Friday, April 8, 2022

Medieval Cookies of Joy


How could I resist a cookie with a name like "Cookies of Joy?" 

I found this medieval cookie recipe in an article by Atlas Obscura. I made a few small changes, but here is the original article for you to enjoy. The history of this recipe is very interesting. 

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/medieval-cookie-recipe 


This recipe made 4 dozen small cookies. 

12 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup raw honey
4 egg yolks
2 1/2 cups spelt flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves

Melt the butter. In a mixing bowl, mix the honey, brown sugar and egg yolks. Add the salt & spices to the honey mixture. Pour in the melted butter and beat well. When it's homogenous, scrape from the bowl sides to ensure all ingredients are mixed in. Then slowly add the flour. Continue mixing on slow speed until completely incorporated. 

The dough will be sticky and wet. Scrape into a smaller bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour. 

*****************************************************************

Heat over to 375*F

Try either method:

1. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thick and cut circles with a cookie cutter.

or

2. Using a small scoop, make balls of dough and flatten with a glass. 


Bake on parchment paper for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. 

Cool completely and then dust with powdered sugar. Store in sealed container. 



Adding melted butter to honey/sugar/spice mixture. 

Adding Spelt flour, an ancient grain. 

The dough is the consistency of fresh taffy, very soft.

Batter poured and scraped into a clean bowl, to go into the fridge. 

Scooped balls of cold dough and flattened with 
a glass and parchment paper, 1/4 inch thick

Baked 10 minutes at 375*

I thought they tasted a bit dark and needed a bit more sweetness. 
So, I dusted them with powdered sugar. 

Another idea would be to sprinkled the dough with sugar before baking. 
It added a little pleasant crunch too. 

I didn't know what to expect from this recipe. It sounded intriguing. 
The taste is reminiscent of gingerbread, but not quite. It's darker, less sweet. 

May your heart be filled with Joy!  




No comments:

Post a Comment