December 2: 'Twas a Twist on Marchpane
Laura Loney's book, 'Twas the Night Before Tudor Christmas, begins with an illustrated, storybook retelling of the classic poem The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore. The main characters in this Tudor version are Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and the Lord of Misrule. Anne's little dog Purkoy also makes an appearance too thanks to illustrator Kathryn Holeman.
Following the story, readers will enjoy a look and find, glossary, a several page overview of the Tudor dynasty, and an illustrated family tree. The book includes more than 30 activities, crafts, recipes, jokes, riddles, games and more, all to bring a touch of Tudor history to your modern Christmas. There are more than 15 recipes, both savoury and sweet, each with its own photograph to act as a visual guide. Additional historical tidbits in every section also help explain the Tudor connections.
The book is written in a light-hearted tone and created to be a compendium and Christmas keepsake.
As a special treat for The Anne Boleyn Files advent calendar, you'll find the recipe for Marchpane Cookies below, which is included in 'Twas the Night Before Tudor Christmas.
MARCHPANE COOKIES
Everyone loves marzipan, right? No? Marchpane is marzipan's ancestor and was a sweet treat at the Tudor court. It could be sculpted into a variety of impressive designs and was made from sugar, ground almonds and rosewater. Unlike its great-great-grandchild marzipan, marchpane was baked to achieve a stiffer texture.
This recipe is inspired by the flavours of marchpane, but in a toned-down, cookie version. It is rolled into a large, circular disc, and any extra dough can be cut out using pastry stamps or cookie cutters. The dough uses almond flour, not ground almonds, which has a very fine texture.
Culinary rosewater essence is used in the glaze and has a happy-floral-feel-good-vibe. Some brands are stronger than others, so use it carefully, or your lovely cookies can quickly turn into more of an unloved perfumed dessert that will serve only to improve the scent of your compost bin.
Ingredients
- 1 cup / 150g flour
- 1/4 cup/25g powdered sugar/ icing sugar
- 3/4 cup / 60g almond flour
- 1/3 cup/75g butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons runny honey
- 1 tablespoon milk
Glaze Ingredients
- 1/2 cup / 50g powdered sugar icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1⁄2 teaspoon rosewater essence (or to taste)
Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°F. Cream butter, honey, milk and powdered sugar together in a large bowl until smooth. Add the almond flour and all-purpose flour and mix. The dough will be crumbly. Knead it together with clean hands until it forms a smooth ball of dough.
Roll the dough into a flat disc about 0.5" / 1 cm thick. Using a dinner plate 8" / 20 cm wide as a guide, trim the dough into a circle. Cut the disc into 16 equal pieces. Carefully separate and remove to a lined cookie sheet. Extra bits of dough can be re-rolled and cut into shapes using cookie cutters or pastry stamps (reduce the cooking time accordingly).
Bake for about 10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Carefully glaze each cookie hot from the oven (be careful!), spreading about one teaspoon of glaze over each one with a spoon. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet and then remove to a cooling rack. The glaze will not harden firm, but will stiffen and self-level. It will also slightly soften the cookies to create an irresistible texture. Cookies can be served reformed into a disc. If one piece goes missing (cook's treat), it will still form a lovely circle.
*Readers must take precautions when in the kitchen or working with food. It is the readers' responsibility to supervise and assist children at all times and take measures to ensure everyone's safety.
You can get Laura's Christmas book from all good stockists. Here is a link to Amazon for the book: "'Twas the Night Before Tudor Christmas"
