It’s too hot to cook or shoot, so I thought I’d share an oldie but goodie from my cookbook Nomnomnom. These rendang cookies are still one of my favorite recipes from the book.
Rendang cookie inspo
I am a rendang obsessive. I was pretty militant about what constituted rendang exactly for many years, and only my grandfather’s rendang would do. Since then, I have learned that rendang is more of a preparation method than a strict recipe, like kimchi, and I have opened myself up to a world of rendang. So I’m really looking forward to Maureen Tan‘s Rendang cookbook that will be published in Dutch in the fall of 2024 and I’m still bummed that I can’t afford to go on the rendang trip to Sumatra with her that is taking place soon.
In the meantime I’ve fiddled with my grandfather’s rendang recipe more and more and also made rendang bitterballen. After my brother brought me some rendang chocolate from a trip to Indonesia, and seeing Rick Martinez‘ ancho mole cookie recipe, I knew it was time for rendang cookies.
Please note: you need quite a lot of ingredients for this cookie and maybe also a little bit of patience. But you’ll be rewarded with a bucketload of delicious spicy high-texture cookies when you’re done.
Nomnomnom on sale
My book Nomnomnom, which came out three years ago, is now on sale in the Netherlands. It’s in Dutch, but if you are so inclined you can find it for €9.90 on ramsj.nl, at De Slegte and at bol.com, among others. I’ve heard the book also works well as a gift, so stock up! The Netherlands has a set book price, so the book should cost the same everywhere.
In the book there’s a variation for this cookie but with laksa inspired flavors.
On to the rendang cookies!
Rendang cookies
This recipe for rendang cookies is from my cookbook Nomnomnom and is inspired by Rick Martinez's ancho mole cookies from Bon Appetit.
Equipment
- Oven
- Stand or hand mixer
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Small bowl
- Little bowl
- Plastic wrap
- Freezer
Ingredients
- 1/2 c Brazil nuts
- 1/2 c hazelnuts
- 1 T chili flakes
- 1/3 C gula djawa syrup see notes
- 2 C plain flour
- 1/4 t baking powder
- 1/2 t lemongrass powder
- 1 t galangal powder
- 2 T coconut powder
- 3/4 c butter unsalted, room temperature
- 7/8 c sugar
- 1 t salt
- 3 egg yolks from large eggs
- 1 t vanilla extract
- 1/2 c dried coconut cubes
- 3.8 oz - 110 gr milk chocolate coarsely chopped
Instructions
- If your nuts haven't been toasted, roast them for 8-10 minutes on a baking tray in a preheated oven at 175°C-360°F. Shake them well at the halfway point before removing from the oven and allowing them to cool completely.
- In a small bowl, mix 1 T chili flakes with 1/3 c gula djawa syrup.
- In another bowl, mix 2 c plain flour with 1/4 t baking powder, 1/2 t lemongrass, 1 t galangal and 2 T coconut powder.
- Use a hand or stand mixer to beat 3/4 c butter with 7/8 c sugar and 1 t salt until fluffy. Make sure that you push any of the batter that has splashed upwards to the edges of the bowl back into the batter every now and again.
- Add 3 egg yolks and 1 t vanilla extract and beat for another minute. Then add the gula djawa-chili mixture and beat for another minute until smooth and creamy.
- Set your mixer to the lowest setting and slowly mix the flour-spice mixture into the dough.
- Finally, use a wooden spoon to fold in 1/2 c dried coconut cubes, coarsely chopped 3.8 oz-110 gr milk chocolate and nuts into the dough.
- Divide the dough into two portions. Roll each portion into a roll of about ± 10"-25 cm long and ⌀ 1.2"-3 cm thick. Wrap the rolls tightly with plastic wrap, then roll them as smooth and round as possible.
- Let the rolls freeze for at least 35 minutes, until the outside is firm. Not too long! Otherwise, you won't be able to get through.
- Preheat the oven to 175°C-360°F. Using a sharp knife, cut the first roll into 0.2"-1/2 cm thick slices and spread them on a baking tray lined with parchment. Keeping about 1"-2.5 cm distance between each cookie.Note when cutting the logs you won't necessarily get neat perfectly flat cookies, but the texture is part of the fun here. So don't worry about it too much. If cookies look like they might come apart just push them together a little bit on the sheet, it'll all work out in the oven.
- Bake the cookies ± 10 minutes, giving the sheet a half-turn at the 5 minute mark to ensure the cookies bake evenly.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet and then bake the second batch if necessary, or store it in the freezer for a second portion of cookies for up to 1 month.
Notes
- Gula djawa is Javanese palm sugar, it's sold both in cured blocks as well as in liquid form. For this recipe it has to be liquid, you can replace it with any other palm sugar syrup (like jaggery), but not with molasses.
- If you freeze the dough for later use, please let it thaw in the fridge and test to see if you can cut it comfortably at 30 minute intervals.
