sultanas

Until about a year ago I could buy sultanas at my favorite grocery store, the Madison Market. Then they rearranged their dried fruit section, and seem to have replaced them with a larger and more expensive variety, Hunza raisins. Sultanas are made from the same grape--Thompson seedless--as regular grocery store raisins and golden raisins (which are treated with sulfur dioxide), but are dried more quickly so that their color ends up halfway between the two. I have been keeping my eye out for them ever since, but had no luck till I went to Little Knits in West Seattle to get some needles for my Eala Bhan. I stopped by PCC and found my favorite raisins, on sale for only $4.99 a pound! I bought a couple of bags, and as soon as I got home made a batch of Sultana Biccies.

These cookies are truly quick and easy, a good choice when you realize you'll have company in an hour and you want to serve them a little treat.



Sultana Biccies

makes about 3 dozen cookies

100g oleo
110g sugar
2T milk (whatever kind you like)
1T golden syrup (or corn syrup if that's all you have)
1t baking soda
210g flour
1/4t salt
80g sultanas
1t vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325°F. Melt the oleo, sugar, milk, and syrup together in a large saucepan, add the baking soda, mix till it fizzes, then take the pan off the heat and let it cool while you gather the remaining ingredients. Mix in the flour, salt, and sultanas, then the vanilla.

Roll the dough into little balls the size of big hazelnuts and arrange them on a parchment or Silpat-lined cookie sheet. Flatten each cookie with a dampened fork. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Leave on the cookie sheet for a minute, then transfer to a cooling rack.