*this recipe is sponsored by my friends at Imperial Sugar
Also, can you tell I'm having a bit of wanderlust over here? German Sour Cherry Cake. Almond Danish Puffs. Mexican Chocolate Macarons. Frangipane. Chocolate French King Cake. Chelsea Buns. I guess what I'm hinting at is...we need to go on a WORLD BAKERY TOUR.
First things first, have some Swedish Pearl Sugar on hand. It's a coarse, white sugar that won't melt in the oven. In a pinch, use the coarsest sugar you can find, such as turbinado. It won't have the same look but will give the sugar-y texture on the top of the cookies.
Shaped cookies sometimes seem like they can be a chore, but these are not. The dough is simple and requires a rest in the refrigerator overnight. Do not be tempted to shape them right away; the dough is too soft and sticky. Really! Don't do it.
Doesn't it just LOOK soft? It is.
After a night in the fridge, you'll portion out the dough for baking. A #40 or 1.5-tablespoon cookie scoop is the perfect tool for portioning.
Hello, cookie dough!
Roll the dough ball out into a 10-inch rope.
Now, form that rope into a pretzel shape. Bring the ends up,
...then cross and press lightly back onto the cookie.
Brush lightly with milk. Sprinkle with pearl sugar. The milk will keep the cookie exterior soft and help the pearl sugar stick.
Bake them up! The "pretzels" will not change much in color. They'll poof a bit as they bake.
I'm ready to go to Sweden to try the real thing. Who's with me? I'm sharing my recipe over on Imperial Sugar today. Grab the recipe and make a batch! You'll be so happy you did!
