Cardamom Cookies

Last year some friends of mine came for a visit three weeks before Christmas and we started our very own Christmas Cookie Bakery. Each of us chose two or three reciepes and so we had loads of different cookies to share with the others, instead of loads of one or two different sorts. We loved it so much, that we did it again, but in another constellation (K. and me as the 'core' because it was her idea and we do it in my kitchen, plus one or two other people).

One sort of cookies we tried out last year (for the first time for all of us) were these cardamom cookies. We loved them so much that we had to make them again. I have to admit that mine are miracuously gone already ;) So, I have to bake them before Christmas again, as gifts for friends.

All you need is:

200 g soft butter (at room temperature)
100 g sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar
1 tbsp. rum
1 tsp. cardamom
1 pinch cinnamon
250 g flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 pinch salt
100 g chocolate (the recipe says milk chocolate, but we used dark chocolate)

Mix all ingredients, except for the chocolate, until they form a dough. Devide it in two and form one long cylindric shape each, about 3 cm in diametre. Wrap into cling foil and put into the fridge for about 6 hours, better over night.

Preheat the oven to 175°C. Meanwhile, discard the foil from the dough and cut each 'saussage' into 1.5 cm slices. When placing them onto a lined baking tray, leave some space between each slice because they will spread. Bake for about 10-15 minutes.

When the cookies are cooled down completely, melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or in the microwave on low temperature (be careful not to overheat it, or it will get unusable). Dip the cookies halfway into the chocolate and place them on baking paper and let dry completely.

 

 

 

Believe me, the whole kitchen will smell of cardamom. Did I already mention that I LOVE cardamom? The taste, the smell, everything... Well, I think, that is why thees goodies never last long :)