MAKES ¼ CUP POWDER (1 CUP NEEDLES) / ACTIVE TIME: 40 MIN / TOTAL TIME: 8 HRS
I call this “Eat Your Christmas Tree.” Every year in the city I see so many Christmas trees decorated with beautiful lights; then, weeks later, there are so many trees left on the sidewalk to be thrown away in the trash. But you can make this powder and add it to your baked goods. You can also make a sugar with spruce powder: combine in equal amounts (e.g., 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons spruce powder) and use to substitute for sugar, for example in a gravlax.
8 12-inch-long boughs (with needles attached) cut from a Norway spruce tree or another evergreen such as Douglas fir (be sure they have not been sprayed; this includes your Christmas tree!)
Use a dehydrator or preheat the oven to 150ºF. Spread the boughs out in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Dry in the dehydrator or oven for 7 hours, until the needles snap when bent. Remove the needles from the twigs; they should easily fall off to the touch. If not, then you need to extend the drying time.
In a spice or coffee grinder, starting on low speed and finishing at high speed, grind the needles into a fine powder. The powder will be highly aromatic. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
MAKES 36 COOKIES / TIME: 1 HR
4 tablespoons Spruce Needle Powder
½ cup granulated sugar
cup (1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
In a food processor, combine 2 tablespoons of the spruce powder and the granulated sugar. Mix in the butter and then add the eggs and lemon zest. Mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined.
Form the dough into a 2-inch-thick log and wrap tightly in plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and slice into ¼-inch-thick rounds. Place on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. Dust with the remaining 2 tablespoons spruce powder and the confectioners’ sugar.
MAKES 2 DOZEN / TIME: 45 MIN
Flodeboller is a popular sweet treat in Denmark. Its marzipan wafer base is topped with a fluffy unbaked meringue, then covered with a layer of chocolate. This flodeboller uses a spruce-infused meringue.
1 (7-ounce) tube commercially prepared marzipan, available at supermarkets and online
1–2 tablespoons Spruce Needle Powder (at left)
12 ounces 70 percent dark chocolate, chopped
¼ cup young spruce tips (optional)
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons Spruce Needle Syrup (here), at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
¼ cup water
3 tablespoons Spruce Needle Powder (at left), for dusting
For the marzipan: On a parchment-covered flat surface, roll out the marzipan to ¼ inch thick, incorporating the spruce powder liberally while rolling. Using a round cookie cutter, cut out circles. Remove and re-form the unused marzipan into circles. These circles are the marzipan “biscuits” that form the base.
In a medium pot over low heat, melt 7 ounces of the chocolate. Remove from the heat, add the remaining 5 ounces chopped chocolate, and stir until completely melted (this double melting method is important in order to properly set the chocolate).
Dip the marzipan biscuits in the chocolate with a fork and scrape along the side of the pot to remove excess chocolate from the biscuit. Place the chocolate-covered marzipan biscuits on a wire rack. Set aside.
For the meringue: In a mixer, beat the egg whites while gently adding the spruce syrup. Stop mixing as soon as the egg whites begin to get foamy.
In a small pot, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water; bring to a boil, and boil without stirring for 3 minutes, until the bubbles begin to look larger and the activity begins to slow. Check with a candy thermometer that the temperature just reaches 240°F. Immediately remove the pot from the heat.
Turn the mixer on at medium speed and slowly pour the hot syrup down the side of the mixer bowl into the meringue. Turn the mixer to high speed and whip for 5 minutes, until the bottom of the mixer bowl is room temperature and no longer hot to the touch, and the mixture has become a stiff, glossy meringue. Fold in the spruce powder gently so that the meringue does not deflate.
Place the chocolate-covered marzipans on a wire rack over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a large #8 star tip. Pipe the meringue atop the wafers in a vertical cone, resembling a witch’s hat or Hershey’s kiss, about 2 inches high. Chill until set, about 1 hour.
Warm the rest of the chocolate, and spoon more on top of the chilled meringue until covered.
Chill the flodebollers in the refrigerator for 10 minutes, until the chocolate forms a shell. Sprinkle with the spruce tips or powder.