Baletki (Polish) - fluffy biscuits with marmalade and poppy seeds

 

Just look at these little cuties! Aren't they adorable? Baletki (which would literally translate to "ballet shoes") are small, fluffy bits of pleasure - they melt in your mouth and are just perfect for an afternoon tea or coffee time. When I was a kid we used to buy them at the pastry shop and because they're extremely light, you would get tons of them for a reasonable price. Their taste takes me back to my childhood, so it's a little bit sentimental recipe. I liked to separate them and eat marmalade first, then the cookies. I never made them before and it was a great surprise to me how easy to make they are and how little time they need!

INGREDIENTS (for two batches of single cookies):

• 75gflour
• 3 eggs
• 80g sugar
• poppy seeds
• marmalade of your choice (preferably hard type)
• butter to brush baking pans
• few spoons of bread crumbs or semolina

It's best if all of your ingredients are lukewarm, so take out eggs from the fridge about half an hour before making them. Separate whites from yolks. Whisk the whites into a stiff foam and then still whisking slowly add sugar - spoon by spoon. Add yolks one by one while still whisking. Sieve flour and slowly add it to the eggs. Combine flour with the eggs using a spoon or spatula - you need to be gentle to not destroy air bubbles in the mixture or your cookies won't grow as we're not using any baking powder.
Brush two baking pans with a little bit of butter and sprinkle them with bread crumbs or semolina. Shake baking pans to distribute it evenly. This creates a protective layer for your cookies so they won't stick to your baking pans. 

Put cookie batter in a piping bag with round tip and squeeze out small circles, leaving spaces between them. Sprinkle with poppy seeds and bake in 180°C (356°F) for 10 - 15 minutes - until they're golden. You need to bake both batches in the same time, because this cookie batter is fragile and will drop down if left for too long.

After your little cookies cool down completely, put a teaspoon of marmalade on the flat, bottom side of a cookie and then stick another cookie to it - you're making a cute little sandwiches.

Baletki will last for few days (if they won't dissappear immediately) if kept in a cool and dry place.

Serve with a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy!