Cookies can be eaten any time of the year, at least in my opinion. And for that reason I am presenting today birthday sprinkles cookies, just because. They are so colorful and happy, just the way I like them, with sprinkles. For some reason I never seem to need my sprinkles other than for Christmas, so these are perfect to finally us some of the sprinkles.
Today I am introducing apple cream strudel from Munich. This strudel is a classic from grandma’s time. I am happy that Anna from the German blog Teigliebe agreed to bake together a classic recipe from grandma’s time. We baked together already once, this was during the giveaway from Marc and Andrea, Anna made a super beautiful raspberry rhubarb pie and I made a strawberry pie with roses. I was happy when Anna agreed to bake again with me. I picked the topic “Classic Recipes from Grandma’s Time” due to the fact that my grandma S. passed away recently. At the funeral it was mentioned several times that she was a brilliant baker and cook. Her home was known as a “hotel” even though she did not run any as her food had the standard of a hotel and she loved to host a lot of get-togethers. I distinctly remember her birthdays as the table would be laden down with the weight of oh so many homemade cakes and pies.
Today I will give you my personal favorite nine recipes from Colombia. You will get main courses, snacks, and desserts. I have been married to a Colombian for ten years now and therefore had the chance to try many Colombian recipes. I was also fortunate enough to visit this beautiful country several times. I am often asked what Colombian cuisine is like. The only simple answer is: this depends. Colombia is a country of vast different climates, you don’t have jungle only, but mountain chains and savannas. Apart from the Caribbean you also have a dessert, therefore it is very hard to pin it down to just a few dishes. Colombia has a wealth of potatoes, you will also see many different types of corn. Typically, a lot of dishes do not contain gluten and are prepared either with potatoes, corn or starches from manioc, etc. Many people are surprised when they learn that Colombian cuisine is not spicy at all, cilantro and cumin are often used as well as annatto, which has a vibrant red color and is simply called “color” in Colombia. I don’t claim at all that these nine dishes are the most typical Colombian dishes, these are simply my favorite recipes. If you would like to see a certain dish or would like to comment, please feel free to do so below. But now let’s get started!
Real Franzbrötchen with puff pastry. I am so excited to introduce this recipe to you today. Think of Franzbrötchen as the answer from Hamburg to the cinnamon-roll craze. I was fortunate enough to live in Hamburg for a couple of years and I can tell you, you will always have the scent of cinnamon present wherever you go. Regardless of whether a kiosk or a bakery, one thing you can definitely be sure of if you are in Hamburg is the fact that Franzbrötchen will be sold everywhere. I already introduced these cinnamon rolls here using a simple yeast dough. The lazy version.
Today I am introducing you to super moist apple cupcakes with caramel frosting and some extra drizzles of caramel. If you are on the lookout for moist cupcakes that are easy to prepare and you love caramel, these are perfect for you! This cupcake is moist and has a very creamy and light frosting as a topping. Perfect for any season.
Eclairs, it is about high time for eclairs again! These eclairs contain a creamy peanut butter filling and some chocolate. If you are a peanut butter fan, these eclairs are for you. If you like eclairs, but are not that fond of peanut butter, I also have black forest eclairs, cappuccino eclairs or eclairs with raspberry filling on my blog. I do recommend all of them.
Is it a wise thing to publish such a decadent brownie recipe with extra caramel in January? Probably not, but I still love the idea that my blogger colleague Anna started 2018 with her chocolate Mondays (in German). That’s the spirit! If you want to be healthier, want to get into shape, and have a lot of resolutions, I personally think it does not matter if you have them in January or in December. For example, the four weeks prior to Christmas I did intermittent fasting and didn’t eat after 4pm and really did my workout regularly. Once Christmas came, I didn’t feel guilty at all when I indulged myself in all the goodness available during the season. I’m a strong believer in eating with pleasure, to enjoy it and to eat everything in moderation. So yeah, I believe that I am allowed to eat a decadent brownie with caramel even in January. Especially in January.
While you are reading these lines, I will be busy packing my suitcase for Christmas. We are going to visit my parents in law in Spain and I will probably be debating which baking utensils to take along for the trip. I am really looking forward to celebrating Christmas with my Colombian family. Colombian Christmas is very different from German Christmas. There is going to be a lot of dancing, a lot of joy, sparkle and food, so much food. I can’t tell you for how long my mother-in-law has been talking about what she is going to make as a special treat for us and what her ideas are for the Christmas menu. In Colombian culture food is extremely important. I am going to suggest to her that we make Uruguayan flan as the Christmas dessert. Why? Because flan needs to be prepared the night before as it has to be chilled. Perfect in my opinion, one thing less to worry about on Christmas. Flan only requires only a few basic ingredients and is prepared in a jiffy, if this is not enough reason, I don’t know what is.
It is time for alfajores. Alfa what you ask? Alfajores are sandwich cookies that first were popular in Spain and later on brought to the colonies in Latin America. Traditionally alfajores are filled with the caramel cream called dulce de leche. Today I brought along some with strong coffee flavor and caramel as the filling. If you want to go extra crazy, you may also use some flaky sea salt as a nice contrast. We are in the middle of my cookie week and since I am posting seven cookie recipes from my birth country Uruguay on seven consecutive days, you get coffee alfajores today.
Baci di dama are heavenly cookies, a touch like a feather. These Italian cookies literally translate as a kiss by a lady. If you look at the profile of these cookies, they look like a set of lips wishing to kiss you. I really like this picturesque name which does tell you a lot what these cookies are going to taste like. Roasted hazelnuts are combined with buttery shortbread, which is sandwiched together by delicious melted chocolate. Baci di dama are perfect as a giveaway, superb for a coffee break and simply to enjoy.
