Cinnamon and Cardamom Knots (Kanelsnurrer)

Dough-

240 grams whole milk

10 grams dry yeast or 21 g fresh

1 egg

1 yolk

475 grams wheat flour

105 grams granulated sugar

3 grams ground cardamom

6 grams salt

84 grams unsalted butter

Heat milk to warm and add yeast.  105F/40C.  Let rest for 10 minutes.  Add the egg, egg yolk, flour, sugar, cardamom and salt.  Mix together until well combined then knead for 15 minutes.  Add butter a little at a time.  When all the butter is incorporated continue to knead until smooth and shiny (10-15 min).  Store dough in a buttered bowl with film and towel.  Let proof until doubled 1-1.5 hours.  Punch down, cover slightly and chill overnight.

Filling-

684 grams unsalted butter

24 grams ground cinnamon

150 grams brown sugar

Mix the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a mixing bowl until it is very smooth.

Syrup-

150 grams brown sugar

100 grams water

Heat the water in a small pot and when it starts to steam, add the sugar. Stir until dissolved, bring to a simmer then set aside to cool to room temperature.

Keep the dough chilled.  Turn out the dough on floured parchment.  Roll out into a ¼ inch thick rectangle.  Cover with plastic and chill for 60 minutes.  Spread butter/sugar mixture over ⅔s of the dough.  Fold the plain side over the middle.  Fold opposite ⅓ over that.  Roll out to a ½ inch thick rectangle.  Slice lengthwise into eight 1 inch thick strips.  Twist and fold strips to create a knot.  Place on sheet pan, in a baking dish or in a muffin pan and cover with film and proof until doubled in size.  Bake at 325°F/162°C for 25/30 minutes.  When finished baking, brush the dough with the syrup. Wait 5 minutes and brush again.  

 

Shortbread Cookies!

Shortbread cookies are not just cookies, they are vessels.  They are great for delivering flavor combinations, as well as delivering your favorite ice creams to your mouth.  Because these cookies are very simple and basic in flavor, they easily take on any flavor that they are combined with.

The cookie is simply made by combining 2 cups of flour with ½ cup of sugar, ¼ teaspoon of salt, 8 ounces of cold chopped butter, 1 egg, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract in a bowl.  Start by bringing all of the ingredients together with your fingertips until it forms a dough.  Mix the dough by hand until a smooth dough is formed.

Roll the dough out to form a round disk that is ½ inch thick.  Wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for a half an hour.   Once chilled, unwrap and roll the dough out on a floured surface until ¼ inch thick.  Cut the dough with a round cutter or with a knife into squares.

Place the cookies on a baking sheet, with spacing around 1 inch between each cookie, and bake at 325 degrees for about 12 minutes.  Check after 10 minutes and if they have started to lightly brown around the edges, they are done.  Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack so that the bottoms of the cookies do not become soggy.

Wasn’t that easy and fun?  Now let’s get creative with it!  Make the dough again, but this time let us add some different components to the mix.  Take some chopped cooked bacon, grated cheddar, a little chopped garlic, and fresh chopped thyme and mix it in the dough.  We can even dress it up after the cookies are done by adding a little cocoa powder or lemon zest and dip in melted chocolate.  This is great to snack on with your coffee.  Another way would be to top with ice cream and serve.

Whatever you decide to do, just remember to have fun with it!

 

Vanilla Bean Sugar

Vanilla is a flavor that is derived from an orchid of the genus “Vanilla.” In Spanish, vanilla means “sheath or pod”. First cultivated by the Aztecs and Spanish Conquistadors, it was introduced along with chocolate to Europe in the 1520’s.

The vanilla orchid was not cultivated outside of Mexico and Central America until 1841 when a 12 year old slave living on a French island discovered how to duplicate the natural pollination process with his hands.

Apart from saffron, vanilla is the most expensive spice in the world. That being said, making your own vanilla sugar is the best way to stretch your buck and still get the vanilla flavor and look you want. Vanilla beans can be bought at most grocery or specialty stores in the spice isle.

If you are able to get your hands on fresh vanilla beans, just split the pod in half, scrape out the seeds with a knife and drop into a mixing bowl with your sugar, along with the pods. I use about two quarts of sugar per vanilla bean. If you are using a dried vanilla bean, rehydrate quickly with a little bit of hot water then repeat the same process as the fresh. Using a whisk or mixer with the whisk attachment, mix aggressively to break up and disperse all the seeds throughout the sugar.

Once you finish mixing, place the sugar in an air tight container to keep moisture out and keep it from clumping. Let the sugar sit for a week to get the full amount of flavor distribution.

Vanilla sugar can be used in anything that you add sugar to, from French toast batter to tomato soup. I use this mostly in my baking and pastries, usually in cake batters, vanilla ice creams, and crème brulee.