Almond Ginger Thins

For us Swedes, it is the day before The Day today and most people are probably rushing to finish off all the preparations, but for those of you who celebrate on Christmas Day and fancy a bit of last minute baking, here is an idea.

My grandmother always used to make these slightly more sophisticated ginger biscuits with almonds. She was adamant they had to be sliced very very thinly, fat ones were simply not up to her standards. This year I modified her original recipe slightly, cutting out some ingredients (not sure where I would find potash?) and eliminating the obligatory overnight rest in the fridge. I was worried the result would be less successful, but I have to say these are as nice as the ones I made last year following the original recipe.

125 gms Butter

115 gms Sugar

300 gms Plain Flour

50 ml Golden Syrup

2 tsp Cinnamon

2 tsp Ground Cloves

1 tsp Ground Ginger

1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1 tsp Cognac

100 gms Almonds

Start by blanching the almonds and take the skins off. Let them dry, then chop them quite finely without turning them into dust. Combine the sugar and butter, then add all the dry ingredients and work the dough until it is smooth and shiny. Add the almonds and carry on kneading until the are evenly distributed. Shape the dough into a log about 8 cm wide. Wrap it tightly in clingfilm, then press it down gently on two sides to create an oblong shape. Put it in the freezer for about and hour until it is solid enough to slice but not completely hard. Using a very sharp knife, slice the log as thinly as you can. I would aim for about 2 mm. Put the slices on greased baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes - it will smell amazing!