Finish Fingers

When I told our children that I was going to make Finnish Fingers, they weren't overjoyed. They thought I was going to make Halloween party food that was shaped like real fingers. Not fans of spooky food, they started working on their best pleading skills to keep me from making the cookies. As soon as I could get a few words into a very one sided conversation, I began to make my case for trying out a new cookie recipe, one that didn't have anything to do with food masquerading as body parts. Once I described the cookies as a sweet confection decorated with chocolate toppings, they were far happier.

Finnish Fingers (Finska pinnar) are a traditional favorite not only in Finland, but throughout Scandinavia. Full of character and flavor, Finnish Fingers are an enjoyable to make and fun to eat. The recipe that I used came from "Things Swedish," by Mari Hemming (Albert Bonniers Forlag, 2001). I substituted vegetable shortening and coconut oil for the butter, used gluten free flours in place of the wheat and used chia seed meal as the binder. The glaze recipes came from the Fanny Farmer cookbook and are found on my post for Chocolate Chestnut Doughnuts.


Once they were ready to eat, my family moved in and by Friday there was one lone Turbinado sugar cookie left. Most of us thought they were delicious. My son preferred the ones with the crunchy sugar outside and my husband and I liked those with the chocolate glaze and almonds. My daughter decided she would rather eat the gluten free chocolate chip cookies that I made. This recipe made two dozen cookies, a nice size for having around or for saving out a few and freezing the rest. This recipe is a keeper as it's perfect for when you are in the mood for something very enjoyable and a little different.

This post was submitted to the monthly event, Does My Blog Look Good In This, hosted this month by Bake or Break.

Recipe

Cookie

7 Tb vegetable shortening
7 Tb coconut oil
1/2 cup cane sugar
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup chestnut flour *
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup + 1 Tb arrowroot starch
1/2 cup almond meal
2 tsp chia seed meal **
1/2 tsp almond extract

Toppings

Turbinado sugar
Sprinkelz
Chopped almonds
Chocolate Glaze
Vanilla Glaze

1. In the bowl to your mixer, cream the shortening and coconut oil. Then slowly add the cane sugar.

2. In a medium bowl, dump in the flours and meals. Then stir together.

3. Slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture in the bowl of the mixer. Once blended. Plop in the almond extract and continue to blend.

4. Remove the bowl from the mixer and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.

5. Line several cookie pans with parchment paper. Then place a sheet of parchment paper on the counter for a surface to roll the cookies.


6. Remove a scoop of dough and make a ball in your hands. Then slowly roll the ball on the counter until it forms a log that is the thickness of a finger and about 2 inches long. Then place the cookie on the cookie sheet. Repeat until all the cookies are formed.

7. For cookies covered in Turbinado sugar: Roll the uncooked cookie in the sugar and replace on the cookie sheet.

8. Then chill the cookies in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. While the cookies are chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

9. Remove the cookies from the refrigerator and place in the oven. Bake for 15-17 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to completely cool before decorating them. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

1o. For the Chocolate and Almond Cookies: Gently pick up a cookie and sprinkle chopped almonds on the parchment paper were the ends of the cookie had been resting. Then dip each end of the cookie in the chocolate glaze and allow the excess to drip off. Replace the cookie on the cookie sheet so that the chocolate ends are resting on top of the chopped almonds. Then sprinkle chopped almonds over the chocolate glazed tops of the cookies. Allow the chocolate to set before serving.

11. For Vanilla Glaze and Sprinkelz Cookies: Gently dip one end of the cookie into the vanilla glaze and allow the excess to drip off. Then roll the glazed end of the cookie into a bowl containing the Sprinkelz. Repeat this on the other end of the cookie. Once decorated, replace the cookie on the parchment paper. Allow the glaze to set before serving.

* Chestnut flour: You can purchase chestnut flour at your local Whole Foods, Glutenfree.com and the Glutenfreemall.com

** Chia Seed: You can purchase chia seed from Native Seeds/SEARCH. Then I grind them in my coffee grinder to make a meal that works as a binder in place of xanthan or guar gum.