Middle-Earth Menu: “Kili’s Marmalade Buns”

“Kili’s Marmalade Buns” by Astrid Tuttle Winegar

Well, you’ll recall that Kili wears a blue hood and plays the fiddle in The Hobbit…and that might be all you’ll recall about him from the book. Then there’s the film version of Kili.

I remember when casting for the Peter Jackson films was first announced a few years ago and photos were floating around the Internet. My first thought about Aidan Turner was: “Since when are dwarves supposed to be so hot? They’re supposed to be ugly!!!” But then, Tolkien obviously had not delegated any of his dwarves to be part of a love story, did he? But let’s not rehash the controversy surrounding the dreaded love triangle; it’s just too traumatic.

“Kili’s Marmalade Buns”

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon soft salted butter
2 tablespoons half-and-half
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons plus ¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon plus ¼ teaspoon mace
½ teaspoon plus ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
3 ounces softened light cream cheese (Neufchâtel)
⅓ cup orange marmalade
1 extra large egg
¾ cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon sugar (mix ¾ teaspoon sugar plus ¼ teaspoon cinnamon)

Preheat oven to 350°. Liberally coat 24 miniature muffin cups with cooking spray. Place the ½ cup butter, half-and-half, flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, ½ teaspoon mace, ½ teaspoon ginger, and salt in a large bowl and combine well with a hand mixer. Divide dough into 24 portions and place in each cup (don’t bother washing bowl or beaters). Press dough all the way up the sides, then bake 10 minutes. Remove and maintain oven temperature. Use a rounded spoon to press the dough down, if it ends up too puffy.

Meanwhile, place the cream cheese in the bowl. Beat until smooth. Add the ¼ cup sugar, marmalade, egg, ¼ teaspoon mace, and ¼ teaspoon ginger. Pour about 1 tablespoon in each baked cup, then bake 20 minutes. Cool 30 minutes. Use a sharp knife around the edges to remove. Set a rack over a large baking sheet, then place the cookies on the rack. Combine the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, and orange juice in a medium bowl and whisk until fully mixed. Drizzle all over the pastries. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar. Keep covered at room temperature or refrigerate. Makes 24.

These are called Marmalade Gems in my cookbook.

Astrid Tuttle Winegar

Astrid Tuttle Winegar is the author of Cooking for Halflings & Monsters: 111 Comfy, Cozy Recipes for Fantasy-Loving Souls, which is currently available exclusively in e-book form on the Amazon Kindle, but will soon be released by Oloris Publishing! Stay tuned for details. For now, she is mostly telling a culinary Middle-earth story here on Legendarium. Astrid has loved C. S. Lewis since childhood, J. R. R. Tolkien since middle and high school, all Star things, both Trek and Wars, all things Whedon, and many other things besides… She lives in the enchanted city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her husband and dog. She blogs occasionally at . You can check out (and like!) her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/astridtuttlewinegar or visit her Twitter feed at https://twitter.com/astridwinegar.