And welcome to the latest, festive instalment of my Baking Around the World series, where I (attempt to) bake delicious, sweet treats from around the globe, in an effort to broaden my foodie horizons!

This time, we’re heading back to Sweden! I’ve already made one bake from Sweden (jordgubbstårta, a light and airy cake filled with pastry cream and strawberries), but I love making festive cookies from around the world this time of year, so I decided to try out these schackrutor (‘chess squares’) too.

A quick Baking Around the World disclaimer before we get into the recipe:

While I have done/will do extensive research for each of the recipes in this series, the recipes are unlikely to be 100% authentic because of differences in ingredient availability, variations within families/regions and multiple other reasons. I'm so sorry if I absolutely butcher your favourite childhood treat (and please let me know in the comments if I have made any unforgiveable errors), but please do give me the benefit of the doubt here- I am just a baker with a serious sweet tooth, trying to broaden her baking (and cultural) horizons through tasty snacks :)

Table of Contents

• Schackrutor: Explained
• Ingredients
• Making the Dough
• Shaping the Dough
• Slicing and Baking the Cookies
• Storage Instructions
• Final Thoughts
• Recipe
• Sources Used

Schackrutor: Explained

Schackrutor are bitesize, shortbread-style biscuits that are made with two flavours of dough (vanilla and chocolate), which are pieced together to create a (typically) 2×2 checkerboard (hence the name, which means ‘chess squares’). Checkerboard cookies are popular all over the world, but it seems that schackrutor were where it all began!

These cookies aren’t restricted to being a ‘Christmas cookie’, but I think they make such a lovely festive treat, especially if you have any friends/family members who aren’t a fan of the more traditional Christmas flavours (think nuts, oranges and dried fruits!).

Schackrutor are often served in Sweden for fika (a social coffee break steeped in rich tradition), sometimes are part of the ‘sju sorters kakor’ (‘seven types of cookie’) custom. Apparently, seven is considered the ideal number for cookies at a gathering, because any less would be ‘stingy’ and any more would be ‘over the top’! To save time, one dough is often used to make multiple different types of biscuits, sometimes called ‘1-2-3 Cookies’, (because of the proportions of the ingredients in the dough: 1 : 2 : 3 of sugar : butter : flour!) and this is the dough we’ll be making today.

Ingredients

You only need 5 ingredients to make schackrutor. The basic dough itself only requires 3 ingredients, while the 2 remaining ingredients provide the chocolate and vanilla flavour.

• Caster sugar

I used golden caster sugar, but white caster sugar will also work.

• Salted butter

I discovered in my research for the jordgubbstårta that the majority of the butter available in Swedish supermarket tends to be salted, so I’ve used salted butter here in an attempt to be more authentic! It’s great, because then you don’t have to worry about adding any salt yourself! If you only have unsalted butter, I’d recommend adding a generous pinch of fine sea salt to your flour at the beginning of the recipe. Your butter needs to be at room temperature (or slightly softened, if your house is chilly!).

• Plain flour

It’s important to use plain flour (not self-raising) for this recipe, because you don’t want the biscuits to rise— you want them to be short and crumbly!

• Vanilla bean paste

In Sweden, vanilla flavour is usually imparted via the addition of a store-bought product called vaniljsocker (‘vanilla sugar’). This ingredient is not readily available here in the UK, so I’ve used vanilla bean paste instead. I like using the paste because it imparts a lovely vanilla flavour without adding too much liquid to the dough (and you can see all the tiny vanilla bean specks in the cookies!).

• Cocoa powder

A small amount of cocoa powder is added to half of the dough to give it a chocolate-y flavour and a deep brown colour, which contrasts nicely with the vanilla dough and helps the checkerboard design to really stand out.

Making the Dough

Schackrutor dough is really easy to make: I do it in the food processor (because the cookies are so tiny, you only need a small amount of dough, so I do it in my mini food processor. You could easily scale the recipe up and make loads of biscuits, though!).

Place the caster sugar, softened butter, plain flour and vanilla bean paste into the food processor.

Pulse everything together until it comes together into a dough… and that’s the dough made!

Tip the dough out onto a clean work surface.

Then give it a little knead to bring it together into a smooth ball.

At this point, you need to weigh the dough, so that you can split it in half evenly. You can eyeball this, but you’ll get the neatest, most even cookies if you weight it! Weigh the whole ball of dough, then divide that number by 2 and split the dough into two equal balls, each weighing that final amount.

Now you need to add the cocoa powder to one of the dough balls. I like to knead it in by hand, until no streaks of vanilla dough remain, so that I can make sure it’s really well incorporated! It’s a little messy, but all the best things are.

Once you have two balls of dough: one chocolate and one vanilla, you’re ready to shape the dough into the classic checkerboard design!

Shaping the Dough

Now it’s time to make the schackrutor log (though it’s really more of a cuboid, which is what gives these biscuits their classic, square shape when sliced!).

The log is made up of four smaller logs (also cuboids): two vanilla and two chocolate, which are pressed together to form the checkerboard design.

Take one of your dough halves (I’m working with the chocolate dough first here) and divide it in half again, so you have two equal balls of dough (it helps to weigh and divide the dough by 2 here, just like last time, to ensure they’re perfectly even!).

Take one of the dough balls and form it into a thin, rectangular log. The aim is for the cross section of the log to be a 1 x 1 cm square (mine ended up about 17cm long). I used my hands to press the dough into a rough log, then tapped all of the sides with a bench scraper, turning the log as I went, to get those square edges.

Repeat this process for the second dough ball, making a square log as similar to the first as you can! Things might be getting a little sticky at this point, but it’s important that you don’t add any extra flour/cocoa powder, because the logs need to be tacky enough to stick to each other later on. If things get unbearably sticky, I’d recommend just washing down your work surface and utensils before getting going again (almost like a stickiness reset!).

Once you have your two chocolate logs, repeat the whole process for the vanilla dough. I’d recommend wiping down your work surface before you do this, to make sure you don’t get any streaks of cocoa in your vanilla dough. Because of the added cocoa powder in the chocolate dough, you might find that the vanilla dough is slightly softer/stickier, but don’t worry— it’ll bake up perfectly!

Once you have all four of the logs ready to go, you can form the checkerboard design.

Place one vanilla log alongside one chocolate log and press them together, being careful not to distort the shapes too much.

Then, add the second vanilla log on top of the chocolate log and the second chocolate log on top of the bottom vanilla log, pressed against each other along the middle so that you have a 2×2 design, with the logs of each colour in opposite quadrants. Gently press all of the logs together so that there are no gaps between them.

Wrap the log tightly in clingfilm, then use the bench scraper again to press gently on each of the sides a few times to really square them off.

Transfer the log to the fridge and allow it to chill for at least 2 hours before slicing. This ensures that they are firm enough to slice without disturbing the checkerboard pattern (and means that the cookies won’t spread too much during baking!).

Slicing and Baking the Cookies

Once the cookie logs have chilled, it’s time to slice & bake them!

Start by preheating the oven to 180°C (conventional oven, not fan) and lining a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

Remove the schackrutor log from the fridge and use a small, sharp knife to cut it into slices, about 5-7mm thick (don’t worry too much about getting them perfect, just try your best so that they bake pretty evenly!).

Space the cookies out onto the prepared baking trays (they won’t spread too much, but it’s best to leave a little space between them, just in case!).

Then, it’s time to bake the schackrutor! They’ll need about 6-8 minutes in the preheated oven, just until the edges are starting to turn golden.

Once baked, leave them to cool for 5 or so minutes on their trays, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Storage Instructions

The schackrutor need to be stored in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll keep for about 3 days before they start going a bit soft (still tasty, just not quite as crisp!).

Final Thoughts

I LOVE these little checkerboard cookies! They dough itself is very similar to the one I use for my 5-Ingredient Iced Star Biscuits, but it really shows how versatile it is, because the two cookies have such different vibes.

Also… these cookies are SO much smaller than I expected them to be! As in, they really are bitesize. You could definitely make them bigger if you wanted to (by making taller/wider logs, or even stacking more logs together, which I’m very interested in having a go at), but I do kind of love how tiny they are, it makes them feel so cute and dainty.

These are a simple cookie, elevated to something surprisingly impressive by just a little cocoa powder and a bit of shaping, which I think is pretty magical! I also like that you can form the log, get everything ready, then slice and bake the cookies when you want to serve them, so your family/friends can enjoy some delicious, fresh biscuits.

Recipe

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Swedish Schackrutor

Bitesize vanilla and chocolate shortbread cookies with a checkerboard design.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Swedish

Keyword 5 ingredient, Biscuit, Chocolate, Vanilla

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Chill Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 35 minutes minutes

Servings 25 cookies

Equipment

• Baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.
• Bench scraper/clean metal ruler, for squaring off the biscuit dough.

Ingredients

• 25 g caster sugar
• 50 g salted butter, softened.
• 75 g plain flour
• 1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder

Instructions

• Place the sugar, butter, flour and vanilla bean paste into a food processor. Pulse until a dough forms.
• Weigh the dough and divide it in half evenly.
• Knead the cocoa powder into one half of the cookie dough until no streaks of vanilla dough remains.
• Divide the vanilla dough into two equal balls. Form each ball into a square log (use a bench scraper/clean metal ruler to really square off the edges), about 1 x 1 x 17cm. Set aside, then repeat with the chocolate dough, so that you have four logs. Do not add any extra flour/cocoa powder at this stage— you need the dough to be slightly sticky.
• Press one vanilla log against one chocolate log. Place the second vanilla log on top of the first chocolate log, then the second chocolate log in the remaining space, on top of the first vanilla log. Press the logs together gently so they stick.
• Wrap the log tightly in cling film and use a bench scraper to press up against the sides and make it super square. Place the log into the fridge to chill for 2 hours before slicing and baking.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C (conventional, not fan).
• Cut the log into approx. 5-7mm slices. Space the cookies on lined baking trays and bake in the preheated oven for 6-8 minutes, until just starting to turn golden around the edges.
• Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the trays, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before enjoying. The cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days before they start going soft.

Sources Used

Books:

Crumbs: Cookies and Sweets from Around the World, Ben Mims.

ScandiKitchen: Fika and Hygge, Bronte Aurell.

Websites:

Daily In-A Kitchen: 3×3 Checkerboard Cookies

Totally Swedish: Brysselkex and Schackrutor

True North Kitchen: Swedish Checkerboard Cookies

Swedish Spoon: Schackrutor—Swedish checkerboard cookies

Visit Sweden: Chessboard Cookies (‘Schackrutor’) – Recipe

A quick Baking Around the World disclaimer before we get into the recipe:

While I have done/will do extensive research for each of the recipes in this series, the recipes are unlikely to be 100% authentic because of differences in ingredient availability, variations within families/regions and multiple other reasons. I'm so sorry if I absolutely butcher your favourite childhood treat (and please let me know in the comments if I have made any unforgiveable errors), but please do give me the benefit of the doubt here- I am just a baker with a serious sweet tooth, trying to broaden her baking (and cultural) horizons through tasty snacks :)

Table of Contents

• Jordgubbstårta: Explained
• Ingredients
• Making Vanilla Pastry Cream
• Making the Sockerkaka
• Assembling the Jordgubbstårta
• Final Thoughts
• Recipe
• Sources Used

Jordgubbstårta: Explained

Jordgubbstårta is a classic Swedish cake that is traditionally served on Midsommar, when the Swedish strawberries are at their best (and, I gather, at their most expensive, but I guess that’s supply & demand for you!). Because of this, jordgubbstårta is also sometimes called midsommartårta (and gräddtårta med jordgubbar, but that’s unrelated to the festival). Admittedly, I made this cake after Midsummer’s Eve, so mine is definitely a jordgubbstårta, but it’s such a lovely, summer-y cake either way (plus, it’s very Wimbledon-coded, so I think it would be a perfect treat to make to watch this year’s finals!)

Like any popular cake, jordgubbstårta comes in a variety of shapes, sizes and variations. The basic elements, however, are a vanilla sponge cake (known in Sweden as a sockerkaka, or ‘sugar cake’: from what I can tell, this is a foam cake similar to, but not exactly the same as, a French genoise sponge), a vanilla pastry cream filling, whipped cream and, of course, fresh strawberries! Some variations contain lemon, elderflower or even cardamom, and are sometimes decorated with additional touches like mint leaves and edible flowers!

Flowers are an important part of Midsommar traditions in Sweden (apparently, there’s a custom where you are supposed to silently pick 7 different types of flowers and place them under your pillow, so that you’ll dream about your future spouse!), so edible flowers would make such a lovely, fitting decoration!

Ingredients

To make a jordgubbstårta, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Vanilla

Aside from the strawberries, vanilla is the main flavour in this cake. The pastry cream is flavoured with a vanilla bean, so you get all of the delicious flavour of vanilla plus the pretty, speckled-y appearance of the beans themselves. The cake is flavoured with good vanilla extract. Many Swedish recipes tend to call for substituting a small amount of the sugar with ‘vanilla sugar’ to impart the flavour, but this isn’t a readily available product here in the UK (and the sugar you infuse yourself is unlikely to provide enough of a vanilla hit!), so the bean & extract combo is your best bet!

• Whole milk

It’s important to use whole milk for this recipe (even if, like me, you live in a mainly skimmed milk household), for the creamiest, moistest, most delicious results.

• Caster sugar

You can use either golden or white caster sugar for this recipe (I used golden). Some recipes do call for granulated sugar instead (which I believe is more readily available in the US), but I find caster sugar works better for foam cake.

• Cornflour (or cornstarch)

A small amount of cornflour (or cornstarch, as it’s also known) is added to the cake to give it a delicate, tender crumb. You’ll also use cornflour to thicken the pastry cream filling.

• Eggs

Whole eggs are used in the sponge cake, while egg yolks are used in the pastry cream. You don’t need the remaining egg whites for this recipe, so you can either use them for another recipe straight away (perhaps some macarons!) or freeze them for another time.

• Salted butter

In my research, I discovered that butter is more commonly found in its salted variety in Sweden, unlike here in the UK where you would expect to find an array of both salted and unsalted butters in the supermarket. Unsalted butter is available in Sweden, but it tends to be more of a specialist item. Because of this, I’ve used salted butter throughout this recipe: for the sponge, the pastry cream and even greasing the cake tin!

• Baking powder

Baking powder is added to give the cake a little extra lift and fluffiness.

• Plain flour

Don’t use self-raising flour here, as you’ll end up with too much raising agent in the cake batter. Plain, or all-purpose flour, is what you want here.

• Breadcrumbs

This was a new technique to me, but the majority of sockerkaka recipes that I found lined the cake tin with melted butter and breadcrumbs, instead of just butter/greaseproof paper. This makes it super easy to remove the cake from the tin, but also gives the cake something to cling to as it rises, which is super important for a foam cake like this (often, genoise recipes recommend not greasing the sides of the tin at all!). I admit, I was sceptical about this technique (because… breadcrumbs?), but it was so easy to do and worked SO well! Plus, you genuinely couldn’t tell the breadcrumbs were there when you looked at the cake/ate it.

You do need to use a specific type of breadcrumb for this: dried and very finely ground. You can buy these kind of breadcrumbs in the supermarket or you can make your own.

• Double cream

You could use whipping cream here instead, if you prefer.

• Icing sugar

A small amount of icing sugar is added to the cream to help stabilise it AND give it a gentle sweetness. I also like to dust the cake with a little icing sugar just before serving, to make it extra pretty!

• Strawberries

The star of the show: you need strawberries for a strawberry cake! It’s best to make this cake when strawberries are in season, when they’re at their most delicious!

Making Vanilla Pastry Cream

This was actually my first time making pastry cream (crazy, right?), so it was a bit of a learning curve for me. The first time I made it, I undercooked the custard, which led to a very thin pastry cream that, bafflingly, just kept getting thinner in the fridge! Luckily, the second time worked much better and I was able to make the perfect, vanilla-y pastry cream to fill my jordgubbstärta with!

Start by infusing the milk with the vanilla bean. To do this, run a small, sharp knife down the length of the bean, then scrape out the seeds.

Add the bean halves and the seeds to the milk in a small saucepan and place over medium-low heat.

Allow the milk to come to just below a simmer (small bubbles will be starting to form around the edge of the pan and the milk will be steaming slightly), then remove the pan from the heat, cover with a lid and set aside to infuse for 10 minutes.

While the milk is infusing, place the sugar into a medium bowl. Sift in the cornflour (I like to do this just to remove any lumps, so that my pastry cream is super smooth!), then add the egg yolks.

Whisk these ingredients together, just until they are smooth and combined. You don’t want to incorporate too much air at this stage, so try to use a stirring action rather than a whipping action. The mixture will seem very thick and stiff at first, but it will loosen up a little as you mix it.

Once the milk has finished infusing, remove the vanilla bean halves (I like to strain it through a heatproof sieve here, just in case there are any errant bean shards!) and place it back on the heat, bringing it back up to just below a simmer.

Gradually add the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking continuously as you do so.

Pass the custard back into the saucepan through a fine, heatproof sieve, just to remove any little pieces of cooked egg/unincorporated ingredients and ensure your pastry cream is silky smooth.

Return the pan to a medium heat, switch to a spatula (I prefer to use a spatula here, rather than a whisk, to keep the pastry cream silky smooth, as opposed to frothy) and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens.

Once the mixture thickens, set a timer for one minute and continue stirring it over the heat. This is really important, as it ensures that the eggs are cooked enough to keep the pastry cream thick and creamy (this is where I went wrong the first time around: I didn’t cook it long enough and ended up with a runny mess, so learn from my mistakes!).

After that, remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, stirring (or whisking, if you prefer) until it is fully incorporated.

Transfer the pastry cream to a shallow bowl, cover the surface directly with clingfilm, then allow it to cool to room temperature before placing it into the fridge to chill fully (at least 2 hours), before using.

Making the Sockerkaka

With the pastry cream made, you can get on with the sockerkaka: the cake itself! This is a foam cake, where you whip the eggs with the sugar until they reach the ribbon stage, before carefully folding through the other ingredients.

Start by preparing your baking tin. You’ll need an 8-inch, circular, springform tin for this recipe (the cake is baked in one, deep layer, then sliced horizontally into two thinner layers after it has been baked and cooled). Brush the bottom and sides of the tin with a thin layer of melted butter, then line the base with a circle of greaseproof paper (this might not be strictly traditional, but it gives you much more peace of mind!). Then, add 2-3 tbsp of dried breadcrumbs and turn/rotate the tin so that they stick to the butter and coat the sides of the tin. After a bit of manoeuvring, you’ll have a fully-lined, breadcrumb-y tin, ready for your cake! Tap out the excess breadcrumbs and discard them, then set the tin aside for now.

Preheat the oven to 160°C (conventional oven, not fan), then you can get on with making the batter.

Start by preparing the wet ingredients. Warm the milk and butter together until just melted (you can do this in the microwave or on the hob: I used the microwave). Set this aside to cool to room temperature before you add it to the batter.

I like to make foam cakes using an electric hand mixer, as opposed to a stand mixer, because I find it easier to ‘feel’ whether the egg/sugar mixture is ready that way. If you’re used to using a stand mixer (or find a stand mixer easier/more accessible), feel free to use that instead! I wouldn’t recommend making this with a regular hand whisk though, because it requires a lot of whipping!

Place the eggs and the sugar into a large bowl and whisk on high speed until they reach the ribbon stage. At this point, the mixture should be thick, pale and creamy . Most importantly, you should be able to draw a quick figure of eight with the batter before the shape disappears back into the rest of the mixture. This takes longer than you might expect, so be patient!

In a separate bowl, mix together the plain flour, cornflour and baking powder just to combine them. Sift these ingredients right over the egg/sugar mixture, in a relatively even layer across the surface (this helps to prevent too much air being knocked out of the batter).

Using a large, metal spoon, fold the dry ingredients into the egg/sugar mixture.

Add the vanilla to the cooled milk/butter mixture and stir to combine.

Gradually add the butter mixture to the cake batter, folding it in as you go.

Once you have a smooth batter, it’s ready to go! Pour it into the prepared cake tin, aiming for the centre of the tin as you pour, so that you don’t disrupt the breadcrumb coating on the edges of the tin.

Place the cake into the preheated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the cake is pulling away from the sides of the tin. The cake might still seem very soft when you first take it out, but it will firm up as it cools.

Allow the cake to cool in the tin before running a knife around the edge of the tin and removing it, making sure to peel off the baking paper from the bottom!

Assembling the Jordgubbstårta

The jordgubbstårta is best eaten straightaway once it is assembled, so, if possible, wait until the last minute to assemble it. You can store the unfilled/decorated cake in an airtight tin for a day or so, if necessary, and you can store any assembled leftovers in the fridge for around 2 days (depending on the best before date on the cream/strawberries), just be aware that the cake can get quite dry in the fridge.

When it’s time to assemble the cake, start by splitting the cooled cake into two separate layers. I like to use a large, serrated palette knife for this, running it around the edge of the cake to score a guideline for myself before running it back and forth right across the cake to cut through it.

Next, prepare the strawberries. I like to chop the strawberries two ways: a fine dice for filling the cake (about 1/3 of the berries) and a thick slice for topping the cake (the remaining 2/3 of the berries), but you can do this however you would like: it’s just personal preference!

Sift the icing sugar into the cream and whisk it until it just holds it shape. Cream can over-whip so quickly, so err on the side of caution: it should be holding its shape, but still be soft and billowy.

Finally, remove the pastry cream from the fridge and give it a good stir to bring it together and make sure it’s nice and smooth. With that, you’re ready to assemble!

Place the first layer of cake on a serving plate (making sure the plate will fit in your fridge, just in case of leftovers!).

Spread the pastry cream on top of the cake layer, reserving a small spoonful for later. Don’t push it all the way to the edges, because this might cause it to ooze out at the sides and cause problems later.

Cover the top of the pastry cream with the diced strawberries.

Then dot the reserved pastry cream on top of the strawberry layer, just to help the next cake layer stick.

Place the second cake layer on top, making sure it is level and lined up with the layer below. If your cake is a bit unsteady at this point, you might want to put it into the fridge to chill for 5-10 minutes, otherwise you can press on!

Generously cover the top and sides of the cake with the whipped cream, using an offset palette knife (or a regular knife, spoon or spatula, if that’s what you have!). I like to make this purposely messy: there should be a thick enough layer of cream here that you don’t have to worry too much about being perfect.

Pile up the sliced strawberries in the middle of the cake, then, if desired, dust the whole thing with icing sugar just before serving.

Final Thoughts

This jordgubbstårta took me a couple of tries to nail, but it was SO worth the wait: it’s such a simple, classic, summer-y and fresh treat, perfect for this time of year (and, as I mentioned, very Wimbledon-esque, strawberries & cream-y, so it’s right up my alley!).

This is definitely a cake where the ingredients/elements are very simple, but they require a specific technique to get them right: the pastry cream is straightforward once you get the hang of it, but you need to cook it thoroughly and pass it through a sieve during the process to make it silky smooth. The sockerkaka is a pretty simple foam cake, but you need to whisk the eggs/sugar long enough to ensure they reach the ribbon stage, you need to be very gentle when folding in the other ingredients and you need to line the tin correctly! It’s a simple cake, but a slightly temperamental one (luckily, it’s also a delicious one!).

I do feel that my pastry cream was quite sweet: there’s only a thin layer and the other ingredients do temper it, but I wonder if I could decrease the sugar a little without affecting the consistency? Vanilla is a naturally sweet flavour, so this cake is always going to be sweet, but I think I could work on the balance a little.

Recipe

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Swedish Jordgubbstårta

A vanilla sponge cake, filled with homemade vanilla pastry cream and fresh strawberries, topped with whipped cream and EVEN more strawberries: this classic Swedish cake is traditionally served at midsommar, but makes for a delicious treat throughout the whole summer season!

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Swedish

Keyword Foam cake, Pastry cream, Sockerkaka, strawberry, Vanilla, Whipped cream

Prep Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Chill Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 4 hours hours

Servings 10 slices

Equipment

• 1 8-inch springform pan

Ingredients

For the vanilla pastry cream:

• 1/2 vanilla bean
• 170 ml whole milk
• 80 g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp cornflour, sifted.
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp salted butter

For lining the tin:

• 1 tbsp salted butter, melted.
• 2-3 tbsp dried breadcrumbs (see note 1).

For the vanilla cake:

• 50 ml whole milk
• 75 g salted butter, diced.
• 200 g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 150 g plain flour
• 10 g cornflour
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

To decorate:

• 250 g strawberries
• 300 ml double cream
• 1 tbsp icing sugar, sifted.

Instructions

Make the vanilla pastry cream:

• Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Add the bean halves, seeds and milk to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to just below a simmer, remove from heat, cover and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, cornflour and egg yolks together until smooth and combined, but not aerated.
• Remove the vanilla bean halves from the milk and bring back to just below a simmer. Add the hot milk gradually to the egg mixture, whisking all the time, until incorporated.
• Pass the custard through a fine, heatproof sieve back into the saucepan, then cook over medium heat, stirring frequently with a spatula, until thickened. Once thickened, continue cooking for 1 more minute.
• Remove the pastry cream from the heat and immediately whisk in the butter. Transfer to a shallow bowl, cover the surface directly with clingfilm and allow to cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge to chill completely (at least 2 hours), before using to fill cake.

Prepare the cake tin:

• Brush the tin with a thin layer of the melted butter. Line the base with a circle of baking paper, then add the breadcrumbs and turn/rotate the tin until the crumbs have stuck to the butter and the sides are completely coated. Tap away any excess crumbs and discard, then set tin aside while you make the batter.

Make the vanilla cake:

• Preheat the oven to 160°C (conventional oven, not fan).
• Gently heat the milk and butter together until just melted (you can do this in the microwave, if you want). Set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Place the sugar and eggs into a large bowl. Using an electric whisk, beat until thick, pale and creamy (the ribbon stage). You should be able to draw a figure of eight with the beaters before the shape settles back into the rest of the mixture.
• Mix the baking powder, flour and cornflour together in a separate bowl. Sift over the egg mixture, then use a large metal spoon to fold through.
• Add the vanilla extract to the cooled milk/butter mixture and stir to combine. Gradually add the butter mixture to the cake batter, folding through gently as you go.
• Once the batter is homogenous, pour it into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until the cake has started to pull away from the sides of the tin. It will still seem quite soft, but will firm up as it bakes.
• Allow the cake to cool in the tin, then run a knife around the edge and remove from the tin, removing the baking paper from the bottom of the cake too.

Assemble the cake:

• Use a serrated palette knife to split the cake in half horizontally, so that you have two, thin layers.
• Dice about 1/3 of the strawberries to go in between the cake layers, then thickly slice the remaining berries for the top of the cake.
• Place the double cream and icing sugar into a large bowl and whisk until the cream is holding its shape, but still soft, smooth and billowy.
• Take the chilled pastry cream out of the fridge and stir to smooth it out.
• Place one of the cake layers onto a serving plate. Top with the pastry cream (reserving a small spoonful for later), spreading it out across the surface of the cake but leaving a small border around the edge, so that it doesn't ooze out later.
• Add the diced strawberries over the top of the pastry cream, then dot the reserved pastry cream across the surface of the berries, to help the next cake layer stick.
• Place the remaining cake layer on top, making sure it is level and lined up with the cake layer below. If the cake feels a bit unsteady, you can chill it at this stage for 5-10 minutes to help it firm up.
• Cover the top and sides of the cake with a thick layer of whipped cream, then pile the sliced strawberries up in the middle of the cake. Just before serving, dust with icing sugar, if desired.
• This jordgubbstårta is best served immediately. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a day or two (provided the cream/strawberries remain in date), but the cake will quickly start to dry out/toughen up. You can make the cake itself a day or so ahead of time, storing it in an airtight container before splitting, filling and decorating.

Notes

Notes:

1. These must be finely ground and dried: fresh breadcrumbs will not work. You can buy dried breadcrumbs in the supermarket, or you can make your own.

Sources Used

Books:

Patisserie: Mastering the Fundamentals of French Pastry, Christophe Felder.

ScandiKitchen: Fika & Hygge, Brontë Aurell.

Websites:

Cecilia Tolone: Midsommartårta

Halsa Nutrition: Swedish Sockerkaka (Simple Vanilla Cake)

Home Sweet Sweden: Sockerkaka – Swedish Sponge Cake

Linnea Lund: The Famous Sockerkaka Recipe

Norr Table: Swedish Strawberry Cream Cake (Jordgubbstårta)

Skandi: Jordgubbstårta: Swedish Strawberry Cake

Sugar and Wool: Sockerkaka (Swedish Cardamom Cake)

Swedish Food: Butter

Swedish Food: Sponge Cake (Sockerkaka)

Swedish Food: Strawberry Cream Cake

Visit Sweden: Classic Strawberry Cake (Jordgubbstårta)

Vogue Scandinavia: Jordgubbstårta Recipe

Vogue Scandinavia: The Ultimate Jordgubbstårta Recipe

A quick Baking Around the World disclaimer before we get into the recipe:

While I have done/will do extensive research for each of the recipes in this series, the recipes are unlikely to be 100% authentic because of differences in ingredient availability, variations within families/regions and multiple other reasons. I'm so sorry if I absolutely butcher your favourite childhood treat (and please let me know in the comments if I have made any unforgiveable errors), but please do give me the benefit of the doubt here- I am just a baker with a serious sweet tooth, trying to broaden her baking (and cultural) horizons through tasty snacks :)

Table of Contents

• Gâteau Creusois: Explained
• Ingredients
• DIY Ground Hazelnuts
• Making Gâteau Creusois
• Final Thoughts
• Recipe
• Sources Used

Gâteau Creusois: Explained

I only came across Gâteau Creusois pretty recently, when my aunt brought a commercial version over from France for us to try. My brother enjoyed it so much that he actually requested a homemade version for his birthday cake this year, so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for another Baking Around the World project!

Gâteau Creusois is a meringue-based, hazelnut cake that originated in Creuse, a department in central France. The recipe was discovered in 1969, within the ruins of a local monastery, written on a piece of parchment that dated back to the 15th century. Apparently, the monks used to cook the cake in ceramic tiles known as ‘creuses’ (meaning hollow, or concave), which is likely where the name Gâteau Creusois originated (though it could also come from the name of the department, ‘Creuse’, instead). It is said that the original recipe is a closely guarded secret amongst a select group of pastry chefs, so the modern recipes in circulation are unlikely to be exact replicas of the recipe written on that initial manuscript.

Most Gâteaux Creusois in France tend to be commercial, industrially produced ones (like the one my aunt bought us), with homemade versions being much less commonplace (perhaps because of the aforementioned secretive pastry chefs!). Luckily, there are still multiple recipes online available, so all hope is not lost! You can still make a deliciously rich, soft and tender, hazelnutty Gâteau Creusois at home (which is exactly what I did).

Ingredients

Gâteau Creusois is actually a really simple cake to make— you only need 5 ingredients (or 6, if you want to dust the finished cake with icing sugar, like I did):

• Hazelnuts

You’ll need ground hazelnuts for this recipe. I like to grind them myself— you can find instructions for this below.

• Caster Sugar

Some recipes use icing sugar, but the majority use regular, caster sugar, so that’s what I’ve used here.

• Plain Flour

There’s no raising agent in this cake— the whipped egg whites do all the work, which is what gives it such a rich, almost fudgy texture. Make sure to use plain flour, because self-raising flour contains baking powder.

• Butter

You can use salted or unsalted butter for this recipe— whichever you have on hand. I’ve tried both and both cakes were delicious. Whichever butter you choose to use, it needs to be melted and cooled before you add it to the mixture.

• Egg Whites

The egg whites are whipped separately before being folded into the batter, which helps give the cake lift. You don’t need the yolks for this recipe, so set them aside for another recipe (perhaps an ice cream? You can find my ice cream recipes here!).

DIY Ground Hazelnuts

Whole hazelnuts are usually easier to find in supermarkets than ready-ground hazelnuts, but, luckily, it’s super easy to grind them at home (and it’s much easy to toast the whole nuts than the ground version, so you can get plenty of extra flavour into your Gâteau Creusois!).

You can buy hazelnuts with or without their papery skins (without the skins, they’re often sold as ‘blanched hazelnuts’). Either one is fine, but, if you’re using unblanched hazelnuts (like in the above photo), it’s best to remove the skins for this recipe (which is also very easy— more on that in a sec!).

Start by toasting the nuts. I do this in the airfryer (5 minutes at 180°C), but you can do it in the oven (for the same length of time/at the same temperature), or even in a dry pan over high heat on the hob (though this method doesn’t get the nuts quite as evenly roasty throughout). Once the nuts are toasted, tip them out onto a clean tea towel, ready for the next step.

Don’t skip this toasting step— not only does it significantly improve the hazelnut flavour, it’s also much easier to get the shells off the nuts when they are warm.

To get the skins off the nuts, wrap the clean tea towel around them and rub the whole bundle together between your hands. The friction will cause the skins to rub off the surfaces of the warm nuts and you’ll be left with a pile of the papery skins (like in the above photo), which you can discard or compost.

Don’t worry too much if you can’t get all of the skin off the nuts— it will just add a little extra colour and texture to your cake! Just try to remove as much as you can, because the skins can sometimes be a bit tough.

It’s important to let the nuts cool completely before proceeding to the grinding stage. Nuts release their oils more easily when they are warm, so you run a greater risk of ending up with nut butter, instead of ground nuts, if you try to grind them when they are still hot!

Tip the cooled nuts into a food processor and blitz until they are finely ground (I used a mini food processor for this, so the nuts are more finely ground than they appear in the above photo!). Try to get them quite fine, but don’t worry too much if there are a few slightly larger pieces— again, this will just add texture to the finished cake. Don’t over-blitz them, or you’ll end up with hazelnut butter, even if the nuts were cold when you started!

Making Gâteau Creusois

Now you have your toasted, skinned and grounded hazelnuts, you can get on with making the cake itself! Making a Gâteau Creusois is actually fairly straightforward (it’s nowhere near as finicky as you might expect from the home of pâtisserie!).

Start by preparing the tin. Grease and line an 8-inch, round tin with butter and baking paper and set aside. You’ll also need to preheat the oven to 170°C.

Place the ground hazelnuts, caster sugar and plain flour in a large bowl.

Mix these ingredients together until the hazelnuts are evenly distributed throughout the mixture.

Add the cooled, melted butter to the dry ingredients and mix in. You should end up with a nutty, paste-like mixture.

In a separate, metal bowl (I used a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, for this part), whisk the egg whites until they have just reached stiff peaks. They should hold their shape, but not be too dry, as this can cause the cake to rise too much and be dry and cakey, rather than dense and rich.

Add a large spoonful of the whipped egg whites to the nut mixture, and stir in vigorously to loosen the mixture.

Add the remaining egg whites and use a large, metal spoon to fold them into the mixture. It’s best to use a metal spoon for this because it can ‘slice’ through the batter more effectively, so that you don’t knock too much air out of the whites as you incorporate them.

Once the egg whites have been completely incorporated and no streaks remain, you should be left with a thick, soft batter, just like in the above photo.

Pour this batter into the tin you prepared earlier.

Then use a knife to level out the surface, so that it bakes evenly.

Place the cake into the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the surface is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

The cake will deflate quite rapidly once it is removed from the oven, but don’t worry— that’s what gives it its fudgy, moreish texture.

Allow the cake to cool for 5-10 minutes in the tin before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Don’t leave the cake for any longer in the tin, because it will start to firm up and stick to the tin as it cools, making it harder to remove neatly (obviously, I speak from experience).

Once the cake is completely cool, you can dust it with a layer of icing sugar. I’m not sure if this is strictly traditional, but it does make it extra pretty (and delicious)!

Serve wedges of the cake as they are, with vanilla custard (apparently a traditional accompaniment), or with whipped cream and berries (not so traditional, but very delicious!). The cake is quite rich, so you won’t need a huge slice!

Final Thoughts

This is a really unassuming cake— it looks like a plain, simple cake layer, but it’s actually a rich, decadent and delicious nutty treat: more like a nutty torte than a cake! It’s also incredibly simple, quick and easy to make, so I think it would make the perfect dessert for a relaxed dinner party or subtly impressive addition to afternoon tea.

The surface of the cake can look a little odd after it has cooled— it’s covered with little holes, almost as if it has been pricked all over with a skewer, which is partly why I decided to dust the whole thing with icing sugar (which is known for covering a multitude of sins). I’m not sure if this is just a defining feature of the cake, or a result of a mistake I’ve made somewhere along the way, but I’m not too bothered— it’s still incredibly delicious!

While it would be easier to buy ground hazelnuts to use for this recipe, I do think that toasting and grind the nuts yourself adds a real hit of extra hazelnut flavour, so I would definitely recommend doing that if you have the time!

Recipe

Print

Gâteau Creusois

A meringue-based, hazelnut cake from France, this is a super quick and easy, yet surprisingly rich and decadent, bake that makes for a delicious dessert or treat any time of year.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine French

Keyword Cake, Hazelnut, Meringue

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 12

Equipment

• 1 8-inch round cake tin

Ingredients

• 120 g hazelnuts, toasted and finely ground (see Note 1).
• 150 g caster sugar
• 80 g plain flour
• 125 g butter, melted and cooled (see Note 2).
• 4 egg whites
• Icing sugar, for dusting (optional).

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease and line an 8-inch round tin with baking paper and set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix together the ground hazelnuts, caster sugar and plain flour, until well combined.
• Add the cooled, melted butter to the dry ingredients and mix until you have a nutty, paste-like mixture.
• In a large, metal bowl (I used a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment), whip the egg whites until they have just reached stiff peaks. The whites should hold their shape, but not look too dry.
• Add a large spoonful of the whipped egg whites to the nut mixture and mix in vigorously to loosen the mixture.
• Add the remaining egg whites and fold in, using a large metal spoon, until no streaks remain and you have a thick, even batter.
• Pour the batter into the prepared tin and level out the surface. Place into the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the surface is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
• Allow the cake to cool for 5-10 minutes only before removing from the tin and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Once cool, dust liberally with icing sugar (if desired) and serve. You can serve the cake plain, or with an accompaniment: vanilla custard is traditional, but a spoonful of whipped cream and some fresh berries is also delicious. The cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about 4 days.

Notes

1. To toast/grind the hazelnuts:

Toast the nuts in an oven/airfryer set to 180°C for about 5 minutes, until very golden and smelling super nutty (you can also toast the nuts in a dry pan on the hob, though you won’t get quite as intense a flavour with this method). 

Allow the nuts to cool completely before transferring to a food processor to grind them. Aim for quite a fine grind, but don’t worry if there are some stubborn, larger pieces— they’ll just add texture! Be careful not to over-grind the nuts, or you might end up with hazelnut butter instead.

2. You can use unsalted or salted butter for this recipe— whichever you have on hand.

 

 

Sources Used

Cooking Melangery: French Hazelnut Meringue Cake

Del’s Cooking Twist: French Hazelnut Cake (Creusois)

French Touch: Creusois Cake

SBS Food: Gateaux Creusois (cake from Creuse)

Taste Atlas: Gâteau Creusois

Tourisme Creuse: Gourmet and Local Products

750g: Gäteau Creusois

Anddddd we’re back with another instalment of my Baking Around the World series, where I (attempt to) bake delicious, sweet treats from around the globe, in an attempt to broaden my foodie horizons! This time, we’re off to Iceland, with these Marens-Kornflexkökur.

A quick Baking Around the World disclaimer before we get into the recipe:

While I have done/will do extensive research for each of the recipes in this series, the recipes are unlikely to be 100% authentic because of differences in ingredient availability, variations within families/regions and multiple other reasons. I'm so sorry if I absolutely butcher your favourite childhood treat (and please let me know in the comments if I have made any unforgiveable errors), but please do give me the benefit of the doubt here- I am just a baker with a serious sweet tooth, trying to broaden her baking (and cultural) horizons through tasty snacks :)

Table of Contents

• Marens-Kornflexkökur: Explained
• Ingredients
• Making Marens-Kornflexkökur
• Final Thoughts
• Recipe
• Sources Used

Marens-Kornflexkökur: Explained

These Icelandic treats are really super simple— they’re just regular meringues, flavoured with a little vanilla extract and studded with chopped dark chocolate and cornflakes. I realise that sounds a bit wacky, but they actually taste really good! You don’t bake them in quite the same way as you would a normal meringue, so they don’t fully dry out and stay nice and chewy on the inside, but crisp on the outside, so you can eat them on their own, like a cookie!

I’ve had meringues containing chopped dark chocolate in in the past, so I wasn’t too fazed by that part, but I have to admit, the cornflakes were a little bit of a curveball (and the thing that drew me to this recipe in the first place)! They go quite chewy in the meringue and add a nutty (corn-y?) taste. They’re not for everyone (not all of my family members were on board with this particular bake), but I really like them!

Strangely, it’s quite hard to find information about these cookies (from authentic, Icelandic sources) online. I wonder if, because they’re so simple (only 6 ingredients!) they’re more of a passed-down-through-families kind of recipe, kind of like how we have chocolate cornflake cakes in the UK? I’m not sure, but I do know that I ended up in the deepest depths of the Icelandic baking forums in my attempt to confirm that these were, in fact, a classic, Icelandic cookie (and they are! Though, like most traditional cookies, they seem to come in various different forms).

Traditionally, Marens-Kornflexkökur are made using the French meringue method, which is the simplest of the meringue-making styles. In this method, you add the sugar to the egg whites gradually, whisking all the time, until fully incorporated and the sugar has dissolved. I, however, seem to have a curse that prevents me from being able to make French meringue successfully, so I have adapted the process ever so slightly, taking inspiration from the meringue-making method created by the Meringue Girls. The only difference is that you warm the sugar slightly before adding it to the egg whites, which helps it to dissolve more quickly and create a stable meringue. It is a little extra step, but it’s really changed the meringue game for me!

As you can see, the Marens-Kornflexkökur do still bake up with some pretty dramatic cracks, but I think that’s inevitable with so many extra ingredients mixed in (or at least, I’ll tell myself that to avoid yet another French meringue-induced breakdown…)! Anyway, I think it kind of adds to their charm, so I’m not mad about it.

Ingredients

Marens-Kornflexkökur only require 6 ingredients, which is part of what makes them so simple and easy to make! You will need:

• Caster sugar

It’s important to use caster/superfine sugar, so that it dissolves quickly and evenly into the meringues.

• Egg whites

Make sure that you don’t get any yolk in your egg whites when you separate them, or you’ll have to start over. As always, I use large eggs.

• Salt

A small amount of fine sea salt is added to the egg whites as they whip, to help give them structure. I also like to sprinkle a small amount of coarse sea salt onto the meringues, once they’re baked (and drizzled with chocolate). However, if you plan to store the meringues for a while, I would skip this step, as the salt crystals do have a tendency to leave weird, salty, water-y droplets on top of your cookies over time!

• Cornflakes

Just regular old cornflakes! Use your favourite brand (or whatever’s on offer…).

• Dark chocolate

Use a good quality dark chocolate for the best results. I use this in two ways: firstly (and more traditionally) chopped into chunks and mixed into the macarons, then secondly (less traditionally, but very deliciously) melted and drizzled on top of the finished cookies. I took inspiration from Kate from veggiedesserts.com for this step!

• Vanilla extract

As with the dark chocolate, good quality vanilla extract will give the best flavour. You only need a small amount.

You will also need a small amount of vinegar (I use white wine vinegar) to wipe down the bowl/whisk attachment of your stand mixer. This is an important step, because it removes any little traces of fat in your machine, which might otherwise prevent the egg whites from whipping up properly!

Making Marens-Kornflexkökur

To make the Marens-Kornflexkökur, start by preheating the oven to 135°C. Line a tray with baking paper and set aside.

As I mentioned, I used a slightly adapted version of the French meringue method for this bake, so stay with me on this one! The first thing you want to do is to put the caster sugar into a frying pan. Shake it out into an even layer, then set over a low heat to warm gently.

You don’t want the sugar to melt, you just want to warm it slightly so that it dissolves into the egg whites more easily. Let it warm while you get everything else ready and it will be perfect. If you give it a shake, you might notice it sticking to the pan ever so slightly, like in the photo above.

With the sugar warming, you can get on with preparing the chocolate and the cornflakes. Finely chop the chocolate. Aim for small chunks— you want pockets of chocolate-y goodness, but you don’t want the chunks to be so big that they sink in the meringues.

Then, lightly crush the cornflakes. I just used my hands, but you could also do this with the back of a spoon, the end of a rolling pin, or even in a mortar and pestle! You just want to break them up a little bit, so that they can be distributed more evenly throughout the meringues and don’t get too chewy (you want them to be chewy, but not unswallowable).

With those ingredients prepared, it’s time to get on with the meringue.

Start by wiping out the metal bowl and the whisk attachment of a stand mixer with a little vinegar (I use white wine vinegar). This helps to clean the utensils by removing any traces of fat, which will prevent the egg whites from whipping up properly. It’s important to use a metal bowl, because that helps the egg whites whip up too!

Place the egg whites, along with a pinch of salt, into the mixer bowl and fit the whisk attachment.

Whisk on high speed until the egg whites reach soft peaks.

At this point, remove the frying pan from the heat and begin adding the warm sugar to the mixer bowl, a little at a time, while whisking on high speed.

Once all of the sugar has been added, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl, so that all of the sugar crystals are in the meringue mixture.

At this point, the meringue will be very shiny and glossy, but not overly stiff, so keep whisking on high speed until the meringue holds stiff peaks.

Once the meringue has reached stiff peaks, it’s ready! If you rub a small amount of the mixture between your fingers, you shouldn’t be able to feel any sugar crystals.

Now, you can mix in the other ingredients. Start by folding in the vanilla.

Then, add the crushed cornflakes and the chopped chocolate.

Fold through again, and the mixture is ready!

Drop tablespoon-sized dollops of the mixture onto the lined baking tray. Don’t worry about getting them perfect— they’re supposed to look rustic, like snowy mountains!

Once you’ve used all of the mixture, place the tray into the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the surface of the meringues is crisp and the cookies are holding their shape.

Allow the Marens-Kornflexkökur to cool completely on the trays, then serve as they are, or decorate them by drizzling with a little melted dark chocolate and sprinkling with coarse sea salt. Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature before serving.

Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, the cookies will keep for about 2 weeks. If you plan to make these in advance, I would recommend not sprinkling them with the coarse sea salt, as it can cause little droplets of water to form on the chocolate if left for too long!

Final Thoughts

These Marens-Kornflexkökur are made with a combination of ingredients that I would never have thought to combine, but I actually really like the results! The cookies are chewy, crispy and super tasty. They also taste super festive, despite not containing any of the classic Christmas spices I associate with ‘tasting festive’.

They’re super easy to make, but it did take me a few tries to nail this recipe (mainly as a result of my French meringue curse)! You want to bake them for a short enough time that they stay nice and chewy, but it is also easy to underbake them, which can lead to squidgy cookies that don’t hold their shape. I’m glad I stuck with them though, because I think I’m finally making a breakthrough with meringue!

As I mentioned, these probably aren’t for everyone. The texture of the cornflakes is quite unusual and, overall, they are a pretty sweet cookie (even with the dark chocolate!), which makes them perfect for me, but not so perfect for those who don’t have much of a sweet tooth. I liked them, but, much like the Indian Kulkuls, I’m not sure they live up to the dreamy, almond cookies of last year’s festive, Baking Around the World instalments!

Have you ever had eeMarens-Kornflexkökur before? Or have you ever tried meringues with cornflakes mixed in? Let me know!

Gemma

xxx

Recipe

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Marens-Kornflexkökur

These Icelandic, festive meringue cookies are flavoured with vanilla and studded with chopped dark chocolate and crushed cornflakes. They're crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside and super easy to bake, making them a perfect sweet treat.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Icelandic

Keyword Cornflakes, Dark Chocolate, Meringue, Vanilla

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 12 cookies

Ingredients

• White wine vinegar, for wiping down the bowl/whisk.
• 150 g caster sugar
• 2 egg whites (I used large eggs).
• 1 pinch fine sea salt
• 1 splash vanilla extract
• 60 g dark chocolate
• 30 g cornflakes

To decorate (optional):

• 15 g dark chocolate, melted
• Coarse sea salt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 135°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
• Place the sugar into a frying pan, shaking it out into an even layer. Place over low heat and leave to warm while you prepare the other ingredients. You don't want the sugar to melt, just to warm up slightly so that it dissolves into the egg whites more easily.
• Finely chop the dark chocolate and lightly crush the cornflakes.
• Wipe down the metal bowl and whisk attachment of a stand mixer with white wine vinegar to remove any traces of fat. Place the egg whites in the bowl, along the fine sea salt.
• Whisk the egg whites on high speed, until they reach soft peaks.
• Once all of the sugar has been added, turn off the mixer and use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then turn the mixer back on to high speed and whisk the meringue until stiff peaks form. When it's ready, you should be able to rub a small amount of the meringue between your fingers without feeling any sugar crystals.
• Fold the vanilla extract into the meringue, then add the chopped dark chocolate and crushed cornflakes and fold again, until evenly distributed.
• Place tablespoon-sized dollops of the meringue mixture onto the prepared baking tray. Once you have used up all of the mixture, place the tray into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the surface of the meringues feels crisp and the cookies hold their shape.
• Allow the meringues to cool completely on the tray before serving/decorating. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

To decorate (optional):

• Drizzle the cooled meringue cookies with the melted dark chocolate, then sprinkle with coarse sea salt (see Note 1). Allow to sit at room temperature until the chocolate has set, then serve.

Notes

1. If you are decorating the cookies in advance, I would recommend skipping the coarse sea salt. The salt crystals can cause little droplets of water to form on the surface of the chocolate if left for too long, which, while they don’t affect the taste, don’t look super pretty!

Sources Used

Saveur: Christmas in Iceland

Saveur: Icelandic Chocolate Cornflake Cookies

Guide to Iceland: Icelandic Sweets and Confectionery

Artic Adventures: Traditional Icelandic Christmas Food

Bland: Marengs Kökur

Gulur Raudur Grænn & Salt: Kornflex smákökur

Veggie Desserts: Icelandic Christmas Meringue Cookies

Baking with Nessa: Icelandic Christmas Cookies “Marens-Kornflexkökur”

Arctic Adventures: Icelandic Christmas

Roaming Taste: Marens-Kornflexkökur

Today’s post is the fourth instalment of my Baking Around the World series, where I (attempt to) bake delicious, sweet treats from around the globe, in an attempt to broaden my foodie horizons! Last year, I tried out two festive cookie recipes: German Mandelhörnchen and Sicilian Pizzicotti (both of which were absolutely delicious!). I wanted to try out more Christmassy cookies this year, so I scoured the internet and picked out two more recipes. First up, we’re heading to India with kulkuls!

A quick Baking Around the World disclaimer before we get into the recipe:

While I have done/will do extensive research for each of the recipes in this series, the recipes are unlikely to be 100% authentic because of differences in ingredient availability, variations within families/regions and multiple other reasons. I'm so sorry if I absolutely butcher your favourite childhood treat (and please let me know in the comments if I have made any unforgiveable errors), but please do give me the benefit of the doubt here- I am just a baker with a serious sweet tooth, trying to broaden her baking (and cultural) horizons through tasty snacks :)

Table of Contents

• Kulkuls: Explained
• Ingredients
• Making Kulkuls
  • 1. Clarifying the Butter
  • 2. Making the Dough
  • 3. Resting the Dough
  • 4. Rolling the Kulkuls
  • 5. Frying the Kulkuls
  • 6. Making the Sugar Syrup
    • Sugar Syrup: Tips & Tricks
    • Making the Sugar Syrup
  • 7. Tossing the Kulkuls in the Syrup
• Storing the Kulkuls
• Final Thoughts
• Recipe
• Sources Used

Kulkuls: Explained

Kulkuls (also known as kidiyos, which means ‘worms’ in Konkani) are deep-fried pastry curls that are a popular Christmas/New Year treat in Goa and Mangalore, as well as among the East Indian Community. They are a key element of a Goan kuswar (a traditional platter of festive sweets) and are often shared with neighbours and gifted to friends and family.

They are made from a simple dough containing fine semolina (or rava), which is rolled into curls, by hand, before cooking. The dough itself is really easy to make, but the rolling is a notoriously involved process, which can take a lot of time if you’re making a big quantity and/or making the kulkuls by yourself. Traditionally, the rolling process is done in groups, with friends or family, to make it go quicker. The same dough is also used to make a variety of treats, characterised by their different shapes: shankarpali (diamond shaped pastries) and kormolas/carambolas (bud-shaped pastries) are the most common.

As with most traditional sweet treats, every family has their own take on the classic recipe. Kulkuls are traditionally made with eggs, though many families choose to omit this ingredient (as have I, in this recipe, because I wanted to make a smaller amount). While not an overly sweet treat, sugar can be incorporated into the kulkuls in a variety of ways: it can be added to the dough itself, the pastries can be dusted with icing sugar once fried, or they can be tossed in a sticky syrup once cool, which hardens and ‘frosts’ the curls in an opaque, white glaze. In my kulkul experiment, I tried all of these methods, so that I could pick my favourite!

Ingredients

As I mentioned above, kulkuls traditionally contain egg, but many recipes omit this ingredient. Because I was making such a small batch, I opted to go down the eggless route.

To make kulkuls, you will need:

• Unsalted butter

Technically, this ingredient should be listed as ‘ghee’, which is what kulkuls are traditionally made with. I didn’t have any ghee, so I substituted it with unsalted butter, which I then clarified (ghee is a type of clarified butter). I’ve listed the full amount of unsalted butter in the recipe, but it’s very important that you don’t skip the clarifying step because a) it will decrease the amount of liquid you’re adding to the dough and b) it will prevent the kulkuls from browning too quickly.

• Plain flour

Traditionally, kulkul recipes use a type of flour called maida. Plain flour (or all-purpose flour) is the most similar product outside of India.

• Semolina

Fine semolina (or rava) is a traditional ingredient in this dough. Apparently, it improves the elasticity of the dough and heightens the crispiness of the finished kulkuls!

• Salt

As with most baked goods, a small amount of salt is added to balance all of the flavours and make the finished product extra tasty.

• Icing sugar

Some kulkul recipes do not contain any sugar at all and instead get their sweetness from a dusting of icing sugar/the hardened sugar syrup they are tossed in. This recipe includes a small amount of sugar (because, as we all know by this point, I love sugar), but it’s not so much that the unglazed/dusted kulkuls are overly sweet.

• Coconut milk

I used coconut milk as the wet ingredient for my kulkuls, because I saw multiple recipes using it and I was hoping that it would impart a slightly coconut-y flavour! Alas, no such flavour was imparted, so I feel you could just as easily use water or regular milk (as many other recipes do).

For the sugar syrup:

Because I like my baked goods sweet, I did something that is probably very ridiculous to traditional kulkul lovers and added a sugar syrup coating to my already sweetened kulkuls. I know, I know, but they just weren’t quite sweet enough for me and I wanted to try out the different variations! I did also try dusting them with icing sugar, but I definitely liked the syrupy coating the best— I loved the slightly chewy texture and extra hit of sweetness it gave!

To make the sugar syrup, you just need two ingredients:

• Caster sugar

Make sure to use a fine, white caster sugar. It will melt more easily and evenly.

• Water

Melting the sugar with water allows you to make a syrup. You’ll also need some water on hand to brush around the edges of the pan, to help prevent the sugar from crystallising.

Making Kulkuls

There are a few steps to making kulkuls:

1. Clarifying the butter (you don’t need to do this if you’re using ghee).
2. Making the dough.
3. Resting the dough.
4. Rolling the kulkuls.
5. Frying the kulkuls.
6. Making the sugar syrup.
7. Tossing the kulkuls in the syrup.

1. Clarifying the Butter

To make the kulkuls, you need to start by clarifying the butter. If you’re using ghee, make sure to use the smaller quantity (as listed in the recipe) and skip this step! Otherwise, place your unsalted butter in a small saucepan over low heat.

Allow the butter to melt, stirring every now and then.

Keep the pan over the heat while the butter starts foaming.

Once the foaming recedes, and the milk solids that have sunk to the bottom have turned brown, remove the pan from the heat.

Strain the butter through a fine sieve, lined with a piece of kitchen roll/a coffee filter, to remove the milk solids.

Discard the solids and you’ll be left with a lovely, clear, clarified butter (ghee!). It will be quite hot at this stage, so set it aside to cool slightly while you get the other ingredients ready for the dough. You need the clarified butter to still be a little bit warm when you use it, so that it is liquid, but not super hot.

2. Making the Dough

To make the dough, start by mixing together the plain flour, fine semolina and salt in a bowl, just to combine them.

Drizzle over the warm, clarified butter and start to mix it in with a fork. I like to use a fork at this stage so my hands don’t get too messy, but you can go straight in with your hands if you prefer.

Once the mixture starts to form little ‘nuggets’, you can switch to your hands and rub the butter into the dry ingredients.

Once the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, it’s ready for the icing sugar.

Add the icing sugar and mix it through (again, I used a fork for this, but you can use your hands).

Finally, add the coconut milk (or water/milk), a little at a time, mixing it in as you go. You might need more/less than listed, so go slowly and add it gradually.

When the dough is ready, it will look a little like this: still slightly crumbly, but clumping together.

Tip the dough out onto a clean work surface, then bring it together with your hands.

Knead the dough a little, until it is soft and elastic. It shouldn’t be sticky, but it also shouldn’t be dry— you’re looking for a nice, pliable sweet spot between the two.

3. Resting the Dough

The dough needs to rest before it is shaped/fried, to help the semolina to soften and the dough to relax (I feel we all need a bit of that, this time of year…).

To do this, place the dough back into the bowl and cover it with a damp tea towel. Set the dough aside like this to rest for at least 30 minutes before shaping.

4. Rolling the Kulkuls

Now we come to the most time-consuming part of this recipe: rolling the kulkuls! To do this, you’ll need a piece of rolling equipment. There are a few options for this:

• A kulkul (or gnocchi) rolling board

These boards can be made from wood or plastic, and feature vertical grooves that indent the dough when it is rolled over it. I doubt kulkul rolling boards are exactly the same as Italian gnocchi rolling boards, but I found that gnocchi boards were much more commonly available here in the UK and give a very similar finish. This method was my preference, because I think it gives the best definition and most elegant look to the kulkuls, but it is another speciality utensil that you’ll have to store in your kitchen!

I purchased a wooden gnocchi board to use for this project and it worked well! However, the dough did stick in some places at the start, so be sure to oil the board liberally before you start, then use kitchen roll to wipe off any excess oil before rolling.

• A fine (unused) comb

Many recipes I saw online had a regular, plastic comb that they use to roll the kulkuls on. Obviously, this needs to be a new, unused comb and should be washed thoroughly before it is used for the kulkuls. I didn’t actually try this method, but it seems like a good option.

• A fork

This is the most accessible method, so it’s a great option if you don’t want to go out and buy a new tool for this bake. However, I did feel that the fork-rolled kulkuls looked less polished and pretty than the others, so it wasn’t my favourite method.

To roll the kulkuls, start by pinching off a marble-sized piece of the rested dough. Keep the remaining dough under the damp tea towel, so that it doesn’t dry out.

Use your fingers to spread the dough thinly over the board (or fork/comb, whatever you’re using!). It looks very ugly here, but it won’t later, I promise!

Still using your fingers, gently push up the dough from one end. You’ll be able to see the start of the ridged pattern at this point.

Keep rolling gently, and you’ll eventually be left with a little curl like this! You want to gently press along the seam/join at this stage, so it doesn’t come uncurled when frying. I found the easiest way to do this (without messing up the ridged pattern) was to roll the curl back and forth on the board, pressing down very gently, to seal it.

And there you have it! Your first kulkul! Place it on a tray, lined with baking paper while you make the rest.

Repeat this process until you’ve used up all your dough and have a whole tray of little kulkuls. I made about 75 using the quantities in this recipe, which was more than enough for my fingers to be very tired by the end of all the rolling. If you want to make more, scale up the batch (and definitely enlist some friends/family members to help you out!).

5. Frying the Kulkuls

Once all of your kulkuls are made, you can deep fry them. You don’t want to leave them too long before frying them, because the drier the pastry gets, the more likely they are to uncurl during the frying process, so try to fry them straight away.

You can use a deep fryer for this, or you can just use a saucepan. You’ll need to monitor the temperature of the oil continuously, so, if you’re using a saucepan, be sure to fit it with a candy thermometer.

Because I wasn’t making too many and didn’t mind spending a little extra time frying them in multiple batches, I opted to use a small saucepan for my kulkuls. I added about an inch and a half of flavourless oil to the bottom of the pan and set it over high heat.

Once the oil reaches 180°C, you can add your first batch of kulkuls. I placed about 7 of mine at a time on a metal spider (though you could also use a slotted spoon) and gently lowered them into the hot oil.

They’ll start sizzling immediately, and the oil will bubble up (which is why you don’t want to fill it too full to start with/add too many kulkuls at a time!).

You want to keep the temperature of the oil at 180°C as consistently as you can, so adjust the temperature setting on your hob as needed. Remember that the oil will cool down slightly whenever you add a new batch of kulkuls, before it starts to heat back up again, so don’t worry too much about it.

Once the kulkuls rise to the surface and turn an even, golden colour, you can remove them from the pan using the metal spider/slotted spoon and transfer them to a plate, lined with kitchen roll (to absorb any excess oil). Don’t let the kulkuls get too dark in the oil, because they will continue cooking/browning a little as they sit.

Once the first batch of kulkuls is out, make sure the oil comes back to the right temperature, then add the next batch and repeat the process all over again. Keep going until all of your kulkuls are fried.

At this stage, you can skip the sugar syrup coating and serve the kulkuls as they are, or dust them with a little icing sugar. I, however, prefer them with the sugar syrup coating, so we’ll make that next…

6. Making the Sugar Syrup

Sugar Syrup: Tips & Tricks

Confession time: I have never been able to crack making wet caramel (made with sugar and water). Every SINGLE time I tried, my sugar would crystallise! It was infuriating and, ultimately, I just started making dry caramel (when you just heat the sugar by itself in the pan) whenever I needed to work with sugar. However, with this recipe, the water is actually an important part of achieving the right, syrup-y texture (and plain, white colour, when hardened), so I had to face my fear.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am SO pleased to tell you that (with only 1 failed attempt) I conquered my fear and SUCCESSFULLY made this sugar syrup! I have never been so PROUD. Here’s what I learned:

• Make sure to shake the sugar out into a thin, even layer on the bottom of the pan before you start.

The thinner and more even the sugar layer, the more easily and evenly it will melt, so you are less likely to end up with a dark caramel in some places, with other parts where the sugar has barely melted. Because I was making such a small amount of sugar syrup, I actually made mine in a frying pan, so I had more surface area to spread the sugar over (and easier access for brushing down the edges).

• Cook the syrup over medium-high heat.

This was my biggest mistake: I was so scared of the process that I was always erring on the side of caution and trying to cook the syrup at too low a temperature. A lower temperature makes it more likely to crystallise (though too high a temperature and your sugar will burn, so, again, you want to find the sweet spot). I found that a medium-high heat worked best for this.

• Brush down the sides of the pan liberally with water during the cooking process.

This is something you always hear chefs telling you to do, but I could never get it to work for me! The key is that you want to use a liberal amount of water when brushing down the sides of the pan, and you want to brush the sides down as soon as you see any little sugar crystals there. If you let them cook on and harden, the water won’t be enough to get rid of them.

• Don’t stir!

This is the cardinal rule of sugar work, but I always have to actively stop myself from doing it (I just like to stir— it’s a problem). Stirring the sugar will only encourage it to crystallise, so keep the stirring implements well away from the hob. If you need to help the sugar melt evenly, give the pan a gentle swirl.

Making the Sugar Syrup

To make the syrup for glazing these kulkuls, just put the sugar and water into a large frying pan. Make sure you have some water and a pastry brush at hand too, for brushing down the edges of the pan as needed.

Place the pan over medium-high heat and leave it, undisturbed, until the sugar has melted. If necessary, give the pan a gentle swirl, but don’t agitate the mixture too much!

Once the sugar has melted, let the mixture bubble away for a minute before removing the pan from the heat. Technically, you want the sugar to come to the ‘thread stage’ (about 101-112°C), but with such a small amount, it’s kind of tricky to measure the temperature accurately. If you want to check, drizzle a little of the syrup into a cup of cold water. If it forms little ‘threads’, it’s ready!

7. Tossing the Kulkuls in the Syrup

As soon as you take the syrup off the heat, add the cooled, fried kulkuls and mix well. You want the kulkuls to be completely coated in the syrup, so keep tossing until they are all completely shiny and nicely glazed. Work quickly though, because the syrup will cool down pretty fast and become difficult to work with.

Once the kulkuls are coated, tip the whole lot onto a baking tray, lined with baking paper. Use two forks to separate out the individual kulkuls, so they aren’t touching each other (otherwise they will set stuck to each other, which isn’t a massive problem, but still).

Leave the kulkuls at room temperature for about 10 minutes until cool. As the syrup cools, it will form an opaque, white glaze on the kulkuls, making them appear ‘frosted’. Once cool, the frosted kulkuls can be served!

Storing the Kulkuls

The kulkuls (whether coated in the sugar syrup or not) can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about 2 weeks, so they can be enjoyed throughout the festive season.

Final Thoughts

I had so much fun learning about and making these kulkuls! It definitely reminded me how much of a sweet tooth I have, because I really did prefer the kulkuls tossed in the sugar syrup (which seems to be a bit of an unpopular opinion, if the recipes online are anything to go by!). I really loved the texture the sugar syrup added though, and I do think that the syrup-coated kulkuls stayed fresher for a bit longer because all of the delicious crispiness was sealed in.

Taste-wise (and this is probably outrageous to say), these really did remind me of Rich Tea biscuits?! If you’re not familiar with these biscuits, they’re basically just a super plain, sweet biscuit, and, honestly, without the glaze, the kulkuls taste very similar. Rich Tea biscuits aren’t deep-fried, but I didn’t feel like the kulkuls had a super deep-fried taste/feel either (actually, they had a similar dryness to a Rich Tea, but this could also very possibly be because of my recipe/technique). I was a little disappointed that you couldn’t taste more of the coconut flavour, but I do wonder if they wouldn’t be so authentic if they tasted like coconut. I did see one recipe that included ground cardamom in the dough, which I think would be really delicious! I’d also be interested to see if kulkuls made with eggs were very different to these ones— I imagine they’d be slightly richer?

Overall, I don’t think these were quite as up my alley as the almond-y cookies from last year’s Baking Around the World, Christmas Cookie adventures, but they were fun to make and eat all the same!

Have you ever had kulkuls before? Did I make them right? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Gemma

xxx

Recipe

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Kulkuls

These traditional Goan pastry curls are deep-fried and coated in a sugar syrup glaze. They are typically served at Christmastime, as part of a kuswar (Christmas sweet platter).

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Indian

Keyword Deep-fried, Pastry, Semolina, Sugar syrup

Prep Time 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Resting Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 75 kulkuls

Equipment

• 1 kulkul roller (see Note 1).

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 25 g unsalted butter (or 15g ghee— see Note 2).
• 95 g plain flour
• 35 g fine semolina
• 1 pinch fine sea salt
• 25 g icing sugar
• 60 ml coconut milk (you may need more/less to get the right consistency).

For frying:

• Flavourless oil

For the sugar syrup (optional):

• 6 tbsp white caster sugar
• 2 tbsp water

Instructions

Clarify the butter:

• If using ghee, skip this step. If using unsalted butter, put the butter into a small saucepan over low heat. Allow to melt, then cook, stirring every now and then, until milk solids separate and begin to brown. Strain through a fine sieve, lined with kitchen roll, and discard sediment. Allow clarified butter to cool slightly, until warm, not hot, before using in dough.

Make the dough:

• Mix together the flour, fine semolina and salt in a bowl.
• Drizzle over the warm clarified butter/ghee, then mix with a fork to incorporate. Switch to your hands and finish rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients. The mixture should resemble fine breadcrumbs.
• Add the icing sugar and mix through.
• Add the coconut milk, little by little, until the mixture comes together in clumps and holds together when you press some in your fist.
• Tip the dough onto a clean work surface and bring together with your hands. Knead until a smooth, elastic and soft dough forms.
• Place the dough into a bowl and covered with a damp tea towel. Leave to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling.

Roll the kulkuls:

• Oil the kulkul board liberally, then use a piece of kitchen roll to wipe off any excess.
• Pinch off a marble-sized piece of dough, making sure to keep the remaining dough covered with the damp tea towel while you work.
• Using your fingers, press the piece of dough into a thin layer over the surface of the kulkul roller.
• Working from the bottom of the dough, roll it up on itself to reveal the ridged pattern. To seal the join, roll the kulkul back and forth over the roller a couple of times.
• Place the kulkul on a tray, lined with baking paper, then repeat the process for the remaining dough.

Fry the kulkuls:

• To fry the kulkuls, heat an inch and a half of flavourless oil in a saucepan, fitted with a candy thermometer. Place it over high heat and allow the oil to come to 180°C.
• Gently lower in 6-8 kulkuls (I used a metal spider for this). Be careful, as the oil will bubble up. Keep an eye on the temperature as they cook, and adjust the heat as needed to keep the temperature steady at 180°C.
• When the kulkuls rise to the surface of the oil and are an even, brown colour, transfer them to a plate, lined with kitchen roll. Don't let the kulkuls get too dark in the oil, because the colour will continue to deepen as they sit.
• Repeat the frying process, in batches, for the remaining kulkuls. Once fried, the kulkuls can be served as they are, dusted with icing sugar or, if desired, tossed in a sugar syrup (see below).

Make the sugar syrup:

• If you want to glaze your kulkuls with a sugar syrup, make it after you have fried the pastries, so they have a chance to cool.
• Place the sugar into a frying pan, shaking it out into an even layer, then add the water.
• Place the frying pan over medium-high heat, and allow the sugar to melt, without stirring it. If necessary, give the pan a gentle swirl to help the sugar melt evenly. Brush down the sides of the pan liberally with water as the sugar melts to help prevent crystallisation.
• Once the sugar has melted, allow the syrup to bubble away for about a minute (or until 'thread stage' is reached).
• Remove the syrup from the heat and immediately add the cooled kulkuls. Stir to completely coat the pastries in the syrup, then quickly tip onto a tray lined with baking paper and use two forks to separate out the kulkuls before they set.
• Allow the kulkuls to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes, until the sugar coating is cool and hard— it will turn opaque and white. Serve the kulkuls straight away, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

1. A wooden/plastic gnocchi board, a plastic, fine-toothed (new, unused) comb or even a fork can be used for this. 
2. Ghee (a type of clarified butter, commonly used in Indian cooking) is traditionally used for this. If you don’t have any, you can make your own clarified butter by following the instructions in this recipe. If you want to use ghee, make sure to use the smaller amount (15g, NOT 25g). More butter is required because the quantity decreases when it is clarified, due to the water in the butter evaporating/the milk solids being discarded.

Recipe adapted from Aromatic Essence.

Sources Used

Aromatic Essence: Kalkal Recipe | Goan Kulkuls {Eggless}

Maunika Gowardhan: Traditional Goan Kulkuls

Hilda’s Touch of Spice: Kulkuls (Traditional Goan Sugar-Glazed Curls)

Babs Projects: Kulkul | Kidiyo

Celebration In My Kitchen: Carambolas/Kulkuls

Veena Patwardhan: Light, Crunchy Kulkuls Recipe

Veg Recipes of India: Kulkul Recipe | Eggless Kalkal Recipe

Messy Cooking Always Vegan: Vegan Christmas Kulkuls

A quick Baking Around the World disclaimer before we get into the recipe:

While I have done/will do extensive research for each of the recipes in this series, the recipes are unlikely to be 100% authentic because of differences in ingredient availability, variations within families/regions and multiple other reasons. I'm so sorry if I absolutely butcher your favourite childhood treat (and please let me know in the comments if I have made any unforgiveable errors), but please do give me the benefit of the doubt here- I am just a baker with a serious sweet tooth, trying to broaden her baking (and cultural) horizons through tasty snacks :)

Table of Contents

• Meskouta: Explained
• Ingredients
• Making Meskouta
• Final Thoughts
• Recipe
• Sources Used

Meskouta: Explained

Meskouta, also called Kika, or, when flavoured with citrus, ‘Winter Cake’, is a Moroccan, butter-less sponge cake. The recipe was developed (or possibly just rose to prominence- I couldn’t quite figure this out during my research) during the French/Spanish colonisation of Morocco, when butter was very expensive and hard to get a hold of, so oil was used instead. Meskouta seems to be one of those recipes for which every Moroccan family has their own recipe, which has been passed down through generations. Some are made in loaf tins, but the cakes are most often baked in a tube/Bundt tin. I was (very excitingly) gifted a Nordic Ware Bundt tin for Christmas by my brother and his fiancée, so I opted to use that for my Meskouta.

There are many variations of Meskouta– some are flavoured with lemon, vanilla or yoghurt, but orange seems to be one of the most common flavours. In fact, the citrus variations are so common they even have their own name: ‘Winter Cakes’, after the season when citrus fruits ripen.

Meskouta is commonly served at teatime, for breakfast or as a snack. It is also sometimes served as part of Iftar (the daily meal that is held after sunset during Ramadan, when the day’s fast is broken). It is often served alongside hot mint tea or coffee. The cake itself can be served in a variety of ways: it can simply be eaten plain, it can be dusted with icing sugar or drizzled with a sugar syrup (on special occasions!), but the most popular method is apparently spreading the slices of cake with a layer of jam and sprinkling with coconut (which kind of reminds me of an Australian Lamington?). I did try this with my Meskouta and it was very tasty, though I wasn’t sure if the coconut in question was supposed to be fresh or desiccated, so it’s very possible that I have made a coconut-related faux pas…

Ingredients

Meskouta is essentially a butter-less sponge cake, so the ingredients for the (unflavoured) batter are relatively straightforward:

• Eggs

I always use large eggs for baking. These will be beaten together with the sugar until they reach the ‘ribbon’ stage, which will give the finished cake structure, but also make it light and fluffy.

• Caster sugar

I use caster sugar in baking, because it dissolves into batters more quickly and easily than granulated sugar.

• Vegetable oil

You can use any flavourless oil for this- I used sunflower oil, but groundnut oil would also work (if you do use the latter though, obviously do not to give this cake to anyone with a nut allergy).

• Plain flour

Don’t use self-raising flour, or the batter will contain too much raising agent and your cake might collapse.

• Baking powder

Meskouta recipes seem to contain a LOT of baking powder- I have seen a couple of suggestions that variations in the baking powder itself might be the reason behind this, but I’m not 100% sure. I ended up using less than a lot of the recipes I came across in mine- my cake rose perfectly though, even if it that makes it slightly less authentic.

• Vanilla extract

This is a pretty egg-heavy cake, so, even though you want the orange flavour to be the most prominent, it’s important to counteract any potential ‘egginess’ with a small amount of vanilla.

• Salt

Just a pinch, to bring out the flavour!

Then, for this orange meskouta (or ‘Winter Cake’), you will need 3 extra ingredients to impart all of that orange-y flavour:

• Orange zest

Most of the flavour of the orange is in the zest, so this cake contains lots of it! To really heighten the flavour, I like to mix the zest with the sugar before whipping it together with the eggs. This way, you ensure that the zest is evenly distributed throughout the cake and the zest also has a chance to release some of its oils.

• Orange juice

This cake contains a significant amount of orange juice- not only does this help to give the batter the correct consistency, it also imparts even more orange flavour and makes the cake super moist. It’s very important to use freshly-squeezed orange juice, to get the best flavour. Zest the oranges first, then squeeze out the juice (and strain it, to remove any pulp), to make things easier for yourself.

• Orange blossom water

Orange blossom water is a bit of a specialist ingredient here in the UK, but it is very popular in Moroccan cuisine. As you might expect, it has a citrus-y, floral taste that really adds to this cake- it’s subtle, but it does make a big difference, so it’s worth sourcing if you can. If you can’t find it, just add a little more fresh orange zest- the cake will still be delicious!

Making Meskouta

Good news: making Meskouta is actually pretty straightforward! First things first, you need to prepare your tin. As I mentioned, I am using a Bundt tin for this cake and it’s notoriously difficult to get cakes out of those in one piece! Earlier this week, I posted a recipe for a DIY Cake Release– a thin paste that you can brush onto your cake tins to ensure that the cakes do not stick and pop right out once baked. If, you’re ever baking a cake in a Bundt tin, I would strongly recommend doing this- just greasing the tin won’t be enough, and, while dusting a greased tin with flour will help a lot, you can sometimes be left with little pockets of flour baked onto the Bundt, which doesn’t look so nice!

After that, preheat your oven to 180°C (conventional oven). Then, you can get on with making the cake batter.

Start by placing the sugar and the orange zest into the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment (you can also make this recipe using an electric hand mixer, but I wouldn’t recommend making it by hand because there will be a lot of beating in a minute!).

Mix the sugar and zest together on low speed, until the zest is evenly distributed throughout the sugar. This will help to ensure that there is plenty of zest in every bite of cake (and to extract as much orange flavour as possible!).

Once the sugar and zest are well-combined, add the eggs and whisk on medium-high speed, until the ‘ribbon’ stage is reached. When the mixture is ready, it will be pale, thick and creamy. It should also ‘fall’ off the paddle in ribbons (hence, the ‘ribbon’ stage). As a final test, you should be able to draw a figure of eight with that ribbon, before it disappears into the rest of the batter.

While the mixture is whipping, sift the flour, baking powder and salt together into a separate bowl, then set aside for later.

Once the egg mixture has reached the ribbon stage, add the oil in a slow, steady stream, with the mixer still running. Continue mixing until fully incorporated, then add the orange juice, orange blossom water and vanilla extract. Mix briefly to combine.

Now, add the dry ingredients to the mixture, by scattering them over the top in an even layer. I know this seems a bit faffy, but it’s important to preserve as much of the air in the batter as possible- plonking all of the dry ingredients on top, in one go and in one spot, will deflate all of the air you worked so hard to whip into the eggs! Take the extra minute and scatter in those dry ingredients!

With the dry ingredients added, you need to fold them into the batter. Do this by hand to prevent over-mixing and use a large metal spoon for best results. Make sure to get right down to the bottom of the bowl. Once no streaks/pockets of flour remain, the batter is ready! It will be quite liquid, but that is how it should be.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin, then place it into the oven to bake for about 40 minutes. The cake is much more delicate than a typical Victoria Sponge-style cake, so it can be a bit hard to tell when it is done. The skewer method is the most accurate way of telling with this cake: a skewer or sharp knife inserted into the cake should come out clean, or with only a few, moist crumbs. Once that’s the case, the cake is done!

Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes only before carefully turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Turning the cake out while it is still warm will prevent it from sticking to the tin as it cools- just be careful not to burn yourself on the hot tin! I like to gently pull the cake away from the edges before turning it out, just to help things along.

Once the cake is cool, it’s ready to serve! If you want to add a sugar syrup, I would recommend doing that while the cake is still warm, so that it really soaks into the cake, but all of the other toppings are best added once the cake is cool. It’s lovely plain though- it’s so moist and delicious that it really doesn’t even need anything else!

Final Thoughts

My other two Baking Around the World adventures have been cookie-based, so this was my first attempt at cake in the series. I’m so happy with how it turned out- it’s such a simple recipe, but it has so much history and culture woven into it that it really feels like something quite special. It’s also very delicious- considering that it’s a sponge cake, I was pleasantly surprised by how moist and tender the crumb was. I definitely think it’s one of those cakes that would be great to just have around, in case anyone drops by for coffee- it’s not overly fussy or fancy (though the bundt tin makes it look like it is!) and it’s very easy to make, but it’s a really delicious, afternoon tea treat.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this third instalment of my Baking Around the World series! Have you ever tried meskouta? Let me know in the comments below!

Gemma

xxx

Recipe

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Meskouta

This traditional Moroccan cake is a perfect teatime treat- while there are many flavour variations, this recipe uses orange for a super fresh and zesty sponge.

Cuisine Moroccan

Ingredients

To grease the Bundt tin:

• 1 1/2 tbsp DIY Cake Release (see Note 1).

For the Meskouta

• 300 g caster sugar
• 3 tsp orange zest, finely grated.
• 4 eggs
• 120 ml vegetable oil
• 120 ml orange juice, freshly squeezed
• 3/4 tsp orange blossom water
• 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
• 250 g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180°C (conventional oven). Grease a 10-cup bundt tin with a thin layer of DIY Cake Release and set aside.
• Place the sugar and orange zest into the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, and mix on low speed until well-combined.
• Add the eggs to the sugar/zest mixture and beat on medium-high speed until the 'ribbon' stage is achieved.
• With the mixer running, add the oil in a slow, steady stream until all of it is incorporated. Add the orange juice, as well as the orange blossom water and mix briefly to combine.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, then gently fold into the batter by hand, using a large metal spoon. Once combined, pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, or with only a few, moist crumbs.
• Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Notes

1. You can find the recipe for my DIY Cake Release here– it will make it so much easier to get your finished Meskouta out of the tin. If you want to keep this cake dairy-free, substitute the butter in the cake release recipe with shortening. 

Sources Used

African Food Network: Mescouta (Moroccan Yoghurt Cake).

Moroccan Cuisine Marocaine: مسكوتة بللّيمونْ وْ اللّوزْ / كيكة /Meskouta or Maskouta or Keeka/ Moroccan Orange and Almond Cake (Butterless Cake) / Maskouta ou Meskouta ou Kika, Gâteau Marocain à l’Orange et Amandes Sans Beurre!.

Moroccan Olive Grove: Moroccan Orange Olive Oil Cake “Meskouta”.

NYT Cooking: Meskouta (Moroccan Orange Cake).

Taste Atlas: Meskouta.

Taste of Maroc: Moroccan Orange Cake Recipe – Meskouta with Oranges.

The Moroccan Food: Meskouta: Moroccan Cake.

The Spruce Eats: Moroccan Meskouta Orange Cake.

And welcome to the second instalment in my new Baking Around the World series! This time, we’re heading to Germany for another festive cookie recipe.

Mandelhörnchen have become somewhat of a fixation of mine since I first learned about them last year. I can’t even remember how I came across them, but I was obsessed with making them. Unfortunately, no matter what recipe I tried, I just couldn’t get my cookies to look like the ones pictured- the majority turned out flat and crispy (not the vibe). Some recipes called for shop-bought marzipan, some called for homemade almond paste- I tried them all. I was confused and, after several unsuccessful and frustrating attempts, I rage quit my mandelhörnchen quest and gave up on my almond dreams.

But! The story does not end there! Though I had given up on my mandelhörnchen dreams, they stayed with me. I could not forget them. So, when I bought myself a new Christmas cookbook full of German recipes (Advent by Anja Dunk), I allowed myself to hope. In fact, one of the first photos that comes up in the reviews of the book on Amazon is of some homemade mandelhörnchen! My hope grew (3 sizes, just like the Grinch’s heart). As soon as I got the book (and read it cover to cover, obviously), I tried the mandelhörnchen recipe. They worked! They used shop-bought marzipan! They were magnificent!

I did make some small adjustments to the recipe (just to the chocolate/bake time/overall quantity of cookies, so I’m hoping the cookies are still authentic?), but, like with my last Baking Around the World post, the idea/recipe for these cookies is not original to me at all- I’m just trying them out to widen my baking horizons and sharing the process with you! You can read more about my disclaimers for this series on that last post.

Table of Contents

• Mandelhörnchen: Explained
• Ingredients
• Making Mandelhörnchen
• Final Thoughts
• Recipe
• Sources Used

Mandelhörnchen: Explained

Mandelhörnchen (‘Almond Horns’ in German), are known by a variety of names in English- in my research, I’ve come across them referred to as ‘almond and marzipan crescents’, ‘chocolate-dipped almond horns’ and ‘almond paste cookies’, to name a few. They are essentially a chewy, flourless almond cookie, bent into a crescent/horn shape, rolled in flaked almonds and once baked, the ends are dipped in dark chocolate. I mean… yes please. Mandelhörnchen are a year-round treat in Germany, but are particular favourites at Christmastime.

Ingredients

• Marzipan

Traditionally, mandelhörnchen recipes use marzipanrohmasse– an almond paste that is slightly different to the typical marzipan you would find in the store. It’s not easily accessible here in the UK though, so I was delighted that Dunk’s recipe was specially-formulated for the use of marzipan instead. I used shop-bought white marzipan (though apparently golden marzipan gives a nicer colour- I’ll have to give it a try!) and it worked perfectly. This makes baking these mandelhörnchen SO much quicker and easier.

• Ground almonds

There is no flour in this recipe, just ground almonds- which makes the cookies naturally gluten-free!

• Icing sugar

Unlike the pizzicotti from the last post, which used caster sugar, these mandelhörnchen use icing sugar, which makes for a softer, smoother and stickier (but that is unfortunately necessary) dough.

• Egg whites

You don’t need the yolks, so you can save them for another recipe.

• Flaked almonds

You roll each cookie ‘log’ in flaked almonds before baking, which makes the cookies extra tasty and extra pretty.

• Dark chocolate

For dipping the ends of the horns in. The original recipe uses coconut oil to thin out the chocolate and make this easier, but I prefer the taste of the chocolate by itself. Dipping the horns is customary, but you can leave them plain to make this recipe even quicker and easier, if you prefer.

Many mandelhörnchen recipes also include almond extract, but Dunk’s does not- honestly, I didn’t even miss it! The ground almonds in the dough and flaked almonds on the outside of each cookie make these so deliciously almond-y, as Dunk says, there’s really no need for the extract.

Making Mandelhörnchen

First up, you need to preheat your oven to 150°C. This is a lower temperature than most cookies, but it’s perfect for obtaining mandelhörnchen that are perfectly chewy and just slightly golden. Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper, then spread the flaked almonds out into an even layer on a plate and set everything aside until later.

Next, grate the marzipan. I know, I know- grating marzipan sounds weird, right? Don’t skip it though- it really helps to incorporate the marzipan into the dough, and it’s actually pretty easy- marzipan is soft (but not so soft that it can’t be grated!), so it won’t take long at all.

Place your grated marzipan into a large bowl, along with the ground almonds, icing sugar and egg whites. Use a wooden spoon to mix everything together.

Once the mixture has started to come together, switch to your hands and bring the dough together into a smooth ball. The dough will be super sticky, but this is a necessary evil- it needs to be sticky so that the flaked almonds stick to it later. I found that the best way to deal with this was to rinse my hands off in cold water after shaping each cookie and only partially dry them, so they are still a little damp. Not only does this remove any sticky almond build-up on your palms, but having damp hands helps to keep the dough from sticking to you as much in the first place.

Now, you’re ready to shape your mandelhörnchen! Start by pinching off a walnut-sized piece of the dough (it should be about 25g- I like to weigh cookie dough so that all my cookies are the same size and bake evenly). Roll the dough into a smooth ball between your hands.

Once you have a smooth dough ball, open up your palms and continue rolling it between your hands to form a log- you want it to be about 9cm long.

Roll the log in the flaked almonds, until it is fully covered. Bend the coated log into a crescent (or ‘c’) shape, then place it onto one of the prepared baking trays. Repeat for the rest of the dough.

Once you have all of your cookies rolled and shaped, you can bake them in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, until just golden. Allow them to cool on the baking trays for a minute or so, to firm up, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cookies are cool, you can dip them in chocolate. I like to melt the chocolate in the microwave (1 minute bursts on the lowest setting, stirring in between each one until the chocolate has completely melted), but you could do it over a bain-marie if you prefer. I didn’t bother tempering the chocolate either, which made this even quicker (and the cookies still looked and tasted delicious!).

Once the chocolate is melted, dip the ends of the cookies into it, allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl, then place the dipped cookies onto a tray lined with baking paper. Leave them at room temperature to set for about 1 hour, until hard.

As you use up the chocolate, it will get harder to dip the cookies. At this point, you can either start spooning the chocolate over the ends instead, or you can panic-drizzle the remaining cookies with the dregs of the chocolate like me (not strictly authentic, but just as tasty and far less soul-destroying).

Once the chocolate, however you choose to add it, has set, you can peel the mandelhörnchen off the baking paper and serve them. Alternatively, you can transfer them to an airtight container, where they will keep for about 3 weeks if stored at room temperature, in a cool, dry place.

Final Thoughts

I am obsessed with these cookies. I don’t know if it’s because I waited so long to find the perfect recipe, or just because they are SO DELICIOUS, but I really, truly love them. They were also incredibly easy to make- the hardest part was dipping them in chocolate and that’s optional! Just like the pizzicotti from the last instalment of Baking Around the World, these are festive almond cookies, with very similar ingredients, but they are actually very distinct. While the pizzicotti were soft and clementine-y, these mandelhörnchen are chewy, chocolate-y and intensely almond-y. I like both very much, but the mandelhörnchen have a special place in my heart.

I hope you enjoyed this second instalment of Baking Around the World, and the 11th post of Blogmas At Home! Tomorrow we’ll be halfway through- can you believe it? Let me know if you try making some mandelhörnchen of your own- I’d love to hear what you think!

Gemma

xxx

P.S. This entire post was basically my love letter to Anja Dunk. Thank you for making all of my mandelhörnchen dreams come true!

Recipe

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Mandelhörnchen

These classic German almond cookies are curved into a crescent shape and rolled in flaked almonds before baking. Traditionally, the ends are dipped in dark chocolate, but you can leave them plain if you prefer.

Course Snack

Cuisine German

Keyword almond, Cookie, Dark Chocolate, German

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Setting time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Servings 28 cookies

Ingredients

• 100 g flaked almonds
• 330 g marzipan, grated
• 200 g ground almonds
• 130 g icing sugar
• 2 egg whites

For dipping:

• 180 g dark chocolate

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 150°C. Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper and set aside. Spread the flaked almonds out into an even layer on a plate and set aside, ready for rolling the cookies in later.
• Place the grated marzipan, ground almonds, icing sugar and egg whites into a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture begins to clump together. Use your hands to knead the mixture, so that it forms a smooth, sticky dough.
• Take a small amount of dough (about 25g) and roll it into a ball (see Note 1). Roll the ball between the palms of your hands to form a log, about 9cm long. Roll the log in the flaked almonds to coat it, then bend it into a crescent shape and place it onto one of the lined baking trays. Repeat this process for the rest of the dough.
• Once you have all of your mandelhörnchen rolled, bake one tray at a time in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the tray before dipping (if you choose to do so)/serving.
• To dip the cookies, melt the chocolate in the microwave (see Note 2, or use your preferred method for melting). When the chocolate is melted, dip the end of each crescent into the chocolate, allowing any excess to drip off, back into the bowl, before placing the cookies back on the baking paper to set.
• Once the chocolate has set, you can transfer the biscuits to an airtight container- they will keep for about 3 weeks at room temperature.

Notes

1. The dough will be very sticky- it needs to be, so that the flaked almonds stick to it. I found it helpful to rinse my hands off after shaping each cookie- this helps to prevent the sticky dough building up on your palms. I also left my hands ever so slightly damp, which helped to prevent the dough from sticking as well.
2. I find it easiest to melt chocolate in the microwave and I don’t bother tempering it for this recipe. Just break up the chocolate and put it into the microwave, on the lowest temperature, for 1 minute at a time, stirring well between each burst, until it has completely melted.

Adapted from ‘Advent: Festive German Bakes to Celebrate the Coming of Christmas’ by Anja Dunk.

Sources Used

Dunk, Anja, ‘Advent‘: Mandelhörnchen, p.131.

In Jennie’s Kitchen: Luisa’s Mandelhörnchen (Chocolate-Dipped Almond Crescents).

My German Recipes: Almond Crescents or Horns/Mandelhörnchen.

Serious Eats: Chocolate Dipped Almond Horns.

The Daring Gourmet: Mandelhörnchen (German Almond Horns).

Confession: I am… not a big travel person. I mean, this whole blog is literally called Gemma at Home because of the sheer amount of time I spend not travelling. However, I do think witnessing, experiencing and making an attempt to understand cultures other than your own is incredibly important. While travelling to different countries and immersing yourself in their respective cultures is the most obvious way of doing this, it’s not the only way. I think, sometimes, people look down on the idea of learning about other cultures via less ‘real life’ methods- things like reading books and articles, watching videos or even engaging in certain activities. I know these techniques can’t provide as comprehensive an understanding of a culture as firsthand experience, but that doesn’t mean they are not effective sources in their own right- especially for those who aren’t in a position get that firsthand experience for themselves.

The point of this whole spiel, ultimately, is to introduce a new series on the blog: Baking Around the World. Food is such an intrinsic part of so many cultures- I love hearing about the stories and traditions surrounding food across the globe. In Baking Around the World, I want to explore some new recipes, try some new tasty bakes and learn about the history of each one as I go. I may not be much good at travelling, but I do love to bake. This is my own, more accessible version of experiencing new cultures (and testing out some tasty snacks that I have never tried before!).

Before we begin, let me just throw out a few disclaimers: obviously, I will not be any sort of expert on any of these recipes- I’m just giving them a try. As part of the process, I will be doing lots of research on the recipes- I’ll list the sources I have referenced for the bakes at the end of each post, as well as sharing some of what I have found in my research throughout. While I will be providing the final recipe I end up using in the posts, I am (obviously) not going to be claiming the recipes as my own- just sharing the ingredients/methods I used to make my version of them. Finally, my bakes are unlikely to be super authentic- recipes vary based on region, my research may go awry, I might be limited by the ingredients available to me here in the UK. Please, go easy on me! I’m just a girl who loves sweet snacks.

Right then, let’s get into our first bake, shall we? We’re heading to Sicily for this one…

Table of Contents

• Pizzicotti: Explained
• Pizzicotti Ingredients
• Making Pizzicotti
• Final Thoughts
• Recipe
• Sources Used

Pizzicotti: Explained

In my research, I was surprised to discover that pizzicotti are not actually a flavour of cookie, but a shape. Pizzicotti means ‘little pinches’ in Italian and these cookies are shaped by, quite literally, pinching the dough- hence the name. The cookies themselves are almond cookies, known, in their unshaped form, as pasticcini di mandorla (or mandorle – I’m fairly certain that mandorla is the singular form of ‘almond’, while mandorle is the plural. Which one is grammatically accurate in this context- I am unsure).

I actually stumbled upon some cookies with the same scalloped shape as pizzicotti in a (quite fancy) farm shop recently- you can see them in the photo above. These cookies are labelled as amaretti, though they look more like the pizzicotti/pasticcini di mandorla than the amaretti I have seen. Upon further research, I think pasticcini di mandorla are a Sicilian variation of amaretti– made using sweet (as opposed to bitter) almonds and no apricot kernels. If you have had the amaretti that they sell in stores here in the UK before, these pizzicotti are very different- they are much paler in colour and have a much softer texture.

Pizzicotti Ingredients

To make pizzicotti, you will need the following ingredients:

• Clementine

Pizzicotti are often ‘scented’ with citrus (though you can also use alcohol, vanilla or something else along those lines), so I decided to use clementine zest, like in Giuseppe Dell’Anno (of Bake Off fame)’s recipe (see the end of this post for source references). Honestly, I’m still not sure what makes a clementine different from a satsuma or a tangerine, but I’m pretty sure any of them will work in this recipe. You could even use orange zest, just make sure to only use the zest of about half an orange (clementines/satsumas/tangerines are much smaller!)- otherwise the flavour might overwhelm the almond taste.

• Ground almonds

There is no flour in these cookies, just ground almonds. This means that the cookies have a lovely almond-y flavour and, as a bonus, they’re also gluten-free!

• Caster sugar

Some recipes use icing sugar for their pizzicotti, but the majority seem to use caster sugar. I’ve gone with caster sugar here.

• Egg whites

This recipe doesn’t use the yolks, so you can save them for a different recipe.

• Almond extract

This is just to amp up the almond flavour a little- I’ve actually decreased it slightly from the original recipe because I felt it was fighting a little too much with the clementine flavour, but you can use the original amount (1 teaspoon) if you prefer.

• Honey

I’m not entirely sure what the purpose of the honey is in the recipe, but it seems to be a fairly standard edition across the pizzicotti recipes I’ve found. I’d love to know whether it helps to bind the mixture or adds sweetness/flavour- or maybe even both?

• Icing sugar

This is what gives the pizzicotti their iconic snowball-esque appearance- the balls of dough are rolled in icing sugar before baking, making them all snowy (and extra tasty).

Making Pizzicotti

The traditional method of making pizzicotti involves a bowl, a spoon and good old-fashioned elbow grease. When I first tried these out, I followed Giuseppe Dell’Anno’s recipe, where he uses a food processor instead. I’ve tried both methods now, and I actually prefer the food processor method for a couple of reasons:

• While pizzicotti are by no means taxing to make by hand, energy is not something that I have a lot of. I love recipes that I can make in a stand mixer/food processor, because I can still enjoy making them when I’m feeling particularly tired.
• Processing the sugar and almonds helps to break them down a little, making your pizzicotti a little smoother. I found that the pizzicotti I made by hand were a little grainier, which wasn’t unpleasant, but was noticeable.

Basically, you can make these either way. I do prefer the texture of the pizzicotti made in the food processor, but I also wonder if the grainier texture of the handmade cookies is more authentic? Nevertheless, it’s up to you which method you choose.

Start by preheating your oven to 180°C and lining a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Then, make the dough…

To make the pizzicotti in the food processor, place the clementine zest, ground almonds and caster sugar into the bowl of a food processor. Blitz for a few seconds until well combined.

Add the egg whites, almond extract and honey, then pulse until the dough comes together.

Tip the dough out onto a clean work surface, lightly dusted with icing sugar to help prevent it from sticking, then knead into a smooth ball. The dough will be very sticky- that’s how it should be! The dough is now ready to divide and shape.

If you would like to make the pizzicotti by hand, just put all of the ingredients (bar the icing sugar) into a large bowl.

Mix with a wooden spoon until it starts to come together, then use your hands to knead the dough into a smooth ball. The dough is now ready to divide and shape.

To form the pizzicotti, split the dough into 26 pieces (each piece will be about 25g). Roll each piece of dough between your hands to form a ball.

Sift the icing sugar into a small bowl, then drop the ball in and roll it around until it is completely coated in the sugar. I like to shape all of the balls first, then roll each one in the icing sugar, but you can do them one at a time if you prefer.

Once you have all of your icing sugar-covered balls, you need to pinch them to make them into pizzicotti!

Using your thumb, index finger and third finger, gently pinch each ball- you’re aiming for a kind of rounded triangle shape with a scalloped pattern on top, as in the photos. Don’t worry about it too much though- they’ll taste delicious no matter what!

Once you have shaped all of your pizzicotti, bake them in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes, until they have turned slightly golden and a few cracks have appeared. Let them cool completely on the tray, then serve at room temperature.

The pizzicotti will keep for up to 2 weeks at room temperature, if stored in an airtight container.

Final Thoughts

I am a BIG fan of these cookies. They taste exactly like you would imagine softly baked marzipan tastes, but with an extra hit of clementine flavour, which makes them feel extra Christmassy. I love their snowy-white and powdery coating, as well as their scalloped shape. They’re also incredibly easy to make, which is perfect for this busy time of year! I think these might just be a new favourite cookie recipe for me- I just know I’ll be making them again and again and again.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the first post in my Baking Around The World series and Day 7 of Blogmas At Home! I have a few more recipes lined up, so keep an eye out for those. I’ll see you tomorrow for Day 8!

Gemma

xxx

Recipe

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Pizzicotti

These Sicilian almond cookies, called Pizzicotti ('little pinches') for their indented shape, are flavoured with clementine zest and rolled in icing sugar before baking.

Course Snack

Cuisine Italian

Keyword almond, clementine, Cookie, pizzicotti

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Total Time 32 minutes minutes

Servings 26 cookies

Ingredients

• zest of 1 unwaxed clementine (see Note 1).
• 250 g ground almonds
• 200 g caster sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 2 tsp honey
• 40 g icing sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting.

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper, then place the sifted icing sugar into a small bowl, ready for coating the pizzicotti. Set both aside for later.
• Place the clementine zest, ground almonds and caster sugar into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine the ingredients and break down the sugar and almonds a little.
• Add the egg whites, almond extract and honey to the food processor, then pulse until the mixture starts to come together into a sticky dough. Remove the dough from the food processor and transfer to a clean work surface, lightly dusted with icing sugar, then knead gently with your hands until it forms a smooth ball. You can shape and bake the pizzicotti immediately, or you can wrap the dough in cling film at this stage and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
• To shape the pizzicotti, take a small amount of the dough (about 25g) and roll it between your hands to make a ball. Drop the ball into the bowl of icing sugar, then roll it around until it is completely coated. Place the pizzicotti onto the baking tray, then use your thumb, index and middle fingers to gently pinch the ball and give the cookie its characteristic shape. Repeat this process with the remaining dough, spacing them out slightly on the tray (they don't spread hugely, but do give them a little room to grow- if in doubt, use a second tray).
• Bake the pizzicotti in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, until the cookies (underneath all of the icing sugar!) have turned golden and are slightly cracked. Let them cool completely before removing them from the tray and serving. Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, the pizzicotti will keep for up to two weeks.

Notes

1. I used clementine zest to make these pizzicotti extra Christmassy, but you could use lemon or orange zest to flavour your pizzicotti, or even omit the extra flavouring, if you prefer.

Recipe adapted from ‘Clementine and almond cookies’ by Giuseppe Dell’Anno, from Olive Magazine (Christmas 2023, p.42).

Sources Used

Giuseppe Dell’Anno‘s ‘Clementine and almond cookies’ for Olive Magazine, ‘Christmas 2023’, p.42.

Cooking with Manuela: Italian Almond Cookies

Italian Recipe Book: Italian Almond Cookies

Italy Magazine: Pasticcini di Mandorla

Marisa’s Italian Kitchen: Pasticcini di Mandorle

Rachel Eats: Pasticcini di Mandorle

Quatro Fromaggio and Other Disgraces on the Menu: Amaretti and Amaretto