SPRINGERLE, German Christmas Cookies

Too busy baking, cooking and preparing for the holiday gathering. I apologies that I have too little time to write the recipe too.  But, if you really really tempted want to make it, here is video and/or the recipe that I used to make this beautiful Christmas cookies. 

Enjoy and Happy Holidays !

Aniseplatzchen. Snow White Holiday Cookies Flavored With Star Anise

Much of my delightfulness to find cookies that represent the holiday season has been exiting so far. The activity of flipping pages through my cookbooks and magazines, browsing through the internet, and asking around my friends that perhaps have some family  recipe that they would like to share make me feel quite content.

Aniseplatzchen, is one of those cookie that delighted the spirit of holiday season. The wonderful fragrant from the star anise will perfumed the entire house, especially when you bake it first thing in the morning, where the air is still fresh, and your family is still in bed. This will really wake them up, and hopefully like my family, you will get that first morning smile and kiss after they take a bite of delicious, chewy, and pleasant flavor of Aniseplatzchen.

Aniseplatzchen
recipe from Carole Walter's Great Cookies
makes 5 dozens 1½ - inch cookies

1⅔ cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbs anise seed, ground in a spice grinder or coffee grinder (see note # 1)

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup + 2 tbs sugar

Butter  jelly roll pans, dust with flour, tap off the excess. Set aside

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and ground anise. Set aside

Beat the eggs using electric mixer on a medium speed  until lighten in color, add sugar, a tablespoon at a time, this will take about 2 minutes, then beat for further 20 minutes. 

Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture, continue to mix for  another 3 minutes. 

Drop teaspoons of dough into prepared jelly roll pans - 1½ inch apart. Let stand at room temperature overnight, at least 8 hours.

Heat oven to 325⁰F.

Bake cookies for 5 to 7 minutes (see note # 2), or until the top is set. This cookies should not brown. Toward the end of baking time, rotate the pans top to bottom, left to right (see note # 3). Let cool for 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Cool completely before serving.

Note :

1. The recipe ask for 1 tablespoon anise seeds, but I used 1 teaspoon ground star anise
2. The baking time may varies depending on how reliable your oven is. Although the recipe stated that you only need to bake it for 5 to 7 minutes, mine took longer then that, about 7 to 11 minutes.
3. Instead of baking all pans at once, then rotating them during the baking process, I prefer to bake them one cookie sheet at a time. 
4. Also worth noted here that, this cookie to my surprise is almost similar to Parisian macaron, which during the baking process, it develops what is known as "caveat". It was quite a pleasant discovery.  

Sufganiyot - Hanukkah Recipe

I have been wanting to make this festive, delicious, sweet  Jewish  holiday donuts, I am so glad that I finally made it. I tasted Sufganiyot once at a friend's house when we're celebrating Chanukah, I was too shy to have another one after having two of these, you know what I mean, you got to leave some for other guess too, right. I figure the only way I can eat as many is when I make my own, and make sure that I make  plenty to share. Speaking of sharing, I just wish that all my  family in Israel could taste how good this was :(

Can you tell that I am having so much fun with all of these holiday baking in my kitchen?. Hopefully you are as excited as I am. I am thinking about making Caillison d'Aix next. Scrumptious !

Sufganiyot
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart           

make 20

2  1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 tbs dry yeast, I used osmotolerant yeast

1/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt

2 large eggs, separated

3/4 cup water

2 tbs butter (I used hazelnut oil)

1/4 cup raspberry or strawberry jam

oil for frying

To coat : 

1/2 cup super fine sugar

Place all -purpose flour, yeast, sugar, salt in a mixer bowl - mix. Add egg yolk, water and butter or oil into the bowl,  using dough attachment knead to make a smooth dough, about 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer into oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

The following day, take the dough out of refrigerator and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. 

Lightly floured your counter top. Place the dough directly in it, roll it out  into 11-inch square and 1/4 -inch in thickness. Using a cookie cutter or a glass, cut into 2-inch rounds.

Line a cookie sheet with a clean kitchen towel. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg whites. Brush the edge of each round dough with egg white, place about a half teaspoon of jam in the middle, cover with another piece of dough, press to edges together to seal them. Transfer to prepare baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Let rest at room temperature until puffy, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Heat about 3 inches of oil in a large heavy pot to 360 F on a deep fry thermometer. Working in batches, carefully slide 4 dough into the oil, fry until brown on both side, about 1 minute. Transfer to paper towel to drain.

Place superfine sugar on a plate, coat Sufganiyot while they are still hot. Serve immediately.
Happy Hanukkah !!!!

For YeastSpotting :)

Chocolate - Espresso Snowcaps

It's the most, wonderful time, of the year (I am singing) !!!!
It's the time where I can put aside the feeling of guilt when I indulge all of these beautiful and delicious cookies, cakes, and other exciting food that would normally only appear during the holiday season. Today, is my first day to start baking what I consider a festive cookies, although there is not much of decoration in this cookies other then the sort of snowy look in it, still is, festive.  Next, I am going to make Sufgainot ....

Have you been busy baking your holiday goodies ? I bet you have :) 

Chocolate - Espresso Snowcaps 

recipe adapted from : Martha Stewart

make 18 delightful cookies

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

4 tsp instant espresso 

1 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp sea salt 

4 tbs unsalted butter

2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 large egg

4 oz bittersweet chocolate (I used 70 %), melted and cooled

1 tbs milk

Confectioner's sugar for coating

In a bowl, mix together all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, instant espresso, baking powder, and salt. 

Using an electric mixer set on a medium high speed, cream butter and light-brown sugar until light and fluffy, add egg, beat until well combine. Add the melted chocolate, mix well. Turn the speed to low, gradually mix in flour mixture,  add the milk, mix just to combine. Transfer the dough into a clean bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, or overnight. 

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place confectioner's sugar in a plate. 

Take a piece of dough, shape  into 1 inch ball, coat with confectioner's sugar, shake off the excess. Place it  on a  prepare baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.