How are the cookies shaped?

The batter is dropped in small dollops with a teaspoon onto a greased baking tray. Space them a little apart, since they spread somewhat. The recipe makes about 40 small cookies.

How long should they be baked?

They are baked until pale golden brown — that is, a short time. Watch them closely, because such thin cookies quickly get too dark. The total time for the recipe is around 50 minutes, most of it spent stirring.

Do I have to stir the dough for half an hour?

In the 1914 original, the butter, sugar, almonds, rosewater, eggs, and lemon juice are stirred for half an hour before the flour is folded in at the end. With an electric mixer it goes considerably faster, but an airy batter is the point.

What do I do with the almonds?

The 60 grams of sweet almonds are blanched (the skin removed), ground or pounded, and pounded further together with the rosewater before being stirred into the butter-and-sugar mixture.

Almond Plesken

Name: Almond Plesken
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 40 servings
Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients: 250 g wheat flour; 250 g sugar; 60 g butter (room temperature); 60 g sweet almonds (blanched and ground); 4 pcs eggs; 0.5 pcs lemon (the juice); 2 tsp rosewater

Almond plesken from Erken 1914 (small Norwegian drop cookies): a creamed butter batter with sugar, ground almonds pounded with rosewater, eggs, and lemon juice, and flour last; dropped with a teaspoon onto a tray and baked light brown.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 565 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

Rosewater and almond are typical aromas in Erken's finer cookies and point back to older Dano-Norwegian confectionery tradition.

How to make it

1
Cream butter and sugar
Cream the butter until white and add the sugar.
2
Almonds and aroma
Blanch the almonds, grind them fine, and pound them with the rosewater. Stir the almond mixture into the creamed butter along with the eggs and lemon juice.
3
Stir the batter
Stir well together — the original states half an hour by hand, 5–8 minutes with a mixer. Mix in the flour last.
4
Bake
Drop small dollops with a teaspoon onto a greased or parchment-lined tray, well spaced. Bake at about 175 °C (345 °F) until the cookies are pale golden brown.

Changes from the original

"Dessertspoonful" has been converted to 2 tsp, the stirring time shortened with an electric mixer, and the baking temperature estimated at 175 °C (345 °F). The almonds are ground in a food processor instead of pounded in a mortar.

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Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From1914 1949 Modernised

To1914 1949 Modernised

Modernised → 1949 (proofread, p. 658)~86% of the text changedremovedadded

250 ~~g hvetemel.~~ gr. hvetemel 250 ~~g sukker.~~ gr. sukker 60 g gr. smør ~~(romtemperert).~~ 60 g gr. søte mandler ~~(skåldet og malt).~~ 4 ~~stk egg. 0,5 stk~~ egg saft av ½ sitron ~~(saften). 2 ts~~ 1 dessertskjefull rosenvann. ~~Rør smøret hvitt og tilsett sukkeret.. Skåld mandlene, mal dem fint og støt dem med rosenvannet. Rør mandelmassen inn i smørrøren sammen~~ Smøret røres hvitt, tilsettes sukkeret, de skåldede, malte mandler — støtt efterpå med rosenvannet — eggene og ~~sitronsaften.. Rør godt sammen — originalen angir en halv time for hånd, 5–8 minutter med mikser. Bland~~ sitronsaften, røres ½ time; melet ~~inn til sist.. Sett små klatter~~ has i tilsist. Settes med teskje på smurt ~~eller bakepapirdekket plate, med god avstand. Stek ved ca. 175 °C til kakene er lyst~~ plate; stekes lyse gulbrune.

Note on Modernised

«Dessertskefuld» er omregnet til 2 ts, rørtiden kortet ned med elektrisk mikser, og steketemperatur anslått til 175 °C. Mandlene males i food processor i stedet for å støtes i morter.

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Frequently asked questions

How are the cookies shaped?: The batter is dropped in small dollops with a teaspoon onto a greased baking tray. Space them a little apart, since they spread somewhat. The recipe makes about 40 small cookies.
How long should they be baked?: They are baked until pale golden brown — that is, a short time. Watch them closely, because such thin cookies quickly get too dark. The total time for the recipe is around 50 minutes, most of it spent stirring.
Do I have to stir the dough for half an hour?: In the 1914 original, the butter, sugar, almonds, rosewater, eggs, and lemon juice are stirred for half an hour before the flour is folded in at the end. With an electric mixer it goes considerably faster, but an airy batter is the point.
What do I do with the almonds?: The 60 grams of sweet almonds are blanched (the skin removed), ground or pounded, and pounded further together with the rosewater before being stirred into the butter-and-sugar mixture.

Equipment for this dish

Stand mixer →Erken kneaded and whisked by hand for ages – a stand mixer does the work for you.Engrospris.no

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