Gooey, sticky traditional melomakarona or Greek Christmas honey cookies with delicious festive flavours. There's no way you'll be able to eat just one!
Growing up in West Michigan in a family that is very proud of their Dutch heritage means that I grew up eating my fair share of Dutch goodies; boterkoek, Jan Hagels, oliebollen and windmill cookies to name a few. They're all delicious, but in my opinion there is nothing better than a stick of homemade banket, especially during the holidays. I've shared a banket recipe on the site before which was very good, but I was never completely satisfied with it, especially with the filling. I don't like my banket filling to be too dry, and while the previous recipe was delicious, the filling was just too dry for my taste, I wanted something else. This Christmas I decided to go on a search to see if I could find the banket recipe I've been hoping for. There are not the many banket recipes out there, so it took a bit of searching, but I finally came up with a recipe from The Lilypad Cottage that looked like it could be the one. It came together pretty easily so I was very hopeful when I put the first batch into the oven. I have to say, they turned out just about perfectly. Exactly what I was hoping for. A light, and flaky buttery crust wrapped around the perfect almond paste filling. I think I found it! ***UPDATE: I've Moved!! Check out the new site at HERE for this recipe and many more!! This recipe is a two day affair, or a long one day affair. The dough and filling need to chill up pretty firm before you use them. Another thing I love about banket is that it is so easy to freeze. I just shape it up and pop the unbaked rolls into the freezer for a few hours. Then I wrap them in plastic and keep in a bag in the freezer until I need them. You don't even have to thaw before baking. Just unwrap, place on a cookie sheet and bake from frozen. They might take a few extra minutes from frozen but other than that you can't even tell. Super easy! Banket Adapted from The Lily Pad Cottage Ingredients Dough 4 cups flour ¼ cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon baking powder 1 pound cold butter, cut into small pieces scant 1 cup cold water Filling 1 pound of almond paste 2 eggs 2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla To Finish 1-2 Egg yolks Directions For the dough, mix together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Add the pieces of cold butter and cut into the flour mixture with a pastry blender (you can also use two forks or even your fingers, but work fast, you don't want the butter to get too warm) until the butter is about pea sized. Make a well in the middle and add cold water, mix until a shaggy dough is formed, don’t over mix. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight. For the filling, break up almond paste in a bowl. Add eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Mix well. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day cut divide both the dough and the filling into 8 equal portions, use a scale if you have it. Take one piece of dough and roll out into a long, thin rectangle, approximately 13x4 inches. Place one piece of filling on the rolled out dough, spreading it along the length of dough, a little closer to one side, forming an even line. Roll up the long way, folding the ends under. Pinch together slightly so the filling doesn’t ooze out. Dock the rolls with a fork, brush with egg yolks. At this point you can stick the pans in your freezer until the Banket is frozen hard. Then you can wrap them up and bake off as needed. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes (I do about 30 minutes when baking from frozen) until golden brown. Let cool before slicing into 1-2 inch pieces, enjoy!
December 21. - Today we are decoration our christmas tree. A real tree decorated with lights, Danish flags and pleated hearts. Klejner is the oldest of the danish christmas cookies. You were able to make klejner in a pot of fat over the fire, so there was no need for a stove. M
When you’re done roasting chestnuts on an open fire, you can peel them and grind them up with some butter and flour for my favorite take on Russian Teacakes/Mexican Wedding Cakes yet.
Rugelach Cookies are a classic bite-size pastry filled with apricot jam and chopped walnuts. This recipe is so easy to make and willbe a great treat to celebrate Christmas and the holiday season!
I like to take old recipes and make them my own. They’re so special to my family. Sometimes I roll the dough in cinnamon sugar instead of flour. —Barbara Estabrook, Appleton, WI
This Eggnog Crumb Cake has the flavor of eggnog in the cake and the icing, and it's spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon in the tasty crumb topping! This breakfast cake is perfect for the holidays!
Rugelach Cookies are a classic bite-size pastry filled with apricot jam and chopped walnuts. This recipe is so easy to make and willbe a great treat to celebrate Christmas and the holiday season!
Every self-respecting Texan knows that it's impossible to make the drive from Dallas to Austin without stopping in West, Texas at the Czech Stop. For as long as I can remember, my family has always stopped in West to buy dozens of kolaches. I have to clarify something for y'all: kolaches are sweet bread with fruit, cream cheese, or ricotta cheese filling-- NOT sausage in a roll. Let's review-- Pigs in a blanket (while still SO delicious, definitely not a kolache): Kolaches: Delicious, buttery rolls with a raspberry cream cheese filling and crumble topping-- yum. I adapted this recipe from Saveur Magazine. Kolaches Yields: 16 kolaches For the Dough 1/2 cup warm water 1 tbsp active dry yeast (1/4 oz. package) 3 tbsp + 1 tsp sugar 4 tbsp butter, softened 1/2 tsp salt 1 egg yolk 3 1/2 cups flour 3/4 cup warm milk For the Crumble 1 tbsp butter, melted 1/4 cup flour 1/4 cup sugar 1. Combine water, yeast, and 1 tsp sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes until activated. 2. Beat butter and remaining 3 tbsp sugar together. Add the egg yolk and salt. Then, add the yeast mixture, flour, and milk. Combine and knead until no longer really sticky. 3. Grease a bowl and add the dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes, or until doubled. I turned on my oven for 3 minutes, then I turned it off and let the dough rise in there. It was about 140 degrees. 4. Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat. 5. Divide the dough into 16 pieces. Pinch them into round mounds, and place them 1/2" apart on the prepared pan. Brush with 1 tbsp of melted butter. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. 6. Prepare the filling (see below) and the crumble. (To make the crumble, combine the three ingredients until it's crumbly). When the kolaches have risen, press the center of each one down with your fingers. Put 1 tbsp of filling into each and sprinkle the crumble topping on each one. 7. Bake at 375 degrees fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes. Kolache Filling 6 oz cream cheese, softened 1/4 tsp lemon juice 3 tbsp sugar 1 egg yolk 1. Combine all of the ingredients together until completely smooth. For fruit filling, use jam. I used raspberry jam.
Last week my grandma-in-law taught me (along with my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law) how to make Banket. (For those of you who are not dutch, this is a dutch pastry using almond paste.) Since t…
Kolaczki cookies are a traditional Polish cream cheese cookie. The cookie dough almost mimics a pastry and is filled with a variety of fillings such as apricot, prune, cherry, almond, poppy seed, and more!
You too can be a domestic goddess this Christmas with Nigella Lawson's wonderful recipes for the tastiest lunch ever (and there's even a timetable to make sure it's all cooked on time...)
Popular in Turkey, Greece and several other countries that border the Mediterranean, the layered dessert known as baklava is made with phyllo dough and a chopped nut filling, then finished with a sweet syrup. Our version is rich with walnuts and pistachios plus fig jam for fruitiness. A touch of rose water lends a subtle floral taste. Use 2 tsp. rose water for a milder flavor and up to 4 tsp. for a more assertive flavor. To help prevent the phyllo from drying out, cover the sheets you’re not using with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap.
Sucre à la Crème is a special French Canadian fudge seen mostly at Christmastime, but only because it's just too good and too tempting to have available all year long! Some things you just have to keep for special occasions.
Empire cookies are a soft biscuit-like cookie sandwiched between a sweet layer of raspberry jam, drizzled with almond icing and topped with a plump little cherry! This recipe has been adapted from Canadian Living.
Kifle (sing. kifla) are one of the most popular Bosnian breakfast breads. In the US kifle are known as a Christmas pastry filled with walnuts, but in Bosnia, kifle are actually any type of bread or…
Soft crumbly slightly tangy pastry filled with sweet raspberry and apricot preserves, kolaches are traditional central and eastern Eurpoean holiday cookies. Usually they are made with cream cheese, but I subbed homemade strained vegan yogurt or labneh and the texture and taste are comparable to the original.
Here are 10 great sauces to complement any fish dish. From sweet and sour sauce to lemon sauce to tomato and ginger sauce, these recipes take any fish dish over the top.
Two very irresistible and frothy iced coffee drinks are compared. Learn how to make Dalgona coffee and Greek frappe, and learn the differences
This easy gluten free sticky toffee pudding is a really easy dessert which everyone will love. A classic dessert with a rich, warm toffee sauce.
Risgrøt—a festive Norwegian rice pudding—is a heart-warming, soul-satisfying treat that is humble, almost too easy, and impossible not to love.
Finish your vegetarian Christmas feast on a high note with our show-stopping strawberry cheesecake stack, ready in under 60 minutes!
We've rounded up simple recipes for almost every type of cookie, from chocolate chip to Linzer cookies and almond biscotti, in this collection of simple, easy recipes for bakers of any skill level.
Kanellängd is a Swedish cinnamon bread that is perfect for Christmas morning. The buttery filling is flavored with cinnamon and cardamom, making a beautiful moist loaf that the whole family will love. It’s a perfect dessert for the holidays!
A classic laminated pastry with a sugary crunchy exterior and fluffy, layered interior is now updated with a decidedly Swedish twist. I've added cardamom and pearl sugar to pay homage to the flavours of amazing Swedish Cardamom buns. Best of two worlds!
Šape are one of the most loved, traditional Bosnian treats. When translated to English, šapa (sing.) simply means a “paw”. The old tins were shaped like bear paws, hence the name. I rem…
Show your love for Frank Herbert's sci-fi classic Dune with this delicious-looking bread recipe.
Once you've tasted a proper Greek-style souvlaki, few things can beat this meaty "sandwich": slightly sticky pieces of tender, slow roasted lamb on a toasted pita with fresh tomato and red onion, slathered with double cream tzatziki. It's a slice of heaven. With pulled lamb, there's only one way to do it - slowly.
