Festive bonbons filled with prune and almond

Everybody likes chocolate and my favorite combination is chocolate with prune, a traditional Greek treat. You can't find these abroad so I made my own for the holidays. Thanks to silicon forms it is super easy to make chocolates at home :)

Many thanks for the forms to Silikomart !

Η συνταγή στα Ελληνικά στο κάτω μέρος της σελίδας :)

Tiramisu with a twist

I never knew how easy was tiramisu to make. It is actually one of the easier desserts I ever made, and  boy, I could eat the whole pan. I think what causes this addiction is the combination of liqueur and coffee and chocolate. Yes chocolate indeed, this is a tiramisu with a twist!

There is a challenge though, and that is finding pasteurized eggs for this recipe.

Η συνταγή στα Ελληνικά στο κάτω μέρος της σελίδας :)

Finikia traditional Christmas honey cookies from Lesvos

These ones re quite similar as the melomakarona recipe, but a bit lighter and with not so many spices. This recipe is my aunt's and it is originally from my home island Lesvos. This recipe will make about 30-35 pieces.

Η συνταγή στα Ελληνικά στο κάτω μέρος της σελίδας :)

Almond kourampiedes that smell of roses

Kourampiedes are one of the two most traditional treats for the Christmas holidays. These ones are from my uncle's recipe and in comparison with the walnut ones are softer and less sweeter.

They smell of roses and look like little snowed moons.

Super easy and fast to make, all you need is a bowl, your hands and an oven :)

Η συνταγή στα Ελληνικά στο κάτω μέρος της σελίδας :)

My grandma's walnut kourampiedes are simply the best

Kourampiedes are one of the two most traditional treats for the Christmas holidays. These ones are from my grandma's notebook and I remember eating since I remember the Christmas holidays.

They smell of butter and cognac and they are crunchy even after weeks have passed. They look like little snowed mountains.

Super easy and fast to make, all you need is a bowl, your hands and an oven :)

Η συνταγή στα Ελληνικά στο κάτω μέρος της σελίδας :)

Speculaas the Dutch holiday-biscuit

On December the 5th, the Dutch celebrate the Sint Nicolas package evening, meaning that Saint Nicholas is bringing presents to the whole family. The presents are mostly a surprise and they have a teasing nature. The presents are opened one by one and they are many so it takes a  few hours to go through them.

The evening is normally starting with warm chocolate and speculaas (biscuit), along with other treats such as kruidnoten (tiny cookies) en amadelstaaf (almond paste in filo dough)

This year I made my own and the house smelled of cinnamon and cloves all weekend long :)

Η συνταγή στα Ελληνικά στο κάτω μέρος της σελίδας :)

Vanilla cupcakes for hungry kids in half an hour

My son has been asking for cake the whole week. Saturday's are always busy with shopping, birthdays or other activities. For example today we have a Sinter Klaas party at my work, where the Dutch Santa Claus will bring to the children. 

What to do with so little time left and my son craving for cup cakes? I challenged my self to finish them in 30 minutes and it worked :)

Η συνταγή στα Ελληνικά στο κάτω μέρος της σελίδας :)

Strawberry tart with an almond paste bottom

This tart is very Dutch and actually the only one that can give me some comfort when I miss the Greek patisserie shops and their amazing cakes. You can get it at any patisserie here and sometimes even at the super market. I was not sure why this one was so good but after making it I now know. It is because of the almond paste in the bottom of the tart :)

Η συνταγή στα Ελληνικά στο κάτω μέρος της σελίδας :)

Cheese bites in 30 minutes!

Did this ever happen to you? You are at home and you don't have any bread. Bored to to go to the supermarket and snack-ish for something savory? Just happened to me this morning. I made up this recipe on the spot, with everything I had I the fridge.

Η συνταγή στα Ελληνικά στο κάτω μέρος της σελίδας :)

Despina's Christmas Australian fruit cake

This one is actually a Christmas recipe but I like to make it in autumn, as it includes all the right ingredients, such as orange and cinnamon, dried fruit and nuts.

It becomes a bit dry and it is great for dipping into tea. This recipe was given to me a friend's mother, Despina, many years ago and I found it again while cleaning up one of my drawers in my mother's house. So happy to have made it again :)

Quick apple and cinnamon cake

This recipe is uniquely quick and unexpectedly tasty. We normally make this in a closed oven pan (ceramic on steel) which we usually cook when we want the meat and veggies to keep moist. Guess what, the same happens if you make a cake in it. It stays so very moist!

If you don't have a ceramic on steel pan, you can use your normal baking pan and cover it with backing paper an aluminium foil to have the same effect.

Super easy Tarte Tatin

I got to know this recipe at a cooking workshop I had with my colleagues. It is super easy and it can be served as a stand alone desert or with ice-cream. As you suspect from the name it is a French pie.

It was such a great fun making it with my colleagues, we enjoyed the process of baking more that the one of eating it :)

If you want a nice evening out with friends or colleagues try it out: Kookstudiohaarlem

Jonathan's booboos birthday cake

My sweet boy just turned 3 in June, and he was very specific about this cake. It had to be chocolate and it had to have some diggers on it. And loads of booboos on it.

*Booboo's; anything on wheels that makes noise and is impressive to Jonathan :)

Vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting and boboo's

Jonathan turned 3 last week and he had to bring treats at daycare. The crowd was between 2-4, so what better than cupcakes with chocolate booboo's*?

*Booboo's; anything on wheels that makes noise and is impressive to Jonathan :)

Fresh chocolate cream with fresh cherries

Left over milk? Here is an easy and refreshing summer treat :)

By excluding the cacao you have the vanilla version !

Milk pie with a hint of lemon and loads of syrup

Since my favorite patisserie on Lesvos closed, all the flavours I grew up with were all of a sudden gone. Not to mention my wedding cake, which was also made by the same patisserie :( Since then, my aunt and I are on a quest to replicate our favorite desserts, cakes and cookies we have been missing the last couple of years.

One of my favorites was the galaktompoureko - milk pie in syrup with a lemon flavor. I am happy to announce that I came quite close with this recipe.

Heavenly fluffy brioche with machlepi

Easter and new year can't be celebrated without this brioche. It is originally called tsoureki. It is a gist bake-off, with eggs and butter, very similar to brioche, but with an exceptional flavor of the machlepi herb.

 

During Easter, we add an red colored egg with the cell and for new year a lucky coin :)
This recipe will take all your morning, as the dough will need to rise three times, so you need to book some extra time for this one. But trust me, the result will be amazing!

This is my grandma's recipe <3

Home made ice-cream with crunchy caramelized almonds

This is my grandmother's recipe and it is super easy and fast to make. 

This type of ice-cream is also known as praline :)

The best apple crumble pie ever!

This is pretty traditional Dutch. You can't have a birthday party without one. And this is the only one from the things I bake, that my husband can eat all by himself!

It is great to eat warm or cold, with whipped cream or ice. It is a bit of work, will take you about one hour to make and another to bake.

Ioula's sweet velvety pumpkin pie

This pumpkin pie is my grandmother's recipe. It has some unusual ingredients, which you might have a hard time finding if you are not Greek. Nevertheless I will give you some alternatives ;)

What is cool about this pie, is that you can taste the filling before you actually fill the pie and make it as sweet or neutral as you fancy. Pumpkin pies can be tricky as some pumpkins are sweeter than other, so following the recipe blindly won't cut it for this one :P

Delicious rice pudding with mastic and wild cherries

My grandmother from Chios used to make this dessert from fresh goat milk, (from our own goat) and mastic from our own trees.

The wild cherries in syrup are ready made, and also a traditional treat of Chios island.

Eleni's karidopita - walnut and macademia cake in syrup

This cake is originally made with walnuts. I thought to try an alternative nut, the macademia nut and it really turned out great :)

My mom's friend Eleni is famous for making this it is backed in 30 minutes and contains no butter or oil!

Eva's valentine chocolatina

I tried this cake about a week ago at Eva's house. She made it for her daughter's birthday and I thought: What a great cake for valentines day! I had to change the recipe a bit by adding booze and strawberries ;)

It is a super easy cake to make, takes about 15 minutes to make 25 to bake and another 15 to decorate :)

Η συνταγή στα Ελληνικά στο κάτω μέρος της σελίδας :)

Maro's snowed new year's pie

This one is a keeper... most of the times we feel too sorry to cut it! 

My aunt Maro makes it for the new year but you can bake it and enjoy it through out the winter :)

Lemon cookies that crumble in your mouth

My whole family has been brought up with these cookies. They are traditional lemon cookies and you can still find similar ones in a couple old fashion pastry shops. One of my favorite pastry shops "Giarlos" closed a couple of years ago. Since then, me and my aunt are in the quest of finding all of their cakes and cookies elsewhere, but very little pastry shops make desserts from scratch.

This is an attempt of making this cookies, which work out quite well :)

New Years Pie with lucky surprise

This is a recipe from my great-grandmother, who was living in minor Asia, know known as the west coast of Turkey. It is in our family for more than a 100 years and we always make it on new year's eve and cut it after the 12 in the night, once the new year has arrived. It is super easy to make and takes about 40-45 minutes to bake! It turns out dry as a cookie and it is perfect for dipping in tea or milk.

Η συνταγή στα Ελληνικά στο κάτω μέρος της σελίδας :)

New Year's Pie with lucky surprise

ingredients

• 75 ml melted butter
• 75 ml olive oil
• 225 gr sugar
• 70 ml water
• 250 gr patent flour
• 250 gr wheat flour
• 1/4 tea spoon baking soda
• 1/2 tea spoon baking powder
• Plenty of cloves
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 lucky coin wrapped in aluminium foil

instructions

1. Mix the ingredients in the following order, using a whisker; butter, olive oil, sugar. Add the water.
2. Mix the patent with the wheat flour and add the soda and baking powder.
3. Add the flour mix gradually and use your hands once the dough becomes tough.
4. It is possible that you won't need all the flour, once it reaches consistency of cookie dough, it is ready.
5. Add the lucky coin and make sure to hide it (even from yourself ;)
6. Put in a 24 cm form (buttered and floured) and spread even using a silicon spatula.
7. Decorate as you wish and add loads of cloves.
8. Beat the egg yolk and spread evenly on top to give a shiny effect after baking.
9. Bake in 180 C for about 40-45 minutes.
10. Once it turns gold and you see some cracks appearing on the edge it is ready!

In Greece, the first piece is for Jesus, the second for Mary, the third for Saint Vasilis (who's name-day is on January 1st) and the fourth for the house. After that you can cut the pieces by name and see who gets the lucky coin, which will bring it's new owner good luck for the new year.

This is how the dough should look like.

It is easier to make even when using a spatula.

You can use a fork to decorate.

The cross is connected with the Christian Orthodox tradition of the new year pie.

You can use a cookie shape to make more patterns.

Add many cloves, they will give the pie a special taste!

I really mean loads of cloves!

And egg yolk for shine :) 

This is how it looks like after baking. 

Alternatively you can use this silikon form from Silikomart to make the little ones happy :)

Happy New Year!

IN GREEK - ΣΤΑ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ

Αυτή η συνταγή βασιλόπιτας είναι της προ-γιαγιάς μου, που ζούσε στην Μικρά Ασία. Είναι οικογενιακή συνταγή ηλικίας 100 έτων και άνω. Είναι πολύ εύκολη και ψήνεται γύρω στα 40-45 λεπτά. Γίνεται ξέρη σαν μπισκότο και είναι ιδανική για βόύτηγμα στο τσάι ή στο γάλα.

Μία ξεχωριστή Βασιλόπιτα από την Μικρά Ασία

υλικά

• 75 μλ λιωμένο βούτυρο
• 75 μλ ελαιόλαδο
• 225 γρ ζάχαρη
• 70 μλ νερό (η γιαγιά χρησιμοποιούσε κατασταλαχτή)
• 250 γρ αλεύρι σκληρό
• 250 γρ αλεύρι μαλακό
• 1/4 κουτάλι τσαγιού σόδα 
• 1/2 κουταλάκι τσαγιού μπέκιν
• Άφθονο γαρίφαλο
• 1 κρόκος αυγού
• 1 φλουρί τυλιγμένο σε αλουμινόχαρτο

εκτέλεση

1. Αναμίξτε τα συστατικά με την ακόλουθη σειρά, χρησιμοποιώντας ένα σύρμα. Βούτυρο, ελαιόλαδο, ζάχαρη.
2. Ανακατεύετε τα δύο έιδη αλεύρι, οπού έχετε ήδη προσθέσει τη σόδα και το μπέικιν.
3. Προσθέστε στο μίγμα βουτύρου το αλεύρι σταδιακά χρησιμοποιώντας τα χέρια σας μέχρι η ζύμη να γίνει σαν ζύμη μπισκότου (είναι πιθανό ότι δεν θα χρειαστείτε όλο το αλεύρι).
4. Βάλτε το φλουρί σε φόρμα 24 cm (για βουτυρωμένη και αλευρωμένη).
5. Απλώστε τη ζύμη με τα χέρια και εξωμαλύντε την με τιν βοήθεια μιας σπάτουλας σιλικόνης.
6. Διακοσμήστε όπως εσείς επιθυμείτε και να προσθέσετε τα γαρίφαλα.
7. Χτυπήστε τον κρόκο αυγού και απλώστε το ομοιόμορφα στην πίτα για να δώσετε γυαλάδα μετά το ψήσιμο.
8. Ψήστε στους 180 βαθμούς για περίπου 40-45 λεπτά.
9. Μόλις γίνει χρυσή και θα δείτε μερικές ρωγμές που εμφανίζονται στην άκρη είναι έτοιμη!

Έτσι είναι ή ζύμη όταν είναι έτοιμη.

Με την βοήθεια της σπάτουλας γίνεται πίο ομαλή, αλλά είναι δύσκολο να την κάνουμε εντελώς ίσια την επιφάνεια της.

Μπορείτε να χρησιμοποιήσετε το πιρούνι για διακόσμηση.

Η πάραδοση της οικογενείας μας θέλει πάνω τον Ορθόδοξο Ελληνικό σταυρό.

Μπορείτε να χρησιμοποιήσετε τις φόρμες μπισκότων για έξτρα διακόσμηση.

Διακοσμήστε με πολλά γαρίφαλα, αυτά δίνουν το άρωμα και την γεύση!

Και εννοώ πολλά γαρίφαλα!

Και μην ξεχνάτε τον κρόκο για γιαλάδα :) 

Έτσι είναι μετά το ψήσιμο. 

Εναλλακτικά μπορείτε να χρησιμοποιήσετε μια φόρμα σιλικόνης απο την Silikomart για να ευχαριστήσετε τα μικρά παιδιά.

Καλή Χρονιά!