Cookies Recipes

SANDKAKER (Sand Tarts)

1 cup (2 1/2 dl) sugar
2 cups (450 gr) butter
1 egg
2 tsp. almond extract
4 1/2 cups (11 dl) flour

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar white. Add egg, and blend in remaining ingredients. Chill dough overnight. Remove a small portion of the dough from the refrigerator. Put small amount of dough in fluted tart pan. Press a thin layer of dough on bottom and sides, turning the tart pan as you are working. Remove excess dough from edge. Place tart pan on cookie sheet and bake at 350F (175C) 12 to 15 minutes, or to a golden color. Cool slightly before turning tart pan over. The tart should slide out, but sometimes a tap with a spoon on the bottom of pan will loosen it. Makes 7 dozen.

Serving suggestion:

Delicious eaten plain, or filled with whipped cream, decorated with grated chocolate or nuts, or berries and fruit, or filled with pudding or jello. If you fill them, do so just before serving or they will become soggy. They keep well en airtight container and freezer. Recipe may be cut in half.

ENJOY THE BAKING!

PEPPERKAKEHUS (Gingerbread House)

3 dl soft brown sugar
2 dl golden syrup
100 gr margarine or butter
1 tbs. cinnamon
½ to 1 tbs. ginger
3 dl milk
1 tbs. baking soda
1 1/2 ltr. plain flour
lemon

Directions :

Mix the sugar, syrup, butter and spices in a pan and warm on a low heat to a creamy mixture. Pour in the milk and leave to chill. Mix in the baking soda and gradually sleve in the flour. (Save a little of the flour for baking out). The consistence of the dough should be quite hard so at not to loose form while baking. Sleve a little flour over the dough and let it rest in a cool place over night.

Roll out the dough 3-5mm thick directly onto the baking paper or greased tary and the press out by using the forms. Bake in oven on lower rack 350F for 5min. or until golden brown.

Assemble:

Join together the different parts by using sugar melted in a wide frying pan. Dip the parts into the melted sugar and quickly press them together. Decorate the finished house with icing in your own design.

To decorate:

3 dl icing sugar
_ egg whites
a few drops fresh lemon

Sieve the icing sugar and mix it together with the whites of the eggs to a thick smooth mixture, then add lemon drop by drop. Form a paper cone (or cut a small tiny hole in the corner of a plastic bag) and cut a hole as fine as a needle. Dust over with icing sugar.

USE YOUR FANTASY AND HAVE FUN!!!

KRANSEKAKE ( Almond Tower Cake)

Ingrediens:

5 1/2 cup (13 1/2dl) almonds, ground, left as is or blanched
5 1/2 cup (13 1/2dl) confectioners sugar
4 egg whites, slightly beaten
2 tbsp. flour

Directions:

Grind the thoroughly washed and dried almonds. (If you choose the blanche the almonds, pour boiling water over them, then place in a steamer over simmering water until the hulls loosen and become easy to remove. Do not almonds boil, they will loose their flavor and become leathery.) For good result, it is important to work with thoroughly dry almonds. Let them stand covered for at least 24 hours, or dry them in a medium-hot oven, being careful not to overdo.
Grind almonds a second time with the confectioners sugar. Add slightly beaten egg whites a little at the time and mix well. Take care that the mixture does not become too moist, it will rise to excess, become porous and, as a result, be difficult to remove from pan. This can be remedied by the addition of a little flour and confectioners sugar. On the other hand, if the cake is not moist enough, the cake will not rise and will turn hard and dry. In this case, add a little egg white. It is advisable to test by first baking a small sample.
Before you begin, let the dough rest, preferably covered, at least 10 minutes or even until the next day. This will make working with it easier. Grease ring-shaped pans with unsalted butter or cooking oil, and sprinkle with a little Cream of Wheat. Roll out small portions, (finger thick) to fit the rings. Cut the edges with a knife and butt edges to form a perfect circle. This will ensure a balanced finished product. Bake rings on a cookie sheet in the middle of the oven at 300F (150C). DO NOT over bake! Cool quickly, preferable in a draft. When almost cool, carefully slide cake from the pans. With a pastry brush, remove excess Cream of Wheat.

Frosting:

1 cup (21/2dl) confectioners sugar
1 egg white, slightly beaten
½ tsp. white vinegar

Stir vinegar and egg white into confectioners sugar until frosting is thick enough to be used in a cake decorator. Decorate one ring at a time with zigzag pattern, making sure the patterns reaches well over the edge of each ring. When the rings are stacked, one over the other, the extra icing serves as an adhesive. Make leaves and roses, or other flower from marzipan, or decorate the kransekake with party crackers or fancy wrapped chocolates. Attach decorations with caramel. Add small flags. When serving kransekake, remove the lower rings and break into serving-size pieces.

Caramel:

The amount you need to make depends on how many decorations you are adding to you kransekake. Two or four tablespoons of sugar should be sufficient. It is easiest to make caramel in a frying pan. Warm the pan over low heat, then add the sugar. It is best to stir until sugar is melted because lumps form easily and are difficult to melt. When melted, keep caramel warm while attaching decorations. The candy hardens almost instantly when cooled.

Kransekake reigns supreme in Norway. Weddings, birthdays, promotions, Christmas, it is always there. It is not difficult, but just a little time consuming. Follow the directions, do exactly what it says, and soon you can sparkle with pride; knowing you have made the most traditional of Norwegians cakes!

HAPPY BAKING!!