Nutty vanilla cookies
Ingredients
Sugar: 3/4 cup
⚫ Vanilla extract: 1.5tsp
⚫ Butter: 1 cup softened (salted)
⚫ Baking powder: 1/2 tsp
⚫ Flour: 2 cups
⚫ Almond flakes: 1/2 cup
Method
⚫ Preheat oven to 180°.
⚫ In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
⚫ Add the vanilla extract.
⚫ Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, sifted is better.
⚫ Add to creamed mixture and mix well. Roll into 1-inch balls.
⚫ Flatten cookies with the back of a glass or a rolling pin or just your hands slightly.
⚫ Add the almond flakes and press again gently, making sure the flakes stick.
⚫ Bake until edges are lightly browned, seven to nine minutes. Check and if need be bake for two or three minutes more. Remove and cool on wire racks.
⚫ Serve with your favourite tea or coffee or hot chocolate or even better, eat them as is!
Vikas Kumar, executive chef, Flurys
Danish Torkage — Napoleon’s Hat Cookies
Ingredients
⚫ Butter: 100g
⚫ Sugar icing: 180g
⚫ Flour: 320g
⚫ Egg Yolks: 1
⚫ Vanilla essence: few drops
For the marzipan
⚫ Almond Powder: 100g
⚫ Dates: 35g
Method
⚫ Cream the butter and sugar; egg yolks, vanilla and then the flour.
⚫ Knead lightly into a soft dough and chill for one hour.
⚫ Blend the almond powder and the dates together till it comes into a ball, do not over mix.
⚫ Chill for one hour.
⚫ Roll the cookie dough into 2mm thickness and cut into small discs with a cookie cutter, two inch in diameter.
⚫ Put a small ball of marzipan in the centre of each disc and pinch from the sides with three flaps sticking out, looking like Napoleon’s hat.
⚫ Bake at 180Cº for 15 to 20 minutes till golden. Sprinkle with icing sugar while still warm.
⚫ Cool and serve.
⚫ Store in the fridge for a month in airtight containers.
Rose and Vanilla macaroons
Ingredients: For the macaroons
⚫ Egg white: 100g
⚫ Powdered Sugar: 120g
⚫ Almond powder: 110g
⚫ Castor Sugar: 120g
⚫ Food colour: a few drops
⚫ Rose water: a few drops
For the butter cream
⚫ Unsalted butter: 200g
⚫ Icing Sugar: 100g
⚫ Vanilla extract: few drops
⚫ Milk: 20ml
Method
⚫ First make the butter cream, simply whisk the sugar and the butter together till light and fluffy.
⚫ Add the vanilla and the milk and whisk until well incorporated. Reserve for later use.
⚫ To make the macaroons, whisk the egg white and the castor sugar till stiff. Separately, mix the almond powder and the icing sugar and sieve. Add to the egg white mix.
⚫ Add the food colour and the rose essence.
⚫ Pipe into small discs with a 1-inch tip nozzle.
⚫ Let the cookies dry for 30 minutes to an hour and then bake in a moderately hot oven at 150Cº for 15 to 18 minutes.
⚫ Cool and sandwich with the prepared butter cream
⚫ Can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.
Ingredients:
⚫ Almond Flour: 280g
⚫ Egg white: 90g
⚫ Castor Sugar: 250g
⚫ Amaretto Liqueur: 20ml or a few drops of almond essence
⚫ Icing Sugar: 50g
Method
⚫ Whisk the egg white and the sugar till light and fluffy.
⚫ Add the ground almonds and the essence/liqueur and knead into soft dough. Chill for one hour. Roll into small balls and coat in icing sugar.
⚫ Place on a tray and bake at 170Cº for 15 to 20 minutes till light golden on top.
⚫ These cookies are crisp on top and chewy from inside and will last for up to a month in an airtight container.
