Jonna Sandberg introduced herself to our community by baking us a batch of her nutritious (and delicious) cookies. Jonna’s mission behind Fikaworld, her freshly launched company, is to spread the culture of Swedish Fika abroad, selling cookies made with health-friendly ingredients.
 Jonna commenced our baking session by laying all her recipe’s ingredients across the kitchen table. Some of them, unfamiliar to us, raised rather technical questions: What is the GI of this sugar? How does gluten really affect the body?
Jonna answered all our questions, meanwhile getting started mixing together the ingredients with a little help from each of the participants. Mixing flour, cracking eggs, forming the biscuits— everyone contributed to parts of the process. Jonna strongly believes that such collaboration makes a wonderful difference in the final flavor.
For Jonna, cookies are all about sharing and exploring. The recipe she taught us was actually a gift from a friend from Vietnam. ”She was baking with her children and told me,“You should try this!”
Jonna’s own baking story began very early: ”I was the cookie monster already as a kid!” Her passion was inspired by her grandmother Rut, who always dreamt of opening an organic baking shop. With Fikaworld, Jonna hopes to make this dream come true with a shop located in Stockholm.
But Jonna also wants to spread the Fika culture around the world. While traveling in Hong Kong, she noticed that people would line up for hours to get the very best pastries. Even if the Swedes are used to enjoying cookies with their coffee, she believes that her cookies could also fit nicely into the Asian tea culture. “I believe that Sweden can offer a healthier, more conscious alternative,” Jonna says.
The recipe Jonna shared with us was very much inspired by the Asian culture, its main ingredient being Matcha tea. As we were forming the last biscuits, she glowed with delight, proclaiming “They look so pretty! When I went to bed last night, this is exactly what I visualized.”
Here’s what you need to bake those delicious, all-green cookies…
Fikaworld’s Matcha Teacake Cookie Recipe
 INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (organic of course!)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 3/4 cup palm coconut sugar
• 2/3 cup sesame oil
• 2 large organic eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Matcha tea powder
• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

 INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and cardamom together.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla and almond extracts.
3. In a small bowl, stir 2 tablespoons of the Matcha powder together with 2 tablespoons of water, then stir into the wet ingredients.
4. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture just until combined.
5. Using a 1-ounce ice cream scoop (or 2 tablespoons), scoop out 1-inch balls of dough and place them at least 2 inches apart on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 180C. Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes, until set at the edges and very lightly browned on the bottoms. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
7. Arrange the cookies on 1 baking sheet. In a sieve, combine the confectioners’ sugar with the remaining 1-teaspoon of matcha. Dust over the cookies and serve.

 Extra Tips from Jonna

• The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They are very best enjoyed fresh with friends.
• Powdered Matcha green tea is available at health food stores and Asian markets. If you have spirulina or organic wheatgrass mixes in your cupboard at home, go ahead and experiment with them too!

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