Homemade Kartoshka Cookie Cakes with Condensed Milk and Nuts

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make chocolate Kartoshka - cookie cakes with condensed milk? Measure out all the ingredients. Take the butter out of the fridge ahead of time so it softens well. Use good butter and quality condensed milk made from whole milk, with no additives. I'm also using nuts and cocoa - whether to add them is up to you.

2. Step 2:

   

   Grind the cookies to a fine crumb. I used a blender, but you can use a hand-crank meat grinder. Or take a regular rolling pin, put the cookies in two stacked bags in a single layer, and crush them well. If some pieces remain, that's fine - they'll soften later from the cream.

3. Step 3:

   

   Chop the nuts too. Use whatever you have on hand. Instead of walnuts you can use any other kind to taste, or skip the nuts altogether - the cakes are delicious without them.

4. Step 4:

   

   In a separate bowl, mix together the cookies, nuts, and cocoa. You can set aside about one tablespoon of cocoa for coating.

5. Step 5:

   

   Mix the dry ingredients well.

6. Step 6:

   

   In a separate bowl, beat a cream from the condensed milk and butter. Some recipes just add these to the cookies and knead them in, but I find it faster and easier to make a cream first. You can set aside a tablespoon of the cream for decorating.

7. Step 7:

   

   Combine the cream and the crumb mixture. Knead it well until uniform.

8. Step 8:

   

   Now start shaping the cakes. Make them like real little potatoes, or round and small - whatever you like. Refrigerate the shaped cakes for about two hours. The butter firms up in that time and the cakes hold their shape well.

9. Step 9:

   

   When the cakes are ready, roll each one in cocoa. Pour the cocoa onto a saucer and roll the "potatoes" in it on all sides.

10. Step 10:

    

    You can decorate the "potatoes" with cream "eyes." Use something pointed (I used a pencil) to make small holes in the cake, then pipe in the cream with a small piping tip. For fancier decor, use more cream and pipe flowers or rosettes.