Category Archives: Dessert

Frozen Maple Mousse – Patreon Exclusive

Sources: From Putney Matrons cookbook, 1957

Prep: 10 minutes, with 1 hour of cooling   –   Cooking: 15 minutes   –    Freezing: 8 hours, or overnight

Makes: 6-8 servings

Dietary: GF

This recipe comes from a unique little collection of Vermont recipes that I acquired as part of an auction lot several years ago. Put together by the Putney Vermont Past Matrons Club, Golden Rule Chapter #3, from the Order of the Eastern Star. A cursory look online indicates that the chapter is no longer active, which makes this a special slice of semi-local history, a little look at 1957. Other tempting recipes from this little booklet include Ethel Monroe’s “Angel Gingerbread”,  E. Scott’s “Plum Rum Jam”, and Alwilda Norwood’s “Peanut Butter Apple Pudding”. That last one really piqued my interest, as it looks to be an upside-down cake, with gooey apples layered on top of a delicious PB cake.

This recipe for Maple Mousse looks to be one of Elizabeth Scott’s as well. Although somewhat sparing with the instructions, it is dead simple to make. The “mousse” that results is honestly a lot like a proto maple creamie, for those who’ve had the pleasure of sampling the VT specialty. This is a little more the consistency of hard-serve custard, rather than the soft-serve swirls available throughout the summer up here. It’s also adjacent to a semi-freddo, if you cut down on the freezing time, but equally tasty. The texture is fairly light yet decadent, with that incomparable maple flavor running throughout.

My Changes:

Next time I try this, I’d be inclined to beat the egg whites with a little sugar to make a proper meringue consistency. Beaten plain, as described, doesn’t lend all that much volume to the dish. Oh, or maybe even drizzle some of the hot maple base in, to try and make more of an Italian meringue?

What do you think?

Recipe for Frozen Maple Mousse

This recipe is exclusive to Patreon subscribers- sign up to access it here: Patreon

 

The Mandalorian – Blue Macarons

There’s a LOT to love about The Mandalorian. The authentic feel of Star Wars that hearkens back to the original trilogy, the callbacks to other SW stories and characters, not to mention the amazing technology that totally immerses the actors and fans in each setting.

But one thing I love (granted, I am totally biased) is their constant inclusion of food and drink. Whether it’s the bone broth in season one or the blue spotchka that keeps appearing in taverns and cantinas, it’s a recurring detail of the Mandalorian, which is pretty unusual for a serial show.

So, of course, when those crumbly, delicious looking blue macarons popped onto screen in chapter 10, I shrieked with delight. Macarons are one of my very favorite sweet treats (along with dark chocolate sea salt caramels… YUM) and I couldn’t wait to take a crack at these.

And so, with my newfound confidence in my ability to make macarons (thanks to this book), those delectable treats leapt to the top of my list of new recipes. I asked on Twitter for suggestions for flavors, and got a lot of great suggestions. Buuuuuut they were all great ideas for modern sweet macaron flavor pairings, and that didn’t strike me as unusual enough for a recipe set in the Star Wars ‘verse. In the same way that you can’t just add blue dye to milk, and call it Bantha Milk, you know?

Then I got to thinking, what if it’s actually a savory macaron? Like, the mother of that selfish little kid packed him a lunch, and he just tucked into it early. After all, the blue of spotchka comes from those blue krill, so why not this? I have seen a lot of savory macaron variations online, like some with smoked salmon, goat cheese, and even chicken mole. None seemed doable in a way that would still allow for that smooth blue color.

I recently watched a video about macarons made with cricket flour, and you know what? That really clicked for me. After all, a lot of experts consider insects to be the next big food trend, not to mention a much more sustainable source of protein than meat or highly demanding nut trees. It seems to fit perfectly with a future-past space town.

It wasn’t until I was pulling the screen shots for comparison that I realized a couple of things… First off, it’s only half a macaron! There’s no filling, and no sandwich, so right off, this recipe isn’t quite right. Second is the color- I think, given the planet and what we’ve seen of blue food thus far in The Mandalorian, the color probably comes from those blue krill shrimp. Normally, for blue Star Wars food, I use blue butterfly pea flowers (which you might have on hand if you’ve been working through the Galaxy’s Edge cookbook), but there’s no easy way to get that color into the macaron mix. So I finally splurged on some vibrant new food colorings, and that was just the ticket to properly color match the screen food.

In the meantime, I got all excited about making macarons, so I couldn’t just abandon my efforts while I waited for the next delivery. For a variety of reasons (mostly time and current inability to shop for more than the basics) I played it mostly safe with the recipe this time. I did swap the traditional almond flour for some cashew flour that I had in the cupboard, which helped defamiliarize it a little. But I’ve got some cricket on order, and hope to edit this post accordingly soon.

PHEW. That was altogether too much talking on my part, and not enough eating on yours. So consider this a placeholder post, someday to be updated, just as soon as my cricket flour comes in the mail. ;)

Mandalorian Macarons, version 1

Prep: 20 minutes      Resting: 40 minutes       Baking: ~15 minutes

Makes: about 20+ macarons

Base Macarons:

  • 70 grams egg whites* (about 2 eggs), room temperature
  • 3 Tbs. granulated sugar
  • Pinch salt
  • Pinch cream of tartar
  • 3/4 cup almond or cashew flour
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • Blue food coloring

Begin by beating the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar for about a minute, until the mixture is frothy. While continuing to beat, add in the granulated sugar in a slow stream. Beat on medium speed for about 5 minutes or so, or until the meringue has formed stiff peaks. Beat in the food coloring until just mixed.

Sift together the nut flour and the powdered sugar into the bowl with the meringue, then use a spoon to beat everything together until smooth and glossy. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip. Pipe onto silicone pads or parchment paper over your baking sheets (there are great videos online of this) into little discs about 1” across. Once all the macarons are piped, pick up the baking sheet and repeatedly tap it firmly against your counter several times to work any rogue air bubbles out of the meringue. Set the baking sheets aside and let them dry for around 40 minutes, or until the tops of the macarons are not sticky to the touch. Preheat the oven to 250F.

Once the oven is up to temperature, bake the macarons for around 15-18 minutes. Every oven is different, so you may need to tweak the times a little. Once cool, the macarons should peel easily off the baking sheets. Fill every other half with a dollop of buttercream frosting (lemoncurd is also wonderful!) and sandwich together with an unfilled half.

*For better results, separate your egg whites into a small bowl and set overnight in the fridge to help a little of the extra moisture evaporate from them.

Lembas

In recent weeks, I have received several independent requests for a Lembas recipe, and I have to thank those of you who reached out and gave me the nudges I needed to finally get this recipe up on the blog.

You might think to yourself, “Huh, it’s super weird that there aren’t more LotR recipes on this super awesome fictional food blog!” Well, there’s actually a reason for that. Years and years ago, after Feast of Ice and Fire was newly published, I actually made a lot of LotR foods, mostly as proof of concept for a LotR cookbook pitch. Unfortunately, that attempt didn’t go anywhere, so I decided to self-publish what I had in the form of the Shire Cookbook. It was well received by the few folks who found it online, but I’ve since taken it down as part of an effort to try for an official cookbook again. It’s such a great fit for what I do, and how I do it, and the fanbase would LOVE to have it. Cross your fingers!

 

In the meantime, I’ll be uploading a few of my favorite recipes from that collection to the blog. And what could be a more perfect start to that than Lembas? For this recipe, I considered a number of things when building the ingredients list. First off, the practicality of this needing to be a pretty durable high calorie travel food. Thus the inclusion of some tasty fat in the form of butter, healthy sweetener from honey, and awesome flours. We don’t know what spiffy magic things the elves include in their lembas, so I decided to have a little fun with mine, including some elderflower as a play on “eldar” and some thyme because elves are so long-lived. The result, I hope, is something comforting and familiar, with just enough otherness to keep it interesting.

And that is PLENTY enough words on my end. :) I just hate when you have to scroll through half a novel just to get to the good part, The Recipe:

Lembas Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1-2 tsp. freshly minced thyme
  • 2 tsp. dried elderflower
  • 1 cup oat flour
  • 1/2 cup nut flour (chestnut, hazelnut, acorn, or almond)
  • 1/4 cup hot water
  • large leaves for wrapping
  • twine

Preheat the oven to 300F and set out a sheet of parchment paper.

Beat the butter and honey together in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Add in the thyme and elderflower, then gradually work in all the flour, adding just a little water at a time if necessary. You should end up with a fairly stiff dough that can nonetheless be rolled out. Roll out the dough on top of the sheet of parchment paper to somewhere around 1/2-inch thick. Move the dough and paper over to a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, until the lembas is just starting to turn golden. Remove from the oven and cut into small squares while still warm.

To prepare your lembas for travel, wrap each square in a leave and tie off with twine. Many types of leaves work well for this task, but if you are lucky enough to live somewhere with Sassafras trees, I found that their leaves are the best substitute in shape and size for those of the mallorn.

Redwall – Apple Cream Pudding

I have to preface this post with a little info. Although the Redwall series was written by BrianJacques, a Brit, I’ve gone with an American style pudding for this recipe.

Don’t get me wrong. I think a British style boiled pud, with stewed, spiced apples, doused with a rich creamy custard sauce would be just the thing. Heck, I’d eat half of it myself. But I’ve fallen prey to that devious, creeping monster that can take anyone by surprise…

Nostalgia.

You see, as a child, I was a picky eater. And I mean SUPER picky. PB sandwiches and Mac and Cheese were pretty much my entire food pyramid (I’ll be honest, they’re still the base of the pyramid…). But I was in love with the Redwall series, and the descriptions of food in those books made even my mouth water. A cluster of friends and I decided, somehow, to throw a Redwall feast. We dressed up, made quite a few dishes from the books, and even made a replica of Redwall Abbey in gingerbread (GingerbRedwall Abbey- it was epic). It was my very first foray into fictional foods. 

There was a pudding in that feast that I’ve never gotten over. I suspect it was just some instant vanilla pudding with some applesauce or some such stirred in, but to my untried palate, it was phenomenal. 20 odd years later, I’m still thinking about it. And that’s why I’ve leaned more toward the pudding of my childhood than what the author probably had in mind. Perhaps one of these days I’ll sort out the other version, as well.

To my nostalgic mind, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to recreating that childhood pudding, but it’s still not quite there. I blame the elusiveness of memory. My husband, however, who never tasted that bygone dessert, and isn’t even much of a pudding fan, loved this recipe. Without knowing it was inspired by Redwall, he suggested serving it with a hazelnut biscuit and fresh berries, and that’s such a completely Redwall pairing that I consider it a success. ;)

Apple Cream Pudding Recipe

Cooking: 20 minutes      Chilling: 1 hour or more

Makes: about 4 good sized servings

Dietary: GF

Pairs well with: hazelnut biscuits and fresh berries

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup apple cider
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 3 Tbs. arrowroot or cornstarch
  • 2 egg yolks
  • pinch salt

 

Pour the milk, and apple cider into a medium pot over medium heat and bring to just under a boil. Add the vanilla and honey and stir for a few minutes to allow the honey to dissolve.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, cornstarch, egg yolks, and salt. While still whisking, pour a little of the hot milk into the bowl to temper the mixture, then pour everything back into the pot. Cook for around 5 minutes more, stirring all the while, until the mixture has thickened noticeably. Remove from heat, strain into a clean bowl, and cover with plastic. Chill for at least an hour to help the pudding set.

Harry Potter – Chocolate Candy Wands

So, these actually started out as an attempt to make the licorice wands from Honeydukes. I tried a few batches, all failures, either too hard or too soft or just too darn finicky. Then I remembered something that would prove crucial to the development of this recipe…

I don’t actually like licorice.

So the next time I set about trying to make it, I thought, what if I do chocolate flavored instead? And two dozen wands later, I’m noshing on what turns out to essentially be homemade tootsie rolls, and I couldn’t be more delighted. I ate one for research, another one to make sure I had a handle on the description, and one more because it went well with afternoon tea. 

While the finished wands might not be up to Ollivander’s level of quality, they do share some similar features: They are of varying lengths, and range from fairly bendy to reasonably supple. They’re a nice dark color, say of black walnut or redwood.

All in all, I’d say this one was a delicious success, and pretty easy to make: Just swish, flick, and gobble!

Chocolate Candy Wands Recipe

Prep: 10 minutes       Cooking: 20-30 minutes       Cooling: 1 hour, or more       Shaping: 15 minutes

Makes: 1-2 dozen wands

Ingredients:

  • 5 Tbs. butter, plus more for pan
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup molasses
  • 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 3 Tbs. cocoa powder
  • pinch of cinnamon, or Chinese 5-spice for extra flavor
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Lightly butter a 9-inch square baking pan, then place a piece of lightly buttered parchment paper over the bottom with the sides sticking out to help you lift the candy out once it’s cooled. 

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, then add in the sugar, molasses, condensed milk, cocoa powder, and spices, if using. Bring up to a boil, and cook, stirring pretty frequently to keep the bottom from burning, until it reaches about 240F. Take off the heat and working quickly, stir in the flour, making sure you have no lumps, then pour into the prepared pan. Let cool for around an hour or so.

Once the mixture is cool to the touch, lift out of the pan and set on a cutting board. Using a large sharp knife, chop the candy into long skinny triangles. Starting on the wider end, begin twisting each triangle up towards the point. Don’t worry too much about twisting evenly because every wand is different! Set aside and continue until you’ve used up all the candy. 

These are best enjoyed the same day, but can be stored in between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container for a few days or more. 

 

Witcher – Honey Spice Cake

Guys, I know it’s been a while since I polled you all online about what fictional worlds you’d most like to see new recipes from. Like, a really, really long time. I’ve been mobbed with work projects, and the blog took the hit.

BUT! Witcher was the winner of those polls, and I’m so excited to present you with this spice cake recipe today! The basic outline for the recipe comes from a recipe that you can find in-game, but the proportions of that are… interesting. I’d love to give it a try, as written, one of these days, because I suspect it might be pretty cool. For the meantime, I balanced the ingredients out a little to make a more recognizable cake and added a really tasty honey cream cheese drizzle over top, just because. It’s a really moist, somewhat dense cake with rich spice and honey flavors. Definitely a welcome addition to the breakfast or teatime lineups during this frigid winter week!

 

Recipe for Ra’mses Gor-Thon’s Honey Spice Cake

Note: The original recipe calls for buckwheat honey, which is super dark and heavily flavored, and not liked by everyone. To be on the safe side, a more common wildflower honey will do just fine.

Cake Ingredients:
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup honey
  • 1/2 tsp. five spice
  • 1 tsp. cardamom
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 2 whole eggs beaten lightly
  • 2 1/2 cups spelt flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350F and lightly butter an 8″ round cake pan.

Combine the milk and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat, and warm up until just combined. Remove from heat and stir in the spices and butter. Using a hand mixer, blend in the eggs, then the remaining ingredients, beating until you have a nice smooth mixture. Transfer this into the prepared cake pan, then bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Let the cake cool for about 20 minutes in the pan to let the sides pull away, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool the rest of the way. While the cake is cooling, make up the icing below.

 Icing:
  • 2 Tbs. runny honey
  • 4 Tbs. cream cheese
  • ~1/2 cup powdered sugar

Using a hand mixer or an immersion blender, blend together the honey and cream cheese until completely smooth, then stir in just enough powdered sugar to get a thick consistency that can still be drizzled. Decorate the cooled cake with whatever pattern you like.

All Souls Trilogy – Soul Cake

I have a secret librarian who has been sending me all sorts of books that I might not know to pick up on my own. They range from rather saucy YA novels to some really interesting pseudo-historical series, and I’ve had a blast working my way through them. One of the most recent was the All Souls Trilogy, written by Deborah Harkness. There’s time travel, vampire, witches, and daemons, and some really excellent food descriptions.

Our first recipe from that series actually comes as the result of a mis-remembering. I was positive that cakes were mentioned right around the time of All Hallows Eve (it turns out they’re for Christmas carolers), but once I had it in my mind, I couldn’t shake it. So, onward we plunge!

Although these soul cakes are not canon to the All Souls trilogy, they would certainly fit in well, as they are dated back to at least the mid 1600s, and quite possibly much, much earlier than that. Traditionally, they were made to give out on All Souls Day, November 2nd. The poor would go door to door, offering to pray for the dead in exchange for alms in the form of these little cakes.

I had some trouble finding an old recipe for soul cakes, but found several references to them being oaten, or containing spices or currants. So, in for a penny, in for a pound, I included everything. What a delight these would have been to the poorer classes, who probably never encountered such rich flavors except on such special occasions such as this.

As for the little lanterns, jack-o-lanterns were originally made from turnips! I’ve always wanted to try it, and this recipe shoot was the perfect excuse. The only hiccup is that these awesome little turnip lanterns started turning up in the 1800s. So while the cakes precede the lanterns by several hundred years, the tradition of handing them out likely continued into the 19th. century. And hey, I told you there was time travel involved!

And I promise I’ll go canon for the next All Souls recipe. You know I can’t resist making a caudle… ;)

Recipe for Soul Cakes

makes: 2-3 dozen, depending on size       Baking: ~15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 rolled oats (a little more is fine)
  • 1/2 tsp. each ground cinnamon, ginger, and mace
  • 1/2 cup raw sugar
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1/2 cup dried currants
  • 2 heaping Tbs. candied peel
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup ale or semi-sweet white wine (sherry is also delicious)

Preheat the oven to 375F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, oats, spices, and sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Rub in the butter until you have a nice even crumbly consistency. Stir in the currants and candied peel, followed by the egg. Begin gradually adding in your beer or wine until the dough comes together into a workable consistency.

Lightly flour your counter or work surface and roll out the dough to about 1/4″ thick. Cut into rounds and place them on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for about 15 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack.

If you’d like to ice the cakes, wait until they are completely cooled, then mix powdered sugar and a pinch of nutmeg with a little milk until it’s nice and thick, but can still be drizzled. A cross shape is traditional, but use any design you like!

 

Tips for carving turnips:

I found two tools invaluable: a melon baller to hollow out the turnips, and those little ribbon cutters used for carving clay. If you’ve got some schmancy pumpkin carving tools, I’m guessing those will work great, too. Because the carved turnips are so much smaller than pumpkins, battery powered votive candles work really well for illuminating them, but small stubs of candles can also work. You may need to cut a vent hole in the back to keep the candle burning.

NW – Fruit Compote

Fruity Compote

I don’t know what the weather’s like where you are, but here in New England we are getting some seriously unseasonably chilly, rainy weather.

Not. A. Fan.

So naturally, I have been craving stews, pasta, and other hearty, filling dishes. In Westeros, that means looking toward recipes from the North, from Winterfell and Castle Black, which is where today’s simple recipe comes from.

This easy dish can be served either alongside a meat course or as a dessert in its own right. It makes use of ingredients commonly found in Westeros, even at the Wall: dried fruit, a few spices, and a touch of tangy vinegar. The warmth of the cinnamon and the bite of small ginger bits mixed among the fruit would be a welcome part of a meal in the frigid north, while the tender stewed fruits an infrequent treat. Consider serving with pork, beef, or lamb.

Night’s Watch Compote Recipe

Prep: 10 minutes   –   Cooking: 30 minutes

Makes: about 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 apples and/or pears
  • 1/4 cup dried dates, diced
  • 1/4 cup dried figs, stemmed and quartered
  • 1/4 cup dried currants
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • 1 heaped Tbs. diced candied ginger
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/2 c white wine
  • 2 Tbs. white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 c sugar
  • water to cover

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan, and add just enough water to cover. Cook on medium low heat for about 30 minutes, or until the fruit is soft, but not mushy, and most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove the cinnamon stick, and transfer the compote to a serving dish or clean jar. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week. Best served warm.

 

 

Star Wars – Mandalorian Uj’alayi Cake

“So Kal Skirata– mercenary, assassin, and failed father– spent a stormy evening on Kamino sharing uj cake with six dangerously clever small boys who could already handle firearms and talk like adults, teaching them that they came from a warrior tradition, and that they had a language and a culture, and much to be proud of.” – Republic Commando: Hard Contact, by Karen Traviss, 2004

Uj cake, or Uj’alayi, was first mentioned in the novel Republic Commando: Hard Contact, by Karen Traviss, published in 2004. There’s not a lot of description of it, apart from sliceable, sweet, and flavorful. Combining that with the wiki description: “A flat, dense, and sticky cake, uj’alayi was made of crushed nuts, dried fruits, and a sweet spiced syrup known as uj’ayl“, I had something in mind, but to be sure I was on the right track, I asked the author and originator of the dish. She confirmed that she’d been thinking of Panforte de Sienna, which was pretty close to what I had in mind, so that’s the route I’ve taken. Isn’t social media amazing? :)

In the novel, we see Kal Skirata teaching several very young clone troopers about the Mandalorian heritage they have, and that includes the food. While some of it might be a hard sell to boys trained to be soldiers and nothing else, the uj cake smooths the way.

And no wonder. This dense disc of assorted fruits and nuts is held together with tangy molasses and honey, laced with rich spices. It’s the kind of treat that feels heavy with history and culture, as well, so I think it’s a great match for that delicious sounding Mandalorian treat.

Consider serving with either Cassius Tea or a steaming cup of Spiced Caf.

I’ve added this recipe to the lineup for Fictional Foodies’ May Star Wars lineup. Check out the other cool recipes folks have submitted here.

Uj’alayi Cake Recipe

Cook’s notes: This is the assortment that I put into my recipe, but if you are constrained by budget or availability of ingredients, just aim for 2 1/2 cups of nuts, and 2 1/2-3 cups of dried fruit.

Prep: 20 minutes       Baking: 45 minutes       Cooling: 45 minutes

Makes: 10-20 servings, depending on size

Location: Mandalore, Outer Rim Territories

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup hazelnuts
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds
  • 1/2 cup candied mixed peel
  • 1 cup golden raisins
  • 1/2 cup diced dried figs
  • 1/4 cup dried currants
  • 1/4 cup dried cherries
  • 2 heaping Tbs. diced candied ginger
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. ground mace
  • pinch each fresh pepper, curry powder
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 2/3 cup honey
  • 2/3 cup pomegranate or date molasses
  • 2 Tbs. butter
  • confectioners’ sugar, for topping

Preheat your oven to 300°F and line an 8″ round cake pan with parchment and butter the parchment and the sides of the pan. If you have a springform pan, I think those work best. 

Combine the nuts, candied peel, dried fruits, spices, salt, and flour in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine, making sure to break up any clumps of stuck-together fruit or overly large nut pieces.

Combine the honey, molasses, and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring it up to a boil, and then keep cooking down until it reaches soft ball stage, about 245°F. Remove from heat and immediately pour into the bowl of nuts and fruits. Stir thoroughly and quickly to make sure the flour is all absorbed and the mixture is evenly covered, then scrape it all into the prepared pan. Press it down firmly with moistened fingers, then bake for ~40 minutes. 

It won’t seem firm enough when it comes out of the oven, but let it sit for another 45 minutes, then run a knife around the edge to loosen it. Flip out onto a cutting surface lined with more parchment paper.

Uj cake can be wrapped tightly and kept for several months at room temperature. Slice into thin wedges to serve.

 

 

Star Wars – Sweet-Sand Cookies

Star Wars baking - Sweet-Sand Cookies
“Yes, I did sit down and talk surrender terms with Loathsom, over a cup of tarine tea. He became most ungentlemanly when he realized it was his surrender we were talking about. Have these people no manners? He didn’t even offer me a sweet-sand cookie.” ―Star Wars: The Clone Wars novel, by Karen Traviss, 2008

Not much is known about these cookies, but they’ve been mentioned in a few places, beginning with the novelization of the Clone Wars film. From that, we know that Kenobi was somewhat put out that Whorm Loathsom didn’t offer him any cookies during their surrender negotiations.

Since they’re from Christophsis, I suppose I should have added some blue to the sand topping, as the planet is covered with blue crystaline formations. Or, you know, used blue bantha butter, so the whole thing would have a blue tint. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about fictional cooking, it’s that there’s almost always room for improvement. And there’s always next time! ;)

Update: I’ve added this recipe to the lineup for Fictional Foodies’ May Star Wars lineup. Check out the other cool recipes folks have submitted here.

Sweet-Sand Cookie Recipe

Legends

Prep: 10 minutes       Chilling: 30 minutes       Baking: 10 minutes

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Location: Christophsis, Outer Rim Territories

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick salted butter
  • 1/2 cup finely ground raw sugar
  • 1/2 cup almond meal
  • 1 egg
  • pinch ground vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cup flour
  • sliced almonds, for garnish

For Sweet-Sand Topping:

  • 1/4 cup raw sugar
  • 1 Tbs. brown sugar
  • 1 Tbs. almond meal
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 2 Tbs. heavy cream

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar, followed by the almond meal, egg, and vanilla. Gradually add in the flour until the dough is no longer sticky, and pulls together. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8″-1/4″ thickness, then cut into discs. If you like, press some almond slices into the top of some. Move the cookies onto the prepared baking sheets, and place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.

Just before you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F. Bake for around 10 minutes, until the bottoms and sides of the cookies are just starting to brown.

While the cookies bake, prepare your sweet-sand mixture by combining the sugar, brown sugar, almond meal, and cinnamon. When the cookies are done, allow to cool for around a minute, then brush the cream onto the hot cookie. Immediately dip each brushed cookie into the sweet-sand mix, tap off any excess, and set aside. Consider serving with some Tarine Tea.