JULY 12 - WORLD CUP DAY 24 - NETHERLANDS VS BRAZIL
So the month of football is nearing its end. Whether you're on the verge of a deep melancholic state as you begin to fear life for the next four years without any more World Cup matches, or if you're rejoicing as you'll soon have you regular life back, I'm a firm believer of wrapping things up with something sweet. So here is something sweet to begin to bring the World Cup to a close...
It's another Dutch dish (back to back!), but that's what I get for going full gung-ho with three Brazilian dishes earlier in the tournament (see: Feijoada, Moqueca de camarão and Brigadeiro).
This lovely cookie is crisp and light, perfect on its own with a cozy mug of tea - or my personal suggestion, as an ice cream sandwich (plain vanilla will do, but feel free to be more adventurous). Bonus: they only take 5 mins to bake! No brainer for an impromptu sugar craving.
Prep time: 10 minutes. Cook time: 10-20 mins (depending on number of batches of cookies.
4 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
1/2 cup of brown sugar, tightly packed
Preheat oven to 400F, place rack above the middle position
Cream the butter with the sugar and the cinnamon. Add flour one tablespoon at a time until it's all absorbed. Fold in the peanuts.
The dough should be slightly sticky but easy to work with. If it sticks too much, add a little bit of flour or refrigerate the dough for ten minutes, then try again.
Test one cookie by rolling a little piece of dough into a large marble-sized ball. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the dough marble on top and slightly flatten it with the palm of your hand.
Bake for 5 minutes. The dough will spread significantly because of the high sugar/fat content, but will burn quickly so keep an eye on it
Take the tray out of the oven, let the cookie cool for a minute or two, then transfer on to a cooling rack, where it will harden as it cools. Did it spread too much? Add half a tablespoon of flour and mix into the dough. Not spread enough? Add half a tablespoon of water. Try again. Once the dough is right, roll the rest into balls and bake (aka steps 4&5)
Original recipes adapted from the The Dutch Table