For my variation on the classic mantecadito cookie from Puerto Rico I made a sandwich biscuit in the shape of a heart with a filling of marmalade. The filling of this ginger and marmalade cookie peeps out in the middle. I like a little bitterness in something sweet and the marmalade also tastes delicious with the hint of ginger in the dough. If you don’t like marmalade just use a jam that you like. You can also easily make this ginger and marmalade cookie vegan with the tips in the recipe.
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Ginger and marmalade cookie
voor ± 18 cookies
120 g (1 stick ± 1 tsp) (vegan) butter*
25 (2 tbsp) sugar + extra for sprinkling
½ egg, lightly beaten*
grated zest of ¼ organic lemon
¼ tsp powdered ginger
250 g (2 cups) flour
pinch of salt
2-3 tbsp marmalade (or jam)
With an electric mixer beat the butter with the sugar until light and creamy.
Add the egg and beat well.
Add the lemon zest and the ginger and beat until incorporated.
Mix in almost all the flour and the salt and form into a smooth ball of dough. Add some extra flour until you have a soft but not sticky dough. Wrap in clingfilm and leave to cool and rest in the fridge for ± 30 mins.
Roll out to ± ½ cm / ¼ inch and cut out cookies. Cut out a little hole in the center of half the cookies. Bring together the rest of the dough, roll out and cut more cookies. Repeat until all the dough is used. Sprinkle with sugar.
Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave to cool in the fridge for ± 15 mins.
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Bake the cookies for 10-15 mins. or until very light brown and done. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the baking sheet. They will still be soft when hot but will become crumbly when they cool down. Spoon a little bit of marmalade in the center of the cooled cookies without holes and cover with the rest of the cookies.
*For a vegan version of this ginger and marmalade cookie you can also use vegan butter or margarine with a few drops of sesame oil. Use the grated zest of ½ lemon. You can omit the egg or replace it with 15 ml / 1 tbsp of aquafaba. At the end, add just as much extra aquafaba or water until the dough feels nice and soft.
