Pine & honey ginger cookies
Winter blessings, folkx, and a happy, merry, belated solstice!
Today’s transmission is a short one and one that’s been sitting in my drafts folder for over a month (gasp!). You know how winter comes around, and everything seems to calm down and lay still? That’s exactly how I’ve been feeling. Of course, just like the natural world, we too need rest and stillness — however, under late capitalism, this feeling often conflicts with the pressure to remain productive, create, share, and repeat, leading to feelings of guilt and maladjustment. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to strike a balance between keeping up and resting, but I’m doing my best. Or trying to. How about you?
Now, however you, I, we, collectively feel, I am a firm believer that cookies are always a good idea. Here is a recipe I created for my friends over at Play Up, and that I meant to share with you before the winter solstice, but alas! The good part is that they are always good and fitting, and especially so as the cold winter wind hisses over the landscape and a fire burns in the hearth. Will you join me?
Pine & Honey Ginger Cookies
These simple cookies may become your new favorite winter or Yuletide cookies! While the addition of pine needle is completely optional, they bring a zingy flavor to this recipe and a fun foraging twist – that can become a family adventure! Little ones will probably love playing with the icing decoration, so don’t be afraid of getting dirty and letting go of perfection.
Note: If you’re foraging for pine needles, always make sure to properly identify trees. Most pine trees (Pinus spp.) are safe to use, but there are exceptions, such as the ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). Remember that not all conifers are pines, which are distinguished from other conifers by their needles. Pine needles are bundled in clusters of 1-6, most commonly 2-5. Many pines have long needles, but there are some varieties with short needles too. In this recipe, we used Pinus pinaster, known in Portuguese as pinheiro-bravo (maritime pine in English)
ingredients(makes approx. 60 cookies)
3 ½ cups white wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 ½ tbsp fresh pine (Pinus spp.) needles, finely chopped
2 tbsp ginger (Zingiber officinale) root, powdered
1 tbsp cinnamon (Cinnamomum spp.) bark, powdered
½ tsp cloves (Syzygium aromaticum), powdered
½ tsp cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) seed, powdered
¼ tsp nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) seed, powdered
150 g salted butter at room temperature
¾ cup brown sugar
¼ cup honey
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
for the icing
2 egg whites
300 g confectioner’s sugar
directionsIn a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, chopped pine needles, and spices, and mix well. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar together in a separate bowl using a fork. Add honey and vanilla and stir to combine. Add the egg and beat well.
Slowly pour the flour into the butter mix, using a fork or your hand to combine everything until the dough is thoroughly mixed.
Form a ball and allow the dough to chill in the fridge for an hour.
Place the chilled dough on a well-floured surface and roll using a rolling pin, until the dough is about 1/4-inch (≈ 6 mm) thick.
Cut out the dough using a cookie cutter and place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake in the oven at medium gas (350°F/ 177°C) for about 10 minutes, or until the edges are starting to golden.
Remove the baked cookies from the oven and allow them to completely cool before decorating.
To make the icing, beat the egg whites in a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, until stiff peaks form. Slowly add in the sugar until well incorporated and glossy. Transfer to a piping bag (alternatively, use a clean plastic bag and cut a very small corner to pour the icing through) and decorate to your heart’s desire – or your little ones’!
How are you celebrating these last few days of the year? ❄️✨
PS. I’m preparing my regular end-of-year favorite books recap to share with y’all soon! I have some good ones up my sleeve…
