It’s hard not to regret all the tender butter cookies we’ve missed out on by not living in Sweden, where the sit-down-and-chat-awhile coffee/cookie break (fika in Swedish) is not only welcome in the workplace, but culturally mandated! Väl, we’re making up for lost time here at Mouth HQ thanks to Swedish-born Ulrika Pettersson who founded her Harlem-based Unna Bakery to bring the traditional and elegant cookies of her heritage to a country that could stand to slow down and savor the moment a bit. Her recipes date back to the late 1800s when kaffereps (ladies-only fikas) were to have exactly seven types of cookies on offer because serving fewer would brand a hostess cheap and serving more would brand her a show-off. Deceptively simple-looking, the Vanilla Dream is just that. Buttery yet light as air (baker’s ammonia is the secret), they almost vaporize on your tongue, leaving the warmth of vanilla and an overwhelming desire to abandon all social graces and eat the whole darn box. Fika takes practice! Fantastick. TIP OF THE TONGUE Swedish cookies, meet New Orleans-style cold brew coffee. Stock both in the office break room and Mondays become a whole lot more bearable.
|