There’s something very joyful about this season, and it’s absolutely infectious. When the wonderful Chris Ann & Kristin from LoveFeast Table wrote to me asking if I would like to join their table for the LoveFeast Cookie Holiday Exchange for “Savoring the Holidays” I felt touched, and humbled too. It is an honour for me to join them at their beautiful table, amidst a bunch of fabulous food bloggers where we sit and swap tales, cookies and cheers this season. Sometimes I do wish it weren’t virtual…
From far away in India, where I blog, the Christmas spirit is sweeping our beautiful country in its own sweet way. This year has been especially nice as we flagged off the season with a Traditional Cake Mixing Ceremony at the Garden Hilton. A first for me, it just set me into a baking fever! My first love is to bake with fruit, which has held me captivated, and obsessed for a while now.
It takes me from season to season, from cherries to berries, plums and mangoes to apples and pears! It adds colour to my culinary palette and offers healthy desserts to my family. It also encourages the kids to try different fruits, and enjoy them. I am an experimental cook, though not very adventurous, but like to develop recipes. Oh yes, did I forget to add I love photography too? I’m much the ‘auto‘ clicker still, but I love it!
For this holiday season, I encourage you to get experimental. Enjoy bringing good food to the table, pay extra attention to garnishing and try to add variety to the menu each day! Dress up your food, present it well … and spread the cheer!
The cookies I’ve brought to your table today have something for everyone. Who doesn’t like shortbread? I found these super yum bars at Ewa’s blog and made them within an hour of seeing them! They are fabulous for the season. Top a basic shortbread cookie base with strawberry compote, add some chocolate chips, a streusel topping, and you have a winner! They went rather quick from my table, but I saved some for you. We had the bars at home, and I made hearts for LoveFeast’s Holiday Cookie Exchange! Hope you enjoy them as much as we did! Thank you for having me over. Have a beautiful holiday season!
Chocolate Chip & Strawberry Shortbread Streusel BarsThese are delicious bars, and very good for holiday feasting. They are festive, delicious and adaptable.
Adapted from Delishhh {the original recipe is from December 2007 Sunset Magazine but with several adjustments.}
Yield: 24 bars | Prep: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 45 Minutes
1 cup butter, chilled and cut into bits
1 2/3 cups flour
1 cup oats
1 cup vanilla sugar
1 egg
½ vanilla bean, scraped
Strawberry filling {recipe below}
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Strawberry filling3 cups frozen strawberries {or 2 ½ cups fresh cranberries}
2/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp water
Method:
{Prepare the strawberry filling first, so it can cool down as you make the shortbread}
In a medium sized saucepan, place all the ingredients. Then, over medium-high heat, cook the ingredients until boiling. Continue to boil the filling until it becomes thick and syrup, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool while you make the shortbread.
Shortbread
Preheat oven to 180C. Line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment paper.
In a food processor, mix flour, scraped vanilla bean, oats and sugar for 10 seconds. Add 1 cup butter; mix until mixture forms breadcrumbs. Set aside ½ cup of mixture. Add the egg and process till it begins to form a ball.
Press the shortbread mixture into the base of the pan. Spread with the strawberry filling. Sprinkle walnuts, dried cranberries and chocolate chips, then press into dough. Finally sprinkle the top evenly with the reserved breadcrumb cookie mixture.
Bake at 180C until topping is pale gold, about 45 minutes. Cool on rack and cut into 24 bars. Drizzle with melted dark chocolate if you like.
I cut a few with my heart shaped cookie cutter, and gave each a hand made dark chocolate lace border! Dressed them up for you!
