Leena's Finnish Slice Cookies
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla sugar* or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 Tablespoons dark syrup** (Dan Sukker "Tumma Siirappi)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Notes:
  • *Vanilla sugar can be found in specialty kitchen stores or ordered online; or make your own: after using a vanilla pod with the seeds scraped out, save the pod. Plunge the pod into a container of granulated sugar and let it sit for several days, stirring occasionally. Remove pod and you now have homemade vanilla sugar!
  • ** The dark syrup called Tumma Siirappi from Dan Sukker can be ordered from Amazon. (I do it all the time!) There really is no substitution for it. It has its own unique flavor. It's worth ordering and is also good in other recipes that call for molasses or honey, or it's good on pancakes, waffles, or drizzled on ice cream.
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In large bowl of electric mixer, beat together butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla sugar (if not using vanilla extract) until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla (if didn't use vanilla sugar), egg yolk, and syrup until well mixed.
  3. In another bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add gradually to butter mixture and beat until well blended. Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate about 20-25 minutes or until firm enough to divide into 6 equal parts to roll into logs.
  4. Roll each part into a log about 9-inches long. Transfer logs to prepared baking sheets, 3 per sheet. I place 2 logs vertical and one horizontal. Use 3 baking sheets with 2 logs per sheet if your pans are not very large. Keep the logs fairly far apart as they will spread.
  5. Bake logs for about 12-14 minutes or until a nice golden brown. Remove from oven and place on stovetop. If the logs have touched each other during baking, don't worry, just take a long sharp knife and gently push them back into shape, keeping them oval.
  6. While still warm, and using a long sharp knife, cut the logs into diagonal slices about an inch apart. After cut, remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Recipe by The Culinary Cellar at https://theculinarycellar.com/leenas-finnish-slice-cookies/