with about 1 teaspoon of filling (either Date Orange or Nut
   filling; separate recipes). Shape cookies by folding the dough over the
   filling. Close the edges with a fork. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake
   about 20 minutes. Remove cookies from the oven and cool on wire rack.
      While cookies are still warm, roll them in powdered sugar. Cool
   thoroughly before serving. Store in an air-tight container. May be frozen.
   Makes 6 dozen cookies.
  
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