Friday, February 10, 2012

Estonian recipes: Condensed Milk Cookies (kondenspiimaküpsised)

Condensed milk cookies / Kondenspiimaküpsised

I'm continuing with sharing Estonian recipes with you this month, in anticipation of the national holiday later this month. Here's a small baking project for the weekend - small, delicious and crispy-tender condensed milk cookies. The recipe is adapted from a classic Estonian cookbook "Valik toiduretsepte" (the 1974 edition), where they're called simply "milk cookies". The sweetened condensed milk gives those cookies not only a desired sweetness, but also a slight dulce de leche flavour, which I find very appealing.

Condensed Milk Cookies
(Kondenspiimaküpsised)

250 g all-purpose/plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla sugar or vanilla extract
150 g cold butter, cubed
175 g sweetened condensed milk
2-3 Tbsp water

a small egg whisked with some water, for brushing

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla sugar) in a bowl, then add the cold cubed butter. Using a knife, cut the butter into the flour mixture, until it resembed wet crumbs. Now add the condensed milk and using your hands, knead into a ball (you may not need the water at all).
Place the dough into the fridge for half an hour, so the gluten can relax a little.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until 3-4 mm thick (1/8th of an inch). Cut into shapes (I cut into diamonds, using a roller cutter).
Transfer the cookies into a lined baking sheet and brush with an egg wash.
Bake in a preheated 200 C / 400 F oven until light golden brown.

9 comments:

Iris Chang said...

Pille, I miss the cakes, pies... whatever u baked...

MelissaH said...

Is the condensed milk an Estonian tradition? Was fresh milk hard to get or keep at some time? Just wondering. :-)

Regina said...

Hi, I wanted to tell you I used your recipe to make these cookies. My husband and I really enjoyed them! Thanks so much for sharing!

Pille said...

Iris - good old times at the Churchill House kitchen in Edinburgh, I know :)

Melissa - fresh milk was around as well, but this recipe uses sweetened condensed milk, and that gives them a totally different (and nice!) flavour

Regina - thank you!!

Anonymous said...

For what holiday are the cookies eaten.

Pille said...

Anon. - no specific holiday, just your regular afternoon cuppa :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Pille, i wanted to let you know i tried these cookies and loved them! Thanks for the recipe and my compliments for your beautiful blog!

Terry

http://crumpetsandco.wordpress.com/2013/11/17/kondenspiimakupsised-biscotti-al-latte-condensato-estoni-estonian-condensed-milk-cookies/

heidi said...

Any idea how long they will last? Am thinking of baking them about one week in advance, would that be a problem?

Pille said...

Heidi, they might actually be fine for a week in a closed container in a cool place.