When I first saw a recipe for these little cookies I could tell by the quantity of butter and its simple ingredients list it was very much like a shortbread (leivät means breads), sandwiched with marmalade. The recipe couldn’t be easier and as many a Fin may scoff at my addition of the native Australian wattleseed, I really think it’s a perfect ingredient to complement the buttery crumble of the cookie and the bitter and sweet marmalade filling. I used Hank’s orange & lime marmalade but you could use any preserve you desire. I reckon chocolate ganache would also be nice!
Wattleseed has been eaten by indigenous Australians for thousands of years as a source of rich protein and carbohydrate in times of drought. It has a distinct nutty flavour and coffee-like aroma so this is one cookie that screams for a coffee to be had with it.
wattleseed lusikkaleivät
Makes 12 double cookies
- 200 g unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1½ vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1½ tsp wattleseeds, crushed
- Marmalade, to fill
- Icing sugar, to dust
Preheat the oven to 170°C.
In a medium saucepan melt the butter and allow to bubble until a light brown colour develops. Keep an eye on it and don’t allow to burn. Remove from the heat and add the sugar and vanilla extact, stirring to combine. Set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
Combine the flour, baking powder and wattleseeds and add to the butter mixture, stirring well to form a firm batter.
Take a tablespoon measure and form the batter into cookies, pressing firmly into the spoon so they don’t split when cooking.
Arrange on a lined baking tray and bake for 15 minuntes.
Allow to cool on a rack before spreading a little marmalade on half of the cookies, pressing the other half on top. Be gently as they’re quite fragile.
Dust generously with icing sugar.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Good old lusikkaleipä! These are my brother’s favourites. So much so that mum still mails him these – unfilled- all the way to France! I like your twist with wattleseed, I think the flavour would go really well in these! Approved by a Finn!
What lovely cookies! They really look addictive and that addition of wattle seed is interesting.
Cheers,
Rosa
Boy do these look good John! But how do you pronounce the ‘L’ word?
Yum, multicultural cookies are the best! So is Hank’s jam
Love the use of wattle seed in these! They look divine
I’ve never thought of putting marmalade with a biscuit, but I’ve eaten quite a few ‘jammy dodgers’ in my time (not sure if you get them here in Oz) so why not!
Yummo…great for morning tea John! I def need to get cooking with wattleseed…you provide great inspiration and droolworthy pics.
i like your description of the wattle seed! need to give it a try
This is a perfect morning delights. I love it.
U can bake, u can cook, u can style, u can shoot.
Is there anything that u can’t do, John?
ps : i love the addition of wattle seed. makes your lusikkaleivät funkier looking.
Ooh, i’ve not seen or heard of wattleseed before! This looks so good that I’m putting it on my list of things to bake!
Lusikkaleivät is pronounced “lu (as in lulu) – sik (as in sick) – ka – lei (as in Hawaiian lei) – vaet (a with an umlaut). Hope this makes sense? “Lusikka” on it’s own means spoon. “Leivät” is a plural of “leipä” which means bread.
Thanks Maria!
They look like little, tasty rocks in the second photo
” “Leivät” is a plural of “leipä” which means bread.”
That is correct, but the word “leipä” comes again from the verb “leipoa”, to bake. The word “lusikkaleipä” refers actually to “pikkuleipä”, lit. small bread, but meaning a bisquit. Languages can be pretty tricky from time to time
Anyway, as a Finn I was so surprised and delighted to see lusikkaleivät on an Australian food blog – with a new twist, of course!