Like puppies, cinnamon should not just be for Christmas. Its warmth and sweetness should be appreciated and admired all year round. So, I won’t blather – I will simply urge you to go and make these cookies. Enjoy them with friends and neighbours.
Like the best things in life, they are best when shared.
Cinnamon shortbread // kanelkakor
(makes about 30 depending on the size and intricacy of the cutter you use)
For the biscuits:
- 300g plain flour
- 200g butter
- 100g caster sugar
- A pinch of vanilla sugar
- A pinch of salt (optional, but highly recommended)
For the topping:
- One egg white, beaten
- 60g caster sugar
- 1 tbs ground cinnamon
First, make the basic biscuit dough. Mix together the flour, caster sugar, salt, vanilla sugar, and butter. Ideally, use a food processor to avoid overworking the dough, but if mixing by hand, bring everything together gently.
Turn the dough out onto your work surface and pat it into a cohesive shape. Wrap it in cling film and place it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes to an hour. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping, then set it aside.
Remove the chilled dough from the fridge. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set it to one side as well. Lightly flour your work surface and use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to about 5mm thick. The less flour you can get away with on your surface the better. You just don’t want the cookies to stick, so err on the side of less.
Use a cutter of your choice to press out shapes, placing them onto the lined baking tray. Collect any scraps, re-roll them, and cut more shapes, until you run out of dough.
Brush the tops of the biscuits with the beaten egg white and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.
Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through to ensure even colouring. The biscuits will continue to firm up as they cool, so leave them on the tray until they are cool enough to handle. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before storing them in a tin.
In principle, they’ll keep for about a week, but in reality, you’ll want to eat them straight away! Enjoy!
Adapted from The Nordic Baking Book by Magnus Nilsson.
mountainbakery.co.uk 