Traditional Provençal Candlemas cookies, shaped like small boats, flavored with orange blossom water, and baked until they develop a firm, pale, and slightly golden crust.
Ingredients
- 500 g T55 all-purpose flour
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 2 pieces fresh eggs
- 80 ml mild extra-virgin olive oil
- 50 ml culinary orange blossom water
- 1 pinch fine salt
Method
- Take the eggs out in advance so they come to room temperature. Sift the flour and salt together into a large bowl.
- In a second bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar until the mixture lightens slightly and becomes smooth. There is no need to make it extremely frothy.
- Gradually pour in the olive oil, then the orange blossom water, whisking constantly to obtain a smooth mixture.
- Make a well in the flour and pour in the liquid mixture. Incorporate the flour from the center with a wooden spoon, then finish mixing by hand.
- Knead very briefly, just until a firm, smooth, and non-sticky dough forms. Avoid working it too long, which would make the cookies excessively hard. If it is slightly sticky, let it rest rather than adding a lot of flour.
- Cover the dough and let it rest for one hour at room temperature. This resting time hydrates the flour and makes it easier to shape cleanly.
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C on conventional heat. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Divide the dough into sixteen equal portions. Roll each portion under your palm to form a short log, thick in the center and slightly tapered at both ends.
- Place the navettes on the baking sheet, spacing them out. Gently pinch the ends to accentuate the boat shape.
- Using the blade of a small knife, make a deep lengthwise incision on each navette, without cutting completely through the dough. Very gently pry the slit open so it remains visible after baking.
- Bake for about twenty minutes. The navettes should remain pale, with only a slight golden color on the edges and underneath the cookies. Their surface should be dry, and the center still a little firm when pressed.
- Immediately transfer the navettes to a wire rack. Let them cool completely: they will harden and develop their characteristic crunch as they cool.
- Serve two navettes per person, ideally with coffee, tea, or an herbal infusion. For a drier, more traditional texture, keep them in a metal tin until the next day.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 422.6 kcal
- Protein
- 7.9 g
- Carbohydrate
- 69.97 g
- Fat
- 11.88 g
- Fibre
- 1.88 g
- Calcium
- 15.32 mg
- Iron
- 0.65 mg
- Magnesium
- 17.29 mg
