Melomakarona Recipe

I originally discovered these Greek cookies while completing a practical exam in culinary school, where I had to prepare a meal of traditional Greek foods.

The melomakarona cookies I made for dessert ended up being absolutely delicious, and I couldn’t wait to make them again.

With love, I have refined my recipe for years ever since, resulting in the soft spiced cookies bathed in honey syrup and sprinkled with walnuts that you’ll find in this post.

Not only do the warm Mediterranean flavors instantly put me in a Christmas spirit, but because these cookies stay fresh up to two weeks, I actually CAN start my holiday baking by making them earlier in the month!

“Oh, my goodness! Made these cookies to bring to my daughter’s for Christmas. I waited patiently to do the “taste test” and it was worth the wait! They are delicious and taste just like the ones I’ve been buying at the annual Greek festival close to home for years. Thank you so much!”

—Connie

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Spritz Cookie Recipe

For years, I would see Spritz Cookies on cookie trays and think there was simply no way I would ever be able to make those myself. Too fussy, too much chance of failure, I thought.

But, in a moment of fearlessness a few years ago, I bought a cookie press and tried my hand at it using another recipe. The cookies ended up turning out fine, but there were a lot of missing details I wish I had known, since it was my first time making them.

I’m here today to walk you through how to make spritz cookies, from the viewpoint of a spritz cookie novice. Along the way, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about each step of the process so that you succeed at these cookies the first time you ever make them.

What are Spritz Cookies?

Spritz cookies are delicate, buttery little treats that are often the prettiest part of a cookie tin or platter. Their distinctive shapes and melt-in-your-mouth texture make them a favorite for Christmas.

The name “spritz” comes from German word “spritzen,” meaning to squirt or spray, which describes how these cookies are made using a cookie press or piping bag.

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Classic Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

My family’s classic Midwestern sour cream sugar cookie recipe got such a nice response on social media, that I’m back today sharing our thumbprint cookie recipe!

This recipe combines a salty nutty cookie with sweet jam, and it uses a special technique of baking the cookies for a bit first before making the thumbprints, which helps prevent the cookies from cracking quite so much.

What are Thumbprint Cookies?

Thumbprint cookies are a classic in the baking world, especially around Christmas!

The unique feature of these cookies is the indentation created by pressing your thumb into the center, which provides the perfect well for a delicious filling.

Types of Thumbprint Cookies

Thumbprint cookies come in various flavors and with different fillings. Sometimes, they are made with a simple sugar cookie dough, and sometimes they are nutty.

The fillings can range from jams and preserves to chocolate, caramel or even something like Nutella. My mom actually fills hers with frosting!

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Nothing says “Holiday Season” like Chocolate Peppermint

In terms of flavor combinations, chocolate and peppermint is right up there with peanut butter and jelly, and tomatoes and basil. And chocolate and peppermint tastes BEST during the holiday season. It’s a fact.

This Chocolate Peppermint Cookies recipe has been developed using both cocoa powder and melted dark chocolate for the richest, deepest chocolate flavor. And, these cookies have a just-slight-underbaked chewy texture, so they almost eat like a brownie!

They also have both peppermint extract and crushed peppermint candy, so I guess you can say they’re double chocolate and double peppermint cookies!

These cookies are dedicated to the true lovers of the combination of chocolate and peppermint, but I think just about everybody will end up loving them!

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This is the best Sugar Cookie Recipe with Sour Cream

This is probably the most personal recipe on this blog – my family’s Christmas cookie recipe!

My mom got this recipe for Sour Cream Cookies from my grandma, who got it from a coworker, who probably got it from a local newspaper here in the Midwest.

What makes it so special? Two things – flavor and texture. The flavor largely comes from a generous spoonful of nutmeg. While most sugar cookie cutouts have very little flavor other than sugary dough, these ones have a subtle spice flavor.

And the sour cream keeps them extremely soft. They even stay soft for at least a week after they’re baked – an impressive feat for a sugar cookie.

My mom generously helped me translate our family recipe into a foolproof written version, and even helped me make the cookies for this post (those are her hands rolling out the dough in the step-by-step photos below).

What does sour cream do in baking?

Sour cream is magic! It serves several functions in baked goods such as these sour cream sugar cookies:

• Moisture Booster. Sour cream adds extra moisture to the cookie dough, ensuring a soft and tender final product.
• Flavor Enhancer. The subtle tang of the sour cream complements the sweetness of the other ingredients.
• Leavening Agent. The acidity of the sour cream reacts with the baking soda, resulting in a light and airy cookie.

“I had lost my grandma’s recipe last year in a house fire, so one of those small things that hit me when trying to make that holiday cheer. THANKFULLY I found this recipe and it will now be our family traditional Christmas cookie. Husband wasn’t a fan of grandma’s recipe but said I should receive a cookie award for these. Kids loved decorating them. Sturdy enough for little hands to grab, soft and chewy, subtle nutmeg flavor and holds details of cookie cutters very well.”

—Kris

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This Halloween Brownies Recipe is scary good!

There’s lots of recipes for Halloween Brownies that look like mummies out there, but most of them use vanilla frosting or melted white chocolate for the “bandages.”

This mummy brownies recipe is for true chocolate lovers. These are rich, fudgy dark chocolate brownies topped with the easiest two-ingredient homemade chocolate ganache.

Perhaps you’ll love these brownies . . . to death?

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With Valentine’s Day coming up, I can indeed confirm that the way to my husband’s heart is chocolate. While he’d be OK with vanilla bean creme brulee or even a stuffed apple just about any other day of the year, I know what he wants for dessert on Valentine’s Day.

One year I made him decadent Nigella Lawson brownies, and he loved them. Another year, I made him the brownies from the Zingerman’s Bakehouse cookbook, and he went wild. Sometimes I’ll even make Baileys brownies as an early St. Patrick’s Day / Valentine’s hybrid situation.

So this year, I’m going to keep sticking with what I know works and making him . . . chocolate brownies (after honey mustard pork chops or maybe lamb bolognese for dinner). But with a spin, of course.

This chocolate brownie pie recipe takes, what is in my opinion, the best part of any pie (the crust) and fills it with a rich, decadent and just simply great chocolate brownie. Cut it into tiny slices or big wedges – we won’t tell anybody!

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We don’t take Valentine’s Day too seriously around here, but I do like it for one reason: it gives you an reason to cook or bake or eat something special in what is otherwise a pretty cold and dreary month.

I’m all about any excuse for a little celebration, so bring on the Valentine’s Day snacks and easy Valentine desserts. And please make me salmon piccata for dinner first.

Now that my daughter is old enough to understand this kind of silly holiday a little better, I also wanted to do a baking activity for just me and her, and I’m sorry to report that she doesn’t appreciate the wonders of chocolate creme brulee just yet.

So, we made these rich and buttery shortbread cookies that we thumbprinted with heart shapes and then filled with jam. These heart jam cookies are perfect for Valentine’s Day, and they also reminded us of tea time in London!

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When it comes to Thanksgiving, I like to keep dinner very traditional with maple bourbon glazed turkey, mashed potatoes with homemade gravy, and my husband’s grandma’s old fashioned dressing.

But when it comes to dessert, all bets are off the table. Truth be told, I’m not even really that big of a fan of most pies.

So I’ll often incorporate fall flavors into a different type of dessert like a cranberry tart pie or pumpkin creme brulee. If I’m really feeling ambitious, even an apple rose tart.

This year, I’ve had the biggest craving for Rice Krispies treats. Ever since my daughter got one of those packaged ones trick-or-treating, I’ve been wanting the real, homemade thing!

Since I was craving them anyway, I decided to try my hand at a batch of Thanksgiving Rice Krispies treats. These fun pumpkin-spiced goodies even resemble a pie!

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I don’t have a ton of St. Patrick’s Day recipes around here. Truth to be told, I don’t think my family has any Irish heritage, and I’d really rather not partake when it comes to some of the traditional foods like corned beef (except corned beef egg rolls, once in awhile).

If I’m feeling in the mood, I might make mini shepherd’s pies or colcannon soup. Or even just have a nice Irish stout alongside a cheese board for beer.

So, unfortunately, if you’re looking for a treasure trove of recipes to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, this will probably never be the site for that.

BUT, I do hope that what I lack in quantity, I make up for in quality. And I can assure you, without a doubt, that these Baileys brownies are the ONLY dessert you need for St. Patrick’s Day (or any day of year, really)!

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