Hvorost cookie with chocolate and rum
The cookie tin with the classic Hvorost cookies from Russia was emptied sooner than I thought and I still had my frying pan out on the stove. So I quickly made my own version of these crispy sticks: a hvorost cookie with chocolate and rum. The cookies turn out a bit darker and have quite a strong chocolate taste. I used more sugar in the hvorost cookies with chocolate and rum than I did in the original recipe because the chocolate makes the mixture slightly more bitter. I tried to make interesting twig shapes with my pizza wheel, but the result turned out a bit different from what I had in mind. I think my hvorost cookie with chocolate and rum looks more like seaweed than kindling. I suppose it might be more appropriate in the end because of the combination with the more tropical flavours of chocolate and rum.
Hvorost cookie with chocolate and rum
225-275 grams of flour (or more when needed)
50 grams of unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
45 grams of brown demerara sugar
pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
175 milliliters runny yogurt
15 milliliters sunflower oil
15 milliliters rum
oil for deep frying
50 grams of white chocolate
In a large bowl mix 200 grams of flour with the cocoa powder and the baking powder, the sugar and the salt. In another bowl mix the egg yolk, the yogurt, the oil and the rum. Combine both mixtures and knead well. Add a tablespoon of flour it the dough is too sticky and repeat until the dough does not stick to your hands any more.
Make a nice ball from the dough and flatten into a disc. Wrap in clingfilm and leave to rest for about 30 min.
Divide the dough in four pieces and roll out very thinly into a rectangle of about 16 cm x 20 cm. Use a pizza wheel to make little strips of dough int the shape of twigs (or seaweed….) of about 1 cm wide.
Fill a wide pan with about 2 inches of oil and heat to about 160 °C/ 320° F. A piece of bread that is dropped in the oil should start bubbling immediately. Put a few strips of dough in the pan.
Bake them golden brown in a few minutes. Turn them to get a nice even colour.
hvorost ready for more chocolate
Take the hvorost out of the pan with a slotted spoon and leave to drain on a plate with some kitchen paper.
Melt the chocolate au bain marie by placing a bowl over a pan with a shallow layer of boiling water. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in the bowl. Cover with a lid and turn of the heat. Check after a couple of minutes to see if the chocolate has melted. You can also use a microwave. Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl in the microwave. Microwave for 30 sec. Stir the chocolate. Don’t forget to do this as it is sometimes difficult to see if the chocolate has melted. Repeat until the chocolate is melted but not hot. Take a small teaspoon of chocolate and carefully make a sweeping movement above the sticks to create nice thin threads of chocolate. Leave to cool and harden.
This post is also available in: Dutch
