I have a confession to make: I don’t like eggnog… on its own at least. I would never drink a cup of eggnog. I do however love the taste of eggnog in cakes, cupcakes, muffins and donuts of course. And there is something about mini donuts, that make them taste even better than regular donuts. Maybe it is the fact that you won’t feel as guilty when you eat more than you should.
If I had to think of only one Christmas cookie recipe that is typically Austrian, it would be vanilla crescents or ‘Vanillekipferl’ as we call them in Austria. I couldn’t imagine Christmas without those delicious cookies from my grandmother’s recipe.
I remember when I was little and my grandmother used to make them, shaping the dough into the perfect crescents and I was always in charge of cutting the log into identical pieces. She never let me shape the dough because it had to be perfect. She made the perfectly shaped ‘Vanillekipferl’.
Candy canes are a must for Christmas and I love my Starbucks mug with the candy cane handle. I was on a hunt for it last year in London and luckily found one just before Christmas. And what would go better with a hot chocolate in my Starbucks mug than candy cane cookies?! :D
Marzipan is one of those ingredients that you either love or hate. At least I’ve never met anyone saying that they tolerated the taste of marzipan in sweets, but were not very fond of it. I love the taste of marzipan! I like to eat it all year around (out of the package I may add!), but somehow the more complex the marzipan figure or sweet is done, the better it tastes! At least this is what I tell myself ;)
Today’s recipe are chocolate biscotti. Instead of classic pistachio biscotti I wanted to give it a more Christmassy vibe and used arancini and almonds. These cookies are also softer in the center than the classic Cantuccini, as they are only baked once. I know that biscotti are supposed to be baked twice but I prefer mine soft with a deep chocolate flavor.
I’m now finally done with my exams and can enjoy the pre-Christmas season. Here is a picture medley of the beautiful Christmas decorations in London and Vienna.