 My boyfriend, Zach, and I have been spending our quarantine over the last 6 weeks (woah it's been that long?) in Pennsylvania with his family. For the past couple of weeks specifically we have been at his dad's lake cabin enjoying the peace and quiet. I've been especially enjoying time spent in nature and learning about the plants around us. It is very different from what we are used to living in Brooklyn, but I am grateful to have this time to pause and reconnect with trees and streams and grass and moss. Plus I found the mother lode of RAMPS(!!!) which is incredibly exciting. Not finding ramps growing in the wild on Myrtle Ave anytime soon, after all.
Anyway, when I think "cabin by the lake" I think campfires. And what goes with campfires? Marshmallows of course. Every good cabin will have a supply. Just our luck that we are spending this time in a good cabin.  Yes, I am a little crazy...I mean, it's like 100 degrees out and super humid so naturally I decided this was a perfect day to bake. I was going to be hot anyway, right? But I'm happy I'm crazy. Because boy did I come up with a treat!
You might recall earlier in January when I posted my recipe for Iced Blood Orange Shortbread Cookies. In that post I mentioned that the basis for any shortbread cookie I make is the same. Think of these as that cookie's tart, summery cousin. Baking on a hot day may be crazy, but enjoying the flavors of lemon and cherry in crisp buttery form makes it well worth it.  Nothing inspires me to bake more than a rainy Sunday. I love being cooped up inside with the sound of rain tapping on the windows and the smell of baked goods in the air! It's so relaxing and home-y. And in the winter I feel it just adds a layer of comfort and warmth.
I'm all about any type of cookie. You just can't go wrong. But shortbread cookies hold a super special place in my heart. They're basically crunchy yet melt-in-your-mouth butter and I just love that. I use the same base recipe for my shortbread cookies every time but depending on my mood they either stay plain or get flavored. Being that it is winter and citrus fruit is at its prime, the mood struck for me to flavor them with the sweetness of blood orange.  One of the best ways to show appreciation to someone (in my opinion) is to bake for them. Over this last weekend I found myself and friends in Boston for a work event and a coworker was nice enough to let us stay at his home. This was absolutely not necessary on his part, so it only felt right to thank him and his wife with an autumnal baked good (because duh, it's mid-October)!
Cakey. Spicy. Tangy. Chocolatey. I knew exactly what to make - pumpkin cookies with chocolate chips, toasted pecans, and dried cranberries adapted from the Tate's Bake Shop "Baking For Friends" cookbook (aka my personal baking bible). |
AuthorAli is a Brooklyn based blogger and Certified Health Coach with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, providing you with recipes to inspire you to cook more at home! She is a firm believer in knowing that eating healthy can be made easy and inexpensive if you simply know how to cook and understands that for the average person there needs to be balance between "healthy" and "unhealthy". Whether you are looking for easy weeknight recipes, delicious snacks, or want to try something new, Ali's recipes are easy to follow at all skill levels! For more info about Ali and her offerings, check out the About page.   Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
