C'est la saison...

Christmas is (quite naturally) my favorite time of year. Hot chocolate, apple cider, candy canes, those pillsbury sugar cookie rolls that you cut along the marked lines with the different holiday images in the center, 24 hr. Christmas music on KOST 103.5, "seasonal" specials, painted store fronts, Santa Claus at the mall, the smell of pine, the horrifically cheesy Christmas-themed movies, what's not to love? And despite the long lines, crowded stores, and cold weather, there's something about this time of year that makes me want to cuddle up with old friends and immediate family to just laugh together. Soon enough, soon enough. In the meantime, I always try to spread Christmas cheer wherever I am, even if it is in frigidly cold Paris with it's frigidly cold inhabitants. . .There's no quicker way to spread such cheer than with...



Cookie baking! :) But especially...gingerbread cookies. I remember the paper plates of gingerbread cookies brought back by my brother in plastic and a twisty-tie each year...and I remember how quickly I would devour them. So this year, I emailed my brother's girlfriend to see if I can get my hands on the recipe. These cookies are really, really, amazing. They're not overbearingly gingery and with icing, it's the perfect amount for my sweet tooth. I like my gingerbread cookies more bread-y than cookie...ey... and this recipe makes them just the right consistency. The best part is, if you leave them out, they stay soft and delicious for up to 2 - 3 days. Once you form the dough, you can refrigerate it if you don't want to roll it out immediately. Convenient AND tasty. I'm in love. Thanks Mrs. Wong!

I've made 2 batches within the last week, if that indicates to you how much I love them...
I confess it is also partly because I wanted to use up my molasses (that I excitingly purchased from a BIO store in Belleville). I mean...what the heck else am I going to use molasses for?


Biscuits de pain d'épices
par Celeste Wong

1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses (mélasse)
1 egg
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate de soude)
1/2 tsp nutmeg (muscade)
2 tsp cinnamon (cannelle)
1/2 tsp allspice (quatre-épices)
1 tsp ginger (gingembre)

In a large bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add the molasses, egg, baking soda, and spices. Then gradually add flour until doughy consistency. Use immediately or refrigerate up to one week. Roll out on a lightly floured surface and cut out. Bake at 350 degrees (177 C) for 8-12 minutes. Cool, then put on frosting.

Frosting-recipe-I-used-because-I-didn't-have-access-to-meringue-powder
This is actually a really quick and painless concoction. Works sublimely when you need your icing to dry quickly!

1 cup confectioners' sugar (sucre de glace)
2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
--> You can make your own! (1-1/4 cups sugar and 1/3 cup water, boiled together until syrupy.)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.

1/2 cup = 113 grams (more or less)
3 cups = (680 g), 1,000 = 1 kg

You can ignore my pathetic attempts of metric converting and random ingredient translations...
Actually for the most part, I eyeballed everything because I didn't have any measuring tools in the house. Still turned out delicious though :)

French spices are so cheap! About .85 centimes per bottle. That's unheard of in the states.

Getting creative on the first batch...

I devoured the first batch with Caitlin while watching Disney movies...
Iced with Nutella because I didn't have confectioner's sugar...
it's sprinkled with graham cracker too. I thought it was too rich, but Caitlin loved it.

I made the second batch with icing for my French language class! Notice they are less ridiculous looking. It was a great hit! My French professor (yes, the ridiculously attractive one) scarfed down 3 and asked me if I considered ginger an aphrodisiac.

It was really awkward.