Mohnkekse mit Powidl

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Rolling pin
• •Round cookie cutter (4-5cm)
• •Small round cutter or thimble for window cuts (optional)
• •Fine-mesh sieve for dusting
• •Two baking trays with parchment paper
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Spice grinder or coffee grinder for poppy seeds (if grinding your own)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the poppy seed dough

   Put the flour, ground poppy seeds, powdered sugar, Vanillezucker, lemon zest, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk them together briefly so the poppy seeds are evenly distributed. Add the cold cubed butter and work it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips, rubbing and pressing until the mixture looks like coarse, dark breadcrumbs. You want flat little flakes of butter coated in flour and poppy, not a smooth paste. Cold hands help. If the butter starts going soft, put the whole bowl in the fridge for ten minutes.

   Grind your own poppy seeds if you can. A spice grinder or clean coffee grinder does the job in thirty seconds. Pre-ground poppy seeds lose their oils and go bitter quickly. If your ground Mohn smells like nothing when you open the bag, it's too old for this.
2. 2

   Bring the dough together

   Drop in the two egg yolks and work everything together with your hands until the dough just holds in a ball. Don't knead it. Murbteig is not bread dough. You want to bring it together with as little handling as possible so the butter stays cold and the cookies stay short. If it crumbles and won't hold, press it firmly against the side of the bowl. It will come together. If it's truly too dry, add a teaspoon of cold milk, no more. Flatten the dough into a thick disc, wrap it tightly in cling film, and put it in the fridge for at least one hour.

   The resting time is not optional. Cold dough rolls cleanly and holds its shape. Warm dough sticks to everything and your cookies will spread in the oven. If you're in a hurry, thirty minutes in the freezer instead of one hour in the fridge.
3. 3

   Roll and cut the cookies

   Preheat your oven to 170°C (340°F), conventional, not fan. Line two baking trays with parchment paper. Take the dough from the fridge and let it sit for five minutes, just enough to lose the hardest chill. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about three to four millimeters thick. This dough is fragile because of the poppy seeds, so work gently. If it cracks at the edges, press it back together with your fingers. Cut rounds with a 4 to 5 centimeter cutter. You need an even number because these are sandwich cookies. Gather the scraps, press them together, chill again briefly, and roll once more. You should get about sixty rounds.

   If you want to be traditional, cut a small hole in the center of half the rounds using a thimble or a very small cutter. The hole lets the dark Powidl peek through the top cookie like a little window. It looks beautiful on a Keksteller.
4. 4

   Bake until just set

   Place the rounds on the prepared trays with a centimeter of space between them. These don't spread much. Bake for ten to twelve minutes, rotating the tray halfway through. The cookies are done when the edges are just barely firm and the tops look dry and matte. They will not brown much because of the poppy seeds. Don't wait for golden color or you'll overbake them. They firm up as they cool. Slide the parchment off the tray and let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack. They're fragile when warm.

5. 5

   Prepare the Powidl filling

   While the cookies cool, stir the Powidl in a small bowl until it's smooth and spreadable. If you're using rum, fold it in now. Good Powidl should be thick and dark, almost like a stiff jam. If yours is too firm to spread without breaking the cookies, warm it for twenty seconds in the microwave or over a water bath, just enough to loosen it. You want it soft, not runny.

   Real Powidl is made from Zwetschken (damson plums) cooked down for hours without added sugar. The best ones come from Czech or Austrian producers. If you can't find Powidl, a very thick, dark plum jam will do in a pinch, but it won't have the same concentrated, slightly tart depth. It's worth searching for the real thing.
6. 6

   Fill and dust

   Turn half the cookies flat side up. Spread about a teaspoon of Powidl on each one, going almost to the edge. Gretel always said be generous with the filling. A stingy Keks is a sad Keks. Press the matching halves on top gently, flat side down. If you cut windows in the tops, make sure the Powidl shows through. Dust the finished cookies with powdered sugar through a fine sieve. Let them sit for a few hours or overnight in a cool place before serving. The Powidl needs time to soften the cookies slightly from the inside, and the flavors marry into something better than either one alone.

Chef Tips

• •Buy your poppy seeds from a shop with good turnover, or better yet, order Waldviertler Graumohn online from an Austrian supplier. Poppy seeds are full of oil and they go rancid on the shelf faster than most people realize. Fresh ground Mohn smells sweet and nutty. Old Mohn smells like cardboard. You'll taste the difference immediately.
• •These cookies improve with time. Store them in a tin between layers of parchment paper and they'll be better on day three than day one. The Powidl softens the shortcrust just enough to make each bite melt. By day five they're perfect. This is why Austrian Christmas baking starts in November.
• •If your dough keeps cracking when you roll it, it's too cold. Let it sit on the counter for five minutes. If it's sticking, it's too warm. Slide it onto a baking sheet and put it back in the fridge. Murbteig is always a conversation between you and the butter.
• •For a proper Keksteller (cookie platter), arrange these alongside Vanillekipferl and Linzer Augen. Three different textures, three different flavors, and every one of them is good Austrian home cooking.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can be made two days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for up to one month. Thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling.
• •Unfilled baked cookies store well in an airtight tin for up to a week. Fill them two to three days before serving so the Powidl has time to soften the shortcrust.
• •Filled cookies keep beautifully for up to two weeks in a cool place, layered between parchment in a tin. They are better after day three. This is a make-ahead recipe by design.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 26g)