Fika: The Art of The Swedish Coffee Break, with Recipes for Pastries, Breads, and Other Treats (7 page)

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or use a silicone baking mat).

In a food processor, pulse the oats into a coarse meal. You want a little bit of texture, so don’t grind them all the way. If you don’t have a food processor, use the smallest oats you can find, to make for a better cookie consistency.

In a large bowl, mix the flour and baking powder.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and sugar until frothy. All of the sugar should be dissolved
and the batter should have a light color. Stir the flour and baking powder into the batter until well blended.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Remove from the heat and stir in the oats with a fork until the oats are completely covered with the melted butter. Add the oats to the batter and stir until well blended.

Spoon the batter by about 2-teaspoon portions onto the baking sheet, leaving 2 inches (5 centimeters) between each cookie. Use your fingers to lightly press and flatten each cookie.

Bake for 6 to 10 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet until the cookies have hardened; then remove the cookies from the sheet and place on the counter. Make sure the edges are not touching one another or the cookies will get soft. Let cool completely.

To prepare the filling, slowly melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in a clean heatproof bowl placed in a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir the ginger into the melted chocolate.

Spread the chocolate mixture on the flat side of one cookie and place another cookie on top, sandwiching them together. Set the sandwiched cookies back on the counter and let sit until the chocolate has hardened.

Store in an airtight container to keep the cookies crisp.

In a food processor, finely grind the almonds.

Place all of the flour directly on a flat surface or in a large bowl. Add the almonds and blend the two together well with your hands. Make a hole in the middle and add the sugar, butter, and egg. Work quickly with your fingertips (or with a knife) to form into a dough. Cover the dough and let sit in the refrigerator for an hour or more.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Take two-thirds of the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin to a 9 by 13-inch (23 by 33-centimeter) rectangle (make sure it will fit on your baking sheet), a little less than ¼ inch (.5 centimeter) thick. It is
easiest to roll out the dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Place the rectangle on the baking sheet. Spread the preserves on top of the dough, covering the entire rectangle.

Roll out the rest of the dough using the same method and to the same thickness. Using a pastry cutter or knife, cut the dough into ⅜-inch- (1-centimeter-) wide strips. Crisscross the strips diagonally, creating a lattice top.

Bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven; while still warm, cut into 35 equal squares. Separate the squares from each other so that the edges are not touching and let them cool.

Store the squares in an airtight container.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Spread 24 small paper liners out directly on a baking sheet.

Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and anise seed. Add the butter in small pieces and work together with your hands. Mix in the vanilla and work the dough until you can make it into a ball.

Form the dough into 24 small balls. You can do this with the help of a tablespoon—the balls should be about the size of walnuts—or roll the dough into a log, slice into 24 pieces, and roll each piece into a ball. Place the balls in the small paper liners.

Push your thumb into the center of each cookie, making a little crater. Put a small spoonful of the jam into each crater.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies are a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Store the cookies in an airtight container.

Cream together the butter and sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk 2 of the eggs. Add to the butter and sugar mixture along with the vanilla and mix until well blended.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and work together until a dough forms.

Cover the dough and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and roll each part into a 12-inch (30.5-centimeter) log. Place the logs on the baking sheet (you can also form the logs directly on the baking sheet to begin with), leaving at least 2 inches between each log. Press the logs so that they flatten out to about 2 inches (5 centimeters) wide and a little less than ½ inch (1.5 centimeters) thick.