Estonia: Suussulavad Kaerakupsised

Estonia is a Nordic country, which also says a lot about the Estonian cuisine: eating habits, food, ways of cooking etc. The rather sharp contrast between seasons, quite unusual for a southener, is also reflected in the rhythm of life of a people, closer to nature than the average European. An Estonian tends to be slow and introvert in autumn and winter, and much more energetic and communicative in summertime.

How, what, and where an Estonian eats seems largely to be determined by the length and warmth of the days. Darkness and frost bring to the table sauerkraut and roast, brawn and black pudding, thick soup and stew. In summertime, on the other hand, it seems that people are able to survive on little but the warmth and sunlight, accompanied by everything light and fresh that gardens and forests have to offer.

A tasty Estonian treat are oat cookies called Suussulavad Kaerakupsised, made from the old-fashioned porridge oats that are so widely consumed there. These melt-in-your-mouth cookies contain no flour or baking powder and are incredibly tasty.

Suussulavad Kaerakupsised (Oat Cookies)

2-1/4 cups old-fashioned porridge oats

4 large eggs

2/3 cup plus 2 tbs sugar

2/3 cup butter, melted and cooled

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup small seedless yellow raisins

Preheat oven to 360 degrees.

Whisk eggs with sugar until pale and frothy. Season with vanilla extract and stir in melted butter, oats and raisins. Stir until combined. The mixture should be on the soft side.

Take scant tablespoonfuls of the mixture and transfer them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. (You don't want to make your cookies too large as they will break apart since egg is the only thing holding them together.

Bake for 10 to 11 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown on the edges. Let cool for a minute on the baking sheet, and then transfer gently to a metal rack to cool completely. Cookies will keep in an airtight container for a few days.

Recipe courtesy of Nami Nami.