Slyvannas are buttercream sandwiched meringue cookie. Crispy and chewy, it has a nice nutty flavour to it, thanks to the ground cashew nuts hidden in the meringue. Me being me, i immediately embarked on an extensive research online to find "The Recipe".
Step 1 : The Perfect Meringue.
Crunchy, chewy, soft, nougaty.... everyone of us have a different preference when it comes to meringue. me? without a doubt, crunchy with a tinge of chewiness in the centre. It cannot be too sweet and it has to be feather light. After reading thru countless sites, i decided that low temp baking and long drying time are the key to a crunchy meringue. The cashew? Has to be pan fried till golden in a dry pan. Once cooled, these nuts are grounded to the perfect gold dust for my wonderful meringues.
Step 2 : Buttercream
To be frank, i was never a fan of buttercream of any sorts when i was growing up, period. To me, the only place for them are the sides of plate, leftovers from my cake. I had a change of mind these 2 years. I find myself starting to look for light and fluffy buttercream icing, for cakes, for cookies, for anything. The best buttercream in my mind must have a rich flavour but doesn't leave any of the greasy aftertaste of commercial cream cakes.
I found one of the recipes online (http://bonjoon.wordpress.com/2009/06/08/silvanas/) and decided to add a touch of my own.
Special thanks to Bon Joon for posting such a wonderful recipe.
Slyvannas
Ingredients:
6 egg whites
1 tsp. cream of tartar
6 tsp cornflour
150 gms granulated sugar
260 gms whole raw cashew nuts
340 gms salted butter
180 gms sifted confectioner’s sugar
180 ml milk (i used low fat)
14 pieces plain digestive biscuits (ground into fine crumbs)
Meringue:
Preheat oven to 150 degree Celsius.
Draw circles on the underside of the parchment paper and line 2 baking sheets with it. ( I get 16 circles per sheet)
Grease lightly on surface of parchment paper.
Fry Cashew nuts in dry pan till golden brown.
Process cashew nuts in a food processor until finely ground and set aside.
Mix Sugar and Corn flour in a bowl.
Beat egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer
Gradually add granulated sugar cornflour mixture and beat until stiff peaks form.
Fold in the ground cashews.
Pipe the mixture into circles or ovals onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Leave in oven to dry out for 40 mins.
Flip all the cookies upside down and dry out the bottom in the oven for another 40 mins.
Let completely cool and remove from paper.
Buttercream:
Beat softened butter until creamy. Gradually add confectioner’s sugar. Then gradually add milk.
Assembly:
Spread buttercream on one meringue and top with another. Make sure the flat sides are facing outside. Then cover all sides with buttercream. Roll in biscuit crumbs and freeze immediately to ensure crunchiness of the meringue.
