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.
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.
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.
December brings forth Winter Wonderland and the Holidays. When I think of Christmas dishes, warming and festive winter foods come to my mind. For me Christmas is a lot about cooking and baking … and of course music. I’m already looking forward to all the baking and cooking I will be doing and singing along my favorite Christmas music…
This is my husband’s favorite cake that his mom made for his birthday every year. The recipe comes from the New York Times Cookbook, even his grandmother made it. When I talked to my husband’s cousins, they all raved about this cake, the Poppy seed cake … No surprise they all think it is the best cake on Earth … it is moist, crunchy and delicious …
This cake takes some time and patience to make but is not too difficult. Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature, it should be around 65-70 F.
The recipe has three parts: the dough, the vanilla creme (creme patisserie) and the chocolate ganache. Please read the following notes on how to make the cake.
The dough requires sifted flour. Sifting flour is an easy process, cooks generally use a flour sifter. If you don’t have one no worries, you can use a strainer or a wire whisk. The idea is to get air into the flour. Then once sifted, measure out the 2 cups, using a knife to level the top. Return the extra flour into the flour bin.
You need two 9″ round cake forms. For a long time I only had one cake form and I was fine. I just had to wait until the form cooled off after baking the first batch. I ended up buying a second one a few years ago. It is nice to have two but you can get by with only one.
The vanilla creme is pretty straight forward. I used a double boiler to cook the ingredients. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can use a metal bowl that fits on the top of the bottom pot securely but does not touch the bottom of the pot.
The chocolate ganache is what brings all the ingredients, the cake together. It should be made a little softer than generally made for cakes … should stick to the surface but not become hard. Also, the sweetness of the chocolate is a personal preference. I like the semi sweet chocolate personally but you can use whatever you prefer, of course.
RECIPE
Makes about 8 slices
Ingredients
Dough
2/3 cup whole poppy seed
1 cup milk
12 Tbsp butter
1/2 -1 cup of sugar (to taste)
2 cup unbleached wheat flour, CUT/SIFTED
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 egg whites (save 3 yolks for creme)
Vanilla cream
1 cup milk
3 egg yolks (saved from earlier step)
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate ganache
12 oz baking chocolate, sweet
1 cup heavy cream
1/8 tsp salt
add sugar to your taste
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Preparation
Please check notes above for more info on how to make this cake.
Making the dough
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Have all ingredients at room temperature (65 – 70 F).
While still cold, separate the eggs. Set aside 1 egg yolk so you get 4 egg whites and 3 egg yolks in separate bowls.
Soak the poppy seed in 1 cup milk overnight but at least for 2 hours.
Cream butter with sugar. Set aside.
Cut and sift flour. Please note the amount of flour used is for cut and sifted amount. So measure out 2 cups of flour and sift. Take the measuring cup again and measure out 2 cups of the sifted flour and using a knife level the top. Return remaining four to its bin.
Sift in baking powder and salt.
Add the poppy seed mixture and vanilla to the flour mixture, mix gently. Add the butter/sugar mixture and keep mixing. Make sure to scrape from the bottom of the bowl to catch any hidden pockets of flour. Do not over-mix. I do the mixing by hand but you can used a food processor on a low setting. Set aside.
Beat the 4 egg whites on high speed until stiff.
Gently fold egg whites into the dough.
Grease and lightly flour cake forms or just simply use parchment paper.
Separate dough between two cake forms.
Try to make sure the top stays flat.
Bake for 20 – 30 minutes or until an inserted tooth pick comes out clean.
Let the cake forms cool completely before removing the cakes.
Making the vanilla cream
In a double boiler, bring milk to a gentle boil over medium heat.
Meanwhile, whisk the three egg yolks, sugar together. Add flour, mix. Add warm milk gradually and mix.
Pour mixture back into the double boiler pot and cook on high medium heat. Whisk continuously for about 5 minutes or until mixture thickens.
Take off heat and add vanilla.
Let it cool.
Making the chocolate ganache
You can use a clean double boiler here again. Melt the chocolate and add the heavy cream, vanilla extract and sugar. Mix.
Assembling the cake
Place the vanilla creme in-between the two cake layers. (Use the ‘prettier’ cake for your top layer. You can also flip one of the cakes over and use the bottom for the top so you get a more even appearance). Spread chocolate ganache on the top. This ganache will be slightly liquidy when placed on the cake but will harden in the refrigerator.
Decorate the top to your liking.
Refrigerate the assembled cake for at least 1 hour before serving.
These sweet potato muffins are lovely autumn muffins! They are packed with nutritious ingredients of the season and get their special flavor from the spices: cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, mace and cloves. enjoy!
RECIPE
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
2 cup / 240 gr of whole wheat flour (white flour is fine too)
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice ( China cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, mace and cloves)
1 stick (8 Tbsp) of butter (115 g) at room temperature
1 cup of sweet potato, mashed (1 medium sized sweet potato)
This is a soft buttery sweet bread to help us bring back the sweet memories of the people who can not be with us anymore. Baking this bread helps me honor my mom’s spirit. It feels like she is with me while I am baking the bread. What a neat way to honor her and her love for cooking. I am so glad I was introduced to this custom. If you make this bread please feel free to share your experience in the comment section.
Pan de Muerto is traditionally made in Mexico for the Day of the Dead celebration. It is flavored with orange zest or anise seeds and brushed with a glaze and sprinkled with sugar. The preparation depends on the region as everybody has their own recipe. This recipe is from the Mexico City region.
Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead is a celebration in Mexico between October 31st and November 2nd. During this time period, Mexicans remember their ancestors who have past away. It is not a scary, spooky time but rather a joyous, spiritual time. People go to the cemeteries, to the altars of their deceased friends and relatives. They also lavishly decorate an altar in their homes with candles and memories.
This celebration’s roots are in the Pre-hispanic times. Native Americans celebrated this time period because they believe that our ancestors’ spirits return to Earth to be with us during this time period. After the Catholic Spaniards arrived, they had combined this tradition with their own celebration, All Saint Day and this unique holiday that the Mexicans celebrate today was born.
As I have mentioned before, it is a festive, spiritual celebration. There is music, candles and special foods served. One food they serve is a special bread called Pan de Muerto. It is given as an offering to the ancestors’ spirits and has special meanings. While the exact meaning is not known, it is believed that the crosses on the top represent the bones. The circular shape in the middle could be a tear dropp, or a skull or the heart.
Traditionally, they always use oranges to make the bread and anise seeds are sometimes added too. I don’t have oranges so I ended up using almond extract and anise seeds. I believe they worked nicely here and the anise seeds are used traditionally anyway.
For another Halloween treat for this special time please try my Barmbrack bread recipe from last year (source).
RECIPE
Ingredients
4 oz butter (110 g) at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar + more for the top
1/2 tsp salt
5 cup flour + more for kneading the dough
4 eggs + 1 egg for the top (room temperature)
1 1/4 cup warm milk
2 pkg dried yeast or 5 tsp
zest and juice of 2 oranges
2 Tbsp vanilla or almond extract
1 Tbsp anise seeds
Preparation
For clarification, please view the video provided at the end of the blog.
–Makes 2 loaves
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Prepare the yeast. Add the yeast to warm milk (104 – 108 F). Cover. It is ready when the yeast comes up. Set aside.
Cream the butter, sugar, salt and 1/2 cup of flour. Set aside.
Mix eggs, 1/2 cup flour, orange zest and juice or almond extract and anise seeds.
Combine all above ingredients plus 1/2 cup of flour.
Slowly add the rest of the flour 1 cup at a time and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.
Cover it with a clean, damp cloth and let it rise for 90 minutes.
Separate about 1/4 of the dough and use it to make the decorations for the top. These are the bone shapes to drape across the top and the balls to place them in the middle.
Divide the rest of the dough into two ball shaped loaves and place them on lightly oiled cookie sheets.
Making the decoration. I divide this 1/4 piece from the original dough into 6 parts, four for the bone shaped decorations and two for the middle part.
For the bone shaped decoration, shape the dough into a flat-bottomed semi-sphere. Position them on top of the bread and press lightly down to make sure they adhere. Put the little balls in the middle to connect the bones.
Let the assembled loaves rest for 1 hour.
Spread lightly beaten eggs and sugar on the surface of the loaves.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
When cool, glaze the loaves with melted butter and sprinkle on some sugar.
Here is my new favorite dessert! This tasty dessert will satisfy your autumn sweet tooth any time. They are simple, puffy and delicious. No need to buy puff pastry from the store, you can make the buttery, flaky puff pastry with the three simple main ingredients: butter, cream cheese and flour. There is something about simple, delicious dishes that are just that … simple and delicious… and this dish is surely just that… My recipe came from this blog (source).
RECIPE
Ingredients
1-2 apples, firmer baking apples (I used Cortland)
1 pkg cream cheese (220 gr)
2 sticks of butter (220 gr)
1 1/3 cups flour (220 gr)
pinch of salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp apple pie spice or cinnamon
1/2 cup powdered sugar
handful of chopped nuts
Directions
Have all ingredients at room temperature.
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Combine the cream cheese, butter, flour, salt and sugar. Put the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Take the cold dough out of the fridge, cut it in half. Put one half back in the fridge to keep it cold while you are working with the other half of the dough..
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin about 2-3 mm thick. Cut out round shapes with a cookie cutter. My cookie cutter is 2 1/2 inches in diameter but you can use whatever size you have. Cut the circles big enough so they can fit the apple slices or vice versa cut your apples so they can fit in the circle.
Place the apple slices on half of the cut out shapes and fold the other half of the circle over the apple slice. Put the prepared pieces on the pre-oiled cookie sheet.
Bake for 18 – 20 minutes in the preheated oven.
Repeat with the other half of the dough.
Make the sugar coating. Add 1 tsp apple pie spice or cinnamon to the 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. Put the apple turnovers into a bigger bowl and toss them with the sugar/cinnamon mixture. I did this when they were still warm. I found that when done while hot, the sugar sticks better but please feel free to experiment.
Have you ever had to cut corners in the kitchen? Later, did you realize that you had actually created something new and amazing? This must have happened to the early settlers of America who came from the Old World. They had their recipes to make the English pie but did not have all the tools to make them … and came up with a brand new dish called cobbler.
Cobbler is just as good as pie is IMO and is much easier to make. Seasonal fruits are used in cobblers as well but not sure where the name came from. It might be referring to the wooden spoons they used or the cobbler who mends shoes like the dough is mended on top of the fruits or perhaps it was the village cobbler’s favorite dessert … nobody knows the exact meaning but this is a crowd pleaser for sure.
This is an ‘end of the summer’ cobbler recipe. It is made with plums along some berries and the savory spices that are nice for this time of year. Of course, I used plums because they are available right now. I also added nutmeg, cinnamon, orange peel and ginger to add a little flavor and they suit the plums nicely as well. The juicy fruits are covered with the perfectly crumpling, soft topping. Oh and it is begging for a bit of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
My recipe was inspired by the Joy of Cooking cookbook.
Have all the ingredients at room temperature except the butter.
For the fruits
1 lb of plums, pitted and cut 1′ or smaller chunks
1 lb of berries – I used blackberries and raspberries
½ cup of sugar or more if your fruits are not sweet enough. Only use more if your berries are not sweet. 1/2 cup is plenty otherwise, trust me!
pinch of salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp dried ginger (cut and sifted) or 1 tsp fresh
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbsp orange peel
2 Tbsp of flour or 1 Tbsp of corn starch
The dough
1 1/3 cup of all purpose white flour
1 tsp of baking powder
pinch of salt
2 Tbsp of sugar
5 Tbsp of cold unsalted butter
2/3 cup of cream or 1/2 cup of milk (honestly milk is fine too)
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 lightly beaten egg for the top
extra sugar for the top
vanilla ice cream for serving
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Making the fruit filling
Have ready an oven proof baking dish that is about 2 quarts large in volume and 2 inches deep (ex 11 x 4 x 2 inch).
Take fruits out of the freezer if they are frozen and let them defrost. Wash plums and cut them into 1/2-1 inch long pieces. Place the plums and the berries in the dish. They need to be at room temperature before you can put the cobbler into the oven.
Add pinch of salt, cornstarch or flour, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and sugar and mix. Set aside and wait for at least 30 minutes.
Making the dough
In a large bowl, combine the flour with the baking powder, pinch of salt and sugar.
Add the cold butter and mix. This is such a satisfying experience for me to do by hand. If you prefer, you can use your food processor for this step.
Add the cream or milk stirring with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together. Gently need the dough in the bowl for 5 minutes if needed, turning and pressing any loose pieces into the dough. Dust the top and the bottom of the dough. Let the dough sit for 1 hour if you have time.
Preparing the cobbler
Now we will make a patchwork. Divide the dough into 8-10 parts and flatten each piece between your two hands about 1/4 inch thick. Place each piece on top of the fruit mix. Keep doing this until you have used up all the dough and the fruits are covered.
(The dough should be workable but not sticky. If the dough becomes too sticky and warm, put it into the fridge for about 10 minutes to become the proper consistency. This can happen easily in the summer when it is warm outside.
Lightly brush the top of the dough with the eggs and sprinkle with a little sugar.
Baking the cobbler
Put the cobbler in the pre-heated oven and bake for about 40-50 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the berries are bubbling. Don’t overbake, make sure the fruits stay ‘liquidy’.
Let stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Serving the cobbler
You can serve the cobbler at room temperature with vanilla ice cream if you wish.
This delicious German dessert quickly became a favorite in my family. The tasty base is topped with the delicate meringue and the red currants. The tangy red currants are available right now and are bursting with flavor. Of course, you can add as much sugar as you like or as little as you like … that is the beauty of making your own cake. Please feel free to experiment.
RECIPE
Ingredients
base
2 cup (30 dkg) flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 sticks (25 dkg) butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4- 1 cup of sugar (I used 1/4 cup)
5 egg yolks
1/4 cup almond flour, optional
pinch of salt
topping
2 1/4 cup red currants without stems
5 egg whites
1/4-1 cup sugar ( I used 1/2 cup)
handful of breadcrumbs
pinch of salt
twincitiesherbs.com
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9″ round dish (2 1/2″ deep). Sprinkle some flour on the bottom.
In a medium sized bowl, sift baking soda into the flour. Cut the butter into the flour.
Add the yolks one by one. Mix well.
Add the sugar and vanilla extract, almond flour, mix.
Spread the dough evenly on the bottom of the pre- buttered form.
Let it rest for 1 hour if you can.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Turn the oven down to 340 F.
Beat the egg whites until hard. Mix in the sugar and salt. Gently mix in the currants and the breadcrumbs.
Pour on top of the baked cake base.
Bake for 15 more minutes at 340 F and then turn heat down to 300 F. Bake for 15 more minutes.
Let the cake sit for a few hours before serving.
Decorate the top with fresh currants, optional.
Serve at room temperature maybe with a little vanilla ice cream.
Twin Cities Herbs 