Maple Shortbread Cookies

Happy Monday! After yesterdays Canada Day we have an other day off and it is also finally vacation for our kids. Last week has been busy with preparations for my daughters Prom, which was on Friday. She looked beautiful with a long navy blue dress, all dolled up with makeup and hair done. All the kids or I should say the young ladies and gents looked amazing! Hard to believe that she already finished high school, emotional moments for sure.

It has been, and still is, a few very hot days here in Ontario, which makes you wish for a pool, spend time at the beach or simply stay indoors.

These Maple Shortbread Cookies were our treat for Canada Day! But they are yummy all year round!

 

Maple Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, soft, room temperature
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 1.5 tsp pure vanilla extract
• pinch of sea salt
• 3 cups spelt flour

-Combine the butter, maple syrup, salt and vanilla extract. Add the flour and mix until well combined. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

-On a lightly floured surface roll dough out and cut into desired shapes. Place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

-Refrigerate for 5 minutes.

Bake in 300 F preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown, do not overbake. Let cool before icing.

-Decorate as desired. I left some plain, some with a maple icing (icing sugar and maple syrup mixed together) and a few a I spread some maple syrup on top and some maple sugar.

-Feel free to use whole wheat or all-purpose flour instead of the spelt flour.

 

 

I wish everyone a happy July!

Enjoy!

Ursula

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advertisement

A little throwback to our vacation in Switzerland and Italy, Summer 2016

As I was looking through my photos of last years vacation, I though it would be fun to show some of the things we ate while in Switzerland and Italy. Yes I do make pictures of our food, if it looks nice I’ll snap a pic;) And I am not the only one…

We went to Switzerland last summer to visit my family. It was a very special and important time for all of us. My father had to undergo a very dangerous heart operation in June, where they only gave him a 50/50 chance of survival. Feeling so blessed and still emotional that he survived, I can’t explain how it felt to see my dad end of July.

Usually we only eat out a few times, it is pretty expensive in Switzerland and we are able to cook and eat at “home”, that’s why I have only a few pictures to show.

This was one of my kids plate. They (we) love Cordon-Bleu.

My “Fitness” Plate , as they call it, this was salad with deep fried fish, okay the deep fried part is probably not so fitness related;), but I love how they make salads.

Now this is a iconic meal you need to eat if you are ever going to Switzerland: “Rahmschnitzel”. So delicious!

My kids and I love the “Kalbsbratwurst” (veal sausage), another traditional dish usually served with “Roesti” (Hashbrowns).

 

We also went on a little trip to Venice, Italy. We went by train, 6 hours. Venice is a very interesting and beautiful City.

Bridge of Sighs

Very cute side passages

It was my kids first time in Italy so they really had their minds on trying an Italian pizza:) and gelato (ice cream), for what I was to late to take a picture from, lol.

This was for one person-they had no sizes to choose from! Way to much, but delizioso!

 

I had to have Gnocchi al pesto-this is one of my favorite dishes-so good!

Cappucchino

(Pizza)Bread Faces- so cool!

 

Back in Switzerland:

Beatus Caves.

Following pictures are from the french speaking part of Switzerland. We stayed with my two brothers and families in a Chalet. That was lots of fun!

 

 

I hope you enjoyed my little throwback!

Ursula

 

 

Black Cherry Cinnamon Buns

Happy weekend everyone!

Have I ever mentioned that I love cinnamon buns?! Well, there is just something about it, I can’t help it. In Switzerland we make cinnamon buns with a hazelnut filling, which is amazingly good;) Checking online you can find cinnamon buns with all kinds of fillings and crazy toppings! It is certainly a treat to be indulged once in a while only-wright?

My husband and I have some trouble digesting wheat products. I personally had to cut back on eating bread (sniff) and pasta. We seem to have less problems mixing white or whole wheat flour with a greater amount of spelt flour, especially for breads and quiches.

Summer is such a great time for many reasons but also for all the berries that are growing. We have strawberries, raspberries, red currants, black currants, gooseberries, cherries, plums and apples in our garden. For now everything is growing great, except the black currants, plums and cherries, (well, there is one cherry growing! LOL) because of frost.

These cherry cinnamon buns were so good. It definitely makes it easier and quicker using frozen pitted cherries. Soft dough and sweet fruity cherry filling-yum!

 

 

You can find the sweet yeast dough recipe here: Almond Croissants I just changed the flour ingredients to 100g spelt flour and 200g unbleached all-purpose flour.

 

Black Cherry Cinnamon Buns

Yields: about 8

Sweet yeast dough:

Almond Croissants

 

Black Cherry Filling:

• 300 g frozen black cherries
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

-In a small saucepan mix all ingredients together and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened.

-Remove from heat. Let cool completely.

 

-Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Grease a baking dish or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

-On a floured surface roll out dough into a rectangle. Spread cherry filling evenly, leaving a 2 cm space from the outside. Roll up gently, this might get a bit messy, and cut into even rolls. Carefully place onto prepared dish or sheet. Cover and let rise again.

-Bake for about 30 minutes or golden brown.

-I glazed the still warm buns with a mix of honey and milk. You could use icing sugar mixed with milk. Use a traditional cinnamon bun icing if desired.

 

Recipe by: a little Swiss, a little Canadian

 

Enjoy!

Ursula

 

 

You can find me on Instagram: @littleswisslittlecanadian

 

 

 

 

 

Semi-frozen Strawberry Tarts

I hope you all have or had a lovely Sunday!! We are going through the first hot weather this year, today it is 32C, and humid in southern Ontario! It would be so nice to jump into a pool right now…

We finally went to a Strawberry Farm at the beginning of the week and bought a lot of strawberries:) And we are picking the first few from our garden. After that amazing Strawberry-Coconut-Cake for my birthday I am back at making also a little bit more healthier treats again. I totally love strawberry tarts, I had two;) when I was in Switzerland (forgot to make a picture). So instead of making a pastry crust, I made an unbaked, raw nut base, filled it with my coconut custard from Coconut Custard mini tarts with mixed berries and put it in the freezer, then decorated it with strawberries-that easy, so refreshingly delicious!

 

Semi-frozen Strawberry Tarts

 

-Makes 10 tarts

 

Coconut-Custard:

-get recipe here: Coconut Custard mini tarts with mixed berries

-Prepare ahead of time. It needs a few hours to cool and set in the fridge.

 

No bake nut base:

• 3/4 cup pistachios
• 1 cup blanched almonds
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

-Blend nuts together until coarse crumbs, add rest of ingredients, pulse a few more time until holds together. Press into cupcake tins. I used silicon forms, slightly greased.

 

Decoration:

• Strawberries

 

-Once the custard is set, you can fill the cupcake tins. Let freeze for a few hours. It will be easier to take out of the form. Decorate with Strawberries and keep in the refrigerator for semi-frozen or put it (without the berries) back in the freezer. My husband and I liked it more semi-frozen, my kids liked it really cold;) LOL

 

 

 

How do you beat the heat?

 

 

Enjoy!

Ursula

 

You can find me on Instagram: @littleswisslittlecanadian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lemon Cake

We`ve been having very nice and warm days, with some thunderstorms in between, but overall we can`t complain. I really enjoy the warmer weather!!

I truly love lemons; in my morning water, in desserts, and just the bright yellow color:) I have made this refreshing, lemony cake many times before, it is so yummy!

 

The lemon balm is from my herb garden, which I have been passionately taken care of for many years now:) I love smelling and using all the different herbs;)

Recipe is adapted from: the best of milk calendar recipes, Desserts&Entertaining

 Lemon Cake

• 1 ⁄ 2 cup butter
• 2 1 ⁄ 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 ⁄4 cup plain yogurt
• grated rind of 2 medium organic lemons
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 1 ⁄ 2 cup fresh lemon juice

-Preheat oven to 350F ⁄180C. Grease and flour a 10-inch (3 L) Bundt pan or 13X9-inch (3 L) cake pan.

-In a large bowl, using electric mixer, beat butter with 2 cups of the sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs, yogurt and lemon rind.

-In a separate bowl, stir flour with baking powder. Stir into egg mixture alternating with milk.

-Spoon into prepared pan. Bake for 50 min. or until tester inserted in center comes out clean.

-Stir remaining sugar with the lemon juice until dissolved. Invert cake onto rimmed plate then, using a toothpick, poke 1-inch deep holes in top. Drizzle lemon mixture over cake. Let cool.

 

— I did use coconut sugar for the cake batter and a lemon and honey mixture to drizzle. Decorate with fresh lemon balm and lemons.–

 

Enjoy!

 

Ursula

 

 

You can find me on Instagram: @littleswisslittecanadian