Sweet somethings for Idul Fitri

JAKARTA (JP): These two cookies can be prepared a week ahead of the post-fasting month celebration of Idul Fitri and are suitable for gifts to relatives and friends after the Day of Forgiveness. They are simple to make and are always the most popular Lebaran cookies.

Putri Salju

250 g flour; 25 g milk powder; 50 g grated Edam cheese; 200 g margarine; 100 g icing sugar; half a teaspoon of baking powder and vanilla; 75 g ground toasted peanuts; extra icing sugar

1. Put a pan over medium heat, stir in flour until it turns slightly brown. Set aside. 2. Using a mixer, beat margarine and sugar until well combined. Mix flour with grated cheese, milk powder, baking powder, ground peanuts. Add the flour mixture to the margarine. Blend it well. 3. Roll the batter to 0.5 centimeter thickness and cut it using a cookie cutter. Arrange the cookies on a greased baking sheet. 4. Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. Cool the cookies on a wire rack and dust with icing sugar.

Nastar

600 g flour; 200 g butter; 200 g margarine; 100 g sugar; 6 eggs; 2 egg yolks; 1 stalk of lemon grass

Pineapple filling

350 g pineapple, grated; 200 g sugar; 3 cloves; 1 5-cm-long cinnamon stick

1. To make the pineapple filling, combine grated pineapple, sugar, cloves and cinnamon stick in a pan, cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves and water evaporates. Set aside 2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat butter, margarine and sugar until sugar dissolves. Add one egg at a time, beat well. Using a spoon, add in flour and mix well. 3. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius. In the meantime, gently wrap one teaspoon of pineapple filling with one tablespoon of batter. Repeat the step with the remaining batter. 4. Arrange the cookies on a greased baking sheet. Use the lemon grass to brush the cookies with the beaten egg yolks. Bake for 15 minutes. 5. Cool the cookies on a wire rack before storing them in an airtight container. (Maria Endah Hulupi)