Christmas Candy 2010

As usual I have cooked up som Christmas gifts for the lucky ones.
This year I dropped some licorice in everything
- because I just bought some licorice syrup from Johan Bulow (http://lakrids.nu/) the other day and had to try it out.

The fruit bars are almost guilt-free - no fat added!

Fruit bars with a hint of licorice
100 g walnuts (31/2 oz)
100 g almonds (31/2 oz)
100 g dried dates (3 1/2 oz)
100 g dried apricots
75 g prunes (2 1/2 oz)
75 g dried cranberries (2 1/2 oz)
1 dl dark brown sugar (6 TBSP)
1 dl flour (6 TBSP)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1 tsp licorice syrup or Anise extract

Line an 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with baking paper and preheat the oven to 160 C (325 F).
Chop the nuts and fruit (except cranberries) coarsely and toss everything together with flour, baking powder and salt.
Whisk the egg together with the licorice syrup and mix it thoroughly into the fruit and nut mixture.
Press the mixture into the prepared pan and bake it for about 35 minutes.
Let it cool 20 minutes in the pan and then lift it out onto a cutting board.
Cut in desired bar-size and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Sesame candy
(80 candies)

250 g sesame seeds (9 oz/11/2 cup)
400 g cane sugar (2 cups)
150 g honey (1/2 cup)
100 g brown sugar (1/2 cup)
2 tsp licorice syrup or Anise extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger

Brush two large sheets of baking paper with oil or use silicone mats.
Toast the sesame seeds in a pan over medium-low heat, stirring often, until they are golden (5-8 minutes). Pour them into a bowl.
Melt the cane sugar, honey and brown sugar in the pan. Add the licorice syrup, cinnamon and ginger and stir well.
Turn the heat off and stir the seeds into the caramel with a wooden spoon.
Scrape the mixture onto one paper sheet (oil-side up) and place the remaining sheet (oil-side down) on top. Roll the mixture with a roller pin into a square about 1/4 inch thick.
Remove the top sheet of paper and cut the candy into 1-inch squares or diamonds with a sharp knife.
Let the candy cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Healthy bread

Now don’t let the kids eat too much cake – they also need some healthy bread!

Healthy bread
(2 loaves or 1 loaf and some rolls)
21/2 dl (1 cup) sour dough (if you have)
3/4 l (3 cups) tepid water
1 tsp (dry) yeast
21/2 dl (1 cup) rye flour
21/2 dl (1 cup) durum flour
ca. 13 dl (5 1/2 cups) whole wheat flour/ wheat flour
1 TBSP sea salt
1 TBSP honey or golden syrup

2 TBSP poppy seeds
2 TBSP sesame seeds
2 TBSP sunflower seeds

Put the sour dough in a mixer with a hook and add the water. Let it run for 1 minute.
Stir in the yeast and add the flours. Turn the mixer on and let it run for about 5 minutes.
Add salt and honey and let it run a couple of minutes more.
Remove the hook and cover the bowl with plastic. Let the dough rise 2-3 hours on the kitchen table or in the fridge for 18-24 hours.
Mix the seeds on a plate.
Let the dough fall out of the bowl onto a floured table and form loaves and/or rolls.
Pres them into the seeds and place them on a couple of baking sheets.
Cover them with a damp cloth and let them rise 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 225 degrees C (450 degrees F). Carefully remove the cover, slit the tops and bake the loaves for 25 to 30 minutes/ rolls 15 minutes - until crust is golden brown and the inner temperature is 96-98 degrees C (205 degrees F).
Let the loaves cool at least 30 minutes on a wire rack.