In what feels like another lifetime, but in reality was just two weeks ago, we visited Drenthe, one of the northern provinces in the Netherlands. I was going to be giving three talks on gardening there within four days and…
Hiker’s cookies
Categorie: cookies
Coconut macaroons
I have a friend who gets stressed when her fridge is not overflowing with food. As a consequence of her parents’ somewhat erratic care when she was little, she gets nervous when there are not enough groceries to survive a…
Christmas Cookies Hall of Fame
For the third year in a row now I put together an advent calendar for Esther and Sebastiaan. It was a little bitter-sweet this time since I find myself continually thinking about time passing and my children growing up quickly…
Triple chocolate spelt cookies
There are only three cookies pictured above. The reason for this is not that the recipe only makes 3 cookies (it makes about 20), but that by the time I got around to photographing them, there were only 3 left.…
Christmas spice cookies with lemon glaze
I have not been very adventurous in my Christmas baking this year. Out of the 7 kinds of cookies I made, 6 were recipes I had made at least twice before. The problem is, most of the Christmas cookies I…
Chocolate almond sticks with cardamom ganache filling
My husband’s grandma who lived to the blessed age of 93 years was a very sweet lady, always cheerful and interested in what we were up to when we would visit. She would tell stories about how, when she…
Christmas cookies hall of fame
Yesterday we celebrated Sinterklaas’s birthday, ate way too many pepernoten and speculaas and sang all the Sinterklaas songs. It turned out I know the lyrics of some of the songs better than my Dutch relatives, which I think should entitle…
Snowflake cookies
When my sister messaged asking what my husband wanted for Christmas, he answered all he wanted was “white Christmas” and world peace. She probably rolled her eyes and decided to give him a pair of socks. I, of course, would…
Peanut Butter and Mocha Checkerboards
There’s time for kale salad and there’s time for cookies. The time for kale salad is mostly in January, but now, the week before Christmas, is time for cookies. Last year I made my coffee-addicted husband these cookies, this year…
Crispy cane cookies
Saint Nicholas has left for Spain so we can turn our thoughts to Christmas without feeling guilty. And “turn our thoughts to Christmas” means mainly “start baking Christmas cookies”. Because of an overdue kitchen renovation I find myself, at the…
Cranberry walnut biscotti
Last time I told you about the wonderful Parmesan biscuits that I brought to a dinner as a hostess gift. And I brought these biscotti, too. Something to have with the wine, and something with your after-dinner coffee – everything…
Parmesan and poppy biscuits
When my sister was in second grade, the class was discussing manners and the teacher asked: “What do you bring the hostess when you go for a visit?” Now, at that time our parents led a busy social life and…
White chocolate chip coffee cookies
Have you read Pippi Longstockings by Astrid Lindgren? It is one of the best children’s books ever and as such it is a great read no matter what your age is. It was a great pleasure to reread it with…
Speculaas spice chocolate chip cookies
It’s been almost exactly six months since Sinterklaas, the good old saint and Santa Clause’s Dutch cousin, showered us with presents and then swiftly left for Spain. I can’t blame him for wanting to live in a more favorable climate.…
Chocolate cinnamon rugelach
Last Monday, the whole Dutch nation celebrated the Queen’s birthday. This might lead you to believe that queen Beatrix was actually born 30th April. Not so, it was her mother’s birthday. But upon inheriting the throne, the queen very wisely…