Raspberry Caves

INGREDIENTS:

* 250 g butter, softened
* 1 ½ dl (150 ml) sugar
* 4 dl (400 ml) flour
* 1 dl (100 ml) Marzan custard powder
* 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
* 1-2 dl (100-200 ml) firm raspberry jam or preserve

METHOD:
1. Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F).
2. Cream together butter and sugar.
3. Mix the dry ingredients and work them into the butter mixture.
4. Roll the dough into a rope; cut into 20-25 pieces.
5. Shape each piece into a ball.
6. Place the dough balls in small paper baking cups placed on a baking sheet.
7. Press to make rather large holes and spoon jam into the holes.
8. Bake in the middle of the oven for ab. 10-15 minutes
9. Cool the cookies.

The Swedish “Ekströms® Marsan powder” needs an explanation. The Swedish custard powder is always sweetened. Usually you mix this powder with milk to cook vanilla sauce or to cook vanilla custard. Maybe there are similar vanilla custard powders in other countries. Maybe not.

This is website with a few Swedish cookie recipes in English 4 Quick and easy traditional Swedish cookies . The dough of The Raspberry Caves is different from mine. The measurements are not metric.

Actually there are loads of cookie recipes in my country. Many of these very small sweet “cakes” are based on old traditions. Certain cookies, buns and cakes are tradition tied. A matter of memories to each individual – in a way.

Once there was an old tradition, no longer valid, to serve an assortment of seven kinds of cookies, cinnamon rolls and a cake at a Swedish coffee party. These coffee parties were called “kafferep”. I looked up the word “kafferep” in my Swedish-English Dictionary. Translation: Coffee fight. I was puzzled for a while. Then I remembered something.

Coffee was totally forbidden in Sweden in 1756, 1766 and 1794. Between 1817 -1822 coffee was prohibited to drink in public places. Why? Well, it had something to do with Swedish balance of trade. The purpose was to diminish Swedish imports. Were these events “coffee fights”? Who knows?