12 Days of Cookies: Day 3, Mexican Wedding Balls

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Macrina Bakery

Mexican Wedding Balls, Snowball Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes… Whatever the name, one thing is certain: These cookies will make spirits bright! The snow-white, powdery appearance makes it a favorite for cookie swaps and festive desserts. The cookies were dubbed Mexican Wedding Balls because of their common use as cheery wedding favors.

The secret to making truly scrumptious, melt-in-your-mouth Mexican Wedding Balls is using high-quality butter and pure vanilla extract. Check out our video to follow Leslie’s simple step-by-step instructions for preparing these cookies!

Mexican Wedding Balls
Click here to print this recipe!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole almonds
12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Makes 3 dozen cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Scatter almonds on a rimmed baking sheet and toast on center rack of oven for approximately 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool, then finely chop and set aside.

3. Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer and using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed for about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and mix for another 5 to 7 minutes, or until the mixture is smooth and pale in color. Add vanilla extract and mix for about 30 seconds, making sure vanilla is fully incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

4. Place almonds and flour in a medium bowl and toss together. Using a rubber spatula, fold half of the dry ingredients into the bowl of batter. After the first batch is fully incorporated, fold in the other half and continue folding until all of the dry ingredients have been absorbed, 1 to 2 minutes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

5. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

6. Scoop small amounts of dough out of the bowl (I like to use a small ice cream scoop), and roll the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart, pressing them down lightly to create a flat bottom on each cookie. Chill in refrigerator for about 2 hours.

7. Back on center rack of oven, 1 sheet at a time, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies just start to color. To help the cookies bake evenly, rotate the baking sheet every 4 minutes or so. Let the cookies cool slightly on the baking sheet, then toss them in powdered sugar. Lay the sugar-coated cookies on a clean baking sheet to finish cooling. Finally, after the cookies are fully cooled, toss them in powdered sugar once again. They can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 month at room temperature.

12 Days of Cookies: Day 2, Quick & Easy Cookie Icing

Posted on December 11, 2014 by Macrina Bakery

Decorating sugar cookies can be a fun way to wile away a chilly afternoon with friends. Don’t despair if your little cookie canvasses aren’t perfect works of art. With a little practice, you’ll be icing cookies like our pastry chefs. In the meantime, rest assured that these cookies taste delicious no matter what – especially if you followed our tips for baking the perfect batch!

Quick & Easy Cookie Icing
Click here to print this recipe!

Ingredients

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon filtered water
Food coloring

Makes enough icing to decorated 6 to 8 six-inch cookies

1. Place powdered sugar in a medium bowl and add water. *Stir to combine until the mixture is smooth and all the sugar is dissolved. Add just a couple of drops of food coloring and mix well. You can always add more food coloring until the desired color is reached. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 1 day.

2. Repeat the steps above to create more colors.

3. Fit your pastry bags with the desired piping tips. A fine tip is perfect for drawing detailed decorations and making outlines. A wider tip can be used to fill in spaces. Using a rubber spatula, fill each bag with a different frosting color. Gather the frosting near the tip so no air will escape the tip as you are decorating. When icing the cookies, make sure the piping tip is not touching the cookie, but rather hovering over the cookie. One way to cover the whole cookie with a glaze of icing is by putting on a latex glove, dipping your finger into the icing and painting the cookie with your finger.

4. While the icing is wet, add embellishments to the cookie by topping with colored sprinkles or crystal sugar. Once the icing has set, gently tap the cookie to get rid of extra sprinkles and sugar.

5. After all the cookies have been decorated, let them sit for 2 hours at room temperature, so the frosting can set.

*If your icing is too thick, stir in more water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached; if too thin, continue stirring, or mix in more powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached.

12 Days of Cookies: Day 1, Our Best Baking Tips

Posted on December 10, 2014 by Macrina Bakery

Baking cookies is usually our first foray into cooking, and it remains one of the most pleasurable cooking experiences throughout our lives. The simple act of combining a few ingredients to make a big batch of sweets is a great way to spread some holiday cheer. To make sure your cookies are baked to perfection, we rounded up a few simple guidelines.

Cream the butter. If a cookie recipe calls for butter and sugar, it’s important to mix, or cream, the two together. Use a stand mixer to cream the ingredients with the paddle attachment for about five minutes. Start out on low speed for the first minute or so, and then increase the speed to medium. This process aerates the butter, creating a light color and creamy texture, and ultimately gives the cookies more height.

Pay attention to the eggs. As with all perishable ingredients, always use the freshest, highest quality eggs you can find. Add eggs to the cookie dough one at a time, making sure each egg is completely incorporated into the batter before adding another. We recommend scraping the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl frequently with a rubber spatula to make sure every bit of the egg is mixed into the dough.

Fold in the dry ingredients. Rather than separately adding dry ingredients such as flour, baking soda, and salt to cookie dough, combine them in one bowl and mix well with a whisk, so that they will be evenly distributed throughout the cookies. Then, when the instructions call for it, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula. Add small amounts at a time, folding in each batch until all of the flour has been absorbed into the dough. Folding the dough helps avoid over-mixing, which could result in tough cookies.

Chill the dough. It’s tempting to form and bake your cookies as soon as you make the dough – waiting can be agony when there are hungry people around – but chilling the finished dough for one hour in the refrigerator will ensure thicker, chewier cookies. If the butter inside the dough is not chilled before baking, it will melt quickly when placed in the oven, resulting in flat cookies that burn around the edges but stay raw in the middle. It’s worth waiting an hour to make the best cookie possible.

There really is nothing better than warm, freshly baked cookies. We hope your holiday season is filled with lots of delicious treats now that you’re armed with our best baking tips!

Find more baking tips like these as well as wonderful cookie recipes in our latest cookbook, More from Macrina.

The Great Figgy Pudding Caroling Competition

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Macrina Bakery

We are spreading holiday cheer in more ways than one this year! The 28th Annual Great Figgy Pudding Caroling Competition is just around the corner, and we are excited to be part of this wonderful tradition. If anyone can get you into the spirit of the season, it’s our caroling team, The Baker’s (Dirty) Dozen!

Not only is Figgy Pudding Seattle’s biggest holiday music event, the competition provides tremendous support to the Pike Market Senior Center & Food Bank. Everyone is welcome to join us on Friday, December 5, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in Seattle’s Westlake Center as we sing our hearts out during one truly magical night. You can find our team at the corner of 6th and Pine. With your help, we will make it to the Figgy Main Stage to compete against the top caroling teams!

While The Baker’s (Dirty) Dozen warms up their vocal chords, practices scales and rehearses Christmas carols, cue up our Wintery Mix playlist below and take a moment to donate to the Pike Market Senior Center & Food Bank.

Holidays 101: Superb Side Dishes

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Macrina Bakery

Turkey gets all the glory on Thanksgiving Day, but no plate is complete without a spoonful of stuffing, tendrils of scrumptious salad, and a beautiful basket of bread. We have some savory side dishes that are so good, they might just steal the spotlight.

Holiday Porcini Stuffing

Our Holiday Porcini Stuffing Mix starts with handmade bread that’s dried in-house, then combined with cranberries, savory porcini mushrooms, and a blend of sautéed veggies. With enough stuffing to fill a 14-pound bird, you’re sure to satisfy the entire group – and hopefully have a little leftover for turkey sandwiches. Pick up a package, complete with recipe, at any of our cafés.

Sweet Potato & Delicata Squash Gratin

This rich and creamy side dish is a must-have at your holiday table. The combination of sweet potatoes, delicata squash, roasted mushrooms and chopped walnuts will have you rethinking standard mashed potatoes. Click here to print the recipe.

Sweet & Spicy Nuts

Sure, our Sweet & Spicy Nuts are irresistible right out of the bag, but they are even better chopped and added to a salad of fresh greens and dried cranberries, a roasted mix of winter root vegetables, or as a topping for sweet potato soufflé. Find our signature blend in our cafés.

Dinner Rolls

While we have plenty of loaves to choose from, our pillowy soft, full-flavored dinner rolls are an easy way to wow your guests. Choose from Porcini Harvest, Buttermilk, Rustic Potato, Olivetta or Whole Wheat Cider Rolls or mix and match a couple of trays to suit your guests’ tastes. Leftover rolls will come in handy for making those day-after-Thanksgiving turkey sliders. Find our dinner roll trays in our cafés.

Holidays 101: Just Desserts

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Macrina Bakery

What better way to indulge with abandon than with a table filled with holiday desserts? Using a colorful tablecloth, a few cake stands, and our delicious assortment of pies, tarts and cakes, we can help you end Thanksgiving dinner on a very sweet note!

Maple Apple Pie

This show-stopping double-crusted pie is hands-down, everyone’s favorite. Sorry, Mom. It was recently named one of the 12 Best Bakery Desserts for the Holidays by The Seattle Times.

Dessert Table Tip: Team up this nine-inch pie with our nine-inch Macrina’s Pumpkin Pie and fill in the table with miniature versions of our Brandied Orange Pecan Pie and Pear Ginger Upside Down Cake.

Pecan Streusel Pumpkin Pie

Streusel is the new bacon; everything is better with it. We’ve perfected pumpkin pie and taken our recipe up a notch (OK, several notches) with a layer of sweet and crunchy pecan streusel.

Dessert Table Tip: Round out the dessert table with a nine-inch Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cranberry Compote and tiers of Gingerbread Spice Cups.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cranberry Compote

This silky, lightly spiced cheesecake is a twist on traditional pumpkin pie. Resting atop a crushed ginger molasses cookie crust and topped with cranberry compote, it satisfies all of your fall dessert cravings in one delectable bite.

Dessert Table Tip: Appease every palate at the table by teaming up this cheesecake with a nine-inch Brandied Orange Pecan Pie and miniature Maple Apple Pies.

Give us a call or stop by one of our cafés to pre-order your Thanksgiving desserts through November 24!

Holidays 101: Easy Party Appetizers

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Macrina Bakery

Amuse-bouches, hors d’oeuvres & appetizers, oh my! You don’t need a lot of time or creative flare to pull together an elegant spread of party-worthy bites. Take a look at our favorite ways to kick off the festivities without breaking a sweat.

Grissini

You often find these crisp Italian breadsticks dressing up the tables in restaurants across Italy, but here Grissini gets a lot of curious looks for its long shape. Rolled with fennel, green olives and olive oil, our Grissini has wonderful flavor on its own, but we love to wrap it with thinly sliced prosciutto just like they do in Italy.

Sardinian Flatbread

The Seeded Sardinian Flatbread is the newest addition to our flatbread selection. Each piece is adorned with toasted sesame, poppy and fennel seeds, adding extra color, texture and flavor to your holiday table. Top with a savory jam and favorite cheese, serve with charcuterie or break them apart and dip in one of our housemade spreads.

Crostini

Like the Sardinian Flatbread, our Crostini is a delicious blank slate. We have Crostini available in different flavors, but this time of year we reach for our Cranberry Apricot Nut Crostini. Mingling the flavors of dried fruit, toasted nuts and a hint of clove, this Crostini is a nice balance of sweet and savory. Pair it with our Potted Cheese or top with creamy fromage blanc and a drizzle of honey for a perfect party appetizer.

Francese Crostini

For those who don’t mind spending a little extra time in the kitchen, you can whip up a full-flavor Francese Crostini in a snap! Simply toast a sliced loaf of Pane Francese, spread it with our Fig & Olive Tapenade and then top it all off with some toasted pine nuts for a crowd-pleasing snack everyone will think you spent hours on.

FarmRaiser: Freshening Up the School Fundraiser

Posted on October 16, 2014 by Macrina Bakery

Move over glossy gift wrap catalogs and generic chocolate bars! There’s a new school fundraiser in town. With the virtuous goal of bolstering local farms and businesses while also supporting schools, FarmRaiser is freshening up the old-school fundraiser model.

Mark Abbott dreamed up the idea for a fundraiser that offers wholesome products that people actually want after his son sold hundreds of dollars worth of highly processed foods one year. From that initial seed grew FarmRaiser, a fundraising program that allows schools to purchase farm-fresh foods and products from local purveyors at wholesale prices, sell these items at a retail price to friends and families, and then keep most of the profits within their community.

“One of the best things about FarmRaiser is that kids get excited about the products they’re selling, not just the prizes they might get for selling something,” says Christina Carson, chief cultivator at FarmRaiser. “They love seeing farmers bring in boxes of fresh, local produce, smelling freshly baked breads, and learning how to use scales in weighing products.”

Our friend Cheri Bloom who runs the gardening education curriculum at Montlake Elementary introduced us to FarmRaiser in 2013. Cheri is always looking for creative ways to build funding for her program while staying true to its mission. FarmRaiser offered the perfect solution, supplementing grants from Les Dames d’Escoffier, Whole Foods Market and the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods.

“What I love about FarmRaiser is that I have seen how successful it has been for local farmers and food artisans and at the same time directly linking with our school’s mission,” says Cheri. “Last year’s campaigns did as well, if not better, than other fundraisers we have had. I expect this year to be better with more awareness of FarmRaiser and the students involvement in the campaigns.”

After teaming up with FarmRaiser at Seattle schools last year, we knew we wanted to take part in this program once again in support of Stevens Elementary, Montlake Elementary and Queen Anne Elementary. This year you’ll find our Cranberry Apricot Nut Bread peeking from FarmRaiser bags alongside Mt. Townsend Creamery cheese, Willie Greens Organic Farms produce, and Loki Fish Company seafood.

“I think it is a win-win,” says Macrina Bakery Founder Leslie Mackie. “We get to expose new customers – young and old – to our products and they get to enjoy a hand-delivered fresh loaf of artisan bread made from flour grown here in Washington state. It’s a really smart way to get kids jazzed about buying local and celebrating the wonderful businesses in their neighborhood!”

Check out FarmRaiser online for more information.

Photos courtesy of FarmRaiser

Pumpkin, Spice & Everything Nice

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Macrina Bakery

Cozy scarves, crisp leaves and piles of orange pumpkins, that’s what fall is made of. Judging from local breweries, coffee shops, and supermarket shelves, we’re not alone in our love of pumpkin. Spiced with cinnamon, sweetened with brown sugar, or blended with butternut squash, pumpkin-spiked pastries and pies have taken over our Autumn Menu. With so many to choose from, we bet you can find a favorite for any time of day.

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffin & Vegan Pumpkin Scone

The sun may not be up when we climb out of bed, but the promise of pumpkin keeps us from hitting the snooze button. Both of these breakfast staples are topped with a sprinkle of sugar and toasted pumpkin seeds for extra texture and flavor. Pair them with a cup of Caffé Umbria coffee or a Mocha to kick-start your morning.

Brown Sugar Pumpkin Spice Cupcake & Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie

When the afternoon lull sets in, the combination of chocolate and pumpkin or spiced cake and brown sugar buttercream will put some bounce back in your step. Teamed up a cupcake or cookie with our cold-brewed iced coffee and sail through the rest of your day.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cranberry Compote & Pumpkin Pie Bar

These desserts were so popular last holiday season, we knew we had to bring them back. Our silky cheesecake and signature bars are full of autumn flavors and intriguing enough to set themselves apart from the pack. Pick one up to enjoy after dinner with a cup of hot cocoa.