Moravian Cookies

[fitfool]

I had requested recipes for a very thin tea cookie and a few people suggested Moravian Cookies. The descriptions sounded right and I eagerly baked a batch up. While they look pretty, they're not the cookies I had remembered eating before. Either I made these wrong or this particular flavoring is too sophisticated for my palate. In case anyone else likes these, I'll post the recipe and photos here anyhow.

And if any of you know the name or the recipe for the cookies I'm thinking about, please let me know! They were a pale yellow in color and had a buttery or shortbread-like taste to them. They were perfect with tea.

Moravian Cookies (recipe from sunshine_two)

Ingredients
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
1-1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 cups molasses
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions
In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine vegetable shortening, brown sugar, molasses, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt; heat until warm, mashing out any lumps. Remove from heat; while still warm, stir in flour. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease cookie sheets. When ready to bake, take what you need out of the refrigerator. (Unused dough may be stored in the refrigerator as long as a month -- in fact, cookies are better if dough has "mellowed" for awhile.)[And now I have to interrupt to warn you that when you take them out of the fridge, the dough will be really really stiff. Break the dough into smaller chunks before storing it in the fridge.] Roll dough on a lightly floured surface, using as little flour as possible. Also flour rolling pin. Roll dough out paper thin and cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place onto prepared cookie sheets.

Bake 5 to 6 minutes or uuntil light brown. After removing cookies from oven, with a clean soft cloth lightly brush off any excess flour. Let cool on cookie sheet and remove when you can handle them comfortably. Store in airtight containers.

	These are very thin cookies so they can burn very easily. Here's the first batch left in for 5 minutes in my oven.
	And then a second batch with only 4 minutes in the oven came out better.

Thread at cooking
thread at bakery

Comments

[amore-di-libri.livejournal.com]

Those look really good. Is molasses available at a regular grocery store? And do you recommend a certain brand?

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

Yes I'm pretty sure molasses is sold at regular grocery stores. I remember it took me a while to find it though so might be quicker to ask someone which aisle to look in. I just bought whichever was cheapest since at the time I hadn't used molasses before. Took me a long time to go through that bottle (about a year?) but I like molasses on corn bread very much so I'll probably pick up another jar of it.

[cheves.livejournal.com]

molasses has always been sold at grocery stores=)

[shelikesclots.livejournal.com]

recently, somebody gave me refrigerated biscuit dough that sounds exactly like what you're looking for. thin, buttery biscuits that were very simple and just delicious. i'll do my best to get the recipe for you, although my friend will think i've gone mad. i never cook.

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

Cool! Thank you!

[shelikesclots.livejournal.com]

Gah! I forgot to give this to you!

Er, you'll probably have to convert the measurements/temps. And this is apparently enough for three batches of biscuits.

450 grams softened butter
300g caster sugar
500g self-raising flour
grated rind of one orange
2 large eggs

Beat in mixer on medium until smooth. Add 175g rough chopped pecans.
Divide mix into three and roll into logs 5 centimetres thick. Wrap in baking paper then cling film. Chill overnight.

To bake, slice the log into 2-3 millimetre thick slices. Bake on middle shelf of a preheated oven at 180 degrees celsius for 10 minutes. Cool for 5 mins on a wire rack. DONE!

My friend said you can keep it for up to two weeks in the fridge or freeze it. You can also lemon instead of orange, different nuts or no nuts. It's apparently pretty versatile and hard to mess up; that's why she thought it'd be good for me!

Phew.

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

oooh...thank you again. That doesn't sound too bad to make at all! :)

[electriccandle.livejournal.com]

Hello! We're in some of the same cooking communities, and you always post terrific recipes and photos, so I figured I'd add you. :)

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Though technically I didn't end up liking these cookies.

[dg76.livejournal.com]

i found you through never_the_less's friendslist and since you post photos of food, and run, and talk about both, i feel the need to add you to my flist too. hope you don't mind :)

p.s. i apologize in advance for the rambliness of my journal should you decide to go visit there.

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I hope you enjoy poking around my journal.

[cwhf.livejournal.com]

This looks yummy. I love teacakes which are a Southern thing and a fair bit thicker (somewhere between biscuit and cookie) but these look nice and crispy. To memories it goes.

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

oh...I may have to learn more about teacakes. Those sound good too.

[smoochie.livejournal.com]

what is the tea you're drinking ?

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

I'm embarrassed that I don't actually know. I think it's a type of oolong tea. It came from Chinatown and it had a pretty box.

[jessacord.livejournal.com]

Another tasty looking recipe! Thanks for posting over in cooking -- I am going to try the cinnamon roll recipe you posted this weekend. Mind if I add you?

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

Not at all. Thanks!

[mysticchyna.livejournal.com]

ah, i might like these cookies, i love flavors like that. i have a nice spice tea to go with them...or a Chai even would be nice!

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

Oh I hadn't thought to try pairing them with a spicier tea but that's a nice thought.

[cheves.livejournal.com]

a friend of mine gave me a recipie for moravian cookies wheni was in college, years ago. i will see if i can find it!

moravian cookies

[(Anonymous)]

I think the biscuits you remember are the marie biscuits or Maria cookies, I love the taste of these cookies and I can't find the recipe, I feel frustated

Re: moravian cookies

[fitfool.livejournal.com]

cool that you're peeking through the old posts :) I haven't heard of Marie or Maria cookies but that's a new kind of cookie for me to keep an eye out for. Thanks for giving me a new lead.