Vanilla Fingers

December 3rd

Christmas cookies but maybe too good
to save just for Christmas?

Today is my little sister's birthday and in our household, although Advent has begun, we have lit the first candle, the star is in the window to welcome passersby and the kitchen is full of Christmas cheer, from tonight onwards we can begin to buy and wrap presents.  It has always been an unspoken rule that we wait for Nina to have her birthday celebrations and then can begin Christmas in earnest.  Do you have any December birthdays in your household, if so what do you do to ensure the day is separated to the run-up to Christmas?

SECOND COOKIE BAKE OF THE SEASON
The below cookies are vanilla flavoured and not the typical spiced type that we come to expect of Norwegian Christmas baking, although vanilla does feature heavily in the Scandinavian kitchen.   These are my husbands favourite, he says they have a gentle crunch and then they melt in the mouth.  Give then a try and tell me what you think.  Love to hear from you.

Roll out cookie dough into sausages

Vaniljestenger

♥  250g softened butter
♥  180g sugar
♥  1 large egg
♥  2 tablespoon of vanilla sugar or 2 drops of vanilla essence
♥  350g plain flour



Decoration
♥  1 egg white
♥  50g chopped almonds
♥  7 tablespoons of bakers sugar or the largest grains of sugar you can find

Method
♥  Whisk the butter and sugar together until a smooth consistency.

♥  Add egg and continue to whisk.

♥  Sift the flour and vanilla sugar into the mixture and then knead to a soft dough.

Cut each cookie sausage on the diagonal

♥  Divide the mixture into eight equal parts.  Roll each one onto a sausage shape to fit across a baking sheet covered with greaseproof paper.  You should be able to fix 4 on each of the two baking sheets.

♥  Gently press your finger along each dough of sausage to flatten the top.

♥  Brush each sausage with egg white and drizzle on the baker's sugar and the chopped almonds.


♥  Bake in a preheated oven of 180 degrees Celcius for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

♥  Cool for a few minutes on a wire rack and then cut each sausage into cookie size cutting on the
diagonal, see photo for clarification.

♥ Place in an airtight jar.  They will last for up to 10-12 days if you can resist not eating them all before!

Vanilla cookies have a gentle crunch and then melt in the mouth

 ♥  Do you have a family favourite cookie recipe you care to share?  ♥