Pandan Thumbprint Cookies

Pandan Thumbprint Cookies

This original recipe originally comes from Pham Phatale, one of my favourite places on the net for Oriental recipes. Similar recipes also appeared on The Little Teochew and K.O Rasoi blogs (see below for links). 

This recipe yields good-looking, fragrant and buttery cookies, and gives you the opportunity to experiment with some decorations. If you prefer a more crunchy version, try to leave the egg out. The chocolate chip version will surely be a success among children, but if you don’t have the sweet tooth, you may want to try other toppings, like almonds or pistachios. Hint: salted nuts will be amazing with the sweet pandan flavour!

INGREDIENTS  (24 biscuits)

- 140g plain flour, sifted

- 30g icing sugar + 4 extra tbsp icing sugar

- 1/8 tsp baking soda

- A pinch of salt

- 1 tbsp water (only if required)

- 85g butter, softened

- 1 egg yolk

- 1 tsp pandan extract

- Chocolate chips morsels, nuts, whatever toppings you like!

DIRECTIONS

• Combine the flour, 30g icing sugar, baking soda and salt. Set aside. 

• Cream together the butter, egg yolk, 4 tbsps icing sugar and pandan extract. Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture and combine quickly with fingertips. If you need to add 1 tbsp water to bring the dough together then do so.

• Wrap the dough in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

• Grease and line baking trays then roll your dough into 1 inch-sized balls and flatten them slightly.

• Arrange the dough balls on your tray evenly spaced (they will spread as they cook).

• Bake at 160 degrees C for 8-10 minutes then remove from the oven. Make "thumbprints" in the centre of the half-cooked biscuits with a small measuring spoon (not your actual thumb!). Return them to the oven and bake for a further 8 minutes.

• Remove the biscuits from the oven and push in a little chocolate button or a couple of chocolate chips into the "thumbprint". Allow to cool thoroughly before taking them off the baking sheet.

• Make sure to press the cookies half-way through the baking time to get nice fault lines on the edge of the cookies.

TIPS

You can try the same recipe without the egg yolk. Just mix all the powdered sugar into the butter. The cookie will taste more like biscuits: more crumbly and far less cohesive.

Instead of chocolate chips, try to garnish the cookies with half cup of chopped nuts. Try to coat the cookies in milk, then garnish the outside ring of the cookies with half cup finely chopped nuts of your choice, right before placing in the oven.

Try to add some double cream to the chocolate to make the mixture smoother and more glossy. You can add any other dairy liquid, such as regular milk, or even omit this part if you want a thicker texture.

You can also store the thumbprint cookie dough up to 3 months in your freezer for last-minute surprise guests.

These alien-looking cookies are perfect for Halloween, Carnival or St. Patrick's Day. :)

Sources:

http://www.phamfatale.com

http://www.thelittleteochew.com

http://www.korasoi.com