Shortbread is a buttery cookie from the UK. It’s often sweet, so I’m not 100% sure why it’s called ‘shortbread’ and not ‘shortcake’ (which is obviously a different dessert). From what I have read, the word ‘short’ comes from the crumbly texture of both shortbread and shortcake, not that they were made with shortening, which […]
sweets
Nanaimo Bars
Nanaimo bars are supersweet triple-layer squares. The bottom layer is a graham cracker crumb base, flavoured with cocoa and coconut and studded with chopped nuts. The creamy middle layer is like vanilla-flavoured frosting. And the topping is melted chocolate. I only realized that these were a Canadian treat after moving back to Canada about 10 […]
DIY: How To Make Vanilla Extract
While we were living in Saudi Arabia, it was almost impossible to buy vanilla extract, since the authorities assumed the little bottles contained alcohol (a no-no in Saudi Arabia). Instead, I would pick up packets of vanilla sugar when we visited our Oma in Germany every summer. Now that we are living back in Canada, […]
DIY: How To Make Vanilla Sugar
Once you have a vanilla bean, it is really simple to make your own vanilla sugar. When we lived in Saudi Arabia, it was impossible to buy vanilla extract since it was made with alcohol – and alcohol was illegal. Instead, I would bring Dr. Oetker vanilla sugar from Germany every summer to use in my […]
First Time Baker: Almond Blondies
Donatello is a great cook, but he doesn’t know how to bake. This would not be a problem, except that he is also a cookie monster. He quickly devours every batch of cookies I, Meinhilde, and Ryan bake and none of us can keep up. I decided to show him how to bake his own treats. To make it easier […]