Santa Lucia Cookie baking 5

13th December 

In Scandinavia today candles will be lit and placed on the head of a young girl, there will be processions and singing and sharing of cookies and cake. Usually such cookies or cake will have a vital ingredient that of saffron, so today's bake must also have this ingredient.  Follow the link to last years post to see the history of  Santa Lucia and to hear a clip of the traditional songs sung today all over Scandinavia.  Last year's post


Enjoy these cookies, they are made in a slightly different and unusual way...

Saffron cookies ~ makes about 50

You will need:

100g softened butter
175g golden caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
A pinch of saffron
3 medium sized eggs
350g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
100g dark chocolate chips
Sprinkling of granulated sugar

1. Mix together the butter, sugar, vanilla and saffron.  Cream until light and fluffy.
2.  Beat in eggs one at a time and mix in some flour at the same time, this avoids e mixture separating and curdling.  Once all eggs are added mix in the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.
3.  Stir in the chocolate Chios.
4.  Divide dough into three equal parts and roll each one out into a log shape, with a diameter of approximately 5cm. Wrap each log separately in cling film and leave to chill for 30 mins in the fridge.    

Divide the mixture into three, roll out and chill in the fridge

5.  Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
6.  Place logs on lined baking tray and scatter with the granulated sugar.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.
7.  Take the tray out of the oven, the rolls should have swelled quite a bit.

After initial baking the dough will swell

8.  Turn oven temperature down to 100 degrees.
9.  Allow logs to cooling the tray for about 10-15 minutes. Then place on a chopped board and slice each one so the biscuits are about 2cm wide.

Once cooled, the rolls can be sliced

10. Place biscuits back on a lined tray and bake for a further 50 minutes, turning them over half way so they bake evenly on each side.



Saffron cookies ready for second baking

11. To check if they are ready. Try one by breaking it in half once it has cooled. It should be crispy and crunchy not unlike Italian biscotti.
12. Cool on wire racks and store in an air tight container   They should last for a couple of weeks.

These cookies are especially fantastic taken with a hot drink, be it tea, coffee, hot chocolate or mulled wine.  They really are delectable and would make a great gift too!

   

 ❤️ Have a wonderful weekend ❤️