Holiday baking, 2019 (part 1)

The holiday season is my favorite excuse to amp up on baking.  It's a year-round sport for me but come late November through the month of December, baking takes on a whole extra level of sweetness.  I'm savoring this time in the kitchen, and I thought it'd be fun to once again cobble together pics of some of the baking that's been going on in my kitchen.  We're baking plenty of family-favorites, with some new recipes mixed in.

Let's start with the peppermint-chocolate macarons shown above.  I'm no stranger to trying macaron recipes and even though it's always a high-wire act with uncertain results, I can't help myself.  Since it's the holidays, it's all about the peppermint - my son's favorite flavor this time of year - so I went with the chocolate and peppermint combo using Martha Stewart's recipe in her latest book, Cookie Perfection.  I wish I could say my macarons were perfection but I did have some cracked shells.  Overall, though, we ended up with a solid batch of macarons.  It was the first time I flavored the macaron shells with peppermint (as opposed to adding it in the chocolate ganache filing) and we really liked the result.

Did I mention it's all about the chocolate-peppermint right now?  I snuck in an early batch of my son's favorite peppermint brownies a few weeks ago.  By request, I'm actually making another batch today as I type this.  

For me, it's time to stock up on almond paste during the holidays.  A batch of pignoli cookies hit the table this season and I also made the cherry-almond macaroons just yesterday.  

They bake up, and disappear, very quickly.  I love having almond paste around and making some version of these chewy almond macaroons whenever I have extra egg whites on hand.

During this season of warm drinks, it's also nice to have simple cookies like hazelnut biscotti around for dipping.  I love a dry, crunchy biscotti filled with nuts!  It's also a great option when you want something a little less rich - that way, you have space for all the other chocolates and treats around us this time of year.  

Hot chocolate affogato

Remember when I discovered affogato?  It was love at first bite.  I think my husband and I had it every night for dessert for about 6 nights straight.  Our little one was a little peeved and intrigued. He'd say "you're having affogato again?" when he'd see me setting up for it around his bedtime.

Well, I hate to leave my little one out so this hot chocolate affogato was for him.  I came across a picture of it from Bon Appetit.  I showed it to my son, whose eyes lit up, and he requested it right away.  I managed to make him wait a bit but finally made a version for him recently.

Ice cream drowned in hot chocolate.  I don't need to say we all enjoyed it thoroughly.  It was another instance where I asked myself why I haven't done this before!  Better late than never.

For our cups of hot chocolate affogato, I used vanilla and mint ice cream.  To make it a little extra special, I added a spoonful of freshly whipped cream and sprinkled them with either dark chocolate or peppermint candy.  My little one kept sneaking more of that peppermint topping; I quickly realized I had to remove the bowl from him.

This is my kind of seasonal eating.  You know we're always being told, rightfully so, to eat what's "in season" and I'm hoping hot chocolate counts because it's clearly hot chocolate season and I hope you're taking full advantage of it like we are.

Throughout the holiday season (especially in December but we're starting earlier and earlier), I love to have hot chocolate "breaks" where my family and I drop everything and sit down to a little hot chocolate and some treats on a weekend afternoon.  It's just a way to take a pause and savor the holiday season.  This affogato is a little alternative for those breaks but cookies are still welcomed alongside, of course. 

I love the upcoming month of December.  As busy as it gets, I also feel like it's the calmest month and I make an effort to make sure it's relaxing and peaceful (that means a lot of online Christmas shopping!).  I hope you'll have time to savor the holidays with your family.  On a cold afternoon or night, make some hot chocolate, add some ice cream, and dig in together.  I think it'll remind you that yes, life is good...and that simple things can bring us a lot of joy.

Affogato with chocolate gelato (and amaretto)

When I made this affogato the other day, it was late afternoon after a fairly long, hot, and busy day. I was tired but wanted to put one together so I could take a few clicks while it was bright out. Well...let me just tell you that I dug my spoon in, took one bite, and the world was right again.  I think I felt the earth shift back into place like a puzzle piece slotted into its proper home.

Maybe it was just the caffeine-sugar-chocolate-slightly boozy hit that I needed that late afternoon but I put the camera down and just sat back and enjoyed my first affogato - which translates into "drowned" in Italian.  It is simply gelato (or ice cream) topped with a shot of espresso.    

I highly recommend adding a splash or two of liqueur.  I'm not automatically one for alcohol in my desserts but the amaretto liqueur I went with works really well here.  The combination of rich chocolate gelato with the almond flavor of the amaretto, together with the hot espresso and teeny bit of fresh whipped cream created a little bit of magic in a glass.

I asked myself: How have I not only never made, but never had, this before?!

The marvelous thing is this is very easy to make.  I used homemade chocolate gelato, a wonderful recipe I blogged about here but you (and I) could certainly use store-bought gelato or ice cream, and any flavor at that.  For me, chocolate reigns supreme and we all know how wonderful the combination of chocolate and coffee is!

Once your gelato/ice cream is in place, all you need to do is pour a shot of hot espresso over it.  To make my espresso, I simply used espresso powder, which I always have in my pantry for baking. I'm no coffee connoisseur and while I realize that a true espresso with that coveted crema on top would make a far better affogato, taking this necessary shortcut more than sufficed (in fact, was excellent) for me.  Espresso is normally way too strong for me to drink straight-up but in this dessert, it's a whole other happy story.

Next, I added a healthy splash of amaretto liqueur and topped the affogato with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.  If you have any biscotti, ladyfingers, or amaretti cookies lying around the house, this is a great place to serve one alongside.  

Everything melds together - it's cold, it's warm, it's smooth and soothing.  It's sweet yet a little bitter.  It is a wonderful grown-up dessert.  As you can probably tell by now, I liked it a lot more than I thought I would.  I love a happy discovery!  My husband agreed with my assessment; when I made him his first one that night, his only complaint was that his portion was "too small"! 

I waited too long to have my first affogato but now that I'm in on the secret, I'm quickly making up for lost time.  Better late than never!