Buttery Crisp Fennel Tart
A tart, a quiche, a pie, call it whatever you like, anything that involves buttery short crust is heavenly food to me. I'm the happiest person in the world when I have one of these in my oven, filling the air with that buttery smell, teasing me as I can't wait to have the first bite in my mouth. Most of the time I use my all time favourite quiche crust recipe for any kind of savory tart or quiche. I wrote about that recipe in December. It has been with me for nearly twenty years and I never found a better one. It's crisp, it's buttery, yet still light. Just perfect!
If you follow eat in my kitchen you'll find that I tend to buy too much of this and that (I'm talking about food). This time it's fennel, three bulbs! I never throw any food away, I use everything I buy, but I become too excited when I see all the nice food at the market and a million things come into my mind that I'd like to cook with them. So I buy whatever arouses my appetite. Sometimes, my fridge just reaches its limits.
I haven't made a tart in a while so I will use the fennel for the filling, mixed with Parmesan, a few eggs, milk and cream, and the buttery smell can take over my flat!
Fennel Tart
For one tart you need a round (27cm / 10.5″) or oval baking dish or tart pan.
For the short crust base
flour 250g / 8.5 ounces (I use spelt flour type 630 but you can use any other plain flour)
butter, cold 125g / 4.5 ounces
organic egg 1
salt 1 teaspoon
Combine the flour with the salt. Cut the butter with a knife into the flour until there are just little pieces of butter left. Continue with your fingers and work the butter into the flour until combined (there shouldn’t be any lumps of butter left). Add the egg and continue mixing with the hooks of your mixer until you have a crumbly mixture. Form a disc, wrap in cling film and put in the freezer for 10 minutes.
For the filling
fennel, cut in half and sliced thinly, 400g / 14 ounces
organic eggs 2
milk 100 ml
heavy cream 100 ml
Parmesan, grated, 2 heaped tablespoons
salt 1 teaspoon
black pepper
nutmeg, freshly grated
The tart
Set your oven to 210°C / 410°F.
Sauté the fennel in a big pan in a little oil for 5 minutes until golden.
Mix the eggs with the milk, heavy cream, Parmesan, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Roll out the dough between cling film and line your baking dish with the flat pastry. Prick it with a fork and blind-bake in the hot oven for 10 minutes. Take your baking dish out of the oven and set the temperature down to 180°C / 355°F.
Spread the fried fennel on top of the pre-baked pastry base and pour the liquid mixture over. Put the tart carefully on a baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden, the top should be firm. Let it cool for 10 minutes.
A Ladin Sandwich with Spices and Tyrolean Prosciutto
I used to eat this sandwich whenever I arrived in Corvara, I went straight to the bakery to get some local flatbread and then to the butcher for prosciutto. Outside the shop, I prepared my sandwich, sat on a bench in the snow and enjoyed the start of my holiday.
Last week I read about this bread, the bread of my mountain village of choice. It is a flatbread made with rye flour mixed with coriander, fennel and aniseed. It's a speciality in the Ladinia region around the Sella mountains in the Italian Dolomite Alps. In Italian this area is called Val Badia and the Ladin name (which is an autonomous language) is Alta Badia.
There are two ways to prepare this bread, one is more flat, it becomes dry, hard and brittle after baking. It's very thin and you "shake" the dough to loosen it up which gives it its name, "Schuettelbrot" (shaken bread). This method was used to preserve the bread for the long and lonely time in the mountain huts where the supply of fresh bread and food was an unfrequent and laborious task. It keeps for months, the texture is hard but it retains its strong taste of spices.
The second one is thicker and this is the one I choose to make, at it's best when fresh and warm. Although it's not as light and fluffy as a flatbread made with wheat flour, it's denser and more complex in taste. Traditionally you eat this bread together with Tyrolean Prosciutto at Vesper time, in the afternoon or evening when you feel like a little snack. My mother sent me a nice piece of prosciutto from San Cassiano, so I use this special occasion for this week's Sandwich Wednesday.
A Ladin Sandwich with Spice Flatbread and Tyrolean Prosciutto
I spread some cream cheese on the flatbread, traditionally it's made without, but I was in the mood for it.
For 8 little flatbreads you need
rye flour 180g / 6.5 ounces
spelt flour 180g / 6.5 ounces
dry yeast 1 package (for 500g / 1 pound of flour)
water, lukewarm, 125ml
milk, lukewarm, 50ml
coriander seeds, ground, 1 teaspoon
fennel seeds, ground, 1/2 teaspoon
aniseed, ground, 1/2 teaspoon
caraway seeds, ground, 1/4 teaspoon
salt 1/2 teaspoon
olive oil to grease the baking sheet
For the sandwich
Tyrolean Prosciutto 3 slices for each flatbread
cream cheese (optional)
crushed black pepper
Combine the flour with the spices, yeast and salt, add the lukewarm water and the milk, slowly, not all at once (you might not need all of it). Mix with your dough hooks for a few minutes. The dough should be more on the dry side. Continue kneading and punching with your hands until you have an elastic dough ball, not sticky at all. Put the dough back into the bowl, cover with a tea towel and let it rise in the warm oven (35°C / 95°F) for 45 minutes. This works really well but make sure that your oven is set to top/ bottom heat and not to fan.
Take the dough out and punch it down. Divide it into 8 pieces and roll them out into discs (on a floured working surface, between 1 - 1 1/2 cm / around 1/2" thick). Cover with a tea towel and let them rise for another 25 minutes.
Set your oven to 250°C / 480°F. My oven has a special pizza setting which I use for this recipe but you can use top / bottom heat as well. Grease your baking sheet with some olive oil.
Put your flatbreads on the baking sheet and bake them on the lowest level for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Take them out and let them cool for 2 minutes. Cut a bread in half, spread with cream cheese and cover with a few slices of the prosciutto. You can sprinkle some crushed black pepper over it too.
White Pizza with Spinach and Ricotta
A few years ago curiosity got the better of me and I tried a "white pizza" at one of my favourite pizza restaurants. White pizza is made without tomatoes and I didn't quite know what to expect. I had my virgin white pizza moment with a spinach and ricotta topping and all my reservations melted away after the first bite. Lighter and with more space for the single ingredients, the absence of tomato sauce didn't lessen that feel good pizza pleasure.
I wrote about my Sunday pizza tradition a few weeks ago and yesterday was no exception. It has been ages since my last white pizza and, as it's been on my mind for a while, I bought some crisp winter spinach and ricotta. To finish it off I added some olive oil infused with garlic and some crushed black pepper. The dough was light and crisp, it soaked some oil, but not too much, a bit like a Focaccia. The spinach was crisp and had some bite as in winter it's a bit thicker while the ricotta brought a touch of velvety smoothness.
White Pizza with Winter Spinach, Ricotta and Olive Oil
I start to prepare the dough 2 hours before I bake it to give it enough time to rise.
For 1 big pizza (size of 1 baking sheet) you need
For the topping
fresh spinach, rinsed, 250g / 9 ounces
fresh ricotta 250g / 9 ounces
olive oil 4-6 tablespoons
garlic, cut in half, 1 clove
salt and crushed black pepper
Warm up the olive oil together with the garlic for 2-3 minutes.
For the dough
plain flour 350g / 12.5 ounces plus more for mixing
dry yeast 1 package (for 500g / 1 pound of flour)
water, lukewarm, 190ml
olive oil 3 tablespoons
salt 1 teaspoon
Combine the flour with the yeast and salt, add the olive oil and the lukewarm water, slowly, not all at once (you might not need all of it). Mix with your dough hooks for a few minutes. The dough shouldn’t be moist and sticky at all, more on the dry side. Continue kneading and punching with your hands until you have an elastic dough ball, not too hard, not sticky. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover it with a tea towel and let it rise in the warm oven (35°C / 95°F) for 40 minutes. This works really well but make sure that your oven is set to top/ bottom heat and not to fan.
When the dough is well risen, roll it out on a very well floured (this is very important!) working surface. It should be a bit smaller than the size of your baking sheet. Cover with a tea towel and let it rise for another 10-15 minutes.
The pizza
Set your oven to 260°C / 500°F. My oven has a special pizza setting but you can use top / bottom heat as well. Put the baking sheet on the bottom of your oven to heat it.
Take the hot baking sheet out of the oven, flip it over and place it carefully on two stable wooden boards or mats as it will be very hot. Place your risen dough carefully but quickly (best done by two people) on the baking sheet, push it gently into place if necessary. Sprinkle the olive oil and the ricotta in lumps on top. Put the baking sheet back into the oven, on the bottom again, and bake for a few minutes until the pizza is golden. Take it out and spread the spinach on top immediately. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle some more olive oil on top if you like and enjoy!
Wintery Sunday Morning Muffins with Blood Orange Marmalade
Sunday morning is made for muffins! They combine the spongy feeling of a cake with the handiness of a cookie and they don't take much longer to make than pancakes. You don't even need an electric mixer. You combine everything with a spoon, fill the lumpy batter into your muffin tray and within 12 minutes you'll have warm little muffins on your breakfast table. It can't get any better on a Sunday morning!
This recipe doesn't need many ingredients, you might already have them at home if you’re into baking. I mix some of my blood orange marmalade into the batter, which you can also replace with bitter orange marmalade (that's what I normally do) or with plum jam or any other jam that fits to cinnamon and nutmeg (as I add these two spices as well). These muffins are light and fluffy, I love them warm, tear them in half and let their wintery aroma fill the air - heaven!
Sunday Morning Muffins with Marmalade and Cinnamon
You need a muffin tray with 12 molds, lined with paper baking cups.
200g / 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
70g / 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 teaspoon for the topping
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus 1/2 teaspoon for the topping
a pinch of nutmeg
a pinch of salt
160ml / 2/3 cup whole milk
50g / 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons blood orange marmalade (or bitter orange marmalade or plum jam)
Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, melted butter, egg and marmalade. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and quickly stir with a wooden spoon until you have a lumpy batter. The more you mix it the more it will lose its light texture so don't mix it too long.
Fill the batter into the lined muffin tray. Combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping, sprinkle on top of the batter and bake for about 12 minutes or until golden and spongy. Let the muffins cool for a few minutes and enjoy warm!
The Best Peanut Butter Cookies Ever
Berlin, January 2014:
I got this recipe from a true cookie specialist - Granny Doris from Florida. Years ago, at Christmas time, she sent two huge boxes full of her peanut butter cookies and I fell in love with them. I ate so many I thought I would never be able to eat them again. That didn't last long. Before this experience, I never really liked peanut butter but these cookies changed everything. They are crunchy yet soft in the center and so delicious that you can't stop eating them.
These cookies are big enough for a small breakfast or midday snack together with a cup of coffee, they go very well with a cup of tea in the afternoon, and if you don't feel like a big dessert after dinner but still like something sweet to go with your espresso, just grab a peanut butter cookie. I bake them in very big batches exactly for this reason!
Peanut Butter Cookies
Update September 2024: For 28 bigger and thicker cookies, bake for about 11-13 minutes.
For 50 cookies you need
280g / 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
350g / 1 1/3 cups smooth peanut butter, at room temperature
250g / 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
280g / 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
2 large eggs
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (preferably convection setting) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter, butter, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating the egg before adding the next one, and continue beating for 1 minute. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until combined.
For the first batch of cookies, shape the dough into walnut sized balls and place on the lined baking sheet, leaving plenty of space in between each dough ball. Flatten with a fork just a bit and bake for 9-10 minutes or until golden; soft but with subtle restistance when you gently touch them with your finger. It will seem as though they are a bit under baked when they first come out but that's a good thing. Leave them to cool on the baking sheet (!) for a few minutes until they are stable enough to transfer them to a wire rack to let them cool completely. Continue shaping the remaining dough and bake one sheet at a time.
Once the cookies are completely cool, store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Red Wine Cake with Cinnamon and Chocolate
This is the cake of my late teenage years, made with red wine, bittersweet chocolate chunks and cinnamon. It's spongy, juicy and so rich in taste! My friends and I were obsessed with it, we baked it for every possible occasion. That's a while ago now and I've since moved on to other great cakes but today I thought it's time again: pink cake for the weekend!
I must say it was yesterday that this idea came to mind. I baked it and was surprised by the cakes texture until I noticed that I didn't put in the right amount of wine - I mixed up milliliters and cups on my measuring cup and put in far too little red wine. The cake turned out much too dry and hard on the outside. I was confused at first, wondering if the memory was sweetened by time but I remembered this cake so soft and juicy that I knew I must have mixed up the recipe (I even questioned my oven's reliability for a second). Today I got my second chance and my pink cake turned out as pretty and delicious as I remembered it!
Red Wine Cake with Chocolate and Cinnamon
For 1 loaf tin, about 23cm x 10cm / 9" x 4", you need
For the dough
butter 250g / 9 ounces
granulated sugar 250g / 9 ounces
organic eggs 4
plain flour 250g / 9 ounces
baking powder 3 teaspoons
cocoa powder 3 teaspoons
cinnamon, ground, 2 teaspoons
a pinch of salt
red wine 125ml
bittersweet chocolate, chopped, 100g / 3.5 ounces
For the icing
icing sugar (100g / 3.5 ounces) mixed with red wine or water (3-4 tablespoons)
Set your oven to 165°C / 330°F (fan-assisted oven). Butter your loaf tin and dust with flour.
Combine the dry ingredients (except the sugar). Mix the butter together with the sugar till fluffy, add the eggs, one at a time, and continue mixing for a couple minutes. Add the dry ingredients and the red wine and mix until smooth. Gently fold in the chocolate and scoop into your prepared tin. Bake for 65 minutes or until golden. Check with a skewer, it should come out clean, and let it cool. Spread the icing sugar on top of the cake to finish its pink glory.
Biscotti with a Shot of Ouzo
This biscotti proves that cultural exchange leads to enrichment for us all! Originally, biscotti are from Prato in Tuscany. Also known as cantuccini, they are baked twice and filled with almonds. So far, my biscotti stuck to tradition but today I enhance them with a shot of Ouzo, the famous Greek aniseed spirit. The result is a mouth-watering Italian-Greek union! I add some aniseed to the dough and their taste comes through so much stronger thanks to the Ouzo. Together with the almonds and some lemon zest each crunchy bite creates an explosion on your taste buds!
My aunt Ursula told me about the Ouzo-biscotti combination and at first I had my reservations, but that soon changed! I have my biscotti with an espresso at lunch time as a delicious energy booster but they are also a great dessert with ice cream or custard. You could follow the Italian tradition and dip them in Vin Santo - or continue the Greek variation and enjoy them with a shot of chilled Ouzo!
Biscotti with Aniseed, Ouzo, Almonds and Lemon
For 46 biscotti you need
plain flour 400g / 14 ounces
baking powder 2 teaspoons
granulated sugar 250g / 9 ounces
salt 1/4 teaspoon
aniseed, 2 tablespoons
butter, melted, 100g / 3.5 ounces
organic eggs 3
Ouzo (or any other anise flavoured spirit) 3 tablespoons
zest of 1 lemon
almonds, chopped roughly, 100g / 3.5 ounces
Set your oven to 180°C / 355°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the dry ingredients (except the almonds and lemon zest) in a bowl. In a second bowl, mix the butter with the eggs, lemon zest and Ouzo for a couple minutes. Mix the dry mixture into the butter mixture with a spoon. Add the chopped almonds carefully. Divide the dough into four parts and form each into a long bread shape (around 5cm / 2" wide). Place them on your baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Take them out and let them cool off for around 20 minutes.
Turn your oven down to 170°C / 340°F.
For the second round, cut each loaf carefully in 1.5cm / 1/2" slices and lay them flat on the baking sheet. Bake for 6 minutes, turn the biscotti over and bake for another 6 minutes. Take the biscotti out when they turn golden and let them cool.
My Sunday Pizza Tradition
Another tradition of mine - I always bake pizza on Sundays, always. My friends joke about my unwavering dedication (I barely break this tradition) but to me pizza is the ultimate cosy mood food. Nothing beats an evening on my sofa with a nice big piece of pizza in my hands and a good movie. It's the perfect preparation for a smooth transition into a new week. So why change it. The only variation is what's on top which depends on the season, my appetite and spontaneous inspiration. So far, my Sunday tradition has never seemed boring.
For today, my pizza gets a topping with aubergine slices (grilled with garlic and oregano oil), Pecorino slices and one part with ricotta. A very concentrated tomato sauce with lots of oregano and slices of organic Mozzarella go with it, that's all it needs. I make the pizza dough with olive oil which makes it richer and very tasty. A very easy recipe, it takes its time to rise but it's worth it. Nothing beats homemade pizza dough! It makes such a big difference to the taste - and kneading the dough with your own hands is great stress relief!
For years I made my pizza base the same way. First I let it rise in a bowl and then, a second time, on a baking sheet before I put the topping on. This summer I got a great tip from a friend of mine from Switzerland. He told me to put the baking sheet for the pizza on the bottom of the oven while the oven is heating up. As soon as the baking sheet is hot you take it out of the oven and flip it over. You take the well risen pizza dough (which has been rolled out) and place it on the hot baking sheet. The dough will start to rise and bake straight away which makes an amazing crust - like pizza stone. Once the topping is on, bake it in the oven for a few minutes and you will get the crispiest pizza you can imagine!
Pizza with Aubergine and Pecorino
I start to prepare the dough 2 hours before I bake it to give it enough time to rise.
For 1 big pizza (size of 1 baking sheet) you need
For the dough
plain flour 350g / 12.5 ounces plus more for mixing
dry yeast 1 package (for 500g / 1 pound of flour)
water, lukewarm, 190ml
olive oil 3 tablespoons
salt 1 teaspoon
Combine the flour with the yeast and salt, add the olive oil and the lukewarm water, slowly, not all at once (you might not need all of it). Mix with your dough hooks for a few minutes. The dough shouldn't be moist and sticky at all, more on the dry side. Continue kneading and punching with your hands until you have an elastic dough ball, not too hard, not sticky. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover it with a tea towel and let it rise in the warm oven (35°C / 95°F) for 40 minutes. This works really well but make sure that your oven is set to top/ bottom heat and not to fan.
When the dough is well risen, roll it out on a very well floured (this is very important!) working surface. It should be a bit smaller than the size of your baking sheet. Cover with a tea towel and let it rise for another 10-15 minutes
For the tomato sauce
tinned tomatoes 400g / 14 ounces
oregano, dried or fresh, 1 tablespoon plus more for the topping
salt (1 teaspoon) and pepper
Mix the ingredients in a small sauce pan, chop the tomatoes and let everything cook down until very concentrated and thick. If you leave the sauce too liquid it will be soaked up by your pizza base.
For the topping
I prepared the grilled aubergine (eggplant) a day before. You can keep it in the fridge for days and use it for other recipes as well, or enjoy it as antipasti.
aubergine, cut in thick slices, 1
garlic, crushed, 1 clove
olive oil, to brush the aubergine and to drizzle on top of the pizza
salt and pepper
pecorino cheese, cut in thin slices, 100g / 3.5 ounces
mozzarella, cut in cubes, 125g / 4.5 ounces
ricotta, 100g / 3.5 ounces (I sprinkled just 1/4 of the pizza with ricotta)
Brush the aubergine slices with olive oil, sprinkle with oregano and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Grill in the oven until golden brown and soft and cut in long strips.
The pizza
Set your oven to 260°C / 500°F. My oven has a special pizza setting but you can use top / bottom heat as well. Put the baking sheet on the bottom of your oven to heat it.
Take the hot baking sheet out of the oven, flip it over and place it carefully on two stable wooden boards or mats as it will be very hot. Place your risen dough carefully but quickly (best done by two people) on the baking sheet, push it gently into place if necessary. Spread the tomato sauce on top and sprinkle with oregano, continue with the aubergine, Pecorino, mozzarella and ricotta. Put the baking sheet back into the oven, on the bottom again, and bake for a few minutes until the pizza is golden brown, bubbling and crisp!
Orange Cheesecake
The first time I had New York cheesecake is quite a while ago - it was love at first sight! When I was fourteen I traveled to New York and Canada with a friend of mine and her family. As soon as I took my first bite I was hooked and during the following three weeks of our holiday I don't believe I left out a single chance to get a piece of cheesecake, every day, at every restaurant we went to. I became a true cheesecake specialist!
Now, when I bake my own, I'm always reminded of that trip and the excitements of being a traveling teenager. Over the years I tried out many cheesecake recipes and developed my own favourite with orange zest and juice and cream cheese mixed with ricotta. It is still as rich and moist as the traditional version, the citrus flavour just adds a fresh, fruity specialness and gives it a lighter feeling.
Orange Cheesecake
For a 20.5cm / 8" springform pan you need
digestive cookies, crushed very finely, 210g / 7.5 ounces
butter, melted, 70g / 2.5 ounces
cream cheese, at room temperature, 450g / 16 ounces
ricotta, at room temperature, 100g / 3.5 ounces
granulated sugar 100g / 3.5 ounces
vanilla sugar 1 teaspoon
organic eggs 3
cornstarch 1 teaspoon
zest of 1 orange
orange juice 1 tablespoon
zest of 1 large lemon
juice of 1 lemon (4 tablespoons)
a pinch of salt
Mix the crushed cookies with the melted butter until crumbly and combined and press into your springform pan. Put in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Set the oven to 165°C / 330°F and put a deep roasting tin in the oven on the lowest position. Boil water in a kettle.
Mix the cream cheese, ricotta, sugar, vanilla sugar, salt and eggs and beat until smooth. Add the cornstarch, lemon and orange zest and juice and continue mixing.
Take the baking pan out of the freezer and wrap in aluminium foil twice so that the bottom and sides are well covered to protect the cheesecake from the water. Pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the hardened crumbs and place carefully into the tin in the oven. Fill the roasting tin with the boiling water from your kettle. The water should come half way up the wrapped springform pan. Bake for 50 minutes, switch off the oven and leave the cake in the oven to cool. After around an hour you can take your cheesecake out and chill in the fridge for a couple hours.
Maltese Lemon Christmas Cookies
I got this recipe from Jenny, my boyfriend's mother, who makes these wonderful lemony cookies every year at Christmas time. She lives in Malta, in the Mediterranean, where everyone has their own citrus trees or knows someone who has enough citrus fruits to give away. Many Maltese recipes are made with lots of lemon juice or zest and I love it. I used to cook and bake more carefully with lemon and lime flavours but I became quite brave with it over the years. It doesn't have to be a shy add-on, it should stand out in many variations.
These flaky cookies are stuffed with lots of lemon zest, they fill the house with such a beautiful, warm and buttery citrus smell. It's absolutely lovely!
Maltese Lemon Christmas Cookies
Makes about 70 cookies
plain flour 160g / 1 1/4 cups
baking soda 1/2 teaspoon
cream of tartar 1/2 teaspoon
fine sea salt 1/8 teaspoon
butter, soft, 120g / 1/2 cup
granulated sugar 100g / 1/2 cup
vanilla pod 1/2, split and scraped
lemon zest, freshly grated, 1 1/2 teaspoons
organic egg 1
sugar sprinkles, for the topping
Combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt in a large bowl.
In a second large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the egg and continue mixing until well combined. Add the dry flour mixture to the butter mixture and continue mixing with the dough hooks of an electric mixer until combined. Scrape the dough onto a piece of cling film, form a thick disc, wrap and freeze for 30-45 minutes or until the dough is hard.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) (preferably convection setting). Line 2 (or more) baking sheets with parchment paper.
Once the dough is hard, brake 1/4 off the dough and keep the remaining dough wrapped in cling film in the fridge. Lay a large piece of cling film on the kitchen counter and cover generously with flour, lay the dough on top, dust the dough with flour and cover with a second layer of cling film. Roll the dough out thinly with a rolling pin. The dough is quite buttery, if it sticks to the cling film, dust it with more flour. Dip the cookie cutters in flour and cut out cookies. Carefully transfer them to the lined baking sheets, spread them with a bit of space in between and decorate them generously with sprinkles. Continue with the remaining dough. Bake for 6-7 minutes (slightly longer if using conventional) or until golden. Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack.
When the cookies are completely cool, store them in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
A Cinnamon and Apple Crumble
This cake is a friend to keep! Crunchy, buttery cinnamon crumbles, a light and juicy base and lots of fruit! Depending on the season I use either apples, plums or rhubarb. The aromatic cinnamon fits perfectly to the three of them and adds the right flavour. I love this crumble all year round and I must confess that I actually bake it at least once a month. Either for tea time or for dessert together with vanilla ice cream or cinnamon whipped cream. It's also easy to prepare which is great when you have guests for a dinner party and it tastes so good! My friends love it as well and are always impressed by the "perfect" crumbles - it's not science, it's just about the right mixture.
Today, it's apple time! The sweetness of the cake and the sourness of my Boscoop apples are very well balanced. 10 people will sit at my dinner table tonight and I want a dessert which allows me to stay with my guests rather than in the kitchen. I bake my apple crumble in the morning, whip my cinnamon cream at night and I know that this dessert will tease lots of happy smiles!
Apple Cinnamon Crumble Cake
You need a 26cm /10" springform pan, buttered. Prepare the dough for the base first, cut your apples afterwards and prepare the crumbles at the end.
Set the oven to 180°C / 355°F.
The fruit
sour baking apples (like Boscoop) 5, peeled, cut in half and carved lengthwise around 6 times
For the base
I use spelt flour type 630 for the base and the crumbles but you can use any other plain flour.
butter 125g / 4.5 ounces
organic eggs 3
granulated sugar 125g / 4.5 ounces
plain flour 250g / 9 ounces
baking powder 2 teaspoons
vanilla sugar 1 teaspoon
a pinch of salt
Beat the butter till fluffy. Add the sugar, continue mixing and add the eggs, one at a time. Add the flour mixed with the baking powder, salt and the vanilla sugar and continue mixing until combined. Fill into your buttered springform.
Place the apples close to each other on the dough base in the springform and push them down a bit.
For the crumble
plain flour 200g / 7 ounces (you might need some more if the crumbles are too sticky)
granulated sugar 125g / 4.5 ounces
vanilla sugar 1 teaspoon
ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons
butter, melted, 125g / 4.5 ounces (plus more if the crumbles are too fine)
The crumbles need good preparation as you have to make sure that the mixture is neither too moist nor too dry. Have some extra flour and melted butter near at hand so that you can add some immediately if necessary.
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Pour the melted butter on top and mix quickly with the hooks of your mixer, this shouldn't take longer than 15-20 seconds. If the crumbles are too moist and sticky add a bit more flour (1-2 tablespoons). If they are too fine and don't form bigger crumbles add more melted butter. Stop immediately when the mixture starts to get crumbly and spread quickly on top of the apples. If you have bigger lumps of crumbles you might have to separate and spread them.
Bake in the oven for 50 minutes or until golden. Check with a skewer, it should come out clean, and let it cool.
Enjoy the crumble cake on its own or serve with vanilla ice cream or cinnamon whipped cream (200ml whipping cream, whipped with 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar).
Grown up Chocolate Cookies
This is already the beginning of my last cookie baking weekend before Christmas! I can't believe it, time flew - as always during Christmas season. I baked and ate so many cookies this year! Whenever friends came over we sat under our Christmas tree, enjoyed the festive mood and emptied the cookie boxes. But I can definitely take another round before closing the 2013 cookie season, so let's start!
If you don't really have a sweet tooth these will be your cookies! Bittersweet chocolate and lots of spices: cinnamon, coriander, cloves, aniseed and allspice. The texture is light and crumbly with a thin layer of melted dark chocolate on top. They taste grown up - dark, bittersweet and rich in flavours. I thought some foresty animal shapes would do them good.
Chocolate Spice Cookies
For around 80 cookies you need
plain flour 250g / 9 ounces
cocoa powder 50g / 2 ounces
icing sugar, 90g / 3 ounces
baking powder 1/4 teaspoon
butter, soft, 130g / 4.5 ounces
organic egg 1
cinnamon, ground, 1/2 teaspoon
cloves, ground, 8
coriander seeds, ground, 1 heaping teaspoon
aniseed, ground, 1/4 teaspoon
allspice berries, ground, 2
a pinch of salt
bittersweet chocolate, melted, to brush the cookies, 100g / 3.5 ounces, mixed with cinnamon (1/4 teaspoon) and Chinese 5 Spice (1/4 teaspoon) or some of your cookie spice mixture
Combine the dry ingredients (except the sugar). In a separate bowl, beat the butter till fluffy, add the sugar and continue mixing till combined. Add the egg and mix for another 2-3 minutes. Put the dry mixture into the bowl with the butter mixture and continue mixing with the hook of your mixer until you have a crumbly mixture. Form a disc, wrap in cling film and put in the freezer for 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 160°C / 320°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll the dough out thinly (about 3mm) between cling film and cut out your cookies in whatever shape you like. Place your cookies on a baking sheet and bake them for 6 minutes. Let them cool and brush with the melted chocolate.
A Mountain Bun
When I was a child we used to go to the Italian Dolomite Alps. Every year, in December, we stayed in a beautiful village in the Alta Badia region called Corvara. I loved being there as it looked like a wintery fairy tale (I always had a weak spot for places like this). Old wooden houses, trees packed with thick snow and the most amazing Tyrolean food - my childhood heaven. Yesterday I thought about how much I would love to be in the mountains again, in a wooden hut with an open fire and lots of snow outside. I would sit at a rustic old wooden table and eat rustic food.
Although I will not be visiting Corvara this winter, at least I have the wooden table and the hearty food. Therefore, my Wednesday Sandwich has to be a mountain sandwich - kind of - rich, with ham and cheese, homemade plum chutney and ground pepper. This morning, I baked my own buns with coriander and aniseed and I got some nice ham and cheese. I made a plum chutney with lots of spices a couple months ago which is great together with cold cuts and mountain cheese. You could also use any other chutney or even plum butter, you just need something that adds a bit of fruity sweetness to this sandwich.
A Mountain Bun
For 2 sandwiches you need
2 buns, or 4 thick slices of bread
slices of ham, 6
thin slices of aromatic mountain cheese, like Swiss Appenzeller
plum chutney
a few leaves of lettuce (I used field salad as I had some left)
crushed peppercorns
Set your oven to grill (highest temperature).
Cut the bun in half, spread the chutney thinly on one half and put a slice of ham on top. Cover with 3 slices of cheese and put in the oven until the cheese starts to melt. Take the bun out, sprinkle with pepper, add some lettuce and put the other half of your bun on top.
I know it's a bit of work, but baking your own bread or buns is definitely worth the effort and I'm sure you will agree after your first bite of the warm and fluffy buns. I prepared mine last night and let the dough rise overnight. Then you just have to put the buns into shape the next morning, let them rise for 40 minutes and bake them. If you want them plain just leave out the coriander and aniseed, they are still delicious!
For the Mountain Buns
This recipe makes 12 fabulous buns or milk rolls
plain four 550g / 1.1 pound
dry yeast 1 package (for 500g / 1 pound of flour)
milk, lukewarm, 300ml
butter, melted, 50g / 2 ounces
organic egg 1
sugar 1 teaspoon
salt 1 1/2 teaspoon
coriander, crushed, 1 teaspoon
aniseed, for the topping, 1 teaspoon
Combine the flour with the yeast, coriander, sugar and salt. Mix the milk with the melted butter and the egg. Mind the temperature as the mixture should be lukewarm. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour and start mixing with your dough hooks for around 10 minutes until you have an elastic dough ball. Put the dough on a floured working surface and continue kneading with your hands for a couple minutes.
When I prepare the dough in the evening I place it in a clean, buttered and covered bowl in the fridge and let it rise overnight. You will have to take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before you can continue with the next steps.
In case I want to bake my buns the same day, I put the dough in a clean and buttered bowl, cover it with a tea towel and let it rise in the 35°C / 95°F warm oven for 60 minutes. This works really well but make sure that your oven is set to top/ bottom heat and not to fan.
Set your oven to 220°C / 430°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
When the dough is bigger and puffy punch it down and knead for 1-2 minutes. Cut into 12 pieces and roll them in your hands into a round shape. Place the buns on your baking sheet, sprinkle with anisseed and give them another 40 minutes in a warm place to rise again (covered with a tea towel).
Bake the buns for 6 minutes, take the temperature down to 200°C / 390°F and bake them for another 7-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let them cool for a couple minutes.
The Family Cookies
My mother started the tradition of these precious stacked Christmas cookies. They are little divas, very delicate, you have to be gentle with them as they are a bit fragile but they are worth all the effort - trust me! Apart from the fact that they look simply stunning, the buttery short crust of these cookies is one of the best I ever had. Just perfect, buttery but still light, flaky - they will melt in your mouth.
The dough isn't much work at all. It needs to sit for half an hour and then you can start cutting out your cookies, baking and assembling them, with redcurrant jam or jelly in between. Some sugar dusting on top and they are done. You should just handle them with care and appreciate that you have something very precious and delicate between your fingers.
Linzer Cookies
For 60 sandwich cookies you need
plain flour 250g / 9 ounces
butter, cold 150g / 5 ounces
egg yolks 2
granulated sugar 2 tablespoons
a pinch of salt
cold water, 3 tablespoons
redcurrant jam or jelly
icing sugar, for dusting
You need round cookie cutters in 2 or 3 different sizes (mine are 3.5cm / 1 1/2" and 4.5cm / 1 3/4").
Combine the flour with the sugar and salt. Cut the butter with a knife into the flour until there are just little pieces of butter left. Continue with your fingers and quickly work the butter into the flour until combined. Add the egg yolks and the water, continue mixing with the hook of your mixer until you have a crumbly mixture. Form a disc, wrap in cling film and put in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll the dough out thinly (about 2-3mm) between cling film and cut out your cookies with a floured cookie cutter. If you want to have 2 different sizes cut out an equal amount of cookies with each cookie cutter. Place your cookies on a baking sheet and bake them for 8 minutes or until golden but not dark. Let them cool for a minute or two. Place 1/4 teaspoon of jam on a bigger cookie and put a smaller one on top. Press a little bit but not too much as they might break. Let them cool completely and dust with icing sugar.
Enjoy their beauty and - when you're ready - pile them up carefully in a cookie box.
Gianduja and Chocolate Cookies
When I made these cookies the first time many Christmases ago I knew that a tradition was born. Every year, in December, I need a box of these crescent shaped cookies stuffed with Gianduja, which is also known as nougat in Germany and Austria and gives them their name: Nougat Kipferl. This nougat is made of chocolate and hazelnuts - different to the white nougat (or "Turkish honey") which is made of almonds and honey.
Another weekend, another Kipferl! These aren't as tender as the Vanilla Kipferl which I made last week, they are more dense, but still crumbly. I add lots of Gianduja to the dough because I want more than just a hint of this taste. The bittersweet chocolate on the Kipferl's feet isn't just for decoration - it takes away a bit of the sweetness. The amounts I use in my recipe aim for a bigger batch of 90 cookies as I enjoy this pleasure just once a year.
Gianduja and Chocolate Cookies - Nougat Kipferl
For 90 cookies you need
butter, soft, 100g / 3.5 ounces
Gianduja / nougat for baking, soft, 250g / 9 ounces
organic egg 1
plain flour 320g / 11 ounces
baking powder 3/4 teaspoon
vanilla sugar 1 tablespoon
a pinch of salt
bittersweet chocolate 70g / 2.5 ounces
Mix the butter together with the nougat, this works best with dough hooks. Add the egg and continue mixing. Add the flour, vanilla sugar, baking powder and the salt and mix to a dough ball. Form a thick disc, wrap in cling film and put in the freezer for 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 355°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Melt the chocolate.
Take the dough out of the freezer. Cut thick slices off the disc and cut these slices in walnut sized pieces. Roll your cookies into the Kipferl shape between your hands. Mind that the ends don't get too thin as they would burn. Place your cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Don't let them get too dark. Let them cool completely before you start dipping their two tips into the melted chocolate.
Dark Chocolate and sweet Apricot Cookies
John Fahey's Christmas songs are playing in the background, the tree is lit up and my second Christmas cooking baking session can start. Happy Advent!
Today's cookies are a lovely combination of dark chocolate and sweet apricot jam. The texture is light and crumbly enriched with the juiciness of the jam. The dough is made with ground hazelnuts which adds a nice nuttiness and - like yesterday's Kipferl - they are so easy to prepare!
These cookies put me in a real time warp. I used to love them as a child and I gobbled up boxes of them. But as I tried out so many different recipes over the years I forgot about them. But now they are back in my cookie boxes!
Update, December 2023: Today, 10 years after I posted this recipe, a friend pointed out that these cookies taste like the famous Austrian Sachertorte. It’s true!
Chocolate Cookies with Apricot Jam
For 70 double cookies you need
plain flour 350g / 12 ounces
hazelnuts, ground, 100g / 3.5 ounces
sugar 100g / 3.5 ounces
butter, soft, 250g / 9 ounces
bittersweet chocolate, melted, 200g / 7 ounces (100g / 3.5 ounces for the dough and the rest for topping)
a pinch of salt
apricot jam for the filling
You need a round cookie cutter (about 3,5 cm / 1 1/2").
Melt half of the chocolate. Combine the flour with the ground hazelnuts and the salt. Mix the butter together with the sugar till fluffy, add the melted chocolate and mix again. Mix the butter mixture together with the flour mixture. Form a ball, wrap in cling film and put in the fridge for 60 - 90 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 160°C / 320°F, prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and melt the rest of the chocolate.
Roll the dough out thinly (about 2-3mm) between cling film and cut out your cookies with a floured cookie cutter. Bake them for 7-9 minutes, they shouldn't get too dark. Let them cool.
Brush half of your cookies with the melted chocolate.
Cover each of the remaining cookies with 1/4 teaspoon of jam and place a chocolate topped cookie on top. Let the chocolate dry completely and then: fill your cookie boxes!
Vanilla Kipferl take over my kitchen
The kitchen smells amazing. As soon as the Vanilla Kipferl are out of the oven they spread their sweetest, buttery smell. These small, crescent shaped cookies are perfect for the Advent season. They taste and look absolutely wonderful and the vanilla icing sugar dusting on top fits to the weather perfectly - it just started snowing!
Kipferl traditionally come from the South of Germany and their pastry is light and crumbly. A Vanilla Kipferl is a very delicate cookie with a buttery taste and a hint of vanilla. Don't be deceived by their look, elegant as they may appear they are very easy to prepare. All you need is flour, butter, ground hazelnuts (or almonds) and sugar for the dough and icing sugar - enhanced with vanilla - for the dusting.
Update: Click here for more Christmas baking recipes!
Vanilla Kipferl
Makes about 60 kipferl
all-purpose flour 280g / 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons
ground hazelnuts or ground almonds 100g / 1 cup
granulated sugar 70g / 1/3 cup
fine sea salt 1/8 teaspoon
unsalted butter, cold, 200g / 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons
confectioners' sugar 100g / 1 cup
vanilla sugar 3 tablespoons (you can make your own vanilla sugar by mixing the scraped out seeds of 1/4 vanilla pod with 50g / 1/4 cup of granulated sugar)
Combine the flour, hazelnuts, granulated sugar and salt. Add the butter and use a knife to cut the butter into the flour until there are just small pieces left. Continue with your fingers and quickly rub the butter into the flour until combined then mix, using the dough hooks, with an electric mixer until crumbly. Form the dough into a 3 cm / 1 1/4" thick disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until relatively firm, or freeze for about 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F (preferably convection setting) and line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Sift and mix the confectioners' sugar and vanilla sugar.
Take the dough out of the fridge and cut off a 2.5 cm / 1" thick slice, keep the remaining dough in the fridge. Cut the slice of dough into 1.25 cm / 1/2" thick pieces. Use your hands to quickly roll each piece of dough into a ball then shape it into a roughly 9 cm / 3 1/2" long kipferl (see the last picture). Continue shaping the remaining dough and arrange the kipferl generously spaced on the lined baking sheets.
Bake, 1 baking sheet at a time, for 11 to 12 minutes or until golden. Let the kipferl cool for 1-2 minutes. When they are too hot they might break but when they are completely cooled off the icing sugar won't stick so well.
Turn the warm kipferl gently in the vanilla confectioners' sugar mixture or sift the sugar over the kipferl. Once the kipferl are completely cool, store them in an airtight container.
A trusted companion, my beloved Quiche
This recipe has been with me for a very long time. I think I cooked it for the first time nearly twenty years ago. And since then it has made lots of people very happy (including myself). My time trusted companion is a quiche with a wonderful crisp and buttery short crust base and a simple but perfect filling of leek, tomatoes and thyme. What I also like about it is that the egg and cream filling isn't as high and heavy as in many other versions of this famous French dish. There is still something light about mine.
In past years I tried out different fillings with spinach or broccoli but I still prefer the combination of leek and tomatoes. The taste is just perfect. I once covered the base with slices of pear and crumbled Stilton for a party, very nice too, and perfect finger food.
Quiche
Usually I double the amount and make two quiches, one to eat warm straight away, the other to eat cold the next day. I can't say which I prefer as the different flavours come through very strongly when the quiche has cooled down.
For one quiche you need a 27cm / 10.5" baking dish or tart pan. I use spelt flour type 630 (but you can use any other plain flour) and organic eggs.
For the short crust base
flour 250g / 8.5 ounces
butter, cold 125g / 4.5 ounces
egg, organic 1
salt 1 teaspoon
Combine the flour with the salt and cut the butter with a knife into the flour until there are just little pieces of butter left. Continue with your fingers and work the butter into the flour until combined (there shouldn't be any lumps of butter left). Add the egg and continue mixing with the hook of your mixer until you have a crumbly mixture. Form a disc, wrap in cling film and put in the freezer for 10 minutes.
For the filling
medium leek, thinly sliced, 1
tomato, cut into cubes, 1
thyme, leaves of a few sprigs
eggs, organic, 3
heavy cream 125ml
crème fraiche or sour cream 125ml
salt 1 heaping teaspoon
pepper
nutmeg, best freshly grated, a generous amount
Set your oven to 210°C / 410°F.
Mix the eggs with the heavy cream, crème fraiche, salt, pepper, nutmeg and thyme.
Roll out the dough between cling film and line your baking dish with the flat pastry. Prick it with a fork and blind-bake in the hot oven for 10 minutes. Take your baking dish out of the oven and set the temperature down to 175°C / 350°F.
Spread the leek slices and tomato cubes over your pre-baked pastry base and pour the egg / cream mixture over. Put the quiche carefully on a baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes or until golden. Let it cool for about 10 minutes before you eat.
Bon appétit!
A drunken Fruit Cake
I love fruit cakes - all year round. Every day in the afternoon, I have my cup of tea and I need something to nibble with it. Cookies are great but fruit cakes are richer. Quite often I bake my Irish tea brack (a butter free fruit cake) with ginger and orange but at Christmas time I follow the English tradition.
English Christmas cake is a very dense and rich fruit cake which has to sit for a few weeks. During this time it is your job to take care that the cake can soak some brandy and get drunk. Therefore, you brush its top with liquor once a week and then you wrap it up again. It is a bit like a plant that you have to look after. But your effort will be rewarded. You have taken real care of this special cake and that makes it taste even better.
My Christmas cake lets the spices come through quite strongly and I also add stem ginger and marmalade. I like it when fruit cakes have a very intense taste. When its time has come around Christmas day I cut thick slices of the heavy cake and spread on some butter. I will sit next to our Christmas tree with a cup of tea or mulled wine and just enjoy every buttered, fruity bite!
Traditionally this cake gets some fancy decoration with marzipan and fondant but I leave it naked. I love its rustic look. You can also put some icing sugar on top if you feel like. But you should give it at least 3 weeks to sit so it is time to start now to be able to enjoy it on Christmas day.
Christmas Cake
It is best to let the fruit soak overnight together with the sugar, zest and brandy.
For the fruit
raisins 350g / 12.5 ounces
currants 50g / 2 ounces
prunes, finely chopped, 140g / 5 ounces
caramelized stem ginger, finely chopped, 50g / 2 ounces
candied peel, chopped, 40g / 1.5 ounces
sugar 100g / 3.5 ounces
zest of 1 orange
zest of 1/2 lemon
brandy 70ml, plus more for brushing the cake
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, cover and let the mixture soak for a few hours or overnight.
For the cake
butter, soft, 120g / 4 ounces
marmalade 1 1/2 tablespoons
organic eggs 2
plain flour 230g / 8 ounces
mixed spice 1 1/2 teaspoons
ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon
ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon
a pinch of salt
For this recipe you will need a 17,5cm/ 7" round cake tin, baking parchment and brown paper. You can also work with parchment paper.
Preheat the oven to 140°C/ 285°F and line your tin with double brown paper and a layer of baking parchment on the inside so that you have three layers, all to come straight up around 10cm / 4" above the top of your cake tin.
Cream the butter and marmalade till fluffy and add the eggs one at a time, still beating well. Mix the dry ingredients together (flour and spices). Now fold the dry ingredients alternately with the soaked fruit mixture into the butter mixture, roughly 1/3 of each - dry and fruit - mixture at a time. Mix carefully with a spoon.
Scrape the cake mixture into your prepared tin, smooth the surface a bit and bake for 2 hours. Check with a skewer if it comes out clean it is done. Take your cake out of the oven but leave it still in its tin. Push your parchment paper construction down a bit and wrap the tin with the cake in aluminum foil immediately and let it cool. After a few hours you can remove it from its tin, rewrap it in paper and foil and store it in an airtight cake tin. Brush the cake with brandy once a week and look forward to your first bite!
Chocolate Cinnamon Rugelach, Happy Hanukkah!
We are invited to celebrate Hanukkah together with our friends and godchild and I will contribute rugelach which is a wonderful flaky, croissant like pastry. They are made traditionally for the important Jewish feast Hanukkah, the "Feast of Light and Dedication".
When I tried them the first time I fell in love with their flakiness, they are buttery but still light. They taste divine, absolutely addictive, and due to their tiny size you end up eating lots of them. I enhanced the chocolate filling with cinnamon (which I love all year round), so it fits perfectly to the season. The pastry is a bit like short crust with added cream cheese which makes them so fluffy but still buttery. Look at the photo and you will want to try one!
Rugelach with Chocolate and Cinnamon
For 24 of these bite-sized sweets you will need
plain flour 150g / 5 ounces
icing sugar, 2 heaped tablespoons
butter, cold, 125g / 4.5 ounces
cream cheese, at room temperature, 120g / 4.5 ounces
a pinch of salt
bittersweet chocolate 80g / 3 ounces
sugar 40g / 1.5 ounces
cinnamon 1 heaping teaspoon
You will need a baking tray, lined with baking parchment. Keep in mind that the dough has to sit in the freezer for 30 minutes or in the fridge for at least 1 1/2 hours.
Mix the dry ingredients (flour, icing sugar, salt). Cut the butter with a knife into the flour mixture until there are just little pieces of butter left. Mix with the dough hooks for a few seconds. Add the cream cheese and work it into the mixture with a fork or the mixer to get a crumbly texture.
Form 2 discs and put them in the freezer for 30 minutes. The dough should be very cold but not too hard, still rollable.
Preheat the oven to 185°C / 365°F. Put baking parchment on your baking sheet. Chop the chocolate finely and mix with cinnamon and sugar.
Roll out one disc. I do this between floured cling film as it become too sticky otherwise. When the diameter is roughly 30cm / 12" you should have reached the right thickness of a couple millimeters. Cut the disc like a cake into 12 triangles. Take one slice after the other in your hand (the dough might still stick a bit to the foil but don't worry, it is elastic) and sprinkle with your chocolate mixture. Don't forget to set aside half the chocolate mixture for the second pastry disc. Now roll the little rugelach in the palm of your hand tightly into a croissant shape and put them on your baking sheet. Follow with the second disc or leave it in the freezer if you want to stop after the first batch of 12. I recommend doing them all at once as you will regret it if you don't. When you have rolled up all 24 (they should all fit on one tray) bake them in the oven for 13 minutes or until puffy and golden brown. It's best to check them after 10 minutes to be sure that they don't get too dark.
Let them cool on a wire rack for a few minutes and enjoy with your tea or coffee. They are also great for a late breakfast or brunch or even for a party as they are perfect fingerfood.
