Christmas Cookies: Norwegian Christmas Cookies, Carrot Spiced Plum Preserve Crescents and Chocolate Orange

Recipe From What's For Lunch, Honey?

Recipe: Carrot and Spiced Plum Preserve Crescents

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By Meeta K. Wolff

Recipe adapted from Köstlich Vegetarisch Magazine

Prep Time: 60 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Makes: 34 crescents

Ingredients

  • 200g carrots, finely grated

  • 300g spelt flour + more for countertop

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 250g cold butter

  • 4 tablespoons plum preserve (or your favorite preserve)

  • 3 tablespoons icing sugar

Method

  1. In a large mixing bowl sieve together flour and baking powder. Add carrots and cold butter and with your finger tips knead into a smooth dough. Cover in plastic wrap and place in fridge for approx. 40 minutes.

  2. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C. Divide the dough into 2 equal sized pieces and roll into a circle approx. 3 mm thick. Using a pizza cutter (or sharp knife) cut each circle like a pizza in 16 triangular pieces. Spread each triangle with a dollop of preserve, then roll each triangle from the long side to the short side. Place the crescents on a baking paper lined with baking paper and bake for 25 minutes or until lightly golden.

  3. Remove from oven and sieve some powder sugar over the tops.

Notes

In an air-tight container these will keep for about 1 week.

Recipe: Norwegian Christmas Cookies

By Meeta K. Wolff

Recipe adapted from Köstlich Vegetarisch Magazine

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 Hours 45 minutes

Makes: 24 cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 egg, hard boiled

  • 1 egg yolk

  • 75g icing sugar

  • 125g butter, soft

  • a pinch of salt

  • ½ vanilla bean, seeds removed

  • 200g spelt flour

  • 1 egg yolk

  • 60g sugar crystals

Method

  1. Separate the yolk of the hard boiled egg and press it through a fine meshed sieve into a bowl. Add the raw yolk, icing sugar, butter, and salt and using kneading hooks of your stand mixer (or hand mixer) knead into smooth mixture.

  2. Add the vanilla and flour to the mixture and continue kneading until the dough comes together smoothly. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

  3. Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C. Using the cold dough straight out of the fridge, divide into approx. 24 walnut sized pieces. Roll each one into about 12 cm long rolls with your finger tips, bringing the tips of the dough together and pinching them to make sure they are sealed.

  4. Place the rings on a baking tray lined with baking paper about 6cm apart. Brush with some egg wash made by mixing the remaining egg yolk and a tablespoon of water. Sprinkle with sugar crystals and bake in the middle of the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are gorgeously golden.

Notes

Use the egg whites to make these Lebkuchen Spice Macarons with Quince Jam and Candied Ginger or these traditional German Zimtsterne

Recipe: Chocolate Orange Cookies

By Meeta K. Wolff Recipe adapted from Köstlich Vegetarisch Magazine

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 3 Hours 15 minutes

Makes: 60 cookies

Ingredients

  • 100g dark chocolate - 70% cocoa

  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

  • 1 organic orange, zest and juice

  • 250g butter, soft

  • 125g icing sugar

  • ½ vanilla bean, seeds removed

  • Pinch of salt

  • 350g spelt flour

Method

  1. Coarsely chop 50g of the chocolate and finely grate the other 50g. Mix the finely grated chocolate with the cocoa powder and keep cool.

  2. In a stand mixer whisk the soft butter until thick, then sieve in the icing sugar and continue whisking. Add the orange juice, zest, vanilla and salt and mix well. Fold in the flour and coarsely chopped chocolate then refrigerate for 45 minutes. Remove from fridge form 4-5 rolls and wrap each roll individually in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

  3. Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C. In a large flat plate or on a wooden board spread the cocoa and finely grated chocolate and roll the dough rolls in the mixture until they are nicely covered in chocolate. Cut cookies about 1 cm thick with a sharp knife from each roll.

  4. Lay the cookies on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes.

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