Finnish Christmas Biscuits

The saying goes that simple is best, and in the case of these Finnish Christmas Biscuits, no saying could ring more true! These light and airy biscuits are buttery and lightly sweetened. The chopped almonds on top add flavour, colour, and texture, which makes these biscuits irresistible, so maybe make a double batch!

I wish I could take full credit for these Finnish Christmas Biscuits! Truth be told, this recipe has not been changed or altered in any way. Nearly every time I source a recipe from a cookbook or online, I make it my own by adding or taking away from it. I love to improve on a recipe, making it more flavourful or easier to make. These, however, were perfect just the way they are!

The next time you’re standing in line at the grocery store, go ahead and scan the magazines that are either side of you. You know the ones I’m talking about! They are lined up in all of their glossy colour and glory right next to the chocolates and other sugary snacks. If you see a Taste of Home magazine, pick it up and buy it. When you get home, make a hot coffee and sit for a bit while you flip through the magazine. It has some really great recipes!

That is exactly where this recipe came from. I tried it and loved it right away! There isn’t one thing I would change about it! Well, that’s not quite true; in the magazine, they’re called cookies, but the shape of them and the texture of them remind me of boxed biscuits my mom used to buy at the grocery store years ago. I changed cookies to biscuits, because of the UK influence on names and titles in Newfoundland, in my home, that’s what my mom would have called them.

LORD BYRON’S 24 COOKIES OF CHRISTMAS – VOLUME 5

I’m so excited about this year’s cookie countdown! This is the fifth consecutive year; can you believe that? Each of the previous years has included 24 cookies and this year will not be any different. I’ll share a new Christmas cookie recipe each and every single day for the next 24 days – even on Saturday and Sunday!

You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas cookie recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to bake the same holiday cookies year after year?

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Volume 5 of Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas! Fresh off of my 12 Edible Wreaths of Christmas and my 12 Bars and Squares of Christmas series, I’m ready to plow through the next 24 days with you!

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday baking countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature! To be perfectly honest, I have made these with both salted and unsalted butter and there’s no difference in taste or appearance once all is said and done. Use what you have on hand.
• Sugar – Sugar has more than one function in baking.  Not only does it add sweetness, but it will caramelize too, which will help to brown cookies and cakes. 
• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Almonds – I’m using blanched almonds, but you can use regular almonds. Don’t use salted or specialty roasted almonds that have smoky flavours or seasonings.
• Sanding Sugar – Coarse sugar, sometimes referred to as sanding sugar, is used sometimes for decorative purposes.  It is sometimes called pearl sugar or coarse baking sugar.

SANDING VS GRANULATED SUGAR

I use coarse sanding sugar quite often in my recipes, and I hope it hasn’t been too difficult for you to find. Sanding sugar is sometimes referred to as baking sugar, and there are some substitutes. You can use other sugars – which are basically the same, but named something differently – there’s pearl sugar and coarse sugar. You cannot, however, use granulated sugar. Let me explain why.

Whereas an individual granule of sanding sugar is large and hard, a single granule of granulated sugar is quite small. Sanding sugar will hold up to the heat in your oven without melting; granulated sugar will not. If you cannot find sanding sugar, you can either skip it completely for this recipe.

You can find sanding sugar online, but it’s expensive in comparison to what you can find at a baking supply store. I buy most of my sanding sugar at Bulk Barn. They have just about every colour you will need! You can also use turbinado sugar. Turbinado sugar is a golden brown though, so it will throw off the colour of your finished cookie.

WHAT ARE BLANCHED ALMONDS?

Simply put, when an almond is blanched, the skin has been removed from the nut. Raw almonds are typically coated in a red-brown skin. When preparing almond flour, for example, the blanching process is applied to remove that skin. When that skin is left on, it produces flour with a different texture than when it is removed. Blanched almond flour contains no traces of an almond’s skin, and because of this, it has a smooth, delicate texture.

Blanching an almond isn’t a complicated process. To quickly blanch almonds, you’ll want to place them into boiling water and let them soak for about two minutes. After they have soaked, drain the water and wash the almonds with cold water. This should cause the skin to slide off of the nuts. Once the skin of all of the almonds is fully removed, they are considered blanched.

POINTERS ON ROLLING COOKIE DOUGH

These biscuits are perfectly flat, which adds to the overall look and texture as well. The thinness of the dough is important to obtaining the light and airy biscuit. So, how are your dough rolling skills? Mine are horrible, which is why I cheated! I love using my rolling pins and any excuse I can get to practice my rolling skills, I’m up for it.  A while ago, I used to have a collection of wooden rolling pins, but I got rid of them all just because I was short on space.  We still have the rolling pin that belonged to John.e’s mom.

Cheated; oh, yes!  A few years ago, I purchased a Joseph Joseph Adjustable Rolling Pin.  You must Google it if you don’t know what type of rolling pin I’m referring to.  I always have a problem with rolling dough evenly, no matter how much I love to practice.  This particular rolling pin eliminates my inadequate dough rolling technique. It has interchangeable disks on each end of the wooden pin with specific measurements. You can get perfectly flat dough every single time!

Maybe I should hashtag the Joseph Joseph product line with hopes that just like the sugar plums dancing through those children’s heads in T’was the Night Before Christmas poem, that I might too inspire the product line to gift me another rolling pin.  Why not!?  ‘Tis the season of giving, after all!  #josephjoseph

HOW TO MAKE FINNISH CHRISTMAS BISCUITS

At the beginning of this post, I made mention of the saying that simple is best. Well, let me add easy does it to that as well, because these cookies are both simple and easy! Here’s how to make them! Add the butter and sugar to a mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add the flour, one cup at a time, and beat until just incorporated.  Do not over-mix. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.  Set aside. Once chilled, halve the dough and roll it between two sheets of parchment paper until ¼ inch thick.  Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and use a square cookie cutter to cut out the cookies.  Remove the surrounding dough and save to re-roll for more cookies.

Next, beat the egg and brush the tops of the cookies lightly.  Sprinkle over the chopped almonds and the sanding sugar. Transfer the squares to the prepared baking sheet, leaving at least one inch of space between each cookie. Bake for 10 minutes, or until cookies start to brown just lightly on the edges.  Remove from oven and rest on a baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to completely cool.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most cookies, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for long periods of time. Cookies will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one, two, or half a dozen, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

If you plan to freeze your Finnish Christmas Biscuits, you certainly can! Once completely cooled, pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  

You can freeze these cookies for up to three months. If you plan to give previously frozen cookies as a gift, I would lay them out on a wire cooling rack to thaw completely. If packaging, wait until the condensation has evaporated. Once thawed, pile into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, or stack in a cookie tin/box.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down to follow me and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!