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End of the Road Recipes:
Last year, for the 86th annual Laskiainen sliding festival, I helped bake 384 loaves of Finnish cardamom bread. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and so looked forward to another year of baking with the talented group of ladies. Several of the ladies brought a variety of treats to serve during breaks last year, so I decided this year I would bring one of my favorite cookies; kolakakor.
Kolakakor is a Finnish term that translates to caramel slice. They are called kolasnittar in Swedish and brune pinner in Norwegian. These chewy, buttery cookies have the addition of dark syrup, which lends a caramel flavor. In Nordic countries, these cookies are made with Dan Sukker, a sugar beet syrup. Since that is unavailable here, dark corn syrup or molasses work just as well.
The original recipe was a bit difficult to work with, so I tweaked it until it was easy enough for a novice baker to make. The original version does not contain spices and is rolled in granulated sugar, but I like adding pumpkin pie spice or ground cardamom and rolling in cinnamon sugar. You can also substitute different extracts such as almond or orange for the vanilla.
Unfortunately, due to the recent spell of cold weather, I could not start my vehicle on the day I was to attend the baking session. Instead, I enjoyed a cozy day at home and a couple of these kolakakor cookies. Fortunately, kolakakor freeze well and the remaining cookies will be shared when I help make mojakka and Finnish pea soup for the festival.
The 87th annual Laskiainen Festival will be held on February 1st-2nd at the Loon Lake Community Center in Palo. Attendees can enjoy authentic Finnish foods, purchase locally made items from a craft fare, learn about Finnish culture, and slide down a hill and onto Loon Lake behind the community center. Sliders must bring their own sleds. For more information, head to the Laskiainen Facebook page.
KOLAKAKOR
Ingredients:
1 cup salted butter, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 2 large egg yolks 2 tablespoons dark corn syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ground cardamom (optional) Cinnamon sugar for rolling
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, syrup, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and pie spice or cardamom, if using. Add to the butter mixture and beat until combined. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over a large cutting board. Cut the dough into six equal pieces. Roll each piece into a log (about 9 inches long) then roll in the cinnamon sugar. Place three logs on each cookie sheet with even spacing. Bake for 6-7 minutes, then rotate the pans. Bake an additional 6-7 minutes or until the edges are deep golden brown (the cookies will spread out a lot). Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes, then use a bench scraper or metal spatula to cut into 1 inch slices on the bias. Allow the cookies to cool on the pans for 10-15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack (they are fragile when hot). Yield: about 48 cookies.
