Petits gateaux de Noel - This is not a cooking blog

This is not a cooking blog, and yet, I am going to share some of our basic recipes. Why? Well, in respond to popular demand (that means at least one - perhaps two - people asked me for the recipe), and also because I remember spending hours reading through an ocean of recipes published on the web to isolate the ones that may be trustforthy, not too unhealthy and simple. The ingredients that I use are bought in Ouro Preto, which means that they are not organic, cheap grade and most likely available where you live, except perhaps for some tropical fruits.

And so the first recipe is that of our "Petits gateaux de Noel", which I love because they are yummy, the dough is quick to make and fun for children to take part. They are crunchy, sometimes crumbly, depending on the weather or the age of the captain. Just because the girls went to sleelp early tonight and in spite of the fact that they have already woken up a couple of times, this recipe comes both in English and French!




Petits gateaux de Noel (Christmas cookies)
Makes approximately 20 cookies:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
In a large bowl, beat (with a hand whisk) one large whole egg with three tablespoons of sugar until whitened (no need to wait until thick and creamy). Add 100 g of softened butter (I melt the butter by warming it up in a pot on the stove), 150 g white wheat flour (cake flour), 75 g corn flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, vanila extract and / or orange blossom water (optional). Mix all the ingredients with a wooden spoon until a homogenous and smooth dough is obtained. Keep in the fridge for one hour.

On a slightly floured surface spread the dough (thickness 0.5 cm) and cut shapes with a glass or cutter. Transfer to an oiled baking tray. Cook at 200 degrees C for 15 to 20 min or until the cookies are golden.

We also enjoyed a lactose-free alternative where instead of butter I used 75 g of almond puree (prepared by blending whole almonds in an electric blender until smooth and creamy. This took about the whole day given the other ongoing activities and the need to regularly allow the almonds and blender to cool down) and 20 g sunflower oil. The cookies were a little harder to crunch but had a nice nutty taste.

Et maintenant pour les stictement francophones.
Pour 20 petits gateaux:

Prechauffer le four a 200 degres C.
Casser un oeuf entier dans une terrine. Ajouter 3 cuilleres a soupe de sucre. Fouetter jusqu'a ce que le melange blanchisse.
Ajouter 100 g de beurre ramolli (je fais fondre le beurre dans une casserole a feu doux), 75 g de Maizena, 150 g de farine de ble, 1 sachet de levure chimique, 1 sachet de sucre vanille ou extrait de vanille et / ou une cuillere a soupe d'eau de fleur d'oranger. Melanger le tout a l'aide d'une cuillere en bois jusqu'a obtenir une pate lisse. Mettre au refrigerateur pendant 1 h.

Etaler la pate sur une surface legerement farinee (0.5 cm d'epaisseur) puis decouper des formes a l'aide d'un verre ou a l'emporte-piece. Deposer sur une plaque beuree et cuire a 200 degres C 15 a 20 min ou jusqu'a ce qu'aparaisse une coloration doree.

Pour une version sans lactose, remplacer le beurre par 75 g de puree d'amande (preparee en broyant a l'aide d'un mixeur electrique des amandes entieres jusqu'a obtenir une pate onctueuse. Cela m'a pris a peu pres une journee compte tenue de la necessite de regulierement laisser refroidir les amandes et le mixeur) et 20 g d'huile de tournesol.