Zandkoekjes

Zandtaartjes are.. Extremely Dutch cookies. Their name literally translates into 'sandpies'. Because they look like the sandpies you make in the sand pit. You can buy them in the supermarket, or make them at home. However, coming across zandtaartjes tins is not that easy. My mum has a few, but I have been unable to find new ones anywhere. Until I went shopping at the Markthal in Rotterdam (see my post earlier).

With my new tins, of course.. I had to bake. I use a recipe from an old cookbook from my mum (with some adaptions) which has been used so much, it is falling apart and we've had to copy seperate pages.

Ingredients (with my 4cm(bottom)/7cm(top) tins makes about 14)

Flower: 225 grams

Salt: 1 gram (really NO MORE)

Sugar: 112 grams

Butter (COLD): 169 grams

(optional cinnamon to taste or some vanilla sugar)

Mix the flower, salt and sugar together. Cube the butter and add it to the bowl, either use your kitchen machine with the dough hook or quickly kneed with your hands until you get a firm ball. (with your kitchenmachine you may need to kneed the last bit with your hands to create a ball).

Grease your tins (you can use any kind, even a cupcake tin, just make sure you use tins not silicone!!). Fill them with dough for about 80%. Bake in a 160C pre-heated oven for 24-27 minutes (until golden brown). Take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin for a couple of minutes then gently tap them out and leave them to cool on a rack. 

Recipe time! Ultimate cookie recipe time!

Yes, I finally got up from the sofa to grab my recipe binder to bring you the recipe of my divine cookies!

Thanks to my lovely friend Mimi, I know have a photo of the store bought cookies as well!

Just so you know where the inspiration came from!!

Cookies (makes about 100)

420g plain flour (3 cups)

2 teaspoons baking powder

200g granulated sugar (1 cup)

225g butter. Cold and cubed.

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla aroma or extract.

Preheat your oven to  and cover your baking tray(s) with baking paper

Sift the flower with the baking powder and set aside. Mix the sugar with the butter until nice and creamy, add the egg and the aroma and mix until incorporated. Add the flower and mix until just combined. Gently knead until you can form a nice ball. Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Roll on a lightly floured surface until about 4mm thick. (the thicker the dough the longer it needs to bake and vice versa). I used a shot glass as a cookie cutter, because that seemed like the ideal cookie size to me, but you can use whichever you like! Place your cookies on the baking tray(s) and place them in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking.

Bake for 10-15 minutes (oven and cookie thickness dependent) until lightly golden brown.

Remove tray from oven, leave cookies to cool for a few minutes and then place them on a cooling rack. (they need to cool down completely before putting the icing on).

Frosting (for about 50-60 cookies)

300 grams white chocolate (chopped)

170 grams butter

1 sachet vanilla sugar

Powdered sugar (to consistency)

Milk (to consistency)

Melt the chocolate, let cool slightly. Cream the butter and add cooled chocolate, add vanilla sugar. Mix at low speed. Then bit by bit add milk and powdered sugar until you reachyour desired consistency. For this recipe, I left the frosting on the firmer side. (When I tried piping it, it burst my piping bag, that firm, I could mould it into balls with my hands).

Decorate cookies

Candy balls (or as we call it in Dutch 'disco')

Cookies

Frosting 

Roll little balls of the frosting and press them out to discs on the cookies, press the cookies (frosting side down) into the disco et voila!

The Ultimate Christmas Cookie. ULTIMATE!

I put away Christmas today, and now I'm sad. But old habits die hard, so Christmas gets put away on Three Kings. (Felices Reyes Magos if you are celebrating).

I also put away my recipes, which wasn't smart, but it means this post will be photo heavy and recipe light. And by light I mean, you'll have to wait for it.

Every year for Christmas and Easter I buy a pack (or three) of the same cookies and devour them all far too fast. Sadly I can't find a photo of these cookies, but hopefully come Easter I'll remember to update this post. Anyway, this year I decided to make my own! Be ause nothing tastes better than homemade cookies. And so I baked cookies. A lot. Of. Cookies. 120 to be precise. I didn't eat them all, I promise, I gave loads away! And they were received well. I mean, it's one thing liking your own cookies, it's another for others to like them! (my dad says I'm never allowed to eat the store bought ones again)

The proces and result: (I really thought I had more photos)