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Finnish Star Cookies (Joulutorttu)

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Recipe photo courtesy of Mike Krautter

A rich cream-cheese dough flecked with lemon zest is filled with sweet-tart raspberry preserves in these festive pinwheel cookies known as joulutorttu, which means Christmas tart in Finnish.

Source: Martha Bakes, Episode 901
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  • ACX68523520
    19 DEC, 2018
    The recipe makes a beautiful cookie. I made it much smaller than the recipe states (I got 36 cookies instead of 18). I too used cherry as a filling. The dough is very difficult to work with and I found it best to put the dough in the freezer after rolling then again after cutting and even while shaping the cookies and it worked out well. The dough used for the cookie/pastry is very very sweet (almost too sweet). I would cut the sugar in 1/2 (adjusting the other ingredients of course).
    Reply
  • r_harjuyahooc
    19 FEB, 2018
    The traditional Finnish Joulutorttu is not a cookie, but a pastry made out of puff pastry with a heart of thick dark prune jam. The only thing right in this one is the star shape!
    Reply
    • vmc1236497889
      23 APR, 2018
      I agree....I was watching this episode and thought where did she get or who modified this recipe. I made these with my Finnish sister, who was a home economics teacher and a fantastic chef. I spent a year abroad in Finland 1974 -1975. I'm glad I found your comment. I thought maybe I didn't remember correctly. Her pronunciation of Joulutorttu (pronounced as spelt) at least what I thought I heard, was incorrect. I was surprised because Martha is an exact and perfectionist person. I'd like to see her make this the right way as a pastry not a cookie. Although it is an interesting modification but not authentic.
    • deniseottie
      21 FEB, 2018
      I agree.
    • mflum
      21 FEB, 2018
      I totally agree. The traditional pastry is also made with cottage cheese, not cream cheese. I'm sure these cookies taste fine - like pinwheel shaped rugelach - but they're not Finnish Christmas stars
  • laurencmd
    20 FEB, 2018
    I decided to make these after watching Martha make them on tv. I'm glad I did. They are so delicious! I used cherry preserves for one batch and apricot for the other. I'll try raspberry next time.
    Reply

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