The early evening was filled with catching up, delicious tapas, giggles, talks of a good cause and lots and lots of cookies. I've dedicated myself to serving up a seasonal, Swedish smorgasbord on Project Domestication this month including my latest creation: Lingonberry Cave Shortbread Cookies also known as Swedish Hallongrottor.
Hallongrottor is a popular Swedish cookie that is one part of the tradition of seven cookies served at kafferep, a coffee party or special occasion. I'd say its almost the equivalent to our thumbprint cookies. Traditionally, hallongrottor cookies are filled with raspberry jam but I've mixed it up with lingonberry jam.
I can't get enough of lingonberry jam, especially during the holiday months. This vibrantly sweet-yet-still-tart fruit is distinguishing. It's a bit of a cross between raspberry, cranberries and cherries. Once you taste it, you won't forget it. When it's paired with orange-zested shortbread a deliciously festive treat is created.
I adapted one of my favorite shortbread recipes, adding orange zest and a bit more vanilla to the dough. Then I rolled the dough and put them in mini muffin tins, filled them with sprinkled two kinds of sugar: granulated and Swedish pearl sugar. The result was perfection. Give my recipe a try, bring it to your next cookie swap or enjoy them all yourself! (Read on after the recipe for links to bloggers and others who attended the SLC cookie swap.)
by Becky of Project Domestication
shortbread recipe barely adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Not-Just-For Thanksgiving Cranberry Shortbread in Baking From My Home to Yours
Makes 21-23 cookies
Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
1 c. plus 1 TB sugar
zest of 1 orange
1 stick plus 5 TB (13 TB total) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4-1/3 c. lingonberry jam
1-3 TB. Swedish pearl sugar
special equipment needed: food scale, pastry bag, larger round tip, coupler, mini muffin cup liners
Directions:
Combine orange zest and 1 cup of sugar in small bowl. Rub zest and sugar together with fingers until fragrant and soft. The orange sugar will look like sparkly, fresh-fallen snow. Mix flour, baking soda and salt together with a whisk.
With a stand mixer fixed with a paddle attachment, preferably a beater blade, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and smooth, about two minutes. Add sugar and mix until it combines and dissolves with butter. Lower speed and add the egg and yolk until incorporated. Mix in vanilla.
Add dry ingredients to butter mixture, beating only until lightly combined. Dough is quite tender, be careful not to over mix. Using a spatula, fold dough a bit, making sure no flour is left behind. Work together with hands to make a large ball. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While dough is chilling, place mini muffin liners in baking pan. Then fit pastry bag with coupler and larger round tip. Fill pastry bag with lingonberry jam. After shortbread dough has chilled thoroughly prepare the following set up, left to right: shortbread dough, food scale and mini muffin baking pan.
Using a soup spoon, scoop out dough and weight on scale for 1 1/4 oz. Then gently but quickly roll dough in to ball with hands. I tend to shape it more than roll it to prevent overworking the dough. Place ball in baking cup and repeat with remaining dough. You should get 21-23 balls.
Poke holes in shortbread balls with end of wooden spoon or your finger. Working through four cookies at a time...very lightly, brush the top of dough with water (I use my hands), then sprinkle with regular sugar. Fill with jam, all the way to the top, then sprinkle more granulate sugar then Swedish pearl sugar. Repeat until you've filled and sugared all cookie caves.
Baking for 14-16 minutes in oven on middle rack. The top of the cookies will be poofed up and lightly golden. You'll also be able to smell the cookies when about done. Test doneness with a skewer or toothpick so it comes out clean. Transfer the muffin pan to a cooling rack and cool for 10 minutes. Take out of pan and cool to room temperature, or enjoy immediately.
Notes: I used Wilton Mini Red and White Flower Petal Baking Cups (1.25 inch diameter) and Wilton 24 Mini Muffin Tin baking pan.
This recipe is linked to Taste and Tell Thursdays, Glazed Toffee Bon Bons!
If you like these Lingonberry Cave Shortbread Cookies you'll also like:
Grandma Beda's Swedish Pancake with Lingonberry Jam on Project Domestication
Phyllo Cups with Brie, Lingongberry Preserves and Pecans on Cafe Johnsonia
Lingonberry Dark Chocolate Buns on What's for Lunch Honey?
Almond Lingonberry Cereal Bars on Always with Butter/Julie Takes Photos
Lingonberry and Cream Cheese Brownies on Chic and Gorgeous Treats
Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes with Lingonberry Jam Filling & Cream Cheese Frosting on Spork or Foon
Food Bloggers and Community Members at the BWOB/Why Hunger Cookie Swap
Project Domestication - Lingonberry Cave Shortbread Cookies
Vintage Mixer - Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
Two Peas and Their Pod - Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies
Completely Delicious - Chocolate Mint Thumbprints Cookies
Mountain Mama Cookies - Clementine & Grand Marnier Cookies
Barbara Bakes - White Chocolate Kissed Gingerbread Cookies
Sweet Treats and More - Dark Chocolate Coconut Oatmeal Cookies
The Morsel - Anise Italian Pizzelle Cookies
Bless This Mess - Double Dark Candy Cane Crunch Cookies
Food is Our Friend - Vegan Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies
Soul Food Living - Hot Chocolate Cookies
Cucina Vanina - Cantucci Biscotti Cookies
3 comments:
So fun seeing you at the cookie swap. The orange zest was a great addition to these cookies. So pretty too.
loved these!!! They were so moist and perfectly tart with the lingonberries. It was so wonderful to catch up with you! Hope you have a meaningful and peaceful Christmas season!
Loved these cookies! I'm a huge lingonberry fan. Hope we'll get to chat more the next time we get together!
Post a Comment