Happy Hobbit Day fellow Nifty Nerds! …and a happy birthday to Bilbo and Frodo Baggins! In honor of this special day, I have a fun recipe from the Lord of the Rings to help you celebrate; Lembas.

Lembas, also known as Elven bread or waybread (in the Common Speech), was a special and closely guarded secret of the Elves.

While this recipe won’t satiate your appetite with a single bite, it will serve as a delightful treat perfect for afternoon tea….or any of the other 6 hobbit meals throughout the day (including breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, dinner, and/or supper). Resembling a scone, this recipe produces bread that is light in taste and satisfying in texture. Bake these up to celebrate Hobbit Day, to serve at your next Lord of the Rings party, or to enjoy during your next marathon (book or movies).

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups of flour
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 8 tablespoons of cold butter (1 stick)
• 1/3 cup of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 cup of heavy cream (or more, if necessary -you want your dry ingredients to be mixed in, but not to become a sticky mess)
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

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• (Optional) add chopped up dried fruit, such as dates, and/or ground nuts to make the pieces more sustaining and filling.
• Prefer a stronger taste? Double up on the honey and cinnamon.

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2) Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
3) Add the butter and mix with a fork or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles fine granules.
4) Add the sugar and cinnamon, and mix them thoroughly into the mixture.
5) Add the cream, honey, and vanilla and stir them in with a fork until a nice, thick dough forms.
6) Roll the dough out about 1/2″ in thickness, then cut out 3-inch squares and transfer the dough to a cookie sheet. Similarly, take individual balls of dough and shape them into squares on your cooking sheet.
7) Criss-cross (do not cut all the way) each square from corner-to-corner with a knife.
8) Bake for about 12-15 minutes (depending on the thickness of the bread) until the loaves are set and lightly golden.(the recipe makes about 10-12 pieces of lembas)

Feeling particularly nerdy and wanting to take your lembas to the next step? Wrap your loaves in faux Mallorn leaves and twine. Now all that’s left is to enjoy them!