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Khanom kleeb lamduan
Flower shortbread cookies
ขนมกลีบลำดวน: Thai flower shortbread perfumed with candle smoke
Named after the lamduan, a fragrant cream-coloured flower with three curled petals, these tiny Thai shortbreads are a classic of the royal-style Thai sweets once made in palace kitchens and now sold in Bangkok's old dessert shops and given at weddings and merit-making. Each flower is three teardrop petals around a ball, pale and fragile, and they melt like sandy fudge. Their perfume comes from tian op, a special scented dessert candle: it is lit, blown out, and left to smoke inside a closed container with the cookies. If you cannot find one, a little jasmine water in the dough gives a different but lovely scent. The mistake is baking them hot or long; they should stay ivory, never golden. Chef's tip: candle smoke is real fire and smoke, so do it in a metal or ceramic pot, well away from curtains and children, with the flame blown out before the lid goes on.
- Total time
- 78 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 24
Ingredients
For the dough
- 7 oz plain floursifted
- 3 ½ oz icing sugarsifted
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ cup neutral vegetable oil
- 1 tsp jasmine water (optional)if not smoking with a candle
For smoking
- 1 Thai scented dessert candle (tian op) (optional)from Thai grocers
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 300°F (275°F fan) and line two trays with baking paper.
Step 2: Mix 7 oz plain flour, 3 ½ oz icing sugar and 1 pinch salt in a bowl. Pour in ½ cup neutral vegetable oil (and 1 tsp jasmine water, if using) and work it with your fingers into a smooth, soft dough that holds together when squeezed. Add a teaspoon more oil if it crumbles.
Step 3: For each flower, roll three pea-sized pieces of dough into teardrops and one smaller ball. Set the three teardrops in a triangle with their points touching in the centre, then press the ball gently on top where they meet.
Step 4: Set the flowers 2 cm apart on the trays. Keep the dough covered while you work so it does not dry.
Step 5: Bake for 15–18 minutes, until set and dry to the touch but still pale ivory; check from 12 minutes and take them out before any colour shows.
17 minStep 6: Leave to cool completely on the trays; they are very fragile while warm.
20 minStep 7: To smoke, if you have 1 Thai scented dessert candle (tian op): put the cooled cookies in a large metal pot or ceramic dish with a tight lid. Set a small heatproof cup or saucer in the middle. Light both ends of the candle in a well-ventilated room, away from anything flammable, let it burn for a few seconds, then blow out the flames so it is only smoking.
5 minStep 8: Stand the smoking candle in the cup, put the lid on at once and leave for 15–20 minutes. Never put a lit, flaming candle under a lid or in a plastic box, and never leave it unattended. Repeat once or twice with a fresh light for a stronger scent.
20 minStep 9: Remove the candle and store the cookies in an airtight jar for up to three weeks; the scent deepens over a day or two.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 88 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 11 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does khanom kleeb lamduan take?
- About 78 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 18 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 24 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of icing sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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