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Amerikaner cookies

Amerikaner

Preparation time: about 30 minutes, excluding cooling time

Baking time: about 20 minutes per baking sheet

12 pieces (2 baking sheets)

For the baking sheet

baking parchment

For the sponge

75 g/2½ oz (3⁄8 cup) soft

margarine or butter

100 g/3½ oz (½ cup) sugar

1 sachet vanilla sugar

a few drops natural vanilla extract

1 pinch salt

2 eggs (medium)

250 g/9 oz (2½ cups) plain (all purpose) flour

3 level teaspoons baking powder

100 ml/3½ fl oz (½ cup) milk

For brushing

about 2 tablespoons milk

For the icing

200 g/7 oz (1 cup) icing (confectioners’) sugar

about 3 tablespoons lemon juice or water

150 g/5 oz dark chocolate

1 tablespoon cooking oil, e.g. sunflower oil

peeled chopped almonds

chopped pistachio kernels

granulated sugar

grated coconut

per piece

P: 5 g, F: 14 g, C: 48 g, kcal: 347

1Line the baking sheet with baking parchment. Preheat the oven:

Top/bottom heat: about 180 °C/350 °F (Gas mark 4)Fan oven: about 160 °C/325 °F (Gas mark 3)

2For the sponge, whisk the margarine or butter in a mixing bowl using a hand-mixer with whisk attachment until soft. Add the sugar, vanilla sugar, vanilla extract and salt and whisk until the mixture is smooth and even. Then add the eggs, one after the other, whisking each egg for about ½ minute on the highest setting.

3Mix together the flour and baking powder and whisk briefly in two instalments on the medium setting, alternating with the milk. Divide the sponge mixture into 2 portions and, using 2 tablespoons, from one portion into 6 little heaps on the baking sheet, not too close to each other. Using a moistened knife, smooth down the little heaps. Put the first baking sheet on the middle shelf of the preheated oven. Bake for about 20 minutes; after about 15 minutes in the oven, brush the surfaces with a little milk.

4Use the remaining sponge mixture to make 6 more little heaps on another sheet of baking parchment. Slide the finished cakes together with the baking parchment onto a cake rack. Now slide the little heaps of sponge mixture on the second sheet of baking parchment onto the baking sheet and bake as above. Leave to cool.

5To make the icing, sift the icing (confectioners’) sugar and stir in the lemon juice or water to make a syrupy glaze. Coarsely chop the chocolate and melt it with the cooking oil in a bain-marie over low heat, stirring all the time. Coat the undersides of the cooled cakes with the icing. If you like, you can also sprinkle them with some almonds, pistachios, coarse sugar and grated coconut .

Recipe variation: 24 mint-flavoured cookies

Reduce the amount of sugar in the sponge mixture to 50 g/2 oz (¼ cup) and the milk to 50 ml/ 1½ fl oz (3 tablespoons). Heat up the milk and dissolve 75 g/3 oz of finely chopped peppermint fondant (white/pink) in it. Add to the sponge mixture and continue as instructed in the recipe. Bake the mint cookies for about 15 minutes. For the glaze: chop up finely 150 g/ 5 oz peppermint fondant and heat in a small pan with about 2 tablespoons water until it has melted. But do not let it boil! Leave the fondant to cool until it thickens, then coat the underside of the mint cookies with this fondant glaze, using a pastry brush. Or you can make a glaze with 200 g/7 oz (1½ cups) icing (confectioners’) sugar and 2-3 tablespoons mint liqueur and colour the glaze with food colouring.