photos by Leah Gray – 

Home baking, especially a family favourite or traditional recipe, is one of the best ways to get everyone into the holiday spirit. Most households have a special dish or treat that they bring out every year – the one classic that it just wouldn’t be Christmas without. But who do you turn to when you want to add a new taste to the tried-and-true selection?

We decided to bring back our holiday bake-off for another year, pitching two Sidney business owners (and good friends) against each other, to find the quintessential Christmas cookie. With baking sheets at the ready, they hit the kitchen for a baking bonanza, flavoured with just the right amount of friendly rivalry. Will Courtney Thomas from Quince Cafe win you over with her amaretti treat? Or will Ashley Stelck from Hansell & Halkett Vintage Home Decor take the biscuit with her pecan shortbread?

Almonds or pecans, which will you try? Whichever flavour takes your fancy, we know that Courtney and Ashley’s special cookies will both make a delicious addition to your holiday baking selection!

 

Courtney Thomas: The holidays can be a time for embracing family traditions and no more so than in the kitchen.

In our family, Vinaterta, an Icelandic layered cake, is made in the weeks leading up to Christmas Day. Once cooled, it is carefully wrapped in waxed paper and tucked into my grandmother’s old blue cake tin, not to be opened until we get the all clear from mom that it’s ready to eat. It is a firm favourite, but also a bit time consuming to make, so I’ve chosen to share a simple and delicious amaretti cookie recipe that is every bit as satisfying. Chewy, with hints of almond and spice, it lends itself well to a little afternoon indulgence. Fill with your favourite fruit jam, or even a bit of chocolate spread. Then brew a pot of tea and put your feet up!

Amaretti Cookie

3 cups almond flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ginger
1/8 tsp clove
3 egg whites
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
jam of your choice

Preheat oven to 350° and line two sheets with parchment paper.

In a food processor, add the almond flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and clove. Mix well. Add the egg whites, almond extract and vanilla extract. Pulse until the dough forms a ball.

Make tablespoon-sized scoops and roll into balls. The dough will be sticky, so a bowl of water nearby to wet your hands will be helpful. Place the balls on the cookie sheet and gently flatten, then make an indentation in the centre of each cookie.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden. Cool for 5 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. Once completely cool, spoon your preferred jam into the centre.

 

Ashley Stelck: The holiday season and cozy afternoons spent baking morsels dusted with powdery white sugar and sprinkles have gone hand in hand for as long as I can remember. Each year there are the obvious classics I make – shortbreads, tarts and mince pies – and then in addition I always like to try something new. I have to admit I am not the strongest baker: I’m more of a free spirit cook that tends to wing things a bit more than they should when they are meant to weigh and measure with great precision! But there are a handful of recipes that I have found over the years that can be whipped up with a few simple ingredients, are ready in a jiffy and are worthy of a good bake off!

These tasty sweet and salty biscuits are filled with toasted pecans and sweetened with golden brown sugar, giving them just that perfect amount of cookie sophistication.

Brown Sugar-Pecan Shortbread Recipe From Davis Lebovitz’s Ready for Dessert

2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup salted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup toasted and chopped pecans

Mix flour and salt, set aside.

In a mixer beat butter and sugar till smooth with no streaks, then add vanilla. Slowly add flour and mix until incorporated. Stir in pecans.
Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form it into a 4”x6” rectangle. Wrap tightly in the plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper, and preheat the oven to 350°. Cut the dough lengthwise into 2 equal pieces, then cut each crosswise into 1/4” pieces. Place cookies on prepared sheets and bake until golden brown for about 15 minutes.