Poor Man's Cookies I (fattigmannsbakkels)

About the dish

Erken's richest poor man's cookie recipe — with a full 30 egg yolks and a liter of heavy cream. She herself notes that the cookies are expensive, but "fine and delicate," and that up to 10 egg whites can be added to economize. The dough must be made the evening before and rested cold, or it becomes hard to roll thin enough.

How to make it

1. 1

   Beat egg yolks and sugar

   Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until very pale and airy — the original says half an hour.

2. 2

   Mix the dough

   Whip the cream stiff and fold it in. Add the cognac, cardamom, and lemon zest. Sift the flour and work it in bit by bit — use as little flour as possible, and hold back enough for rolling out.

3. 3

   Let the dough rest

   Chill the dough overnight; it should be made the evening before rolling out.

4. 4

   Roll and cut out

   Roll the dough very thin, a bit at a time (not too large sheets at once), and cut out poor man's diamonds with a wheel or cutter. Pull one end through the slit in the middle.

5. 5

   Fry in fat

   Fry the cookies nicely pale yellow in hot lard or frying fat, about 180 °C (355 °F). Take them up and set them to drain on kitchen paper (originally a sheet of flatbread, blotting paper, or clean hay).

6. 6

   Note

   If you want to economize, up to 10 egg whites can be added to the dough; then the cookies are cheaper, but not quite as fine.