Eric and I are serving coffee at church tommorrow morning, and although not expected, it has become more common for people to bring cookies or bars for after church fellowship. I love this- as it gives me the perfect excuse to bake! I decided on two Dutch pastry-like cookies. (recipes at end of post)
Jan Hagel
(pronounced 'yawn hoggle')
I read that jan hagel loosely means "unruly mob"- gotta watch those rowdy dutch CRC guys! :)- but there is nothing unruly about this recipe as it is a fairly simple pastry. It does not involve any chilling, rolling or sticky issues, making it a perfect starter recipe if you are new to the pastry world. I have made it several times and always have success, even when I underbake it like I did this time- Oops! Still yummy and probably not even noticeable to the less critical eye. I topped mine with almonds, which are my favorite.
Krakelingen
(pronounced 'crack-lean-gen'- the g is like the e in egg, not like in gentle)
Krakelingen is definitely more challenging than jan hagel. But with a greater challenge comes greater satisfaction. Its basically a pie crust dough that you roll into snake shapes and then twist into figure 8's. I thought- pie crust?- easy! Ha, Ha- definitely more difficult and time consuming than a crust. A couple of years ago, I know I would have thrown my hands up in frustration and given up. But a certain wise husband of mine has taught me to be more patient through example and through blunt command! :) The first sewing project I worked on after we got married I was about to give up on- as was my habit. But Eric had other ideas- he told me that I was not allowed to start any other project until I finished this one! OOOh, that got my blood boiling- but even in my anger I saw that he was trying to teach me a valuable lesson long coming. Since finishing that project- with surprising satisfaction- I have been learning to give challenging jobs another try before tossing it out. And as the case was with these cookies, my hard work paid off! But do be warned, if you dont like making pie crusts or working with sticky doughs- this may not come easy to you either- but I have worked out some of the kinks for you so dont toss this one out too quickly!
Jan Hagel
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1 egg, seperated
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. almond or vanilla extract
1 c. chopped nuts
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. water
-Cream the butter, sugar and egg yoke
-Add the flour, baking soda, salt and flavoring and mix thoroughly
-Spread dough evenly and completely onto an 11x15 baking sheet using your fingers or the back of a spoon
-In a small bowl, whisk together the egg white and water until it is a little foamy and no longer slimy. Then spread it over the dough (I never use it all- I just give it a generous coating)
-Mix the nuts and cinnamon together and sprinkle on top of the dough
-Bake at 300 degrees for 25-30 min until just starting to brown
-Cool slightly, but cut while still warm to avoid crumbling.
-Let it cool a bit more before removing them from the pan
Krakelingen
2 c. butter, chilled and sliced into pads
1/2 c. water
4 c. flour
sugar
-Put the flour in a large bowl and cut the chilled butter into it using a pastry blender or your favorite method.
-Gradually add the water to sections of the crumbly butter/flour mixture with a fork- forming a dough similiar to pie crust. (I do my pie crusts in my mixer, so Im wondering if that would work here- if you try it let me know how it goes, as Im sure that would be much easier)
-When it starts to come together, divide it in half and working quickly, shape each one into a somewhat smooth ball.
-Cover and refrigerate overnight.
-The next day take the dough out and let it "warm up" a bit so it is easier to work with. (I tried to roll it straight out of the fridge like the original recipe said, but for me it was impossible- so I ended up rolling it out like a crust and letting it sit a while before using it.)
-Take about a Tbsp size of the dough and roll it on a lightly floured surface like a snake about 8 inches long and the size of a pencil. Pinch the ends together forming an oval and then twist it to form a figure 8.
-Dip each side into sugar. (I dipped the bottom into granulated sugar and the top into turbinado sugar- raw sugar. Next time I want to dip it in egg white before the sugar to give it some shine)
-Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 12 min. (Traditionally- if you buy them at the dutch bakery they are browned on the bottom but very pale on top. Thats the way I did mine this time- but I forgot that I learned that pale pastry is bland pastry and so I baked my end scrap pieces until the edges were browned nicely and the flavor and flakiness difference was HUGE! Lesson- dont underbake pastry!)
A dutch baby, otherwise known as a German pancake, is basically a giant "eggy" pancake. Traditionally it should be sprinkled with lemon juice and dusted with powdered sugar. I did eat them this way, which was good, but we also tried them with maple syrup, Eric had his with molasses. And once we even did them with strawberries, strawberry coulis and whipped cream. Yeah, it was more like dessert for dinner! These are WAY more simple to make than the picture may make you think. The hot oven does all the hard work- but you will get the credit of a very impressive and unique dish! And they are fast too, so they make a fun easy breakfast, or anytime treat. I do have a little trouble with them sticking a bit to the bottom of the pan, so if anyone tries these and has good luck with them not sticking, I would love to know your secret.
