Cookies can be the most wondrous dessert when done right. Our family recipe is fairly new, but tastes delicious and begged for by relatives each time we go to visit. The secret is chopped almonds and fine vanilla pods used in cooking. The almonds make the texture of the cookie dough more exciting: a playful mix between chewy and crunchy. We also proudly use fresh vanilla pods instead of weak, almost artificial tasting vanilla extract for the flavouring. It’s very powerful, and just 1 large vanilla pod can flavour the entire batch of cookies! You can even use the vanilla pod later on for making vanilla sugar.
Recipe: Vanilla Almond Cookies
Servings: About 24 cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup demerera sugar (subtitute for course brown sugar crystals)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped almonds
- 200g unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp milk
- 1 large vanilla pod (about 4 grams)
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Cooking method:
- Preheat oven to 1850C.
- Sieve flour with baking powder and salt.
- Beat together butter and sugar until soft and creamy.
- Scrape out all the vanilla from the pod, add milk and add to the butter and sugar mix. Gradually mix in flour to the butter mix until all used up.
- Finally add chopped almonds and gently fold it in.
- Line a baking tray with baking sheet.
- Roll out around 24 medium sized balls, flatten slightly and lay on the baking sheet and bake for 12-13 minutes or until golden in color.
Tip: For making the most of your vanilla pod, after scraping out the vanilla, stick your pod into your sugar jar. The sugar will gradually take on the flavour of the vanilla and turn into Vanilla Sugar!
photo: Marion