Tag Archives: Christmas

Door 19 – present time

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Last day at nursery, play, party and a visit by Father Christmas.

So it was time for me as well to hand out Christmas presents.

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When we moved to London, I still wanted to make Christmas biscuits even though we would travel back for the holiday season and I realised that this would actually be the perfect gift for all my friends here. They do not have the same tradition of these biscuits so it would be a unexpected yet very appreciated present (who does not like home made biscuits) and I could still get into Advent baking spirit. So everybody wins 🙂

And today was the day of giving them to people, for some it was a new thing, for others what they have been waiting for… hopefully.

And there are still enough left for us 🙂

 

Door 15 – bread and butter

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IMG_1424Since it is probably our last baking day (ending with a big gingerbread party with a few mums and children “helping”), I wanted to post at least one recipe in my advent calendar.

I chose some of my favourite Christmas biscuits, it seems to be a a local speciality, didn’t find them online, or maybe they are known under a different name. Anyway, we call them “Butterbroetchen”, what could be translated best as “bread and butter”.

The basic recipe is in mini quantities, I usually triple everything.

100g of flour

60g of butter

20g of ground hazelnuts

20g of (icing) sugar

20g of ground chocolate

1 egg white

glazing: 1 egg yolk and 50 – 100g of icing sugar

cut cold butter into small pieces (I grate it) and put it into a big bowl with the flour. Rub it into crumbs. Add nuts, sugar and chocolate and mix loosely with the crumbs.

Add the egg white and knead together to a smooth dough.

Form a roll of 3-4cm diameter, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least half an hour.

Cut slices of 4-5mm and bake them at 200C for about 8min.

Glazing: Mix yolk and sugar over steam to a thick and smooth paste. The more sugar the harder the mixture gets. Spread it onto your “bread slices” and let it dry over night (alternatively 10min at 80C in the oven if you do not want to eat raw egg)

My “bread” looks a bit like a multi grain bread due to rather big pieces of chocolate, alternatively you could use cocoa powder for a more even look.

Door 12 – halfway there

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IMG_1423This picture says it all really 🙂

I only wanted to take a picture of the biscuits and realised that in the background is so much more going on, a craft project (the knitting was just about cut off in this picture), a few toys, Christmas baking and in the center of it the advent wreath with the candles on it.Other than that, Thursday is sewing day, I’ll be making a rainbow skirt for my daughter, using up a few bits and pieces and it is just perfect as they are supposed to wear rainbow colours tomorrow at nursery 🙂

 

Door 7 – No, thank you

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IMG_1344I have finished the very colourful dungarees for my son yesterday.

He had been very interested in the whole sewing process and found the fabric pretty but when I asked him if he would like to put them on, he said – with a little wave of his hand – “no thank you”. Well I guess, at least he is a very polite young man 🙂

Anyway, after all those pretty skirts and dresses for my daughter, I had to try to make something pretty for him too and I can tick this one off my list.

Today and tomorrow will be all about baking (apart from updating my shop). The dough for the gingerbread is already in the fridge, and the finished nuts triangles fill the house with a beautiful smell.