Maple Leaf Cookies

Time for a delicious (and patriotic!) sweet treat perfect for Sugar Bush season!

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If you grew up anywhere near a maple farm in Canada, there is a really good chance that at least one of your class field trips was there during sugaring-off season. We would go and do some sort of outdoor activity coupled with learning about the process of tree tapping, identifying which trees were good, and of course making the liquid gold we know and love. I vividly remember "learning" (AKA struggling) to snowshoe along the trails, knowing that at least I would get a treat at the end of it all. From maple syrup on snow (which you must try if you haven't!) to the quinessential pancakes with fresh butter and loads of syrup, it was always a great way to get in from the cold.

One of the other core memories I'm sure Canadians from all over the country have are the taste of LeClerc or Dare Maple Leaf cookies. Dainty 2-3 bite maple flavoured cookies sandwiching a maple cream filling, they were (and maybe still are) often on snack and dessert tables at parties and given out at school because they were nut-free. It's been a very long time since I've had one of these, but when I was thinking of cookies to bring with me to the US over New Year's, I knew I had to bring out the Canadian pride in force. I slightly modified a recipe from Food Nouveau to get these gorgeous shortbread-esque cookies, and I opted to not include the filling (as good as it tastes!) just to make packaging / transport easier. Instead, I lightly pressed maple flakes (large shards of maple sugar) and edible gold flakes into the tops of each cookie. If you do want a filled cookie, either use the recipe on Food Nouveau or cheat and use either maple butter (I strongly recommend this one) or the Canadian cult favourite Map-O Spread (which contains no maple syrup but it screams childhood to me). 

Currant & Ginger Shortbreads

These Currant & Ginger Shortbreads are the perfect addition to afternoon tea - their 2-bite size packs a punch with the vibrancy of crystallized ginger and tart currants that were soaked in a spiced tea.

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Did you ever have a teacher or mentor that made an unmistakable impact on your life? I've been incredibly fortunate to have a few amazing people who shaped the person I've become over the years, and one of those people was my elementary school teacher (and later colleague) V. 

While I remember a wealth of things that I learned from her, whenever I think of her I think of ginger, black currants and tea. V is a connoisseur of those flavours in my mind, and when I'm compiling a basket of goodies for her every Christmas, I try to capture as much of them as possible. This year, in addition to my Chestnut Gingerbread Cookies, Gluten Free Sparkling Ginger Cookies and My Mom's Fabulous Shortbread, I decided to tackle a cookie that goes perfectly with her Friday tea sessions and captures the memories I have of her. 

I came across a copy of Barbara Tropp's China Moon Cookbook at the local library, and while I earmarked several of the cookie recipes contained therein, her Currant & Ginger Shortbread recipe just screamed perfection. I made several tweaks along the way (because of course I did) but the result was well worth it! Delicate, golden and unbelievably buttery coins of shortbread packed with diced crystallized ginger and currants that had been plumped in a spicy tea with a hint of lemon zest made the whole house fragrant, and the sample my mom had passed with flying colours. I have no doubt that these would elevate any cookie platter, regardless of the season!  

Thanks to Selefina Spices and Adagio Teas for making these happen with their crystallized ginger and Oriental Spice tea!

Basic Chunky Granola (for People AND Pets!)

It's been a while since I made granola - and this incredibly simple, no frills, helplessly clustery batch is a treat for both humans and animals (like my sister's rats!) I added dried apple bits to this mix, but you can experiment with your favourite fruit or nuts.

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We are an animal loving household. At one point, I believe we had three cats, a dog, several fish and 3 or 4 rats living with us! Apart from the fish, every pet of ours has received homemade treats of some kind from me - and nothing is as popular as the granola I make for my sister's mischief of rats.

A simple blend of oats, sweeteners and seeds is sometimes all you need as a snack. This granola isn't super sweet, but is incredibly filling! The egg whites and cornstarch in this recipe ensure the granola clumps together in big chunks, so you never have to deal with granola thats just sweetened, toasted oatmeal bits.

This recipe is not only perfect for rodent treats, it is a wonderful base for any granola additions you desire! Want different nuts, seeds, fruit.... even chocolate chips or M&Ms? Easy! Same with adding spices and other flavourings. You can change up the type of flaked grains, or even add cocoa powder and a bit of extra sugar to make chocolate granola if you desire too. The large chunks of this granola mean it's perfect for snacking on its own, but they're easy to break into crumbles for your yoghurt too.

Lemon-Blueberry Croissants

The combination of rich blueberry and tangy lemon in these Blueberry Lemon Croissants is next level - the whole wheat dough is laminated with blueberry compound butter (yes, blueberries in the butter!) and gets an extra blue tint from @selefina.spices Butterfly Pea Flower powder. Rolled up in the middle is lemon cream cheese. It's a breakfast experience like no other!

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Is there anything more summery than the combination of lemon and berries? I personally love adding lemon to anything, and these croissants that were inspired by Pinterest are a prime example.

There’s something truly magical about the process of making croissants. It's a long process, but a very therapeutic one. The finished pastries are works of art, but like all baking that art is rooted in science. I read once that flaky dough like croissants and puff pastry is where "patience meets precision", which I love but also laugh at - I don't usually have either!

The magic begins with a compound butter infused with blueberries, lemon zest, and a touch of butterfly pea flower powder from Selefina Spices. The blueberries add a mix of sweet and tart all on their own, which gets boosted with a hint of icing sugar and some bright lemon zest. The butterfly pea flower powder turns a vibrant purple in the presence of the acid from the blueberries and makes the colour of the butter (and thus the rest of the pastry) a gorgeous indigo. What I love about this butter is that you can make it and freeze it for when you have a craving for croissants!

The filling is just as delicious - and we definitely used leftovers on bagels! Cream cheese gets a hefty dose of lemon zest and a touch of lemon juice before getting slightly sweetened. When the croissants bake, this filling melts into the centre of each pastry, creating pockets of deliciousness. 

 Making the actual croissant dough is a labour of love... these are not something you'll enjoy the same day! The croissants look complex, but honestly, the process is really quite simple when it comes down to it. I followed the visual guide here when I first started making croissants, and it helped immensely! As long as you keep the dough cool, and chill between folding sessions, you won't have a problem with getting the butter into those layers.

I guarantee, if you like blueberries and lemon, these croissants will be a hit - the aroma coming from the oven as they baked smelled like the best blueberry pie you can imagine, and while waiting for them to cool feels like ages, the payoff is worth it!  

Roasted Potato Multigrain Bread #BreadBakers

Roasted Yukon Gold potatoes and a hefty pinch of rosemary give these low rising loaves a wonderfully savoury character. A sourdough preferment adds tang while keeping the crumb moist and open. A slice or two is perfect with any soup or stew, or just on it's own!

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Is there anything better than roasted potatoes to cure a comfort carb craving? I'll admit, I don't indulge in them as much as I should, but when I get the chance I'm all in! This bread was sparked by an abundance of potatoes left over from a family dinner, and fresh rosemary by the windowsill. I've made roast potato bread before, but when I saw this recipe on My Love of Baking that used a sourdough preferment, I had to give it a try!

Not only does this bread have the rich flavour of roasted potatoe and rosemary, but the preferment used an unusual ingredient - beer! The amber ale I picked was ever so slightly sweet (and not hoppy) and local to me. I took that idea and paired it with the nuttiness of barley flour and my standard whole wheat bread flour.

Once you combine the preferment with the rest of the ingredients (apart from the potatoes, that is) and knead it all together, be prepared to let it rest - think of the bread like your body after running a marathon (or conquering the work week) - it needs a spa day. A few folds and the addition of the potatoes later, it gets shaped and given a final proof in a bowl. I don't have a round banneton, but I imagine it would be better! A final rise and its plopped (gently) into a screaming hot Dutch oven and baked to a deep brown with a prominent crust.

The bread itself is time consuming, but well worth it in the end - the smell that came from my oven as it baked in a Dutch oven was out of this world.

Slicing into the cooled loaf, you're met with a slightly dense but still tender crumb speckled with bits of roasted potatoes. My mom immediately spread it with cream cheese, but the heels of the bread made stellar soup dippers from what I hear!

This loaf is my submission for the #Breadbakers Mixed Grains Bread event. 

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

Bunny Bread #BreadBakers

My niece and I have started baking together on Fridays, this was our first project - whole wheat Bumny Bread! Whole wheat and decorated with food colouring mixed with egg whites.

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It's no secret that I love teaching kids (and adults) how to bake. From learning why we follow a recipe, to reading the ingredients and making sure everything we need is out, to measuring things to the fun part of mixing everything and learning about the science of it all, kids learn so many different things in the kitchen! While I no longer teach formally, I'm lucky enough to have 4 niblings who love getting into the kitchen with me and making all sorts of things!

Tackling bread with kids is both incredibly rewarding and incredibly tricky. My niece (who was 5 at the time) loved helping to knead the dough, shape it and paint it, but waiting the hour for it to rise felt like a century to her. I had plenty of activities for her to do in the meantime - she loves helping to clean up (just like her younger brother, who is the king of cake pops) and we watched plenty of YouTube videos during the wait. When the bread was done, she couldn't wait to take a bite, and considering the finished loaf was almost the size of her head, she got through the ears before we packed it up for her to take home.

Since then, we've baked a plethora of things together, and her younger brother is old enough now to really get into the kitchen so I cannot wait to see what we come up with!

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

What Smells So Good: Bunny Bread
Palatable Pastime: Carrot bread
A Messy Kitchen: Carrot Milk Bread
Magical Ingredients: Carrot stuffed buns
Sneha’s Recipe: Carrot Whole Wheat Bajra Flour flatbread
Ambrosia: Rosemary Dinner Rolls
Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Casatiello Napolitano Italian Easter Bread
Passion Kneaded: Italian Easter Bread
A Day in the Life on the Farm: Hot Cross Buns Muffins
Zesty South Indian Kitchen: Sourdough Osterbrot:German Easter Bread