As much as my colleagues consider me a Gringe because I refuse to play Secret Santa or to wear a thematic-appropriate jumper every year, I truly love Christmas. My childhood memories of this season include the arrangement of the manger under the stairs of the house; wearing new stinging skirts which my mother had bought during the summer holidays; crisp white sheets for the bedroom changed on Christmas Eve; an irrational fear of Santa Claus (linked to the idea of someone breaking and entry!), Barbies and pertinent accessories all over the living room and delicious, family-heritage-specific kitchen aromas, of course. Although as a child I valued receiving presents, I also developed a sense of giving from a young age. As soon as I got some autonomy around the kitchen and, with the acknowledgement that as a child I did not have any income and couldn’t rely on pocket money to buy presents (as it came from my dad rather than have genuinely earn it myself), I discovered a true sense of reward in taking the time to think and handmade something for the enjoyment and pleasure of others. That was translated mostly in the shape of cookies and, later on, stollen (my German sister-in-law’s recipe of course) as well as homemade Venezuelan Christmas bread.
I have carried on the tradition of cooking to give for the last 25 years (!). This year I have made various cookies recipes to give away and to be grateful to people that have worked with me over the last 12 months. I am leaving you with the latest batch I did this week, hoping that in the making, you too could reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.
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| © The Teaspoon |
Ingredients
Yield: 25 bitesize cookies
125 g unsalted butter at room temperature
85 g granulated sugar
190 g all-purpose flour
125 g ground almonds
1 bag of chai tea - content only
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
5 pods of cardamom, seeds only
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon groing ginger
25 whole blanched almonds
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
Use your hands to combine all ingredients patiently in a bowl until you obtain a maleable dough. Roll the dough into small balls and place in the baking tray, leaving approximately 2 cm in between each one so they don't stick together when baking.
Delicately, press one almond on top of each ball and squeeze slightly. If the dough breaks, use your fingers to bring it back together into a cookie shape, making sure the almond remains held in the centre.
Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes or until golden.
Allow to cool down completely otherwise you'll burn your mouth with the blanched almond!
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| © The Teaspoon |
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