Maple Walnut Tarts- A Taste of Canada

This is undoubtedly one of the most important recipes I know of. Whenever I go with my family to the pick-your-own farm to spend a beautiful Ontario summer's day collecting berries and fighting mosquitoes, we'd always get the maple walnut tarts they sold. However, at their price it was unlikely that they were made with real maple syrup, posing me with the challenge of a more authentically mapley alternative. I also use a butter pie crust that's flaky and tastes amazing, complementing the filling rather than merely holding its nutty, gooey goodness. For such a fantastic food, it's incredibly easy as well- all you need to do is mix up the filling and pour it onto walnuts in parbaked pastry shells. You could use frozen tart shells... but please don't.

These taste best in the sunshine, especially sitting on the back of your car while surrounded by rolling fields of wheat and watching the trees rustle in the breeze, but at home while watching TV will also work. Just the taste will bring you to a happier place.

Maple Walnut Tarts

1 Recipe preferred pie dough
2 Eggs
2/3 C. Dark maple syrup
1/2 C. Brown sugar
2 TBSP (30 ml.) Melted butter
Pinch of salt
1 Tsp. Vanilla or maple extract
3/4 - 1 C. Walnut pieces

Preheat oven to 220℃. Roll out the pie dough and cut into rounds with a large glass. Push the rounds into the holes of a muffin pan to form tart crusts and prick well with holes using a fork. Parbake for about 15 minutes. Use a small glass or end of a rolling pin to push the dent in again if they puff up.

Mix eggs, salt, syrup, sugar, butter and vanilla/maple extract well. Place a tablespoon of walnut pieces in each parbaked tart shell and top with the egg mixture. Return to the over for another 15 minutes, or until bubbling.

Vegan Banana Nut Bread, Take 2

Ahh, nothing like the basics! Yes, I know that the world is overflowing with banana bread recipes as it is, but it's my firm belief that you can never try out too many, lest you miss out on "the one"- the banana bread that has just the right flavour, texture, moisture, sweetness and so on for your tastes. Everyone's is different, and since this recipe didn't require me to go get organic eggs, milk or butter from the natural foods shop (though that's the only way I'll buy them) I think it's definitely worth a shot. 

This is a good one to make with limited kitchen equipment on hand- I didn't even have a loaf pan, so I used a large square cake tin, which worked very well and reduced the baking time. In spite of its very basic nature, it was well-received by those who tried it before me - someone at the lab asked for the recipe- that's a good sign!

My verdict is that despite having less oil and sugar than most banana breads, this one is still delicious in it simplicity- no egg replacers, no milk replacers, you don't even need baking soda! It's very tender, soft and fluffy, and adding the sugar sprinkle on top makes it have a nice caramelized crust. Just don't let the bottom burn by putting it too low in the oven and close to the heat element- I made that mistake. Oops. Well, it still tasted good! You can also add chocolate chips or pecan pieces, or use some different spices to make variations. Consider this recipe the next time you're stuck with too many bananas!

Vegan Banana Nut Bread II
Adapted from BBC Good Food

225 g. Cake flour (All purpose is fine; I only had cake or bread flour available as options)
100 g. Brown sugar
75 g. Neutral oil (I used canola)
3 Tsp. Baking powder
1/2 Tsp. Salt
3 Tsp. Cinnamon
1 Tsp. Nutmeg, optional
2 Tsp. Vanilla
3 Large or 4 medium sized bananas, as ripe as possible
50-75 g. Walnut pieces

Some raw cane sugar or granulated sugar to sprinkle on top- optional

Preheat oven to 200℃. Grease a large loaf pan or square pan with a bit of oil and cover the bottom with greased baking parchment. Sprinkle with a bit of sugar and cinnamon

Sift or whisk together the dry ingredients (excluding the walnuts). Separately, mash the bananas finely and add the oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix well, until homogeneous.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ones and mix until just combined, then stir in the walnuts.

Pour into the greased pan and sprinkle with a bit more cinnamon and sugar, if you like. Bake in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes to an hour, or until a fork poked in comes out clean- cover with aluminium foil if it is browning too quickly.

Let cool before slicing.

Peanut Butter Coconut Honey Cookies

Not very good-looking, but very delicious- especially with a glass of milk. The flavour of coconut and peanut go extremely well together, plus the classic pairing of peanut butter and honey, makes for a soft, chewy, moist, very sweet cookie. The generous amount of peanut butter ensures that they really do taste mostly like peanut, and if you fear that using shortening instead of butter will make them less tasty, keep in mind that the shortening is what allows them to be so soft and tender. With all the other stuff going on, you won't miss the butter.

If you use extra-fine shredded coconut and smooth peanut butter, you can make your cookies prettier, as they'll better hold the criss-cross pattern on after baking. Nonetheless, they'll taste good even if you don't bother. The dough is really easy to work with and freeze for later, as are the finished cookies. 

Peanut Butter Coconut Honey Cookies
Makes 24-30 cookies
Adapted from King Arthur Flour

1/3 C. Vegetable shortening
1/2 C. White sugar
1/4 C. Brown sugar
1/4 C. Honey
1 Egg, lightly beaten with a fork
3/4 C. Peanut butter, American style (made with roasted peanuts, not raw) (I used 'Earth Balance coconut and peanut spread')
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 1/2 C. All purpose flour
1 Tsp. Baking soda
1/2 C. Shredded dessicated coconut

Preheat oven to 180℃. Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment.

Beat together the shortening, both sugars and honey with a stand mixer or a wooden spoon. Mix the egg and salt separately, then mix in. Add the peanut butter and mix until smooth and homogeneous. Sift in the flour and baking soda and mix well. Stir in the dessicated coconut at the end.

Refrigerate for around 20 minutes if the dough is too soft. Roll into 24-30 balls by hand and spread evenly on the baking pan. push them down with your palm until they are about 1 cm thick and use a fork to score the tops both vertically and horizontally to create a cross-hatch pattern. Sprinkle with additional sugar if desired.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until just the edges begin to brown. Let cool for about 15 minutes before removing from the trays.

Retro Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

There's an interesting story behind this recipe. I had it once eating at a friend's residence dining hall at university, and somehow I got so hung up on it that I needed to get the recipe. However, I had no idea who to ask- so I asked one of the kitchen staff, who told me to contact the catering office, which eventually took me through a chain of e-mails to a creepy but cool basement kitchen where a very nice lady gave me a photocopy of the recipe for my beloved pineapple upside-down cake. Turns out it's an old one that used to be printed on the bags from Robin Hood flour, but their recipe has since changed and cannot be found online. It's lucky, then, that I found the source of the old version I liked so much.

Since the recipe given to me was in near-industrial proportions (think 10 cups of butter), I cut it down to a more manageable home-baking size. I also had to figure out the procedure for making it on my own, since no instructions were given. I found that crumbling the butter with the dry ingredients first made for a better texture, and that you had to bake it at a relatively high temperature for a long time for it to cook all the way through.

I made a couple of changes of my own- the rum extract, replacing some of the milk with sour cream for tenderness, and cake flour instead of all-purpose. This cake is even better if you use fresh pineapple, though the canned one is definitely more retro-Americana. Don't skip the cherries if you want the full '50s flair, not that the era had much going for it apart from cake if you ask me. Because it's so pretty, you might want to serve this as the centerpiece dessert for an all-American meal or with coffee when guests with a particularly sweet tooth (there's a lot of butterscotchy caramel in the topping) are over.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

1 3/4 C. Cake flour
1 C. Sugar
1/2 TBSP Baking powder
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 C. (115 g.) Butter, softened
2 Eggs
1/2 C. Sour cream
1/4-1/3 C. Milk
1 Tsp. Vanilla extract
1 Tsp. Rum extract, optional

Topping:
1 3/4 C. Dark brown sugar
1/2 C. (115 g.) Butter, melted
1 Can pineapple rings, or 1 ripe pineapple cut into thin slices
9 Maraschino or glacé cherries, optional

Preheat oven to 190℃.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Work in butter until crumbly.

Mix the eggs, sour cream, milk and vanilla and pour into the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.

For the topping, blend the brown sugar and melted butter until well-combined. pour into a 9''x9'' square pan or 10" round pan. Arrange pineapple slices and cherries and pour the batter on top, spreading evenly.

Bake for 45-55 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes before inverting the pan onto the serving plate.

Classic Apple Pie

The expression "easy as pie" has been somewhat misleading to me. I've only tried making apple pie once before this one- it didn't go so well (the apples inside were partially raw, as was the bottom crust...) and I swore off of fruit pies for a long time, sticking to the banana and coconut cream pies that kind of became a signature of mine. Nonetheless, I wanted to go back and set right what had gone wrong in my more inexperienced baking days, and restore my honour as a baker.

So, I took precautions to ensure no more abysmal failures. I precooked the apples a tiny bit in the microwave, softening them and also causing them to release some of their juice, which I could mix with the thickening agent (cornstarch), sugar and spices to create a paste that's easier to coat the apples with. The precooked apples are also shrunk down, so you can pack up the pie more fully.

The finished product is just as I'd hoped- a flaky, buttery crust stuffed to the brim with slightly gooey, spiced appley goodness. A mixture of tart and sweet apples ensures the right mix of flavours in the pie, and the extra sugar sprinkled on top both adds visual appeal and texture. I like to use brown sugar as a sweetener versus white, because I feel like it's an important part of the classic "apple pie" flavour, but white will also work.

For my next pie, I think I'll try a different blend of apples, and of spices- I'm thinking that allspice would make a good addition to the mix. I'd also try making a larger quantity of dough so it's easier to work with, and therefore to create a decorative crust with, like the edges of the pie. In any case, I think I've successfully redeemed myself as a maker of pie, if the quick disappearance rate is anything to go by. I made some vanilla ice cream to go with it to complete the piexperience, but it's plenty good on it's own.

Classic Apple Pie
Adapted from The Candid Appetite

1 Pie crust dough of choice, enough for a double crust (such as the All-Star Pie Crust)

8 large baking apples, peeled and thinly sliced, preferably half tart and half sweet (e.g. Granny Smiths and Russets)
2/3 - 3/4 C. Light brown sugar, depending on sweetness of apples (or a mix of equal parts dark brown and white sugar)
1/4 C. Cornstarch
1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp. Nutmeg
1/4 Tsp. Ginger
1/4 Tsp. Cardamom
1/4 Tsp. Cloves (Note: 1 1/2 Tsp. of apple pie spice mix may be substituted for this mix.)
Pinch of salt
Zest of 1/2 a lemon
1 TBSP Lemon juice
2 TBSP butter

1 Egg white, to brush
Raw/Demerara sugar, to sprinkle

Preheat the oven to 180℃.

Roll out about 2/3rds of the pie crust dough and line a 9" pie pan. Set aside the remaining dough.

In a large heatproof bowl, microwave apples on low power for 15-20 minutes (mixing after 5 and 10 minutes), until apples are slightly tender. This will also shrink the apples down a bit so they pack together better in the pie. Stir well to help release the juices and strain off the liquid. Alternatively, use a large skillet over low heat, stirring constantly.

Combine cornstarch, sugar, spices and lemon zest. Add the liquid from the apples and lemon juice, and mix until smooth. Add the mixture back to the apples and stir to coat.

Fill the dough-lined pie pan with the apples. Cut the butter into small pieces and scatter over the top of the apples. Take the remaining dough and roll out until it forms a circle large enough to cover the top of the pie. Drape over the apples and trim the edges. Use a fork or knife to help press the dough from the sides and top together.

Brush the pie with the egg white and sprinkle on the Demerara sugar. Cut a few slits in the pie to help release steam during baking. 

Bake for about 45-55 minutes in the bottom half of the oven, covering with aluminium foil once the desired brownness of the crust is achieved.

Let cool about half an hour to help the pie set before serving. Best served warm with vanilla ice cream on the side!

Food For The Gods/Date and Walnut Bars

Since this was my year to take charge of Christmas baking almost singlehandedly, I decided to add a bunch of new sweets that weren't traditional in my family. I was especially eager to try out things that didn't come from Europe, so these Filipino bars fit the bill perfectly. They didn't require any expensive or rare ingredients, were fast and easy to make, and had some of my favourite ingredients- medjool dates and walnuts. I made a batch on the side of everything else, and was somewhat blown away.

I thought that they'd be good- but how good, I couldn't have guessed by the ingredients list alone. I thought that the dough sounded like a variation on the typical chocolate-chip cookie dough, but not so- the large amount  of brown sugar and small amount of flour, along with the butter and long, slow baking time, results in a chewy, soft, butterscotch-type bar that seems like an intermediate between candy and a blonde brownie. The walnuts were also slowly roasted because of the long low-temperature baking process, giving them an additional boost of flavour with no extra effort. Along with the moist, sweet tidbits of date, these bars have undoubtably earned their name and a permanent place on the Christmas cookie plate.

The dough would also probably go well with some other things, like pecans, shredded coconut, or chocolate. Because they're both so easy and so delicious, I'll be trying out variations year-round.

Food For The Gods
From Junblog

1 C. Flour
1 Tsp. Baking powder
1/4 Tsp. Salt
2 Eggs
1 1/2 C. Brown sugar
1 C. (227 g.) Butter, melted
1 C. Chopped walnuts
1 C. Chopped pitted dates (preferably medjool)
1 Tsp. Vanilla, optional

Preheat oven to 160℃. Grease a 9''x13'' pan, and line with buttered baking parchment. 

Mix dry ingredients with a whisk. Separately, mix the wet ingredients. Add the dry to the wet, along with the dates and walnuts, until well incorporated. Spread in pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Cut into small rectangles or squares with a sharp knife.

Gingerbread Trifecta- Croatian Medenjaci, German Lebkuchen and American Gingerbread

Medenjaci(top) and Lebkuchen (bottom) with royal icing.

My family has never made gingerbread cookies for Christmas traditionally, so I took it upon myself to try some recipes out and evade having to buy them for relatively high prices from local bakeries (or in the case of honey-based gingerbread, not being able to buy them at all). These cookies are great because they last ages without losing their flavour or texture, are easy to roll out and cut (provided you use enough flour and some baking parchment) and are great fun to decorate. We used two types of frosting, the regular decorative royal icing and also the more "American" icing made with shortening. Both work well for gluing sprinkles, candies, and other tidbits.

American gingerbread with the thicker, soft frosting.

Each kind has its distinct advantages. The medenjaci had a milder gingerbread flavour while still being well-spiced, and could easily be made any time of year (then again, there's no law against off-season Christmas baking...). Its ingredients are also more accessible than many other honey-gingerbreads for Canada. 

While the lebkuchen requires natron (hard to come by in Canada), lebkuchen spices (which one can make themselves using an online recipe- I used some from my grandmother) and white rye flour (available in Eastern European stores and some health foods stores), it's well worth the effort to gather the ingredients if you can- it's got a unique flavour and makes great ornamental cookies- and it's eggless, and can even be made vegan if shortening is used. 

The American gingerbread is also as good as any I've ever bought, and is different from the other two due to both the higher fat content and use of molasses. I would say that every one of the recipes was a keeper.

Medenjaci- Croatian Gingerbread
Adapted from Tara's Multicultural Table

3 C. All-purpose flour
1/4 Tsp. Salt
1/8 Tsp. Baking soda
2 Tsp. Cinnamon
1 Tsp. Ginger
1/4 Tsp. Cloves
1/4 Tsp. Nutmeg
1/8 Tsp. Mace
Pinch each of coriander, white pepper and cardamom
1/2 C. Butter
1/2 C. Sugar
2/3 C. Honey, preferably wildflower
1 Tsp. Vanilla extract
1 Egg

Sift together the flour, spices, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugar until smooth. Add honey, vanilla and egg. Incorporate the dry ingredients in spoonfuls until all is added. Once smooth, wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 180℃. Roll out between sheets of baking parchment or plastic clingfilm until thin and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Bake for 10 minutes on parchment. Let cool for 15 minutes.

Lebkuchen
From Chefkoch.de

400 g. Honey, preferably wildflower
100 g. Water
100 g. Light brown sugar
60 g. Clarified butter, or shortening
300 g. All purpose or type 550 flour
300 g. White rye flour
6 g. Baking powder
1 Packet Lebkuchen spices
16 g. Natron

In a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, heat together the honey, water and brown sugar until homogenous. Add butter/shortening and allow to dissolve. Let cool to room temperature.

Sift together dry ingredients and add the wet ones. Knead until a homogenous mass forms and refrigerate 6 hours, or overnight.

On a well-floured surface, roll out dough and cut into shapes. Bake at 180℃ about 15 minutes, or until just beginning to brown at the edges.

American Molasses Gingerbread
Adapted from Moje Wypieki

750 g. All purpose flour
15 g. Baking powder
5 g. Ginger
3 g. Nutmeg
2 g. Cloves
2 g. Cinnamon
2 g. Allspice
1 g. White pepper
113 g. Butter
113 g. Shortening
235 ml. Molasses
180 g. Brown sugar
120 ml. Water
1 Egg
2 Tsp. Vanilla
1/2 Tsp. Salt

Mix dry ingredients. Heat together the sugar, water, and molasses until dissolved in a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl. Add the butter and shortening and allow to dissolve. Let cool.

Add to dry ingredients along with egg and vanilla, and mix until homogenous. Refrigerate 6 hours, or overnight.

Roll out on a well-floured surface and cut into shapes. Bake at 180℃ for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool and harden on sheets before removal.

Royal Icing:
1 Egg white
2/3 C. Powder sugar
Pinch of salt
1 Tsp. Lemon juice

Beat all at high speed until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Soft Piped Icing:
1 1/3 C. Powdered sugar
3 TBSP Shortening
1 Tsp. Vanilla
About 1 TBSP milk

Beat all at high speed until smooth, adding just enough milk to achieve a pipable consistency.

Mincemeat Fruit Mix

This is entirely my improvisation on what I thought ought to be in a mincemeat mix, and what I happened to have in the cupboard that looked like it could use a bit of livening up with rum and spices. Some citron and orange peel from Easter, various half-finished containers of raisins, some currants... the dates and cherries are new, though. I like the honey-like stickiness that date bits add to things, and I love the tartness of dried cherries (I got lucky and found unsweetened ones) in contrast to the raisins. 

The whole thing is doused in a mixture of alcohol remnants from the bottom of several mini-bottles, with the traditional rum, some brandy (it seemed right) and Grand Marnier for some extra orangey flavour. The spices are also all wild guesses on what goes into a mincemeat- I used a lot of allspice and cloves since that seems to be characteristic of mincemeat to me, but it's all a matter of preference. There's plenty of brown sugar to create a thick layer of alcohol-spice-goo and moisten everything, some lemon juice for acidity, and a bit of hazelnut oil in the place of suet just to coat all the components and add a little complexity of flavour. Later on when using the mincemeat, some extra butter or flavoured oil for further enrichment would be a good idea- I use butter-cooked apples in my mince pies, so I didn't use much fat here. The apple variant is included at the bottom, and is in my opinion better for filling pies as it tempers the intensity of the dried fruit while adding moisture.

Every once in a while I open up the container just to smell how fantastic this mincemeat is, and every time it's better than the last. It gets me excited for the prospects of my first-ever attempt at Christmas baking derived from the Anglosphere, which is kind of necessitated by the fact that I love mincemeat but the local bakery makes it the traditional non-vegetarian suet-enriched way.

I messed up the first time around with too many spices and too much alcohol- I ended up soaking half the mix in hot water to soak out some of the seasonings, then returned them to the rest of the mix to make a milder, better-balanced mincemeat. I've already changed the ingredients accordingly, but keep in mind that taking things out is a lot harder than putting them in- when in doubt, leave it out, and you can always readjust the seasonings before using later.

Mincemeat Fruit Mix
100 g. Currants
120 g. Dried tart cherries, preferably unsweetened
220 g. Yellow and/or green sultanas
220 g. Dark raisins
125 g. Candied orange peel, diced
90 g. Candied citron peel, diced
100 g. Chopped pitted dates
150 g. Brown sugar
1/4 Tsp. Nutmeg
1/4 Tsp. Cardamom
1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp. Ginger
1/2 Tsp. Allspice
1/4 Tsp. Cloves
1 TBSP Vanilla extract
2 TBSP Hazelnut oil
1/2 C. Rum, brandy and Grand Marnier- about 1/2 rum and 1/4  each of the others
1 Tsp. Lemon zest
Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Mix all well and leave to marinate in a sealed container in the refrigerator for at least a month, preferably more. 

Variant with Cooked Apples

Half of above fruit mix
About 2 tart cooking apples- peeled, cored and grated
2 TBSP Sugar, preferably cane or light brown
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 TBSP Butter

Heat butter in a medium saucepan or skillet and add sugar. Add apples, and cook on medium heat until all the liquids have been released. Add lemon juice and keep cooking until most of the liquid is evaporated and the apples are soft.

Mix with the mincemeat.

Apple Yeast Pancakes (with Vanilla-Rum Sauce)

These are exceptionally good, simple pancakes. You only need a single egg, some yeast, milk and flour, plus a little sugar and oil and some cooking apples. Apart from those pantry (and fruit bowl) staples, nothing special is needed. That makes them a reliable option for a good late-autumn breakfast when you haven't gone grocery shopping quite yet.

I added some spices and walnuts, which went very well with the apples, but can be easily skipped. The mild yeast flavour of the batter and the apples are a good match. While I've got other, richer recipes for yeast pancakes, these can be fallen back upon when a single egg is all I've got. 

The vanilla sauce I made with rum was from the previous day (and my second-last egg) and when warmed, tasted extremely good with these pancakes in particular. Other good companions include sour cream, maple syrup (of course) and apple butter. Serve them hot and enjoy them in plenty- this recipe makes a lot. Halve it if you don't want to eat a dozen or aren't feeding a small army. I've got some in the freezer for the days when I don't have time to make pancakes, along with waffles and my new favourite homemade granola... it's good to be prepared.

Apple Yeast Pancakes
Adapted from Moje Wypieki
Makes a really, really large amount of pancakes

750-800 g. Flour (I used half type 550 and half bread flour)
1.5 L Milk, 3.8% is best
2-3 TBSP Brown sugar
42 g. Fresh yeast, or 3 Tsp. Active dry yeast
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp. Nutmeg
2 Tsp. Vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 TBSP Nut oil, or melted butter
1 Egg
5 Cooking apples, thinly sliced (with a mandoline is best)
2/3 C. Walnut pieces (optional)

Oil or butter, to fry
Syrup, vanilla sauce or cinnamon-sugar, to serve

Mix flour, salt and spices. In the middle, form a well.

Heat one cup of the milk until warm and dissolve the yeast and sugar. Add to the centre of the flour and let sit, covered, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the rest of the milk, vanilla, oil, and egg and mix well to combine.

Let rise covered for 1 1/2 hours.

Prepare a cup of hot water and two large spoons. Heat a nonstick skillet or cast iron pan with a bit of butter or oil. Use the spoons to scoop balls of dough onto the pan and use a spatula to press a few slices of apple into each (along with walnut pieces, if using). Cook for about a minute on each side and keep warm in a low-temperature oven until ready to serve.

Rum-Vanilla Sauce
400 ml. Milk, 3.8%
1/2 TBSP Cornstarch
1 Egg yolk
2 TBSP sugar, plus 1/2 TBSP vanilla sugar 
2 TBSP Dark rum
1 Tsp. Vanilla extract

Heat milk over medium heat until steaming in a small saucepan. In another bowl, combine cornstarch, sugar, and yolk with a whisk. 

Once milk is hot, use half a cup to temper the yolk mixture by whisking it in very quickly, until well-mixed. Pour into the pan with the rest of the milk and cook, while whisking, until it bubbles.

Remove from heat and whisk in rum and vanilla. Keep warm until serving.

White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies I

Although I usually prefer a completely different genre of cookies (namely butter biscuits, nut-based shortbreads and gingerbread- anything that resembles the Central European Christmas standbys) I still do like the occasional batch of American, chewy, sugary, almost fudgey cookies flavoured predominantly by vanilla, brown sugar and whatever mix-ins are added. Of all the varieties that entails, one of my all-time favourites is the white chocolate-macadamia cookie. I've always been a lover of white chocolate (whose rep is constantly being shredded by sugar-vegetable fat impostors used in glazes and cheaper baked goods) and it pairs well with the subtle, buttery flavour of macadamias, too. Embedded in a soft and tender dough casing and served with a glass of milk, it's not only delicious- it has a matching colour palette. I think it's fate.

However, to find a good version of that cookie is pretty elusive. Ultra-sweet by nature, it walks a fine line on the best of days- there's no dark or semisweet chocolate to balance out the inherently sugary dough. But you also can't just reduce the sugar- it's an integral part of the chewy texture that makes the perfect chip-type cookie, in my opinion (I'm not about the cakey kinds- though a cookie-like cake is fine). I remember eating some really good ones as a kid, but now it seems far harder to match the criteria of the perfect cookie, perhaps because I've become nitpicky and obsessive about the details. I want it sweet, but not too sweet! Made with butter! With lots of real white chocolate and a generous amount of nuts!

I chose this recipe due to the absence of shortening- I never have it around, and didn't want to be stuck with leftovers after using only a small amount for one recipe. While the texture was pretty spot-on with what I wanted, and the cookies themselves were delicious, it still wasn't the ideal white-choc macadamia cookie of my dreams. Had I only imagined such a thing in the sugar-gluttony of my childhood? Could a perfect balance of sweetness, texture, flavour and richness really have ever existed except for in my dreams?

I've come up with a few plans of action to modify my next batch- And I'm determined to succeed. The perfect cookie will evade me no longer! Until then, these ones will go down just fine. Mmmmm.

• Less sugar, or perhaps more butter; so far as chewy texture will remain
• A mixture of AP flour and vanilla pudding powder in place of the flour mix
• A little more salt
• Actual white chocolate chunks instead of chips, since they aren't stabilized for high temperatures and will melt better

White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies I
Adapted from The Chunky Chef

1 1/2 C. AP Flour
1/2 C. Pastry flour
1/4 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Baking soda
3/4 C. Butter, cubed (170 g.)
3/4 C. Sugar
3/4 C. Dark brown sugar
1 Egg plus 1 yolk
2 Tsp. Vanilla extract
1 C. White chocolate chips
1 C. Toasted macadamia nuts, roughly chopped (toast 7 minutes at 180℃)

Cream butter and sugars using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer. Add vanilla, egg and yolk.

Sift together flours, salt, and baking soda. Incorporate 1/3 at a time into the wet ingredients with the motor on low.

Add nuts and chips. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 170℃. Form balls with an ice cream scoop or tablespoon and bake 8-10 minutes on parchment-lined sheets, until golden. Let set on sheets.

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

I look forward to making pumpkin pie every thanksgiving- although we don't treat it as a big deal in my family, it is a good excuse to make a more North American centrepiece dessert. I love the spices and the pumpkin itself alike, and often I wish that I could have a bit of the pie out of season. This ice cream is the perfect solution- even on the hottest days of the year, its pumpkin spice goodness is welcome.

It's very simple to make, and involves a hefty amount of pumpkin puree to ensure a throrough dose of pumpkinny flavour. It's very smooth and creamy, although it doesn't use as much cream as many other ice cream recipes. It's also low on the pervasive ice crystals that plague homemade ice cream, thanks to the glog of rum that helps keep the freezing point down. I garnished it with ginger-nut biscuits and pecan halves, but it would also make a very good filling for ginger-molasses cookes in the form of an ice cream sandwich.

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
From Closet Cooking

1 C. Cream, 30-35%
1 C. Milk
3/4 C. Brown sugar
5 Egg yolks
1 C. Pumpkin puree, roasted
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp. Ginger
1/4 Tsp. Nutmeg
1/8 Tsp. Cloves
1/4 Tsp. Cardamom
1 Tsp. Vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 TBSP Dark rum or bourbon

Bring the milk to a boil in a medium saucepan. Mix the yolks, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Once the milk is at a rolling boil, reduce the heat and temper the yolk mixture by quickly whisking in half a cup of the hot milk. Strain the tempered yolks into the saucepan and whisk frequently while cooking on medium-low until thickened. 

Pour the thickened custard into a bowl and whisk in the cream, spices, vanilla and alcohol of choice. Let cool and whisk in the pumpkin puree. Refrigerate overnight, then churn according to ice cream maker directions.

Hoddeok- Korean Yeast Pancakes with Brown Sugar, Cinnamon and Walnuts

I adore these pancakes. They're sold in Toronto's Koreatown with either a brown sugar or red bean filling, and sometimes the walnuts are replaced with roasted sunflower seeds, but they're always delicious. They can be eaten for breakfast, as a snack, with tea, and so on- just make sure you serve them hot so that the brown sugar is in its syrupy, gooey state.

These are really, really easy to make, even if you're not experienced with yeast doughs. Just make sure the water isn't hot, and you're good to go. The ingredients are simple, and probably already in your pantry. The rise time is quite short, and you don't even need to knead it too much- just mix well with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. The only step requiring any real work is shaping the dough into balls and filling them, which is quick work as long as your surface has enough flour to prevent sticking. They're vegan, too. What's not to love?

These are the best on a cold, wet, or otherwise gloomy day when you want something sweet with a drink of tea or coffee, but don't have the energy to make the whole shebang of a pastry. Of course, syrupy and fried things are always rather comforting, and these have the added bonus of making the vicinity smell like cinnamon and brown sugar.

If you want to switch it up, the filling options are very versatile. I made half of mine with a cup of grated mozzarella, a clove of minced garlic, a teaspoon of oregano and a fat pinch of red chili flakes to make a savoury version. Really, anything melty is very good. Suggestions include choco-hazelnut spread and banana slices, chocolate and mini-marshmallows, tomato sauce and cheese, maple sugar... whatever you happen to have on hand. I'd definitely try the more classic red bean paste option, too.

Have a big pot of tea ready so that both are hot and fresh at the same time. Commit the recipe to memory as I have and enjoy the wizardry of cinnamon and brown sugar together in fried yeasted dough as often as desired.

Hoddeok
Makes 8
From Messy Witchen

1 C. Water, lukewarm
2 Tsp. Active dry yeast (I used 25 g. fresh yeast)
2 C. Flour, All purpose or bread
2 TBSP Sugar
1 TBSP Oil
1/2 Tsp. Salt
Oil, to fry

For the Filling:
1/2 C. Brown sugar
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 C. Walnut pieces

Dissolve the yeast in the water and add the sugar. Mix into the flour and add the oil and salt, kneading together to form a sticky dough. Let rise, covered, for an hour.

Knead and let rest 20 minutes. Mix all of the filling ingredients and set aside. Form 8 balls on a floured surface. Flatten each and wrap around an eighth of the filling. Seal in well and form balls.

Heat a large skillet or griddle to medium-high. Add some oil and cook 1 1/2 minutes, pressing down with a spatula after 30 seconds to flatten. Flip oven and cook another minute.  Reduce heat to low and let cook one more minute, covered, to melt the sugar. Repeat until all the pancakes are fried, and serve hot.