Dutch sinterklaas letters

In The Netherlands Santa Claus arrives on 5th of December. Families meet in the late afternoon for so called “Pakjesavond” (Santa Claus evening celebration) to eat together, read self-written poems and exchange gifts. Sometimes those gifts might be very small, especially when the family is big. One of the most traditional “Sinterklass cadeautjes” (en. Santa Claus gifts) are sweet chocolate letters that you may easily buy in supermarkets from the very beginning of November. You should get the first letter of your name or “M”, which is considered as the biggest one. Since it is windy today and it is adviced to stay at home (yes…. that’s true!!!) I decided to make my own version of Sinterklaas letters. Here’s my recipe!

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INGREDIENTS

200g plain flour

100g buckwheat flour

2 eegs

75g butter

3 tbsp almond flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tbsp amaretto

1 tsp vanilla

4,5g stevia

Pinch of salt

for decoration

10 tbsp castor sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp hot water

+ almond flakes, colorful toppings, sesam seeds or linseed

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DIRECTIONS

Place eegs in a big bowl and mix them gently with stevia. Then add all the other ingredients and make a thick, stiff dough (use your hands, that’s more fun:). It shouldn’t be to dry, but on the other hand it also shouldn’t stick to your hands. Form it in a round shape, cover with a piece of aluminum foil and leave in the fridge for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the dough on a piece of baking paper and roll it out. At the end it should be 7mm thick. Cut the letters from the dough with a sharp knife till the moment you run out of it completely. Place the letters on a flat baking tray lined with a piece of baking paper and bake them for about 25 minutes. They should get brown on the edges. When ready, take the cookies out of the oven and let them cool down.

In the meantime make the icing-sugar. Mix water, lemon juice and castor sugar till they create a smooth half-liquid paste. Cover the letters with it and decorate them with different toppings, almonds or seeds.

Prettige Pakjesavond allemaal!!!!

(en. have a great Santa Claus evening)

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