I love exploring Scandinavian recipes -- so many Scandinavian baked goods showcase almond, which is my absolute favorite flavor (although I am less enthusiastic about the widespread use of cardamom in Scandinavian cuisine). So it's no surprise that the first recipe I tried from Fika was "Apelsinsnittar (Orange Almond Slices)," a sliced cookie with a ginger dough surrounding a center of homemade orange-almond paste.
This cookie is surprisingly easy to make. The dough is a mixture of softened butter, sugar, flour, egg yolk, and ground ginger. You chill the dough for about 30 minutes before dividing it into four parts and rolling out each portion into a 10-inch by 4-inch rectangle. I found this dough very easy to handle, and even though I didn't use any flour as I rolled it out, I didn't have any problems with sticking. You spread some filling (almonds, sugar, almond extract, egg white, and orange zest mixed together in a food processor) lengthwise down the center of each rectangle of dough, fold over the edges of the dough over the filling, and pinch the seam and ends shut. My dough was exceedingly well behaved and didn't stretch or break as I formed the cookie logs and moved them to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
I didn't want to overbake the cookies -- because I thought that might cause them to crumble or break when I sliced them -- so I took them out of the oven when they edges were very light brown. After the cookie logs were cool, I used a sharp serrated bread knife to cut them into one-inch slices. As you can see in the photo above, the outer cookie and the interior almond filling were basically the same blond color; small flecks of orange zest in the filling were the only visual distinction between the two components.
After I tasted a cookie, I realized that the cookie and filling not only shared the same color, but also the same texture. If I had to criticize something about the way these turned out, it's that I would prefer a sturdier outer cookie -- and I probably could have achieved that if I just baked them a bit longer. But even with the soft outer cookie, these slices were delicious. The ginger flavor in the cookie was subtle, but the rich almond flavor of the dense and chewy filling was fantastic, and the bright citrus was lovely. The recipe also includes a orange icing (made from powdered sugar and orange juice), but I skipped it and didn't think the cookies were lacking in flavor.
I'm really happy with the way these dainty cookies came out -- their bland appearance belies their bold flavor. They delivered my almond fix!
Recipe: "Apelsinsnittar (Orange Almond Slices)" from Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break, with Recipes for Pastries, Breads, and Other Treats by Anna Brones and Johanna Kindvall.
This cookie is surprisingly easy to make. The dough is a mixture of softened butter, sugar, flour, egg yolk, and ground ginger. You chill the dough for about 30 minutes before dividing it into four parts and rolling out each portion into a 10-inch by 4-inch rectangle. I found this dough very easy to handle, and even though I didn't use any flour as I rolled it out, I didn't have any problems with sticking. You spread some filling (almonds, sugar, almond extract, egg white, and orange zest mixed together in a food processor) lengthwise down the center of each rectangle of dough, fold over the edges of the dough over the filling, and pinch the seam and ends shut. My dough was exceedingly well behaved and didn't stretch or break as I formed the cookie logs and moved them to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
After I tasted a cookie, I realized that the cookie and filling not only shared the same color, but also the same texture. If I had to criticize something about the way these turned out, it's that I would prefer a sturdier outer cookie -- and I probably could have achieved that if I just baked them a bit longer. But even with the soft outer cookie, these slices were delicious. The ginger flavor in the cookie was subtle, but the rich almond flavor of the dense and chewy filling was fantastic, and the bright citrus was lovely. The recipe also includes a orange icing (made from powdered sugar and orange juice), but I skipped it and didn't think the cookies were lacking in flavor.
I'm really happy with the way these dainty cookies came out -- their bland appearance belies their bold flavor. They delivered my almond fix!
Recipe: "Apelsinsnittar (Orange Almond Slices)" from Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break, with Recipes for Pastries, Breads, and Other Treats by Anna Brones and Johanna Kindvall.
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