Although I've never been to the region, I adore many things Scandinavian.... Furniture with clean lines, colorful housewares, meatballs in creamy sauce, and perhaps most of all -- so many almond desserts! My love of almonds is definitely one of the reasons I purchased a copy of Scandilicious Baking by Signe Johansen.
You can make Johansen's recipe for Serinakaker -- Norweigan Vanilla and Almond Butter Biscuits -- in the food processor, so it only takes a couple of minutes. All you have to do is combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cold butter; process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs; add in sugar, followed by an egg and vanilla; and process until the dough comes together. The recipe says you can add in a teaspoon of milk or water if the dough seems too dry, but my dough was fine without any additional liquid.
You shape the dough into a log and chill or freeze it until firm. Then you slice the dough into discs, brush the tops of the cookies with egg white, and sprinkle on sugar and chopped almonds before baking.
These are cute little cookies. When I first tasted one, I was a little disappointed it wasn't more almond-y -- after all, the cookie itself is flavored with vanilla, and the only almond flavor comes from the nuts sprinkled on top. But as I kept chewing and tasting, I realized that I had no reason to complain, because this is a delicious cookie!
The cookies are tender and buttery, with a warm vanilla flavor. The coarse sugar and almonds on top are merely the proverbial icing on the cake. Johansen writes that, "These biscuits should last a couple of weeks in an airtight container, but they're so moreish that you'll be lucky to see them stretch a week!" I'll admit that I had to look up the definition of "moreish" (it means causing a desire for more), but I completely agree. These delicate and flavorful cookies are positively addictive. Apparently serinakaker are a traditional Christmas cookie in Norway, but it would be a shame to have to save these for a special occasion or any particular time of year.
Recipe: "Serinakaker -- Norweigan Vanilla and Almond Butter Biscuits" from Scandilicious Baking by Signe Johansen.
Previous Post: "A Super Soaked Sponge: Toscakaka," June 21, 2014.
You can make Johansen's recipe for Serinakaker -- Norweigan Vanilla and Almond Butter Biscuits -- in the food processor, so it only takes a couple of minutes. All you have to do is combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cold butter; process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs; add in sugar, followed by an egg and vanilla; and process until the dough comes together. The recipe says you can add in a teaspoon of milk or water if the dough seems too dry, but my dough was fine without any additional liquid.
You shape the dough into a log and chill or freeze it until firm. Then you slice the dough into discs, brush the tops of the cookies with egg white, and sprinkle on sugar and chopped almonds before baking.
The cookies are tender and buttery, with a warm vanilla flavor. The coarse sugar and almonds on top are merely the proverbial icing on the cake. Johansen writes that, "These biscuits should last a couple of weeks in an airtight container, but they're so moreish that you'll be lucky to see them stretch a week!" I'll admit that I had to look up the definition of "moreish" (it means causing a desire for more), but I completely agree. These delicate and flavorful cookies are positively addictive. Apparently serinakaker are a traditional Christmas cookie in Norway, but it would be a shame to have to save these for a special occasion or any particular time of year.
Recipe: "Serinakaker -- Norweigan Vanilla and Almond Butter Biscuits" from Scandilicious Baking by Signe Johansen.
Previous Post: "A Super Soaked Sponge: Toscakaka," June 21, 2014.
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