Counting my Blessings and Cookies with Sakura Sugar

I’ve been feeling pretty content of late. There’s a lot to celebrate even apart from the most obviously important things like my health and the health of those I love, having enough to eat and a nice apartment to live in.

It’s warm – warm enough to wear short sleeves during the day sometimes and definitely warm enough to play Scrabble in Mark and Steffi’s loggia on the weekend with the sun streaming in and a skirt on – rhubarb is in the shops, there’s chicken stock simmering on my stove, I have a trip to look forward to and the other day I saw a calf learning how to walk.

It was way more awesome and cute than it sounds; it was walking around on its front knuckles like a slightly shaky but still smooth old dude with slicked back hair doing that jitterbuggy kind of dancing with his shoulders held stiff the way they’re supposed to be.

And then, suddenly there are all of you, dear readers; sending me lovely or irreverent emails, leaving comments, twittering with me to tell me how it went when you tried something, making me laugh or simply getting in touch. I’m grateful that so many of my peeps (consistently awesome and arranging things like kedge-offs, like a dance off, only with kedgeree) are reading but it’s a gift to get to know those of you who used to be strangers too and I thank you for coming around. I even get to meet some of you!

And more – a thing that never fails to fill me with wonder, are all the blossoms here: there were canary yellow forsythia, plums, then cherries, and a little later magnolias and finally the apples and pears. Even all the fields are carpeted in buttercups, dandelions and little purple things that look like stock. I almost expect the Von Trapp Family singers to pop out at any minute and serenade me.

Actually, I’ve never been much of one for noticing fruit blossoms. Perhaps it’s because there aren’t any of these types of trees native to New Zealand and therefore they don’t appear in such profusion; because Thailand is far more flashy in her beauty, and while sakura season is obviously a huge deal in Japan, the trees are always confined to certain areas and the odd neighbour’s garden in the concrete jungle that is Tokyo.

Last year before I left there, my cousin gave me a pretty bottle filled with sakura sugar. I’d never been inspired to use it but Mowie’s beautiful post gave me the push I needed. While I don’t presume to place my photos in anywhere near the same rarefied part of the stratosphere as his, I hope they give you a little taste of what it’s like to wander every day through the pink and green orchard I have been fortunate to frequent the last few weeks, with bumblebees bumbling and the sky that blue that it is in memories of perfect picnics.

In that perfect picnic, you might eat these cookies. They’re a soft shortbread slice and bake – the easiest kind, but the sour-sweet sakura sugar makes them a bit special. You could use sugar and anything you like though, cinnamon perhaps, or minced rosemary or demerara sugar on its own, or even nothing at all.

Also, kind of a big deal for me, it’s actually been kind of fun taking photos recently. Not always and not even most of the time but it’s a start.

What makes you feel content?

Slice and Bake Cookies from Smitten Kitchen who adapted them from Dorie Greenspan

If you want to try something else to jazz these up, there are lots of ideas on Smitten Kitchen too.

Beat the butter until smooth and then sift in the icing sugar and beat again until light (a few minutes).

Beat in the egg yolks and if you think it will go well with the sugar mix you’re rolling the dough log in, an extract.

Fold the flour in without overmixing. If you want to add in anything, gently fold it through now.

Form the dough into a rough disc and clingfilm, refrigerate for half an hour.

When it seems firm enough to shape, roll into a tube the shape of a salami, wrap again and refrigerate (a few days) or freeze (a few months).

When you want to bake them, preheat the oven to 180 celsius (350 fahrenheit).

Slice off what you want to bake in one piece and roll firmly in the plate of sugar, if using.

Slice off circles about 5 millimetres thick and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Cool on a rack.

Print this recipe

Tagged as: biscuits, cookies, dorie greenspan, easy, make ahead, recipe, shortbread, smitten kitchen