Last Minute Decorating

It's Christmas Eve afternoon and I just added the finishing touches to my Christmas Fruit Bread gifts for family.  The tradition of giving bread began the year I couldn't afford Christmas gifts.  Now they count on it every year and of course I'm happy to oblige.  My tip to make the glaze more interesting is to add both vanilla and almond extract.  Merry Christmas, Hyvää Joulua and God Jul everyone!

Pulla: O Glorious, Heavenly, Delectable Pulla!

Showcased With My Finnish Dishes

I'm half Finnish but often I feel more like three-quarters. 1971 was the first year I visited Finland and although I was a only a child, I have many vivid memories of that experience.  It was new and exciting in so many ways, especially meeting family I had only heard about or seen in pictures.  There is nothing like Finnish coffee table adorned with fresh pulla.  If you like cardamom, this is the ultimate way to enjoy it, with a cup of coffee.  On extremely rare occasions when a loaf is becoming stale after a few days (usually it doesn't last that long), I make it into toast and savour each bite all over again.  

Cinnamon Bun Saturday

Today the sun was absent from the sky so it was a perfect opportunity to brighten the mood by stimulating the olfactory senses with a batch of cinnamon buns.  I add an extra special flavour boost by substituting vanilla sugar for the ordinary white sugar in the dough.  Yes, the aroma was intoxicating and I think it will linger for the next day or so.

The next time I bake these I plan to use Vietnamese cinnamon as I am told it is spectacular in comparison to the standard grocery store variety.  I'll keep you posted on the results.

Our Traditional Shortbread

Last year I purchased an electric cookie press, due to the fact that the one I usually borrow from my Mom has very undesirable qualities, being made of aluminum in the 60s.  My success with the electric model was far better this year having learned the trick of speed.  I think it must have taken only 15 seconds to form an entire cookie sheet full of shortbread!  This year I used Mexican white vanilla, given to me by my friend Pat.  The intoxicating aroma of floral tones baked into the butter and sugar filled the house for the rest of the day.  

After watching Ricardo on the Food Network, I had to try out the Molten Heart Cakes.  They were easy to make and light in texture, though the chocolate flavour was not nearly as intense as I had hoped.  Check back later for slight adjustments to the recipe.

If you use chocolate chips, use a kitchen scale which is more accurate than a measuring cup. You will find a huge selection on sale HERE.  Just type "kitchen scales" in the search bar on the Overstocks page.