Merry Ukrainian Christmas Eve! Just when you thought Christmas was long behind us, up pops the Orthodox celebration. We typically do not celebrate Christmas twice in our household. The standard one in December is what we celebrate. (more…)
White Chocolate Cranberry Almond Biscotti
I have almost fully recovered from my food coma of Christmas 2014. I had 3 family dinners in the span of 4 days. All of them were filled with Ukrainian food that consisted of dough, butter, onions, more butter and the odd slice of turkey. Don’t even get me started on the sheer volume of chocolate that was also consumed. It was all worth it. But, I am already dreading my triumphant return to the gym next week. (more…)
The Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
I am a chocolate chip cookie fanatic. I knew this early on as a child. Whenever Claudia would bake cookies with me growing up, they were always chocolate chip. I think it’s because I would demand this for the sole purpose of eating the cookie dough when she was not looking. I got caught once and there is photographic evidence. If you’ve browsed this blog, you’ve probably seen it. (more…)
Browned Butter Skillet Candy Cookie Bars
Remember that time I dressed up as Hulk Hogan for Halloween and had to wear a bleach blonde moustache that drove me crazy for an entire evening? Yeah, that was my night yesterday. I have new appreciation for all men who have to eat vegetable dip while sporting a moustache. I had dip everywhere. It was not attractive.
This Halloween was a cold one here in Winnipeg. We didn’t have nearly as many kids come to our door for Trick-or-Treating as we usually do. That was a theme with most of my friends that I have talked to. We bought enough candy for about 120 kids, and we only received about 20 at our house. Crazy, right? Not to mention that kids these days have it so easy. Sure, it was cold, but we had no snow. I recall every Halloween as a kid trudging through knee-deep snow to get myself that sugar gold. No word of a lie. I have photographic evidence too.
I figured I would try and experiment with our leftover candy that we have in the house and make these skillet candy cookie bars! I essentially adapted our Cadbury Mini Egg Skillet Cookie to create these beauties by doubling the dough and layering the candy in the middle. Also – Man, do I love using cast iron skillets to bake cookies. The skillet creates such a rich, decadent cookie. I also love using browned butter. It has such a nutty flavour which is a perfect compliment to the sweet candy bars. If you have leftover candy an want to do some baking, I highly recommend you give these a try!
Melt-In-Your-Mouth Shortbread Cookies
I can always tell when the holidays are upon us. My evenings become jam-packed and I spend my Sunday’s in the kitchen with Claudia. I’m talking 6 hours this past Sunday! It was pretty fun. My feet were killing me by the end of it though. I honestly don’t know how Claudia can stand in the kitchen for hours on end making dozens upon dozens of perogies at a time. She’s Superwoman. Somebody buy her a cape!
Last Christmas we ended up featuring a lot of the holiday baking items I enjoyed growing up. Today’s blog is no exception. These cookies are my Dad’s favourite – and for very good reason. They literally melt in your mouth. Literally. This is no joke people. They are the softest, most delicate shortbread cookie I have ever tried. And they are delicious and super, super simple to make.
Loaded Oatmeal Cookies
Today is National Cookie Day! Did you know that the English word “cookie” is derived from the Dutch word “koekje,” which means little cake? Neither did we. You can’t say you don’t learn something when you visit this blog!
Every year I sign up for Food Network’s 12 Days of Cookies, where I am emailed a new cookie recipe every day from December 1 – 12. Seeing a new cookie recipe in my inbox makes me extremely happy. Not only does it allow me to try new recipes by celebrity chefs, it also gives me new ideas for my holiday baking. The recipe I am featuring for National Cookie Day is Paula Deen’s Loaded Oatmeal Cookies. I received this recipe on Day 3 of the 12 Days of Cookies. These beauties are soft, chewy and have the perfect mix of spices that make your taste buds dance. The brown butter icing on top of each cookie is also to die for.