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Walnut meringue crescent moon cookies were always the best delight mom baked for holidays. It is a dessert easy to make but so flavourful, with a tender base, a jam layer and a creamy, nutty top – precisely what we loved to munch on often in-between meal times.
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We would sneak into the pantry where mom kept the massive trays will all the goodies she’d baked for Christmas or Easter (of which the fluffy cozonac was always the centrepiece!) and pinch moon cookies from the beautiful stack so that she would not see (so we thought!) how many were missing by the big day!
It was not long until I started making them with my younger sister and repeated the recipe mainly around Christmas time.
This year, I had the precious helping hand of Santa’s little helper contributing to baking mom’s traditional walnut and meringue crescent moon cookies, and the fun we had in the kitchen was delightful!
Of course, witty Santa’s helper (England born and bred) reading an old recipe handwritten in Romanian was hilarious. Still, I was there to provide the correct translation, and we did not use any alien ingredients on this occasion!
What was incredibly touching to see was how the little helper managed perfectly well with very little intervention on my part. I watched and reminisced how I did the same, around the same age, if not older, in mom’s kitchen back home in Romania.
I am glad to write this and forever remember the generation switch moment as it happened, keeping an old tradition and using the same old (and a tad grease-stained in places) recipe book that mom took the time and patience to write.
It feels emotional now that I’m writing down the recipe. But when we baked the walnut meringue crescent moons, it was fun and pure joy to see how different ingredients transform when mixed and create a delightful dessert.
We agreed on something we both have a passion for – baking is biochemistry, and the kitchen is the lab!
Mom used whatever ingredients she could buy during a difficult time, when communist rule meant restrictions of all sorts, including food.
Today, I am trying to educate my kid to understand the difference the temperature brings to various ingredients and how to use healthier versions and combine them in a way that keeps the flavour but reduces the harm to our body. Mom’s recipe mentioned margarine; we use organic coconut oil or organic butter.
For a self-proclaimed future scientist, I am delighted to see how such a young person understands what excessive refining does to sugar and why that is harmful to our health or how the human digestive system does not have the right enzyme to process cow milk and how healthier substitutes not only help personal health but have a role in the massive chain reaction that affects the environment.
Back to our fun baking for a couple of hours, it was the best time spent away from the computer, and I can’t wait until next time it happens again!
The cookies came out perfectly, and we did a lot of bowl-licking in the process and cooky testing to check that the final product passes the approval of the otherwise fussy quality control bakers and eaters in the family!
Miraculously, the cookies kept disappearing from the platter just as I remember it happened when I was a child! But I rest assured the little helper can bake just fine anytime, not just for holidays, while I watch and enjoy a delightful walnut merengue crescent moon cookie when ready with my cappuccino. Perhaps it will be way more than one, in the end, because they are addictively scrumptious!
Ingredients for walnut meringue crescent moon cookies
For the base
Egg yolks
Coconut oil
Coconut sugar
Baking powder
Orange zest
Plain white flour
Salt
Jam layer
Any jam goes, but a slightly sour one will enhance the flavours. I prefer reduced sugar spicy strawberry jam. A jar is enough for this recipe.
For the meringue
Egg whites
Coconut sugar
Walnuts
Rum essence
Salt
Preparation method for walnut meringue crescent moon cookies
The base
Add the coconut oil at room temperature, a pinch of salt, orange zest, and coconut sugar to a large mixing bowl. Use a handheld mixer and the dough hooks to mix at a low speed.
Add the egg yolks one by one and continue mixing.
Sieve the flour and baking powder over and mix until it incorporates nicely.
If the dough becomes too firm, add a spoon or two of milk and mix.
Move the dough into a lined baking tray and level it by pressing gently with your wet hands.
Spread the jam over and level it nicely with a spatula.
The meringue
Before starting, preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F) and line the baking tray with a silicone sheet or baking parchment.
We followed mom’s method for the meringue and made the French version. Because we baked the walnut meringue crescent cookies already assembled, the meringue did not need beforehand cooking.
Mix the egg whites with a pinch of salt at high speed until stiff. Use a grinder to finely grind the coconut sugar (until you obtain a powdered, lighter brown icing sugar). Add it gradually to the eggs and mix at a low speed.
Grind the walnuts (not too long; they need to remain flakey) and add them to the batter. Fold gently with a spatula until incorporated.
Pour the meringue over the jam and level it without pressing too much.
Bake for 40 minutes and check the top is not charring.
When ready and you have checked the walnut meringue and base are cooked throughout, let it cool slightly.
Use a medium-size drinking glass to cut the crescent moon shapes while still warm.
Enjoy the cute and tasty walnut meringue crescent cookies with a festive hot chocolate or a nice cappuccino!
Walnut Meringue Crescent Cookies
Ingredients
The dough
- 200 g organic coconut oil
- 5 egg yolks organic, medium
- 400 g plain flour organic, white
- 1 tsp baking powder flat
- 80 g coconut sugar organic
- 1 organic orange zest
- 1 pinch salt sea/rock
Organic strawberry jam
The merengue
- 5 egg whites
- 120 g ground coconut sugar organic
- 150 g ground walnuts organic
- 1 pinch salt sea/rock
- 1 tbsp rum essence
Instructions
To make the dough
- Add the coconut oil at room temperature, a pinch of salt, orange zest, and coconut sugar in a large mixing bowl. Use a handheld mixer and the dough hooks to mix at a low speed.
- Add the egg yolks one by one and continue mixing.
- Sieve the flour and baking powder over and mix until it incorporates nicely.
- If the dough becomes too firm, add a spoon or two of milk and mix. Optionally, chill the dough for half an hour.
- Move the dough into a lined baking tray and level it by pressing gently with your wet hands.
- Spread the jam over and level it nicely with a spatula.
The meringue
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F) and line the baking tray with a silicone sheet or baking parchment.
- Batter the egg whites with a pinch of salt at high speed until stiff. Use a grinder to finely grind the coconut sugar (until you obtain a powdered, lighter brown icing sugar). Add it gradually to the eggs and mix at a low speed.
- Grind the walnuts (not too long; they need to remain flakey) and add them to the batter. Fold gently with a spatula until incorporated. Add the rum essence.
- Pour the meringue over the jam and level it without using too much pressure.
- Bake for 40 minutes and check the top is not charring.
- When the baking time is up, use a toothpick to check that the walnut meringue and base are cooked thoroughly.
- Keeping the parchment/silicone sheet, move the cake from the tray to a cooling rack. Allow it to cool slightly.
- Move from the cooling rack to the tabletop and use a medium drinking glass to cut the crescent moon shapes while the cake is still warm.
Walnut Meringue Crescent Cookies Easy Recipe
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]]>The post Walnut Snails Recipe Inspired by a Famous German Pastry appeared first on The World Is an Oyster.
]]>How the Walnut Snails Recipe Made It to Mom’s Recipe Book
Mom’s walnut snails recipe is an adaptation of the Nussschnecken desert which is basically a sweet bun of Saxon origins, filled with nuts and cinnamon. Schnecken is the German word for snails, which suggests the unique shape of this finger-licking delicious walnut filled treats.
Given Transylvania’s Saxon heritage, our cooking and especially baking have seen a tremendous German influence over the centuries.
When I was a child, mom’s best friend was a German lady who used to bake weekly. She would always invite us to keep her company while she was dancing between the island in her massive kitchen and the oven, mixing ingredients and filling tray after tray. She was not dancing-dancing, but the elegant way she moved, her precision and amazing skills made it look like dancing in my awe-filled eyes.
Of course, the good lady always shared her recipes and many baking secrets with mom, who later shared everything she’d learnt with her kids – my sister and I.
Essentially, my mom had learned how to bake from Frau Francu – that was the lady’s name. Mom filled her first recipe book with mostly German recipes during that time, such as this delicious apple cake, one of my favourite desserts for special occasions.
I used to sneak into Frau Francu’s large kitchen and count the seconds until the first batch of whatever cake she was baking would come out of the oven.
Because I was born without patience, I could never wait for the cakes to cool properly. I would always pinch at least one and run outside to cool it in the wind (lame excuse, I know!)
I fondly remember how Frau Francu would bake four or five different and complex cakes in half a day every Saturday. She would always giggle as I was sneaking in to pinch samples from her trays. The lovely lady had no children and loved to see me around, as impish as I was.
If I regret one thing from those good old times is that whenever Frau Francu wanted to teach me German, I would bolt out the door pretending that I needed to play in her vast garden.
I regretted that the minute the Romanian Revolution of 1989 changed our contemporary history and freed our country of communism. I was very young, still a teenager, but I would have had a chance to move to Germany a few years later and radically change my life.
Now, a few decades on, the only thing that is still preventing me from doing just that is again the fact that I can’t speak German. Although I am fluent in five other languages, I’ve lost the train to learn what should have been the most important foreign language to me.
Ironically, now I have the liberty to choose where I want to live, but the language barrier still makes the choice difficult. Ugh, one day …
Mom’s Walnut Snails Recipe – Ingredients
The adaptation mom made of Nussschnecken means that instead of getting the giant, fluffy snails the size of a dessert plate, she would make them smaller and would not smother them in sticky sirup, so we could eat them the same way we’d eat biscuits.
I would always bake these treats around the festive winter season or at Easter time and all family anniversaries. We can never have enough of it!
Ingredients for the dough
400 g flour (I always use white organic)
100 ml melted organic butter
100 ml melted organic coconut oil
2 organic egg yolks (you will use the whites later, for the filling)
80 g organic coconut sugar (about 6-8 tbsp)
5 g dried yeast (1 tsp)
½ tsp ammonium bicarbonate
3-4 tbsp tepid unsweetened almond milk (to activate the ammonium bicarbonate)
Organic orange zest
A pinch of salt
Ingredients for the filling
150 g ground walnuts
2 tbsp organic cacao powder
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 egg whites + a pinch of salt
Rum oil essence
Preparation tips
The dried yeast requires a warm temperature and time to activate. For this recipe, use the lukewarm milk to activate the ammonium bicarbonate first, then pour it over the yeast mixed with sugar and one tbsp of the flour quantity. Cover with a dry towel and leave aside for about 20 minutes. When the time is up, you will observe that the yeast had dissolved and the pre-dough had increased in volume.
Secondly, any dough that uses melted oils needs refrigeration to solidify the oil molecules and make it easier to roll the dough. When your dough is ready, cover it in cling film, press it down to allow a quicker and thorough cooling and place it in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, you can prepare the filling.
As the title suggests, this recipe includes allergens.
Mom’s Walnut Snails Recipe
Equipment
- Large bowl/small bowl
- Baking tray
- Parchment paper
- Roller pin
- Hand held electric mixer
Ingredients
For the dough
- 400 g organic white flour
- 100 ml melted butter (cooled a bit)
- 100 ml melted organic coconut oil (cooled a bit)
- 2 pcs egg yolks (the whites needed for the filling)
- 80 g organic coconut sugar (approx. 6-8 tbsp)
- 5 g dried yeast (approx. 1 tsp)
- ½ tsp ammonium bicarbonate
- 4-5 tbsp tepid almond milk (unsweetened)
- 1 pcs orange zest
- A pinch of rock/sea salt
For the filling
- 150 g ground walnuts
- 5-6 tbsp organic coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp organic cacao powder
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 2 pcs egg whites (beaten stiff)
- A pinch of salt (for the egg whites)
- 1 vial rum oil essence (or 2 tsp rum)
Instructions
Prepare the dough
- In a bowl, use the lukewarm milk to activate the ammonium bicarbonate first, then pour it over the yeast mixed with sugar and one tbsp of the flour quantity.
- Cover with a dry towel and allow the yeast to activate for about 20 minutes.
- Add the tepid butter and coconut oil, egg yolks, orange zest and salt and mix until all ingredients incorporate nicely.
- Add the sieved flour gradually and keep mixing using your hand.
- Cover the dough with a piece of cling film, press it down and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
- Divide the dough in two parts and roll each in a 2-3 mm thick sheet.
Prepare the filling
- While the dough is cooling, in a bowl mix the ground walnuts with sugar, cacao powder, cinnamon and rum.
- Separately, add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and whip until stiff. Use a large bowl and start with a lower speed until the egg whites foam, then increase the speed to maximum and continue whipping until they become firm.
- Slowly incorporate the egg whites into the dry ingredients.
Prepare the snail shapes
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F/Gas mark 4.
- Place parchment paper on the baking tray.
- Place half of the nut filling on the first dough sheet. Spread evenly, leaving about 2 cm filling-free at one edge.
- Roll the sheet and cut 1 cm thick slices.
- Transfer the slices onto the baking tray, leaving enough space in between them.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the dough turns golden brown.
- Allow the first batch to cool and repeat the baking process until all the walnut snails are ready.
- Optionally, sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Notes
I hope you enjoyed reading this recipe. If you would like to see more, please check the Savour the Flavour section of this website or follow my Pinterest recipe board. Have fun baking!
How the Walnut Snails Recipe Made It to Mom’s Recipe Book
The post Walnut Snails Recipe Inspired by a Famous German Pastry appeared first on The World Is an Oyster.
]]>The post The Most Mouthwatering Christmas Treats: British Mince Pies appeared first on The World Is an Oyster.
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As a migrant who settled in the UK, of course, I got to learn and appreciate local traditions. But I remember staying away from mince pies for several years. The reason? I did not get why a meaty thing would be placed in a pastry sheet and have sugar sprinkled on top! My prejudice wilted when I decided it was time to do some research and get to the bottom of the story!
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It turned up they were only called mince pies because, historically, they would contain minced meat (mainly mutton). In time, dry fruits would replace the meat, and people would start adding booze to the fruity filling. It would not be the only dessert that uses alcohol, which enhances the taste and preserves the fruits in this case.
Mince pies seem to have made it to Britain in the middle ages, brought by the crusaders from the Middle East. At the time, they were filled with meat, fruits and spices and were not a dessert but the main course. Fibre and protein are not an ideal combination for the human liver, but medieval medicine was not advanced enough to acknowledge this fact.
The most extreme times this traditional pie had seen was the brief kingless period England had known in the seventeenth century. Oliver Cromwell went to the limit, not only banishing pies in an attempt to make the population thrifty but cancelling Christmas altogether.
He was no fun! And he had a warty nose! I saw it in Horrible Histories! (I’m just being a sarcastic bully at the expense of a dead historical character, I know!)
Rightly so, England returned to its monarchic tradition that also meant the reinstatement of Christmas and the continuation of pie baking.
In time, mince pies have seen changes but have never disappeared from the traditional festive table.
Today, the entire English-speaking world would have them at Christmas, filled with a delicious and notably fragrant combination of booze-soaked dried fruits and spices still called mincemeat!
There is even a superstition saying that if you eat one each of the twelve days of Christmas, you’ll be lucky the entire following year! I have to make an effort to get mine to last this long; otherwise, I’m busted!
Given that the past two years were the weirdest in our recent history, I don’t know who would be willing to take a chance!
Merry Christmas!
Mince Pies
Ingredients
For the crust
- 500 g plain flour (4 cups)
- 150 ml melted coconut oil (⅔ cup)
- 150 ml melted unsalted butter (⅔ cup)
- 3 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 lemon zest
- 1 pinch of salt
For the filling
- 100 g Medjool dates (about ½ cup)
- 100 g dried figs
- 100 g dried blackcurrants
- 100 g raisins
- 100 g dried cranberries
- 100 g dried goji berries (optional; I used them for colour)
- 2 tbsp toasted flaked almonds Skip if you have a nut allergy!
- 2 tbsp cocoa nibs (optional)
- 1 orange (juice+chopped peel)
- 2 orange zest
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp organic dried ginger
- 3 pcs peppercorn
- 4 pcs star anise
- 8 tbsp coconut sugar
- 10 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp Martini (or any liquor)
- 1 vial rum oil essence
Instructions
For the crust
- Sieve the entire quantity of flour in a large bowl, add the sugar, lemon zest, salt and the melted fats. Mix using your hands or a kitchen mixer if you have one.
- The dough will be very crumbly at first, but when you add the eggs, the proteins found in them will help bind it better and work it easier.
- Cover the dough in clingfilm and refrigerate it for at least half an hour (an hour is better). Cooling helps the oily ingredients solidify, and this will make rolling easier. I tried to save time, but working the dough before cooling it was useless; all I got was crumbles spread on the worktop.
For the filling
- Preferably, the mincemeat should be prepared a week before use and kept in the fridge to allow all the savours to mix nicely and create an absolutely intoxicating flavour!
- Grind all spices together.
- Finely chop the large fruits and the orange peel. Mix with the rest of the dried fruits, sugar and orange zest.
- Add the wet ingredients (orange juice, liquor, water). Some recipes recommend lard instead of water, which I find revolting! Besides, it is not healthy to mix pork with fruits!
- Place the mix in a jar, cover with a double clingfilm, then put the lid on and store it in the fridge for about a week.
- If some fancy popstar would “create” a perfume smelling like this insane combination, I would pay money to have it and wear it daily! Thinking of it, if anyone goes ahead and commercializes such a perfume now, I am claiming intellectual property rights!
Make the mince pies
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
- Remove the pastry dough from the fridge and use a part to roll a 2-3 mm thick sheet.
- With a large glass or a round form, cut the base. Use either a smaller glass or any Christmassy shape to cut the lids/tops. I used a star shape because it covered better than the others.
- Place and adjust the large pieces in the tray, add a spoon of fruit filling, put a pastry lid on and coat with a beaten egg using a brush.
- Repeat until you have used the entire dough.
- Optionally, sprinkle a little bit of coconut sugar, then put the tray on the middle rack in the oven.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the mince pies turn golden brown. Allow cooling when finished and before serving.
Notes
A Tradition In Name Only
The post The Most Mouthwatering Christmas Treats: British Mince Pies appeared first on The World Is an Oyster.
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