Totenbeinli Totenbeinli, meaning ‘bones of the dead’ (though more literally translated as ‘legs of the dead’), are a crunchy, nut-filled cookie originating in Graubünden. This macabre name comes from the fact that they were once commonly served at wakes, and that they should be about as hard and crunchy as the aforementioned bones. Today they are made year-round throughout the country, and under much more neutral names like Nussstängeli, ‘nut sticks’, in German, and croquants in French, describing their crunchiness.
INGREDIENTS
METHOD
makes 34
Once the whole nuts are toasted, set aside a handful to keep whole, and very roughly chop the rest. You will have three kinds of nuts to add: ground, roughly chopped, and whole.
150 g whole almonds or hazelnuts, toasted 120 g ground almonds or hazelnuts, toasted 100 g butter, room temperature 200g sugar 2 eggs 1/2 tsp salt 180 g flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp cinnamon
Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and salt. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and cinnamon, then stir into the butter mixture. Fold in the nuts. Form into a flat loaf (around 30 cm x 15 cm x 1 cm) and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill in the fridge for about an hour or freezer for about 15 minutes, until firm. When you are ready to bake Preheat oven to 200° C. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the top has completely set. Remove from the oven and wait until it is cool enough to handle. Cut into long slices, place back on the baking sheet and bake for an additional 6-8 minutes or until they are just starting to brown around the edges.
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