Edible Paradise

This retro recipe was from my mother's 1956 Betty Crocker Cookbook, and she made butter dips at least once a month. Butter dips later became a family favorite with my own kids. They are very fast and easy to make because there's no shortening or butter to cut in. Simply combine the dry ingredients and add the milk to form a dough. The kids always enjoyed helping with rolling the dough strips in butter.

Somewhere between a biscuit and a breadstick, these are very tasty served with a bowl of homemade tomato soup or a hearty bowl of stew.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter
2 1/4 cups sifted flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

METHOD:

Heat oven to 450°F.

Melt butter and pour into oblong baking pan.

Sift dry ingredients into mixing bowl. Add milk and stir slowly with fork until dough forms. Turn dough out onto lightly floured board; knead lightly 10 times.

Roll out dough 1/2 inch thick into 8 x 12 rectangle. Cut in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 1 inch strips. Dip each strip in melted butter on both sides and place in pan close together in two rows. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

In the original recipe, variations included:

• Cheese: add 1/2 cup grated sharp cheese to the dry ingredients.
• Garlic: Add 1/2 clove finely minced garlic to the butter before melting.