Advent wreath and cookies.

Hello,

I made our advent wreath myself this year, because honestly I was too lazy to go out and buy one, and also I keep coming back to that ‘make use of what you have and enjoy the work of your own two hands, instead of spending ever more money on ever more stuff you don’t really need’ idea, wannabe hippie that I am. Anyways:

Ta da!

Also, I’ve been baking some cookies:

‘Bethmännchen’

Chocolate Crinkles

Yeps. I’m very happy with the results.
xoxo, F.

Cold and grey.

Good morning,

that’s how cold and grey it is here this morning. But late fall also gives us colors, like this:

Holiday baking will start soon! I’m looking forward to it.

Have a beautiful day.
xoxo, F.

Banana muffins.

Hello,

Banana buttermilk muffins! Recipe from Bread and Honey from a while ago. I have made them before, and will make them again, and hopefully next time I’ll remember to add some oat flakes to the batter, which I imagine must make these very nice muffins even chewier, but I keep forgetting that amazing plan. Anyways, a great way to use up over-ripe bananas.

That is all.
xoxo, F.

Recipe found here.

Little Bethmanns

Howdy,

have you ever had a ‘Bethmännchen‘? The literal translation is ‘little Bethmann’, and it is a delicious little marzipan cookie, similar in taste to amaretti, but bigger and softer. They are a specialty of Frankfurt am Main, Germany,where I used to live for a while, and since over the last year or so I have developed a fondness for marzipan (I used to hate it), I made a batch of them over the weekend and they were AWESOME. Yes.

Ingredients:
makes 25 or so

7 oz. marzipan, store-bought (about a cup)
1.7 oz. powdered sugar (about 3.5 tbsps.)
bitter almond extract to taste; I used about a teaspoon
1 egg white
3.5 oz ground almonds (about half a cup)

chopped almonds for decoration
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp. milk

Directions:
Combine marzipan, powdered sugar, almond extract, egg white, and ground almonds, and knead into a sticky ball of dough. Form into walnut-sized balls and set them on a papered baking sheet.

Preheat your oven to 400°F.

Decorate the dough balls with three pieces of almond each, and brush with an egg-milk-mixture.

Bake for about 15 mins., until lightly brown. Let cool before eating (if you can wait that long).

I can’t think of much to say; if you like marzipan, almonds, amaretto and the like, you will like these cookies. Promise.

xoxo, F.

p.s. Yes, I am aware that instead of bitter almond extract, rose water is originally used. Here’s a recipe (which I haven’t tried).