Frankfurter Brenten / White Marzipan Cookies - Molded Cookie Series

Christmas time is upon us again...... And nothing says "Fröhliche Weihnachten!" quite like Frankfurter Brenten (aka: FrankFurter Printen or White Marzipan cookies).  

Though not quite as well known as Springerle or Speculaas, they are still quite delicious and make a lovely addition to any cookie plate assemblage.   The dough is also SUPER easy to throw together and the drying time is much shorter than for Springerle.  You could almost say they are "healthy" with their almond paste-y goodness.  But the best part will always be the texture.... crispy on the edges like cookie, but chewy in the center like candy - all at the same time.  Genius!

Rose water is the conventional flavoring, which is delicious, but I am more partial to Orange Flower water, or Cointreau, or Grand Marnier or even Bourbon.... It's only a hint of a flavor (for it's only 1 teaspoon) but the possibilities are endless.  A word of caution, use small mold to make small cookies.  They are very rich, so this is a serious case of "less is more"; though I will admit that when preparing these at the shop, I make them almost twice this size.

Frankfurter Brenten

- 8 oz Almond Paste
- 2.5 oz All-Purpose Flour (71g)
- 7.1 oz Confectioner's sugar ( 201g)
- 1 Large Egg White
- 1 tsp Rose water or Orange flower water gives an authentic European aroma and flavor.
            (or you can substitute vanilla or Bourbon, or Grand Marnier or Rum or Brandy)

I use SOLO almond paste, because it comes in a convenient 8oz box.....  Odense comes in a 7oz tube which is significantly less convenient.  I'm just sayin'.

These are the tools I have chosen to use today...  A rolling pin, of course, a pastry brush, individual round molds made of resin and a corresponding cutter as well as a square multi-image wooden mold and a pizza wheel to cut them apart.

Here is a close-up of the Resin molds.  The 3 darker brown molds are from Anis Paradies in Switzerland while the pale mold is from "The Springerle Baker" in North Carolina.

Here is a close up of the wooden mold (I just realized, as I am adding the photo, that it's upside down)  I don't have any history on this mold, other than that I found it on eBay and it came from Tennessee.

The flat sticks that keep showing up in the photos are my dough guides....  3, 5 & 10 mm, which can also be stacked to make other thicknesses like 8mm, 13mm and 15mm.  Dough guides take all the guesswork out of whether or not your dough is the proper thickness for pressing cookies and whether your dough is rolled evenly or not.

You can also use round dowels from the hardware store (which is what I use to use when I made Gingerbread houses back in the day) But enough about equipment and such; let's begin, cause even though these cookies are easy to mix up, they still don't mix themselves...

Grate the almond past into the bowl of your mixer.

Add the AP Flour, Confectioners' Sugar and Egg white.

Turn the mixer on low and let the ingredients all blend together until you have a lumpy meal texture.

With the mixer running, add the Rose Water, Orange Blossom Water or Liquor...

the dough should come together almost immediately.

Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and knead into a firm, smooth dough.

You may need to knead in an extra ½ teaspoon of water if the dough still seems too crumbly.
Gather dough into a flattened round, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for one hour on the counter.  (You can also rest the dough up to 24 hours in the refrigerator)

Working on a dry surface dusted with confectioner's sugar, roll out the dough to 8mm thickness.

Using a pastry brush, brush the desired cookie mold with confectioner's sugar

and press firmly into the dough.

Lift the mold straight up, to keep from blurring the design.

Cut the cookie out with your chosen cutter.

and transfer to a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Repeat, brushing the cookie mold for every pressing.

When you have filled a pan, set them aside to dry, uncovered, for 3-4 hours.

You can re-roll the scraps twice.

Here is a close up of that Peach Mold from "The Springerle Baker".

Using a multi mold is the same process, you just need a different type of cutter to separate the cookies from each other.

Just dust the mold with confectioners' sugar, press the mold into the dough, lift straight up to preserve the impression,

then use a pastry wheel to separate the cookies......

Move to a parchment lines baking sheet for drying.

Bake at 300 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.

The peaks on the cookies will turn slightly brown, as will the bottoms, while the remainder stays cream colored.

If you want to prevent browning, place an empty cookie sheet on the top shelf of the ovens you bake the cookies on the center shelf.

Let the cookies cool for a few minutes before you place them on a cooling rack.

Cool completely and then store in tins. These cookies are best if eaten within 3 or 4 days.

~~Mangia!!

Seeing Red - Red Walnut Divinity

Nothing says the holidays quite like Walnuts.  They lend crunch to Fruit Cake and Brownies, speckle Divinity and Fudge and flavor Baklava and Nut Rolls.  In fact, it should be illegal to have Christmas without Walnuts. 

Historically, at least in the United States, we have had a choice between the mild transplanted "English" Walnut (which are really Persian) and the stronger flavored "native to the US" variety known as the "Black" Walnut.  But no more, for California has done it again.  They have successfully begun producing RED Walnuts.

Don't freak out, it's not a GMO, nor is it a gimmicky artificially colored food product.  The interior husk REALLY is Red.  From the outside, you would not be able to tell the difference between the standard English/California/Mission/Persian Walnut and the new Red Walnut (which is either a Livermore or a Yolo) developed at UC Davis by grafting a Persian red skinned variety to the more common English (insert litany of AKAs here) Walnut. 

Unlike "English" Walnuts, which take 2-3 years to begin producing, these red varieties can take as long as 8 before producing a significant crop.  Thus, those that were planted over a decade ago are now beginning to bear "fruit" as it were.

(Black Walnut, English/Mission/California/Persian Walnut, Red Walnut)

The harvest is still low, when compared to the massive quantities of English Walnuts produced by California. Heck, very low when compared to the copious amounts of nuts that are produced by California in general.  Texas, New Mexico and Georgia have their Pecans.  While Oregon and, to a lesser extent, Washington have their Hazelnuts.  Even though Hawaii is the land of the Macadamia nut.  It is California's harvest of Walnuts, Pistachios and Almonds along with a few Pecans, Macadamias and Hazelnuts as well, which culminates into 90% of the United States yearly nut crop.

Which only proves that California is seriously full of nuts.  I'm just sayin'

So what do "Red" Walnuts taste like?  To me, they taste more "nutty", almost like they have already been lightly toasted.  Here is the interesting thing though, they are lacking in that bitter tannic bite that English (AKA litany) and Black Walnuts have.  Thus, I think the "nut" flavor is more pronounced simply because they aren't as bitter as common Walnuts.  

I chose to use the few I was able to procure in a batch of Divinity.  I have covered Divinity several times before, both Lavender and with Black Walnuts, so I am not going to run through the procedure again in this post.

I am, however, going to show off my vintage Betty Furness "Westinghouse" thermometer set.  (I wonder if she's fictitious like Betty Crocker)

And show a picture of the addition of chopped Red Walnuts to the Candy mixture... Exciting, huh?

To be honest, though I was happy with the end result, I think I should have left my Red Walnuts in larger chunks.  They really didn't show up in the finished Divinity, which kind of bummed me out.  (and why I posted the picture of me adding them to the candy batch --  they really are in there)

I was hoping for a nice punch of red within the pristine whiteness of the candy. (sigh) Oh well.

The flavor was delicious and that is really the important thing.

So check them out and give them a try.

Mangia!!
~~

Better Late Than Never - Speculaas

I am an extremely stubborn person.  Yes, I know, it's shocking, but it's true.  ;)

I have been wanting to post about making Speculaas for St. Nicholas day (December 6th) ever since I started this blog in August of 2008, but I have never been able to find a speculaasplank that I could afford.  True, they are fantastic works of folk art, but if you don't have the funds, you don't have the funds.  $50.00 for the simplest mold just seems a little excessive to me.  If you start looking at the hand carved antique ones, then add at least an additional $50 but more than likely an additional $100.   So, since I have been denied the proper way to mold and form speculaas, I have steadfastly refused to make them.

Well not anymore!  (WooHoo!)

I found "a find" at an antique store in Gresham that is going to be closing. I bought 2 Speculaasplanks for $5 dollars each. Total bargain!  Granted, these are copies of older molds (meaning they aren't really antiques), but it was still a deal I could not refuse.

I am not going to retell the history of Speculaas and how the name derives from the Latin "speculum" (mirror).  I am not going to go into the Sinter Klaas story or talk about the Festival or any of that sort of stuff.  There are pages and pages of information available all over the internet, so I am going to let you do some research if you want to know all about it.  :)

This post is mainly about mixing the dough and using the planks.   After all, isn't successful execution of Speculaas the most important part?  I though so.

So let's get this show on the road!  These Speculaas are already a month late.   LOL 

Speculaas

 The lovers or admirers (vrijer and vrijster)

2 3/4 cups (13 oz) ( 365g) All-Purpose Flour
1/3 cup (1 oz) (28g) Almond Flour
2 1/2 TB Speculaaskriuden (Speculaas Spice)
1/2 tsp Cocoa powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
6 oz (170g) Unsalted Butter
1 cup (6.5 oz) (185g) Light Muscovado Sugar (or Belgian Soft Candi Sugar - Brune Fonce)
1/3 cup (78ml) Whole Milk

In a bowl, whisk together the AP & Almond Flours, Speculaas Spice, Cocoa Powder, Baking Soda, and Salt; set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter until light.

Add the Muscovado Sugar and beat until combined and fluffy.

Scrape the bowl well......

Add half the flour mixture, blending well.

Add milk, blend again.

Add the remaining flour mixture; mix.

You should have a very uniform, but stiff dough when done.

Form into 2 disks and wrap in waxed paper, then in plastic wrap. (Some spices can react with plastic wrap so I use waxed paper to protect the dough and then plastic to keep it sealed)

Chill for at least 2 hours, but preferably over night to allow the spices to hang out and get to know each other.

When you are ready to mold the cookies........
Dust your Speculaasplank with AP Flour, Rice Flour or Cornstarch. (I prefer good old AP flour)

Remove 1 disk of dough and break off a chunk.

Press into the plank.

Slice away the excess dough with a VERY sharp, well floured knife. (it works best if you can do it in 1 continuous stroke. Starting at the bolster of the knife and draw it towards you while slicing off the excess dough)

Invert the mold and give it a small "whack" on the counter to release the cookies.

If they are sticking, you may carefully nudge then free with a small offset spatula (don't use a knife or you risk damaging the plank) 
Once the cookies are free of the plank, brush away any flour or crumbs left behind (a skewer works well for removing stuck dough crumbs)
Transfer imprinted cookies to parchment lined baking sheets, leaving 2" between cookies.

Re-flour the mold and repeat.
Lightly brush away any excess flour (it doesn't have to be perfect, there will be some flour absorption during baking)

Chill the formed cookies for 1 hour while preheating the oven to 350F (175C) degrees.
Bake until golden brown; 10 minutes for small speculaas and 13-15 minutes for larger ones.

Move to a rack and allow to cool. (if you can)

There, now that wasn't too painful was it?  All in all, once you have done it a couple of times it goes really quick.  Granted, this is not as quick as rolling and cutting, but sometimes tradition is more important.  And let's face it.  These cookies LOOK wicked cool.  Am I right?

Goed Eten!!

~~