Reindeer Speculoos Cookies

speculoos cookies from Bouchon Bakery cookbook

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It isn’t the holidays without a spice cookie. Gingerbread is probably the most common one, but I reserve that for constructing houses. I like the more cinnamon-y flavor profile of speculoos cookies. Every year, I turn to my baking bible, the Bouchon Bakery Cookbook, for the recipe. I added a little ginger and cloves for a bit more punch. For the cut-outs, I was inspired by adorable round reindeer faces found on Pinterest, but I decided to go with a rectangle to resemble their slender frame.

My favorite part about making these cookies is decorating! I was snacking on chocolate from my friends at Kellermanni Chocolate (dark milk is my favorite) and broke off a few chunks from to use for the reindeer’s facial features. To finish, I used red candies for the signature Rudolph nose.

Marshmallow Snowmen

homemade snowman marshmallows

Let’s all sing together now shall we? “Do you wanna build a snowman…” or perhaps just the faces in this case. I was inspired to make these snowman marshmallows after seeing a set at Williams Sonoma during the Christmas holiday. I used my favorite recipe, Vanilla Marshmallows, from the Bouchon Bakery cookbook. For the lovable faces, I melted chocolate and whipped up a batch of royal icing.

Bouchon Bakery: English Muffins

english muffins 1

In pastry school, I fell in love with homemade English muffins and I’ve been obsessed with making them ever since. Taste them fresh and you can never go back to store-bought, unless of course, you’re in a pinch and need some for your egg bennies. Last year, I made Napa’s Model Bakery English muffins, my favorite. The bakery cooks them on a cast-iron griddle with a lot of clarified butter so the muffins get super crisp and almost flaky. So good.

So how do Bouchon Bakery’s English muffins compare? The main difference is in the cooking method. They’re baked vs griddled. Second, the recipe calls for a (4 day) starter. The things I do for homemade goodness. Read on to find out how I did with this recipe.

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