I found these cookies over at Esurientes. They are from Bill Granger's cookbook, Bill's Open Kitchen - a book I've been wanting to get for a while, but I haven't quite got around to it yet. Anyway. I couldn't wait to try these out, so I didn't. I wanted to bake for the cat show I was at last weekend, I usually like to bring something for my friends. And especially this time, since we were going to have a meeting. These cookies sounded perfect - and they were. For once, I'm going to give you the translated recipe, in Swedish, for all those who tried the cookies and wanted to know what was in them. All the rest of you can head over to Niki's blog and find the original recipe. I followed it more or less exactly - adding a bit more orange (The very outer peel of two oranges) and three tablespoons of brandy right away.
I had major problems with the roll-out though. I didn't have time to roll it out straight away so I stuck it in the fridge, figuring that this would just make it easier. No. Not so. Not at all. And when I finally got it rolled out, I thought it was boring to just cut out rectangles (besides, my cutting skills seriously suck) so I got out my heart shaped cookie cutter. And ended up with vaguely heart-shaped blobs. These cookies spread and they do NOT hold their shape very well! I finally found that what worked the best for me was to shape the dough into a rectangular log, and slice. Perfect! And thankfully, I had a lot of dough with which to experiment, because this recipe makes a truckload of cookies. I got over 100.
I'm very glad I got that many, because they are incredibly tasty. Everyone loved them, and even my mom who usually is not so much into cookies had two right away. I will definitely be making these again - definitely for christmas, but they're good any time of the year.
Smarriga kakor med apelsin, kardemumma och konjak
Från Bill's Open Kitchen, Bill Granger
Drygt 100 små kakor
375 g mjöl
2 tsk bakpulver
1 msk malen ingefära
1 tsk malen muskot
1 tsk malen kardemumma
250 g smör, rumstemperatur
345 g farinsocker
3 msk konjak
finrivet apelsinskal från 1-2 apelsiner, bara det allra yttersta
1 äggvita
extra strösocker
Sätt ugnen på 180 grader. Blanda mjöl, bakpulver, ingefära, muskot och kardemumma i en skål. Vispa smör och socker fluffigt. Tillsätt konjak och apelsinskalet, blanda ordentligt. Blanda ner mjölblandningen. Nu är det enklaste att forma degen till en lång fyrkantig "rulle", ca 3-4 cm hög, och sen skära i skivor om ca 5 mm. Lägg på en plåt, och tänk på att de flyter ut litegrann så lämna avstånd. Pensla med uppvispad äggvita och strö över socker. Grädda i 9-10 minuter beroende på hur tunna de är - men grädda inte för länge, då blir de hårda och trista.
På bilden har jag, som ni ser, kavlat ut degen och tagit ut hjärtan. Det var inte helt lätt. De flyter alltså ut en del, så lämna i så fall GOTT om avstånd.
5 comments:
Hej Anne,
Kakorna var jättegoda, de slank lätt ner efter lite vin och räkor , det var vad jag orkade fixa i lördags kväll.
Hade tänkt be om receptet men du kom ju först.
Söndag fick vi en nominering men förlorade med 1-2 i röster.
Jag återkommer med lite knivuppgifter!
Gunnel
After several years of fussing around with sticky cookies-doughs, I've read something really fantastic: just cut open a big transparent plastic bag (e.g. those which can be used for freezing food) on three sides. put the dough between the plastic layers, roll out as thin as you like and then lift the upper plastic layer. Now you can cut out your cookies (e.g. with a cookie cutter dipped in flour or almonds or sugar, ... now and then). They can then easily be transfered with the help of a spatula.
With this method you can produce deliciously thin cookie with a great taste, because you need no additional flour for rolling out the dough (which normally lets them taste flat)
It's funny; even though we both had problems with rolling out the dough, I had no problems with the biscuits holding their shape! The rectangles did spread a little, but they stayed pretty clean-cut. Funny!
But, yes - a good recipe and perfect flavours for Christmas. Each year I bake biscuits and make little individual packets for friends, and to put on each place setting at the Christmas dinner table; I'm going to make these this year. :-)
Oh, I'm glad that they were hit. Next time, perhaps it would be best to freeze them and do "slice and bake" to avoid shaping.
Gunnel - vin och räkor låter som en perfekt avrundning på dagen. Hoppas kissen mådde bättre sen! Och grattis till söndagen, jättekul!! Ser fram emot kniv-snack!
Bix - That is a really good trick! It'd be even better if I could buy heavy duty plastic bags here.. Sadly, we don't have ziploc bags - can you believe that? I do use teflon sheets sometimes, and that helps a lot - but I still haven't reached perfection.
Niki - I wonder if I perhaps used a little less flour than you did, my dough was pretty moist. Maybe that's why it spreaded, too. But it wasn't too bad. I'll definitely make these for christmas, too.
Nic - Once they were sliced, I didn't mind the spreading. It gave them a nice shape, I think. But it was a PAIN with the rolled out figures - I was ready to give up after the first batch! Good thing I persisted.
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