Cookies and photo by Kelly Hong © Sarah Phillips
Made with browned butter which imparts a wonderful flavor to these easy-to-make cookies!
I have since discovered that they are a traditional cookie from Finland. They call them “Lusikkaleivat”. We just call them “The best cookies on earth”!
COOKIE RECIPE HELP
kake, Premium Member, says: “This is my last Christmas cookies….
I put some tasty peach jam between original spoon recipe and didn't put any jams for
Orange ginger spoon cookies. But now I want to make sandwich for orange ginger spoon cookies too since
original spoon cookies with peach is SOOOO delicious…..Those are delicate and buttery cookies.
I am so glad to listen Sarah's advice to make spoon cookies. Kelly! you are right. those are very good.”
INGREDIENTS
2 sticks (1 cup, 16 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; spoon into measuring cup and level to rim
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt, slightly rounded
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup fruit preserves (your choice, but we like them with seedless raspberry preserves)
Special equipment: a deep-bowled teaspoon (not a measuring spoon)
KELLY SAYS: I just use a teaspoon that has a deep bowl. Just a teaspoon from my regular flatware set.
INSTRUCTIONS
Make dough:
1. Fill large bowl with ice water and set aside.
2. Melt butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until butter starts to turn golden. Remove from heat and continue to stir until the butter darkens in color and smells nutty. This will take 10-12 minutes.
Be careful to just brown the butter, not burn it. Stir more frequently toward end of cooking, so the flecks in the bottom of the pan do not burn.
3. Place pan into the bowl of ice water to stop cooking, then cool, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes, until butter starts to look opaque.
4. Remove pan from bowl and stir in sugar and vanilla.
5. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a bowl.
6. Stir into butter mixture until a dough forms.
7. Shape into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and let stand at cool room temperature for one hour. As the dough cools, it will become very firm.
Form and bake cookies:
1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Break off about a heaping teaspoon of dough from the mass.
3. Press the dough FIRMLY into bowl of teaspoon, flattening top, then slide the dough out of the teaspoon by pushing it with your thumb, from the wide end of the spoon.
4. Dough will be quite crumbly, but will become cohesive when pressed together. You must press the dough firmly into the spoon for the cookie to retain the spoon shape.
5. Place cookie, flat side down, on an ungreased,or silpat-lined baking sheet.
KELLY SAYS: I press the dough into the teaspoon and compact it with the palm of my hand. I then slide it out of the spoon by pushing it, from the large end. They usually come out intact, you just have to make sure you have really compacted the dough first.
6. Continue forming cookies and arranging on sheet. Bake cookies until just pale golden, 8 to 12 minutes.
7. Cool cookies on sheet on a rack 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to rack and cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Assemble cookies:
1. While cookies cool, heat preserves in a small saucepan over low heat, or in microwave, until just runny, then cool completely.
KELLY SAYS: If you choose a preserve with seeds, push it through a fine sieve, to remove the seeds.
2. Spread the flat side of a cookie with a thin layer of preserves. Sandwich with flat side of another cookie.
3. Continue with remaining cookies and preserves, then let stand until set, about an hour.
4. Transfer cookies to an airtight container and wait 2 days before eating.
5. These cookies get better with age. They are even tastier 4 days after you make them, and they retain their lovely, delicate texture.
STORAGE
The dough can be prepared several hours ahead and stored at room temperature. Freeze baked cookie halves wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil for up to 2 weeks. Defrost at room temperature in their wrappers. Store sandwich cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days, in a separate container from crisp cookies.
