Verdict: Skolebrød and Macarons

The skolebrød were the main event, so we should probably start there first. I was a bit disappointed here, because they could have been amazing but definitely weren't. The lack of rise (I'm still blaming the yeast) meant that they were incredibly dense, and that really wasn't helped by being undercooked too. But probably the biggest disappointment was the custard - I had doubts when I read the recipe, but afterwards I am absolutely convinced I should have ditched the custard recipe and just done an ordinary custard. (Cornflour! In custard?!! Why wouldn't you just increase the egg:milk ratio and cook it like a proper custard?!). As a result, the custard filling is so bland and watery, you kinda wonder what the point of it is.

But the good: The cardamom tastes great, and even though it's dense and uncooked in the middle, it's still actually quite nice (particularly warm, straight from the oven). The coconut works well, and they are very pretty. And having just trashed the custard so much, dipping them in the leftover custard actually worked pretty nicely. All in all, I think skolebrød deserves another go at some point - but what I've essentially made this time around is some weird pulla with a disappointing filling.

On to the macarons. They're really not bad at all! Essentially all that's wrong with them is that they're a little overcooked (and burnt in places), but they've got the core essence of almondy goodness, that lovely crisp, crunchy exterior and a hint of chewiness on the inside. But then I was following a recipe from the Bible, so what would you expect! One day I will not wuss out and try doing macarons again in an effort to make beautiful, perfect pillowy macarons with feet, but that may not be for a very, VERY long time - until that time though, these will do nicely!