This cookie was discovered when I was bored. I wrote up a recipe and the Lembas cookie was invented! This cookie is named after the Lembas bread from the Lord of the Rings that the elves make. And, just like the bread, you can eat one cookie and be full for a couple of hours. As my family says: “It tastes like gingerbread, smells like banana bread, and has a texture like a sponge cake.” This cookie is truly unique.
Ingredients
1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour (or cake flour. I use all-purpose for everything)
1 cup (200g) sugar (less if you like. You can use ½ - ⅔ cup (200g) of honey as a substitute. I found that honey tastes better if you like that sort of thing.)
½ cup (115g) butter (unsalted, as salted doesn't taste good. Blech!)
2 eggs
1 pinch salt
1 tsp baking soda (to make it rise. Don't be surprised when something bubbles in the oven, it's just the soda!)
½ cup (120ml) milk (lactose-free works just as well as the real thing)
Optional ingredients
These optional ingredients are just suggested flavorings. Some people don't like ginger, so if they don't want to, they can take it out with no ill effects, same with the cinnamon, and the molasses.
Ginger (½ - ¾ tsp)
Cinnamon (½ - ¾ tsp)
Molasses (up to 1 tsp, to taste)
Method
- Put all the dry ingredients into a big bowl. If using honey instead of sugar, please see next step.
- Melt the butter (but not completely!) and add to the dry stuff. If using honey, pour it in now, please. If you use honey, it might be runnier, but once it's baked, it'll be fine.
- Add the eggs and mix in. Pour in the milk and mix everything together. In the meantime, you can preheat the oven (some ovens heat up almost immediately, like mine does, so for me, heating the oven is always the last step. If yours heats up slowly, turn it on while melting the butter).
- Pour the mixture onto a baking tray tray (approx 9 x 13” / 23 x 33cm) covered in parchment paper, and bake at 400 ̊F (200 ̊C) until golden brown (around 20-30 mins). Don’t worry if the mixture is runny at first, because this is what is supposed to happen.
- Enjoy with jam or butter. Yum!
