Oh hi! 2016, hey? What a year! I bring cookies to celebrate the end of a true garbage year. Cookies are not going to make everything better, but it’s butter and sugar and cardamom and lemon zest and those are all good things at the moment. I’ll take cheerfulness and kindness in cookie form and they’re easy enough to bake and share with friends and family. I made these last week for a visiting friend from Seattle who loves most things cardamom-related and they turned out really well. They’re very Christmassy and a perfect biscuit to eat with a cup of tea and a good friend. Buttery, spiced and not too sweet.
I posted these cookies on instagram and a few people requested the recipe so here I am. It’s a little funny being back. I had to remind myself how to format the recipe and reacquaint myself with writing down words once more. It’s harder than I remembered and I’m feeling a little rusty dusty! I don’t really know where to begin, so let’s make a list because I’m pretty good with those…
Here are some random things that made my life better this year:
- The Longest Mixtape. This 1000 song mixtape playlist by the band Caribou is full of serious gems. I skipped through much of the house music tracks, but there is so much undiscovered (at least by me) joy to be found in this amazing mixtape.
- Seeing La Sagrada Familia in person. Cornelius and I went to Barcelona (and Paris!) in September and walking through Gaudi’s cathedral was a dream come true.
- Good tv, like Search Party, One Mississippi, Fleabag
- Not being crippled by anxiety. I don’t know what happened – maybe it was to stop making assumptions or not googling every ache or maybe it was yoga and taking long walks. Whatever it was, I’m feeling normal again!
- Consumer purchases, like a new waterproof winter coat, and some skin care stuff
- Seeing lots of great art, theatre & music – from seeing the Black Mountain College exhibition at the Hammer Gallery in LA, the Louis Stettner exhibit at Centre Pompidou, Veda Hille’s Onegin musical production in Vancouver, and seeing Cate Le Bon perform live on a quiet summer night in Vancouver.
Well, that wasn’t so hard. A post and some cookies to boot. Have a wonderful Christmas and let’s all work together to make the world a much nicer and better place. Onwards, 2017!
cardamom slice & bake cookies
I prefer these cookies on the lighter side, so take them out at 20 minutes and see if they need more time in the oven.2.5 c all-purpose flour
2 t ground cardamom
1/4 t freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 t kosher salt
1 c butter, room temperature
1 c icing/confectioners sugar
1 large egg
1 T vanilla
1 t lemon zest, finely grated
1/2 c toasted almonds, finely choppedIn a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cardamom, nutmeg and salt. Set aside. In another larger bowl, beat the butter and confectioners sugar together. Add in the egg, vanilla and lemon zest and blend until well mixed. Pour in the flour mixture and blend until just mixed. Divide the dough in two equal clumps on 2 sheets of parchment or plastic wrap and using the parchment, roll out each dough ball into a log shape. Wrap tightly and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 325F. Unwrap your dough logs and let them rest for a few minutes to warm up on the counter. Scatter the finely chopped toasted almonds onto each sheet of parchment and roll the logs with firm pressure so that the logs are completely covered in nuts. Cut into 1/4 inch slices and place on a parchment covered or silpat covered cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake until lightly golden on the bottom and just starting to colour around the edges, about 20-25 minutes. Cool cookies on wire racks and then store in an airtight container. Makes about 40 cookies.
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Squeee! Oh Jeannette I’ve missed your posts sooo much!! What a great list of goodies! Lapis facial oil….wow! Tell me more about it. I love the raincoat too! And those cardamom cookies sound terrific! I think I’m going to bake some over the weekend. Here’s to 2017!!
Oh these sound delish! And I too missed your posts! Yum! Happy holidays Jeannette!
Thanks Jan for stopping by!
Aw, thanks Joanne! The oil is really great if you have problem skin like mine, for me I find it perfect, but if you have really dry skin, you may want to try something else. The cookies are really lovely, if you do bake them, please let me know. Hooray for 2017!!
I’ve made absolutely no christmas cookies this year. But these are going on my bake soon list.
Definetly i will try this recipe for new year !!
These look lovely and perfect for a brisk wintry day. So happy to see a new post from you. All the best in 2017!
Hope you love them, Michelle!
Thanks, Mithra!
Aw, thanks Janice! Happy new year to you!
What a great way to welcome in 2017 with a new post. You’ve been missed 🙂 Hope we hear more from you in the year to come.
Agreed with islandgirl. Please add with us and also add your thought with your blog. We will be glad you know. Really miss you.
A note to let you know I’m missing you & hoping all is ok.
with cardamom? It may be interesting to combine it, I think perfect for Christmas.
Jan! It’s time to come back and surprise us with your amazing recipes!
Thank you very much for sharing this post on christmas biscuits. I always want make these biscuits and i found one recipe at your site.
I really miss your blog. I think I started reading it when I was in high school. You had the best simplest recipes and posted about vegan and vegetarian food before it was cool. Thank you for the many years of blogging!