There are many time-tested recipes that are carefully passed from grandmothers to mothers and daughters "by inheritance", copied from old notebooks. Sometimes new ingredients are added to the composition, but more often the cooking process does not change for decades. One of these classic options is considered to be delicious, popular in the era of scarce 90s, cookies with cucumber brine. Many residents of the then Soviet Union remember its sweet taste and pleasant crunch from childhood.
Housewives, forced to come up with delicious dishes and desserts at the time of the terrible shortage of the 80-90s, were forced to invent original and hearty treats from the simplest products. Moreover, at their disposal were only vegetables, fruits from the garden, homemade preparations for the winter and the most affordable ingredients - eggs, vegetable oil, sugar, salt. This is where jars of pickles from cucumbers and tomatoes came in handy, carefully preserved in the fall after harvesting from the ridges.
Both adults and children remember crispy cucumber pickle cookies, and many housewives still pamper households with an unusual delicacy with an interesting composition. Several recipes were invented, but the taste did not get any worse. For cooking, preservation of tomatoes and cucumbers is used, supplementing it with affordable and cheap ingredients.
Dough kneading tips and tricks
Making cookie dough with cucumber or tomato brine is a simple matter, and only a few ingredients need to be added during kneading. Even an inexperienced housewife can cope with this, if you prepare the dishes, ingredients in advance, and attract household members to help. Here are some rules and tricks to follow:
- Brine. If you wish, you can use any - from canned cucumbers, red and green tomatoes, bell peppers, even from jars of zucchini, cabbage, winter vegetable platter. The main thing is that it is not sour, not salty, and tastes good.
- Granulated sugar. It is worth adding according to your taste or the wishes of the children. You can generally take a simple recipe without sugar, then you get crispy snacks for beer.
- Viscosity, elasticity of the dough. The consistency must be kneaded not liquid and not tight, sufficient for easy sculpting with molds or laying out with a spoon on a baking sheet. You can also make cookies with your hands, forming ordinary balls or sticks.
- Various additives. Here you can fantasize and experiment to your taste, introducing new ingredients into the step-by-step recipe. Nobody forbids adding a handful of raisins, fresh berries, nuts, dried fruits to the dough. It is also recommended to add a couple of tablespoons of honey, thick homemade jam, banana pieces or fresh apples.
- Time for preparing. Bake a crispy treat in brine in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. It all depends on the thickness of the blanks, the brand of the oven and the desired hardness of the cookies.
A simple recipe without milk and eggs
Making cookies at home step by step is a quick and successful way to bake a delicious tea treat for all family members. You can take any pickle, both tomato and cucumber, this rule applies to other recipes. A simple version of Soviet baked goods is suitable even for those who observe the fast - such a delicacy is prepared without eggs and milk.
What to take:
- brine from a can with home preservation - a glass;
- granulated sugar - a glass (a little less or more can be);
- vegetable oil - a glass;
- flour - 4 cups (sometimes about five, depending on the brand and quality of flour);
- baking powder - 2 teaspoons.
How to do
- Combine all ingredients except flour in a large bowl.
- Pour in flour, knead an elastic dough so that it does not stick to your hands and basin.
- Leave it under a towel for an hour.
- Roll out a layer 1-2 cm thick on the table, make figures (squares, circles, stars) with a knife or molds.
- Arrange the workpieces on a greased baking sheet.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
- Bake until golden brown on top (15 minutes). You will get such delicious cookies as in the photo below.
With oat flakes
If the classic version seems bland and too dietary, you can use another step-by-step and understandable recipe by adding small Hercules oatmeal to the biscuits in brine. The taste will be more intense, and the color will be slightly darker.
What to take:
- tomato pickle - a glass;
- vegetable oil - half a glass;
- sugar - a glass;
- flakes, ground or small, size No. 3 - glass;
- flour - 2 glasses with a slide;
- baking powder - 2-3 teaspoons.
How to do
- Mix sugar, butter and strained salted liquid from a jar with canned tomatoes.
- Add flour, flakes and baking powder.
- Knead the dough.
- Let it stand for 40 minutes.
- Roll out the layer and cut out the cookies with molds of any size.
- Spread out on a greased baking sheet.
- Bake in the oven at 170 degrees for 15 minutes.
With dried fruits and raisins
For those who do not particularly consider carbohydrates and calories in baking, you can bake a delicacy with sweet raisins, any dried fruits chopped into pieces - dried apples, pears, dates. Such a delicious treat will be especially appreciated by children with a sweet tooth.
What to take:
- brine - a whole glass;
- sunflower oil - 100 ml;
- flour - 500 g;
- granulated sugar - a glass;
- baking powder - 2 teaspoons;
- dried fruits - a handful;
- raisins - a handful;
- ground nuts - 2 tablespoons (optional);
- cinnamon or vanilla - a teaspoon (optional).
How to do
- Pour hot boiling water over dried fruits and raisins half an hour before cooking to soften. Then the water will need to be drained, dried on a napkin, cut into pieces.
- Mix all the ingredients one by one, adding the last flour in portions.
- Knead a firm, but not batter.
- Grease a baking sheet, preheat the oven to 170 degrees.
- Cut cookies of any shape from the layer rolled out on the table.
- Bake the treat until a brownish-golden crust appears.
With sour cream and mayonnaise
High-calorie mayonnaise is not at all a dietary product, like homemade or purchased sour cream with a high calorie content and fat content. However, it is possible to prepare cookies in brine with these products, the baked goods will turn out to be softer and more delicate in taste. The texture of the cookies will become more fluffy.
What to take:
- brine liquid from cucumbers or tomatoes - a glass;
- flour - 2 cups;
- soda - half a teaspoon;
- sour cream - 3 tablespoons;
- mayonnaise - 5 tablespoons;
- sugar - half a glass;
- eggs - two;
- vegetable oil - 150 ml.
How to do
- Dissolve granulated sugar in brine.
- Add baking soda for a splendid treat.
- Separately combine eggs, mayonnaise, sour cream in a bowl.
- Mix everything, add flour in small portions and vegetable oil.
- Knead the dough so that it does not stick, leave it warm for 20 minutes.
- Roll out a layer 2 cm thick, cut out cookies with any cookie cutters.
- Transfer gently to a greased baking sheet.
- Bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.
For those who like to experiment, it is recommended to try different additives when kneading dough and forming figures:
- cocoa powder;
- pieces of chocolate, marmalade;
- jam or cottage cheese in the middle of the cut out figures in the manner of kurabie;
- candied fruit;
- mashed potatoes when baking savory cookies without added sugar.
Such treats will go "with a bang" in any team, especially if you intrigue guests with an unusual Soviet recipe.
