Danish kleiner
SWEET, crisp, deep-fried twists of dough, these are a Christmas snack in Denmark but delicious at any time of year. MAKES 50-60
● 125g caster sugar, plus extra for dusting (optional)
● 125g unsalted butter, softened
● 2 large eggs, beaten
● 400g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
● ½ tsp baking powder
● ½ tsp ground cardamom
● ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
● 2 tbsp double cream
● Sunflower or vegetable oil, for deep frying
YOU WILL NEED:
● Cooking thermometer (optional)
● Kitchen paper
STEP 1 Put the sugar and butter into a large bowl and cream together until light and fluffy. Add half of the beaten egg and mix thoroughly to combine.
STEP 2 In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, cardamom and cinnamon.
STEP 3 A little at a time, add the flour mixture into the butter, sugar and egg mixture, using an electric hand mixer to combine the ingredients between each addition. As the mixture gets dry, add more eggs until egg. Continue everything to is add incorporated. the flour and Then, to form beat a soft in just pastry. enough of the cream
STEP 4 Tip out the pastry onto a lightly floured worktop and gently knead until smooth. Shape the pastry into a ball, wrap in cling film, and chill for 30 minutes, or until firm.
STEP 5 Lightly dust your worktop with flour again and remove the pastry from the fridge. Roll it out until it is 3 mm thick and measures about 25 x 30 cm.
STEP 6 Cut the dough into 5 cm-wide strips, then cut the strips on an angle to make diamond shapes that measure about 5 x 5cm. Cut a 2cm slit lengthways in the centre of each strip.
STEP 7 Pull one corner of each pastry diamond through the slit to the other side to form a knot shape. Repeat until all the strips are knotted.
STEP 8 Half fill a large saucepan with oil, or use a deep-fat fryer, and heat the oil to about 180c/350f.
STEP 9 Deep fry the knots in batches for two to three minutes each, turning them with a long-handled spoon as they fry, until golden brown on all sides. As each batch cooks, remove the knots using a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on kitchen paper. Serve warm, dusted with caster sugar, if you like.