I know I've done a crap job of updating my blog in the past several months but I would be remiss if I ended the year without posting my 2024 Holiday Cookie Box. I think it's a nice variety that caters to many different tastes. Hopefully the people who receive it will agree.
The inspiration for this variation came from a chausson aux pommes, a French apple turnover found in any boulangerie. I made a very simple compote filling using my favorite apple variety, honeycrisp. The galette came together in no time at all since I used store bought puff pastry to encase the apple filling. Not one to forget the all-important fève or charm, I hid a walnut half in the cake.
One bite of the compote filling and crisp puff pastry and I am now fully converted to the apple galette des rois.
For the 2023 Holiday Cookie Box I stuck to the tried and true classics that everyone seemed to love along with the new addition of vanillekipferl. Year after year I vow to cut back on the different types of cookies I make to save myself the time and effort, yet every year I never do. I can't help it, baking is my love language and what better way to show someone you care than by gifting them a box of homemade treats?
Vanillekipferl are crescent-shaped almond shortbread cookies traditionally made at Christmas time in many European countries, e.g., Germany, Austria and Switzerland. They're a very close cousin to nut snowballs or Mexican wedding cookies, but the dough is much smoother with the addition of almond flour. I love that they aren't too sweet so you don't feel guilty eating so many. I'll be including them in this year's holiday cookie box.
Who doesn't love freshly whipped cream and maritozzis are filled to the brim with it, along with a layer of homemade tart raspberry jam. A marriage made in breakfast heaven. The only drawback, if you consider it one, is that the maritozzi tastes best when consumed à la minute, i.e., right away. Next time I think I'll freeze some of the unfilled, baked buns and then reheat and fill them at a later time. Now that I'm confident in my maritozzi-making skills I can save myself the price of a plane ticket to Italy, although I'd happily still go for pasta and shopping!
Four simple ingredients: butter, powdered sugar, flour and kosher salt. Basic staples found in any pantry that triumphantly come together in these delicious Bien Cuit Shortbread. I've never been to the eponymous New York bakery where the recipe comes from but, fortunately, now I don't have to make the cross-country trek.
I first saw the shortbread featured on Food 52's Instagram account. To be honest, it was their finger-like shape that really caught my attention. When I read Amanda Hesser's testimony that they were the world's best shortbread I couldn't not make them. Indeed, she was absolutely correct...the cookies were so delicious: short, buttery and just a hint of sweetness. I think they will be a strong contender for this year's holiday cookie box.
I've visited The Netherlands exactly twice: the first time as a university student passing through with a Eurail pass and the second when one of my besties was working there on a long-term project. During neither of those trips did I have the fortune to taste the famous appeltaart (more like cake) from Cafe Winkel 43 in Amsterdam. Actually, I'd never even heard of this famous dessert until I saw it on Amanda Frederickson's blog when she tried to replicate it at home. Since we're at the beginning of fall I thought her Dutch Apple Cake would make the ideal first bake to celebrate the season.
Amanda's recipe makes a 9-inch cake, but I ended up halving the ingredients and making a smaller cake using a 6-inch pan. I was happy when the downsizing worked out perfectly. For the apples I used my favorite variety, honeycrisp, which are crunchy, sweet and tart and hold up perfectly when baked. The cake baked up to a lovely golden brown and it took all my willpower to not slice into it straightaway. As soon as it cooled I indulged in a slice with vanilla whipped cream. My first taste was a triumph and unlike any other apple cake I'd had before. The cake top was almost like shortbread while the apple chunks in the middle add a nice, fruity contrast. I can't wait for my next visit to Amsterdam so I can try the original, but until then this replica version suits me just fine.
Pardon the extended hiatus from my blog but I was enjoying a long overdue sabbatical for most of the summer. I missed my kitchen and baking to be sure, but I kept myself busy with traveling and relaxing...a perfect way to recharge. Now that I'm home I'm easing back into the swing of things.
First up are these Lemon Curd Gooey Butter Cookies, which I'd seen pop up on my Instagram feed from Butternut Bakery. I've made gooey butter cookies before on this blog, but I loved the idea of combining lemon curd with the chewy, citrus cookie. Propitiously I had all the ingredients I needed, including homemade meyer lemon curd, and the cookies came together easily. My only other enhancement was to add a few tablespoons of poppy seeds to the cookie dough.
One bite of the finished cookie and I was a goner; the perfect marriage of tart, sweet and chewy.
