aniseed cinnamon cookie
I did not change too much for my variation on the classic pandero cookie from Colombia. I found that the tapioca starch made the cookie a little dry so I replaced it with part regular flour and part corn flour. Corn flour is used a lot in the Colombian kitchen. It is usually made into bread and little corncakes called arepas which are stuffed with the most delicious fillings.
I used soft brown sugar instead of regular sugar to give the cookie a nice caramel flavor. The aniseed in the original cookie was really tasty, so I kept it in. I did mix in a teaspoon of cinnamon and a good dash of rum for some extra oomph. The result is a nice crumbly cookie with a spicy taste. This aniseed cinnamon cookie tastes delicious with a mug of piping hot chocolate or coffee to warm up during these cold days.
__________________
Aniseed cinnamon cookie
for ± 40 cookies
60 grams (4 tbs) of soft butter
125 g (⅔ cup) soft brown sugar + extra for dusting
2 eggs
120 g (1 cup) flour
60 g (½ cup) precooked corn flour (Pan) or ordinary corn flour
pinch of salt
2 tsp aniseed, plus extra seeds to for sprinkling
1 tsp cinnamon
1½ tbs rum
Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and whisk with an electric mixer until light and creamy.
Add the eggs and beat well until all the egg is incorporated.
Mix in the rest of the ingredients and quickly knead into a smooth dough. Cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Roll the dough into walnut-size balls and press them flat. Place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and sprinkle them with some extra brown sugar and aniseed.
Bake for ± 10 minutes for a soft cookie and ± 15 minutes for a cookie with a good crunch.
Take from the oven and leave to cool on the baking sheet
This post is also available in: Dutch
