Miette Patisserie, Meg Ray
Five years of running a café in a Swedish archipelago was hugely inspirational for Miette’s chef and owner, Meg Ray. Her time there, and in Stockholm during the pandemic, brought to life the recipes for her newest cookbook, which will be published this spring. The book focuses on classic Swedish recipes, many originally produced for the café and soon to be available at Miette. Cardamom is widely used in Swedish baking and these cardamom-spiced shortbread wafers are a natural addition to Miette’s shortbread lineup. The vanilla paste adds a confetti of speckles, joining the nibs and cardamom to give these buttery cookies an intensely flavorful bite.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground cardamom seeds
- 1 cup (130g/4.6 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons (90g/3.2 ounces) evaporated cane sugar
- ½ cup (113g/4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- ¼ cup (30g/1 oz) cacao nibs
- 1 tablespoon evaporated cane sugar for sprinkling
Preparation
Crack open about 20–24 cardamom pods and collect the seeds. Using a mortar and pestle, grind the cardamom seeds until they resemble ground pepper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, butter, salt, cardamom, and vanilla paste. Mix on low speed until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Add the cream and cacao nibs. Mix until combined.
Form the dough into a log about 1½ inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Remove the chilled log from the refrigerator and slice into ¼-inch disks. Place the disks 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with the additional evaporated cane sugar.
Bake in the preheated oven for until the edges of the cookies just begin to turn brown, 12–15 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Makes 24 cookies.
