Homemade Christmas baking : Lefse&3kinds of cookies

Lefse&3kinds of cookies

 Today’s baking project includes both lefse and Christmas cookies. Since Korea doesn’t have a long-standing Christmas cookie tradition, I decided to share three cookie recipes that I personally enjoy. They’re simply the versions my family likes best, so there’s no official source — and the measurements are a bit freeform as well.

Before We Begin

 While lefse is usually made with a mix of coarse and fine flours, cookies benefit from using a low-gluten flour to create a tender, delicate crumb rather than a chewy bite. Make sure to choose the right type of flour depending on what you’re baking.

 Another small but important note: home ovens tend to run hotter the longer they’re in use. As you move on to later batches, it’s a good idea to slightly reduce the baking time to prevent the cookies from overbrowning.

Lefse

Ingredient

• 200ml milk

• 200ml cultured milk

• 1 tablespoon sea salt

• 1kg flour

• 100g butter

• 100g powdered sugar

• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

• Baking flour

• Semolina (coarse durum flour)

• Sifted flour

Recipe

Picture of flour in mixing bowl / by soyoung

1. Combine the two types of milk with the flour and salt to form a dough.

dough in mixing bowl / by soyoung

2. Add a little more flour as needed until the dough is soft but not runny, then let it rest in the refrigerator. This is too sticky now.

3. While the dough rests, beat the room-temperature butter with the powdered sugar and granulated sugar until light and creamy.

rolled dough / by Soyoung

4. Dust your work surface with flour and gently roll the rested dough into thin, round sheets.

baked dough / by Soyoung

5. Heat a lefse pan over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, then cook each sheet, watching carefully to avoid scorching.

dough with butter cream spread / by Soyoung

6. Spread a layer of the butter cream over the warm lefse and fold it to serve.

finished lefse / by Soyoung

Butter, Coffee-Chocolate, Strawberry Jam, and Cocoa Cookies

Ingredients

• 300g butter (100g for each dough)

• 3 eggs (1 per dough)

• 750g cake flour

• 280g sugar

• 3 teaspoons baking powder

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 3 packets instant coffee

• Baking chocolate

• Cocoa powder

• Strawberry jam

• Lemon juice

• Vanilla extract

Recipe

bowl of sugar and eggs / by Soyoung

1. Whisk the 280g of sugar and three eggs until well combined.

mixed butter, sugar and egg / by Soyoung

2. Add the room-temperature butter and mix until smooth and creamy.

coffee, kakao, butter cookie dough bowl / by Soyoung

3. Sift the cake flour and divide it evenly into three bowls. To two of the bowls, add:

• instant coffee dissolved in 20ml hot water with chopped baking chocolate,
• or 100g unsweetened cocoa powder.

4. Divide the butter mixture evenly among the three bowls and fold each one into a dough.

5. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes, then shape into small, slightly flattened rounds—about the size of two finger joints. Bake in a 180°C preheated oven for 17 minutes.

Strawberry jam cookies / by Soyoung

6. For the strawberry jam cookies, press a small indent in the center of each dough piece and spoon in strawberry jam mixed with a little lemon juice.

completed 3 kinds of cookies / by Soyoung

7. Left cookies to cool slightly before removing them from the tray and gathering them together.

cookies I served to my friends / by Soyoung

After Baking

 Once you’re finished, tidy up any flour or sugar left on the counter, and enjoy the lefse and cookies within a week. If you need to store them longer, freezing is an option, but the flavor and texture won’t be quite the same. They’re always at their best when still warm!