makes
20
prep
20 minutes
cook
10 minutes
difficulty
Easy
makes
20
serves
preparation
20
minutes
cooking
10
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Biting into a caramel pine cone always makes me think of biting into a bees’ nest. I have added sesame seeds to the recipe which makes this recipe a cross between my two favourite Polish sweet snacks: szyszki and sezamki. These light-as-air rice cakes are made with the popular Polish sweet: krówki (little cows), which you can buy in all Polish shops and in the Polish section of supermarkets too. In a Polish shop this rice would be called ryz preparowany. I’ve found a brown rice cereal in the gluten-free section of my local supermarket which is a good substitute as are other cereals as long as they are quite solid and strong, as they need to withstand both the hot fudge and the moulding process.
Ingredients
- 100 g (3½ oz) sesame seeds
- 100 g (3½ oz/7 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 200 g (7 oz) krówki sweets (or equivalent cream fudge sweets, see Note)
- 100 g (3½ oz) strong puffed rice or other cereal
Instructions
Lightly toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan (skillet) and set aside.
Melt the butter in a pan and start to add the krówki, mixing them together as they get softer. Eventually they will melt into one caramel coloured mass. Remove from the heat and add the toasted sesame seeds, followed by the puffed rice.
Mix together well with a wooden spoon, then wait a little while (approximately 10 minutes, but check yourself when you’re happy to work with the mass without burning your hands, remembering that the inside is always warmer) before forming into pine cone shapes. Have some cold water on standby to dip your hands into.
Allow to cool and harden completely before serving.
Note
• Krówki are fudge sweets that you can find at Eastern European and Polish delis and supermarkets. They can also be purchased online in Australia.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
Biting into a caramel pine cone always makes me think of biting into a bees’ nest. I have added sesame seeds to the recipe which makes this recipe a cross between my two favourite Polish sweet snacks: szyszki and sezamki. These light-as-air rice cakes are made with the popular Polish sweet: krówki (little cows), which you can buy in all Polish shops and in the Polish section of supermarkets too. In a Polish shop this rice would be called ryz preparowany. I’ve found a brown rice cereal in the gluten-free section of my local supermarket which is a good substitute as are other cereals as long as they are quite solid and strong, as they need to withstand both the hot fudge and the moulding process.
