Tag: Christmas

Pfeffernüsse (German Spice Cookies) 

Turn on your favorite holiday music, put on your apron and start baking! The recipe comes from Martha Stewart. These cookies are a big favorite in Germany and are called Pfeffernüsse, pepper nuts in English. The small, round shaped cookies are made with gingerbread spices and molasses and then are iced on the outside. Martha also did a little twist to the original German cookie recipe and added red peppercorns. And the smell of all these spices in the kitchen …

I think the red peppercorns elevated these cookies to another level. Yes, the cookies are already well flavored with many spices but these sweet red peppercorns bring everything together. Red peppers come from a flowering plant, Schinus terebinthifolius and are not peppers but belong to the cashew family. They are readily available in specialty stores. Taste it, it has a very unique, pleasant flavor.

Why are these cookies called pepper cookies? The cookies are made with spices cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, black pepper and they are essential part of the recipe. So make sure they are high quality and fresh. I bought the whole spices and ended up grinding them in a mortar.

The recipe asks for confectioners’ sugar to make the glaze. Make sure you use this type of sugar instead of just the regular sugar. Confectioners’ sugar is lightly powdered sugar with starch added to prevent it from caking as it sits. I didn’t have any at home so I grounded granulated sugar quickly in the grinder and added cornstarch. (I added 1 tbsp cornstarch to 1 cup of ground sugar).

For glazing, try to use a taller, narrow dish to dip the cookies if possible. You need vertical space to coat the cookies.

The recipe also uses alcohol called kirsch. I didn’t have any so I used Hungarian plum brandy.  You can also substitute with dry vermouth, grappa, or white (aka silver) rum. It is optional of course. Just make sure you are not using any sticky-sweet red liqueur concoctions.

You can add edible glitter if you want to make the cookies more festive. I didn’t use it as I don’t have it.

Another change I made to the recipe was letting the dough sit in the refrigerator overnight. In Martha’s recipe, the cookies are baked immediately after they are assembled. However, traditionally, the cookies are put in the refrigerator for some time. It allows the flour to fully hydrate, prevents spreading and allows the complex spice flavors to meld and deepen.

I also tried letting the cookies sit overnight on the counter and this method worked well too. I prepared the cookies, put them on the cookie sheets and baked them the next day. While the dough is traditionally refrigerated, this method worked fine too. The cookies tasted the same. The only difference is that the cookies will expand and be bigger in size.

Like any gingerbread dough, you can eat these cookies immediately but will taste even better in a week. They just need a little time to soften and the spices to settle. Otherwise these are fabulous cookies, well worth the time and effort. They taste just like the cookies from Germany.

RECIPE

Please read comments above.

INGREDIENTS

Cake

  • 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 
  • 3/4 teaspoon fresh ground cinnamon 
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground allspice 
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground cloves 
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg 
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper 
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 
  • 3/4 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar 
  • 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses 
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten 
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

Glaze

  • 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/4 cup milk or water
  • 1 teaspoon kirsch or other cherry-flavored liqueur (dry vermouth, grappa, or white (aka silver) rum, Hungarian pálinka) – optional 

To decorate (optional)

  • Coarsely ground pink peppercorns 
  • 1 tsp edible glitter (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 baking sheets. Take the butter out of the refrigerator.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and spices. Set aside.

3. In a medium sized bowl, cream eggs, brown sugar and molasses or until fluffy. Add in egg and vanilla, flour mixture; mix until just combined. Wrap the dough in a plastic bag and refrigerate overnight but at least for 3 hours.

4. Work in a cool space, maybe open the window. Remove the dough from the plastic wrap and immediately roll it into two strands, each 3/4 inch thick. Slice the rolls into 3/4 inch thick rounds and roll each round into a ball (each ball be about 3/4 inch large). Note: You can make them any size. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining dough, spacing balls 1 1/2 inches apart. (Try to do this step as fast as possible so the dough doesn’t get too warm).

5. Baking. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are golden and firm to the touch with slight cracking, about 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the cookies. Transfer sheet to a wire rack to cool completely.

6. Glaze: Fit a rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack. In a medium bowl (tall and narrow), whisk together confectioners’ sugar, water and kirsch, if desired. Using a fork, dip each cookie in the glaze to coat. A quick dip and gentle shake off are all you need. Place on wire rack to dry. Repeat with remaining cookies.

7. To decorate (if desired): While the glaze is still wet, top cookies with a small pinch of peppercorns and the edible glitter.

Storage. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 weeks (below 75 F).

Enjoy! Frohe Weihnachten!

Source

http://www.marthastewart.com/318226/pfeffernussen

Christmas dark chocolate bark with nuts and dried fruits

This festive chocolate bark is great for the holidays! Give it as a gift or treat yourself! It reminds me of the trail mix that I take with me when I go hiking … just a bit fancier of course.

It is super easy to make and is delicious! For the topping, you can use any nuts and dried fruits that you like. I used pistachio nuts, walnuts, dried cranberries, dried apricots and raisins. It is your choice and the combinations are endless! Oh and the smell of the roasted nuts … priceless.

The perfect dessert … sweetened with only dried fruits and made crunchy with only nuts!

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

  • 12 oz high quality chocolate chunks or chips (I used 70% dark chocolate)
  • handful nuts, chopped
  • handful of dried fruits, chopped
  • 1 tsp coarsely ground salt

METHOD

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. On a baking sheet, toast the nuts in the preheated oven for about 6-9 min. Cut them into smaller pieces if you wish. Cut the dried fruits if you wish.
  3. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or a pot with a thick bottom. Spread the chocolate evenly onto a rimmed dish with a spatula. Try to get the thickness about 1/4″. The dish should be large enough to hold the melted chocolate. I used a 8 x 11 ” casserole dish.
  4. Drop the dried fruits, toasted nuts and the salt pieces on the top.
  5. Let it cool completely for 2-4 hours or refrigerate for 15 minutes.
  6. When the chocolate sets, using your hand, break the chocolate into pieces.
  7. They can be stored in an airtight container for weeks.

Enjoy!

Photos and text by twincitiesherbs.

Home-made Christmas bon bons with nuts and raisins (Házi Szaloncukor)

Our grandmothers, great-grandmothers used to make delicious sweets for Christmas. I don’t have the exact recipe my great-grandmother used; however, I have this modernized version, it works as a great replacement. The three main ingredients are raisins, walnuts, and coconuts. Along with some other flavorings, they are made into small balls. Then, they are dipped in chocolate of your choice and voila! … this healthy sweet AKA szaloncukor is ready to be hung on your Christmas tree or if you can’t resist you can just eat is as it is!

In the old days, they used honey, nuts and dried fruits like quince, raisins and apples. They also added foraged herbs that varied from country to country and region to region and often included fennel, lavender, rose petals, juniper berries, sumac etc. Ever since the exotic spices arrived from the East, people have been using cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg etc. I personally really like adding shredded coconuts and oranges as they are readily available and taste delicious.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup walnut, chopped
  • 3/4 cup raisins, chopped
  • 1/3 cup shredded coconut
  • peel of 1/2 orange, grated or 1 tsp dried orange peel
  • juice if 1 orange or 1 Tbsp orange juice
  • pinch of salt, more for decorating
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 300 gr or 11 oz chocolate chips
  • 6 Tbsp coconut oil or unsalted butter

METHOD

  • Mix the raisins, nuts and shredded coconut. Place them in a bowl.
  • Add the vanilla extract, orange peel and the juice, cinnamon, cardamom and salt. Mix.
  • Put them in the fridge for 10 – 20 min so dough is not too warm or soft.
  • Take a handful out of the mixture at a time.
  • Create the bon bons. Make either smaller balls 1 inch in diameter, or make rectangular shapes.
  • In a double boiler, start slowly melting the chocolate chips. Add the butter. Mix until you get a ‘flowy’ consistency, meaning when you lift up a ladle full of chocolate, the chocolate flows down evenly.
  • Dip each bon bon in the melted chocolate. I used a fork and let the unused chocolate fall back in the pot.
  • Place them on a wire rack and let them cool.
  • Cut out squares of paper or cloth, big enough to cover the prepared bon bons (about 15 x 1 5 cm or 5 x 5 inch). Parchment paper works great too. Place the bon bons in the middle of this squared shaped paper or cloth and wrap the ends around. Twist the ends tightly to create the classic szaloncukor shape. Please see my picture for clarification.

Merry Christmas! Boldog Karácsonyt!

Photo and text by twincitiesherbs.com.

Festive Cheese Cake

Not sure what to serve for the holidays? This recipe is a smaller version of the well-known cheese cake. Impress your guests with this delicious and easy to make cake! It is a crustless cake with a creamy body infused with almond extract. I also added raisins to add some texture. You can decorate it with anything you desire. I used lingonberry jam and roasted slivered almonds. Enjoy!

Recipe

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/4-1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour or almond flour
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 tsp almond or vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • handful of raisins
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • pinch of salt
  • oil for baking the almond slivers
  • 1 cup slivered almonds for the top
  • 20 oz lingonberry jam for the top

DIRECTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 350 F / 180 C.
  • Butter a 7 inch round cake pan.
  • Mix the wet ingredients: egg, ricotta cheese, almond extract and milk.
  • Sift the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, sugar and salt.
  • Gently combine the wet and dry ingredients.
  • Fold in the raisins.
  • Pour batter into the prepared cake pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. You can gently tap the form on hard surface so the top gets leveled. Let the mixture sit for 1 hour. Set aside.
  • Meanwhile bake the slivered almonds: Apply oil to a cookie sheet and place the almond slivers on it. Bake in a preheated oven at 300 F for 10 – 15 minutes until golden brown. Set aside.
  • Bake the cake mixture in a pre-heated oven for 30-35 min or until the edges are slightly golden and an inserted knife edge comes out clean. Let cool.
  • Spread jam of your choice and sprinkle roasted almond slivers on the top.
  • Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy! Happy holiday!

Photo and text by twincitiesherbs.com.

Festive Plum Gnocchi With Poppy Seeds (Szilvás gombóc)

Hungarian plum gnocchi (szilvás gombóc) is basically a dish made with plums wrapped in dough made with mashed potatoes. It is often served as a second dish after a heavier soup but can be a dessert as well.

This dish is a little variation to the recipe that most people use in Hungary. I added poppy seeds instead of bread crumbs to coat the balls. In Transylvania, plum gnocchi is often still coated with poppy seeds.

Poppy seeds are popular at Christmas time as they are full of flavor and are supposed to be calming and nourishing as well. Oh one more, Hungarians believe that poppy seeds are supposed to bring good luck for the new year.

Also, I used prunes instead of fresh plums because fresh plums are not available right now. Honestly, I can’t tell the difference.

These 2 changes to the recipe would make this otherwise already fabulous dish a perfect dish for the holidays.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS
  • about 1 lb russet potatoes (4-5 potatoes)
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 18 sweet prunes – depending on the size

Coating

  • 2 cups poppy seed, ground
  • 1 cup walnuts (finally chopped)
  • 10 Tbsp butter or coconut oil
  • 1 tsp cinnamon or apple pie seasoning
  • 6 Tbsp sugar
  • pinch of salt
DIRECTIONS

Place the potatoes with the skin on in a large pot. I like to put them on a metal steamer with ‘feet’ so the vitamins and minerals don’t leach into the water and so they don’t soak up too much water. If the potatoes are too wet, the dough will need more flour and will be harder. Add cold water to the pot with a little salt. Bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium low. Cook them with the lid on for about 45 – 60 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Peel them while they are still hot but you can handle.

Puree the potatoes while they are still warm, I was able to do it as soon as the peels were taken off. I used a potato ricer. I put the potatoes through the larger holes of the ricer, then the smaller ones. It is worth investing in a potato ricer if you want a nice and soft dough. You can use a potato masher too, I have used it before and did a good job too. Let potatoes cool to room temperature.

Add flour, salt, 1 egg, 1 Tbsp of butter to the mashed potatoes. Mix and form into a ball shape. Do not over do it. The dough should not be wet but should stay in one piece. Make sure your potatoes are at room temperature. If they are warm they will take up too much flour. You can use the fridge for 5-10 minutes minutes if needed. (Before adding more flour, cool the dough in the refrigerator).

Let the dough rest for 1 hour on the counter.

Meanwhile, soak the prunes in water to soften them. Set aside.

Melt the butter on low heat and add the poppy seeds stirring frequently for about 10 minutes. Make sure the butter doesn’t burn. Add the cinnamon, sugar and chopped walnuts. Mix. This will be used to coat the balls.

Also, mix the 3 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and a pinch of salt for the stuffing. This will be used when the balls are served.

Fill a 5 quart pot with about 3 quart water. Bring to a boil with a little a little salt.

After 1 hour, take the dough out of the refrigerator. Cut the dough in half. Place one of them on a flat, floured surface. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin. Cut out about 9 squares about 3 inches wide and 1 cm thick.

Squeeze the liquid out of the prunes from earlier step.

Assemble the balls. Place one of the dough squares into your palm. Put a plum in the dough. Fold corner by corner gently tucking the stuffing inside and then roll it to make a ball. Do this with each square. Coat them in flour. Please look at the pictures for clarification.

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Take the other half of the left over dough and repeat rolling the dough and making little squares. Just like earlier, fill the squares with the prunes. Do this procedure until all the dough is used up.

When the water starts boiling, you can drop the balls in the water one by one with a slotted spoon. Try to gently stir them to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

When the dumplings come to the surface, cook them for about another 5 more minutes and remove them with a slotted spoon. 

Coat the dumplings with the poppy seed mixture that you prepared earlier and roll them around until they are well coated. 

Serve warm with a little vanilla sugar, cinnamon sugar or honey. Or all three.

Enjoy! Jó étvágyat!

Recipe, photo and text by twincitiesherbs.

Holiday dinner ideas

I associate the Christmas season with good food, heartwarming music and the company of friends and family. I can help you out with the food part but I leave the rest for you. Please check out holiday dishes from my earlier blogs, hope you can find one for your holiday dinner: festive salad, mouth-watering meat, fabulous vegetarian and tasty vegan dishes. Enjoy!

RECIPES

Traditional Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage Recipe

Vegan Russian Sour Kraut Soup (Shi) Recipe

Pork with prunes Recipe

Kale Salad with cranberries. Recipe

Festive Strudel with Lentils, cabbage & mushroom Recipe

Happy Holidays!

Russian sauerkraut Mushroom Soup (Щи) – vegan

Happy New Year!

Hope you all had a very lovely Christmas and were able to indulge in as many Christmas dishes as you could … but now many of us tend to gravitate towards lighter yet nourishing foods. In general, to tune in with the seasons, winter is more about dormancy and resting, giving our body a break especially after all the feasting and partying.

Sauerkraut mushroom soup is a popular winter dish in Russia that will nourish your body and soul. It is special for the Russian Orthodox Christians because this is what they serve during the long fast lasting from the end of November until January 7th. During this time period, the strict rules dictate that no meat, bacon, animal fat, butter, eggs, or milk may be eaten. This tradition was particularly hard for the farmers who had to work outside and needed heavier foods to survive. The cooks had to be creative and came up with this delicious, hearty soup … that today would fit the vegan definition.

This is a lovely soup that has three simple main ingredients: sauerkraut, mushrooms and the barley. Mushrooms are a nice substitution for meat so use as much as you desire. In Eastern Europe, it is customary in the fall to go out in the woods and pick mushrooms. People then dry them to use during the cold months. If you don’t have access to wild mushrooms, buy stronger flavored mushrooms like morrel, oyster, shiitake or even crimini mushrooms could work. The sauerkraut of course gives it the nice sour flavor and has immense health benefits. The crunchy barley adds the robust part to the soup.

PLEASE READ !!! I use cep mushrooms but if you don’t know how to find edible mushrooms in the wild, definitely go to the stores and purchase them there. Mushrooms are very valuable but there can be some poisonous ones. Stores sell some fine mushrooms that are dried and are worth using. Just soak them in water and then they are ready to be used. Last time I used shiitake mushrooms and I thought they worked well.

The soup will need a good home-made stock. Both a meat based or a vegetable based stock would work great. For the vegetarian stock, I added onions, garlic, and 2 bay leaves. I also included 1 heaping Tbsp of black peppercorn, a handful of mushrooms, 1 celery root, a couple of carrots, and a parsley root. Honestly, we could not taste much difference. Don’t forget to put celery root in the vegetarian stock, it surely adds something special to the flavor.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 lb sauerkraut
  • 80 gr (3 oz) dried mushrooms or about 6 oz fresh mushrooms (Please see above for more info on safety).
  • 1 cup dry pearled barley
  • 1-2 qt (1-2 L) of vegetable or beef stock (please see above)
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp caraway seeds
  • few thyme springs
  • vegetable oil
  • shallots or small onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • salt
  • black peppercorn
METHOD
  • If using dried mushrooms, soak in water for a couple hours or maybe even overnight if needed.
  • Make the stock. Please see above for more info.
  • Make the barley. Boil 3 cups of water and put barley in the boiling water. Turn down and let cook for 1 hour without cover.
  • In a medium saucepan, sauté the shallots in a little oil for a few minutes.
  • Add the garlic on low heat. Mix.
  • Add drained sauerkraut, thyme spring, caraway seeds, bay leaves. Cover with stock. Cook for 1 hour.
  • For the last 10 minutes, add the mushrooms slices.
  • Take out the larger thyme pieces and bay leaf.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve with hardier bread.

enjoy!

Text and photo by twincitiesherbs.

Christmas cookies (gift giving)

Often when you ask children what their favorite holiday is they say … Christmas! And then you ask why … because they get presents. I’m sure that is how I would have answered those questions back when I was a little girl. This is a very magical holiday for sure … but as we get older, we start thinking about giving too.

Many people enjoy giving treats at Christmas time. But where did the idea of Christmas gift giving come from? … and what about Santa and his rein deer?

Let’s go back in time. It is believed that it came from an old Pagan tradition. Giving gifts can strengthen the ‘family and well-being of others’, an important theme during this time of the year. This custom was part of the tradition of exchanging mushrooms as a gift at the time in the Northern part of Siberia. Mushrooms were special because of their connection to longevity. People delivered the wrapped carefully prepared dried mushrooms to people’s houses for celebrating the winter solstice. There was so much snow that they could not open the doors. The packages had to be dropped off through the holes on top of the yurts, where the smoke could escape. Also, these people used rein deer for transportation in the snow. And there is even more check this out … I need to mention that their traditional clothing is red and white … hence comes the story of Santa dressed in red and white, delivering presents through the chimney down the fire place with the help of some rein deer…


After so many years, we are still exchanging gifts. Giving home-made foods can be meaningful for both the giver and the receiver. If you are not sure what to give this year, maybe consider giving cookies. I’m presenting two different cookie recipes that can be gifted during the holidays. They are ‘Christmas’-y and mouth watering.

Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas!

COOKIE RECIPES

Please check out the following links for the recipes.

For the coffee lover: Chocolate espresso crinkle

For the gluten free or the nut lover person: Pecan meringue cookies

Source

https://www.shamanicevolution.org/writings/shaman-claus-the-shamanic-origins-of-christmas

Art, photos, text by twincitiesherbs.

Chocolate espresso crinkle cookies

You can surely impress your guests with these rich chocolate cookies or maybe you can just use this recipe for a last minute gift for your neighbors… The crunchy outside is coupled with the melt-in-your-mouth soft inside and is elevated to another level with the espresso flavor. Enjoy!

Recipe

Makes 16 cookies

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
  • 4 tsp instant espresso powder 
  • 1 tsp baking powder 
  • pinch of salt 
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter 
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar 
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten 
  • 4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet baking chocolate
  • 1 Tbsp milk 
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar, for coating

Preparations

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Start melting the chocolate. I used a double boiler.

In a larger bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking powder and salt. Make sure you use some kind of a sifter, tea strainer as the powdered sugar and the cocoa powder need to be without knots. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter with the brown sugar. Add the egg and mix until incorporated.

Mix in the melted chocolate and the milk.

Add the flour mixture from earlier until you get a ball shaped dough. Put in a plastic bag and place in the freezer for 45 minutes.

Butter a cookie sheet. Form 2 inch balls.

Pour 1/2 cup of powdered sugar in a medium sized bowl. In batches, roll the balls in the sugar and let the balls sit for a minute in the sugar. Repeat one more time.

Place the balls about 1 inches apart on the cookie sheet.

Bake for 12 – 14 minutes. They should be soft but not fall apart. Let the cookies stay on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to cool.

Transfer them on a wire rack for 15 minutes. They will harden.

enjoy!

Photos and text by twincitiesherbs.com.

Pecan meringue cookie recipe

Meringue cookies have been one of my favorite Holiday desserts since my childhood … maybe because I don’t care much for the heavier desserts but still enjoy a bit of sweetness during Christmas time. These simple cookies are delicious and airy. They have just the right amount of texture with the nuts and the almond essence. They would be a great gift for those friends and family members who like something sweet with a little bit of crunchiness or eat gluten free foods. Of course, this is a great recipe to have on hand so you can use up all those left over egg whites. Enjoy!

RECIPE

Ingredients

(makes about 2-3 dozens)

  • 4 egg whites, room temperature
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 cup of granulated sugar (regular sugar pulsed for about 10 seconds in a food processor)
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 1/2 cup of finally chopped walnuts or pecans or almonds
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tatar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

Line a baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a larger sized bowl, on medium high speed quickly beat (few minutes) the egg whites until they are frothy but not hard. Do not over beat.

Add the sugar gradually on high speed. It is important to add the sugar 1 Tbsp at a time to make sure they get incorporated nicely. I had a family member who did this. On a low setting beat in the vanilla, cream of tartar, almond extract and salt. Gently fold in the nuts with a spatula.

Drop a tablespoon-full of the egg white mixture onto the parchment paper lined cookie sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. I used a piping bag with a large nozzle to get a more uniform shapes.

Bake for 50 – 60 minutes. Cookies should not be damp. Leave them in the oven for another hour while the oven is cooling.

Repeat with the rest of the egg white mixture.

enjoy!

Happy Holidays!