Delicate walnut rounds, butter cream, egg yolk glaze, and rum come together to create refined sandwich cookies with a distinctive taste and aroma. Brides are finished by rolling in ground nuts and decorating with a whole nut, making them look festive and perfect not just for the Christmas table.
The dough contains no egg yolk or any other egg and needs to rest in the fridge for a day before cutting. Simply bake the rounds, fill with cream, and decorate. After two days, the cookies become beautifully tender, soften, and literally melt in your mouth.
What You’ll Need
For the dough:
- 330 g plain flour,
- 225 g butter,
- 100 g powdered sugar,
- 150 g walnuts, preferably English walnuts.
For the walnut cream:
- 100 g butter,
- 80 g sugar,
- 80 g walnuts,
- 1/2 capful of rum, or more to taste.
For the egg yolk glaze:
- 3 egg yolks,
- 150 g sugar,
- 1 tablespoon rum.
For finishing:
- ground walnuts for coating the edges,
- whole walnuts for decorating.
The original recipe does not specify the exact amount of nuts for coating and decorating, so adjust according to the number of baked rounds.
Step-by-Step Preparation:
1. Making the dough: Combine plain flour, butter, powdered sugar, and 150 g walnuts into a cohesive dough. Do not add any egg yolk or other egg, which ensures the finished cookies are wonderfully delicate.
2. Chilling in the fridge: Place the prepared dough in the fridge for one day. Do not skip this resting time, as the chilled dough will be easier to roll out and cut.
3. Rolling and cutting: Roll the chilled dough into a sheet about 3 mm thick. Cut out rounds, which according to the original recipe should be about 3 cm in diameter, and place them on a baking tray.
4. Baking the rounds: Bake the prepared rounds at 180°C for about 10–12 minutes. Adjust the baking time to your oven, as each one bakes a little differently. Watch the rounds so they don’t overbake and remain delicate.
5. Preparing the walnut cream: Make the cream from 100 g butter, 80 g sugar, 80 g walnuts, and half a capful of rum. If you want a stronger rum flavor, you can use a bit more rum.
6. Preparing the egg yolk glaze: Mix three egg yolks with 150 g sugar and one tablespoon of rum. Process the mixture thoroughly to create a glaze suitable for spooning onto the center of the sandwiched cookies.
7. Assembling the cookies: Join the baked and cooled rounds in pairs using the prepared walnut cream. Also spread cream on the outer edges of each sandwiched piece so the ground nuts will stick.
8. Coating the edges: Roll the coated edges in ground walnuts. Work carefully, as the baked rounds are delicate and could break if pressed too hard.
9. Decorating with glaze: Use a small spoon to place a bit of egg yolk glaze in the center of each piece. Gently press a walnut into the center of the glaze to decorate the cookie.
10. Resting: Let the finished brides rest for two days. During this time, they will soften, become as tender as a feather, and the flavors of the individual layers will blend together.
Why There Is No Egg Yolk in the Dough
Leaving out the egg yolk is not a mistake or oversight. Just as with some recipes for vanilla crescents, no egg yolk is added to this dough. The simple combination of flour, butter, sugar, and walnuts is what creates the desired delicate texture.
How to Ensure Proper Baking
The rounds are only about 3 mm thick and with a diameter of around 3 cm, they bake quite quickly. The suggested 10–12 minutes is just a guideline, and you should also take into account the specifics of your oven. Overbaked pieces could be drier and more likely to break when sandwiched.
Final Tip
English walnuts are recommended for these cookies mainly for their strong flavor and aroma. Do not serve the brides immediately after finishing, but give them two days to rest. The cream will soften the baked rounds and the finished cookies will be delicate and pleasantly melt in your mouth.
