Cookie Swap: A Christmas Cookie History

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‘Tis the season for baking! Whether you’re hosting a Christmas party or having a quiet holiday celebration at home, chances are cookies will be part of the equation.

The tradition of baking and sharing Christmas cookies stretches back for centuries with its roots firmly planted in Europe. As people migrated to America, so did their cooking traditions. According to McCalls’ December 1994 issue, the earliest account of Christmas cookies in America came from the Dutch in the 1600s.

With an assortment of Ginger Molasses Cookies, Swedish Overnights, Mexican Wedding Balls, and Sour Cherry Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies, our Christmas Cookie Box is a melting pot of cultural flavors. Like folklore, some of these recipes have been shared and modified so much their origins have become blurry, but we’ve tracked down some truths about each recipe.

Ginger Molasses Cookies

As Leslie says, ginger has a natural warming quality that’s perfect for this time of year. With its recipe closely mirroring that of gingerbread, conventional wisdom tells us that the Ginger Molasses cookie is a miniature version of the sweet and spicy cake.

Mexican Wedding Balls

These cookies are perhaps the most ragtag of the bunch. Also known as Russian Tea Cakes, Snowballs and Butterballs, it’s believed that this recipe came from the Moors who invaded Spain in the 8th century. Some food historians say the recipe eventually migrated to South America and Mexico with European nuns.

Swedish Overnights

No Scandinavian Christmas celebration would be complete without Swedish Overnights. Also called Swedish Heirloom Cookies, Swedish Overnights share similar ingredients to Mexican Wedding Balls. These cookies can be dusted with powered sugar, or in this case, colorful sprinkles for a festive touch.

Sour Cherry Shortbread Cookies

A classic Scottish dessert with three basic ingredients, shortbread makes a quintessential cookie. It’s a popular choice for holidays, because it’s so adaptable and can be cut into festive shapes. We’ve added coarse crystal and brown sugars, tart cherries and vanilla to our recipe for more complex flavor.

Like those before us, we hope you enjoy sharing these recipes for many years to come!

Meet Our Family: Joni Scalzo & Liz Johnson

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Joni and Liz, our holiday decorating team

Joni Scalzo and Liz Johnson, the creative duo behind our holiday decor, spread cheer one season at a time. Seemingly overnight, each of our cafés has been transformed into a winter wonderland with frost-dotted windows and pine saplings, jewel-toned ornaments and bows of greenery.

“I love decorating for Macrina,” Joni gushes. “It’s organic and creative. And I’m always surprised by the little things that can become everything. We’ll find one little thing that we’re inspired by, like an ornament, and we’ll take it apart and tweak it and turn it into something different.”

Joni’s mile-a-minute, inventive spirit is not only inherent, coming from a big, creative family, she has nearly three decades of experience with Nordstrom. During her tenure, she worked her way into its visual department, a place that has turned holiday merchandising into an art. Joni credits Nordstrom for teaching her everything she knows, including finding ingenious opportunities in each decorating challenge.

“We always have a plan but roll with everything that comes up,” she says. “If I forget a pumpkin, we’ll make it out of something else. We’re pretty organized and methodical but sometimes we’ll do something that we like better than what was planned. It just always works out.”

The day after each holiday, she and Liz begin brainstorming for next year. They find inspiration in the glossy spreads of Country Home and Coastal Living and on the shelves of World Market, Anthropologie and West Elm. Subtlety is key for keeping our customers and staff happy while infusing our cafés with a bit of festive flair, but Joni and Liz continue to wow everyone each season. They can’t help but let that spirit spill into their homes as well.

“I get really excited about the decorations at Macrina and then they’ll show up at my house!” chimes Liz. “Like those wooden disc cutouts; I put those on my Christmas list. Or burlap; I got excited about burlap a while ago, so I took framed pictures and wrapped the mat in burlap.”

Liz admits that being a full-time decorator can get a bit hairy (and dirty) at times. She recalls finding herself covered in spray adhesive and strips of birch after decorating for Thanksgiving. But, she says, it’s totally worth it.

“It can be exhausting, but when you’re done it’s the best feeling. It’s a high!”

And with that the two fall into step, discussing decorating plans for the next holiday: Valentine’s Day.

Our Favorite Apple Pie Recipe

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Everyone is rolling out their favorite apple pie recipe this time of year. But, if you’ve ever tasted ours, you know it’s something special. The buttery crust holds its flakiness under miles of tart Granny Smith apples and blissfully sweet brown sugar. The combination is irresistible.

We’re sharing our apple pie recipe for those wishing to try their hand at it at home, but you can also order our apple pie in whole or mini size at any of our cafés through the holidays.

Apple Brown Sugar Pie
Click here to print this recipe!

Ingredients

8 medium Granny Smith apples (about 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, cored and sliced in to 1/2-inch wedges

1 cup plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar, divided

1/4 cup plus 1 heaping tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 recipe Double-Crusted Flaky Pie Dough

1 large egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water for egg wash

Lightly sweetened creme fraiche or whipped cream, for serving

Preparation
Makes one 9-inch pie

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Put the apples in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of flour. Pour mixture over the apples and toss thoroughly – the wedges should be completely coated. Spread the apples evenly on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the apples are just tender. Halfway through baking, redistribute the apples for even baking. Cool them on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes. Carefully pour the excess juices into a bowl and reserve. Cool the apples completely at room temperature or refrigerate to speed up the process.

3. Using a fork, mash the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and the remaining heaping tablespoon of flour in a medium bowl until well mixed. Dot the brown sugar-butter mixture randomly onto the apples and toss thoroughly. You don’t want to have concentrations of butter – it should be dotted throughout the apples.

4. Remove the pie dough from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften slightly. On a floured work surface, roll out the larger disk into a circle roughly 15 inches in diameter and 1/8-inch thick. This is your bottom crust. As you’re rolling, check frequently to make sure the dough isn’t sticking; add flour to the dough and work surface as needed. Fold the dough in half and transfer it to a 9-inch pie pan. Place the dough in half of the pan and then unfold, draping it evenly over the entire pan. This is the easiest way to move the dough without breaking it. Gently fit the dough into the pan and trim excess (clean scissors work well for this), leaving a 1-inch overhang.

5. Roll out the smaller disk into a circle roughly 10 inches in diameter and 1/8-inch thick. Invert another 9-inch pie pan on top of the dough and use a small, sharp knife to cut a circle slightly larger than the pan. This is your top crust. Cut six 2-inch slots (or any pattern you choose) in the middle to vent steam from the pie as it bakes. Using a pastry brush, paint egg wash around the outer 1/2-inch of the bottom crust.

6. Spoon the filling into the shell, lightly packing the apples and leveling the top. Invert the top crust over the filling and press down lightly on the egg-washed edge. If the dough extends farther than the pan, cut away the excess. Bulky pie edges can break during the baking process or remain under-baked when the rest of the pie is finished.

7. Brush the top crust with the egg wash. Fold the bottom crust over-hang up and over about 1/2 inch of the top crust, pressing the layers of dough together. With a fork or your fingers, crimp the edge decoratively, then brush with a little more egg wash. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar evenly over the top of the pie.

8. Chill the pie in the freezer for 30 minutes. Don’t be tempted to skip this step! The freezer will firm up the pie dough, which, by this time, will have become fairly soft from handling. Re-chilling the butter will prevent the crust from shrinking, make the dough less apt to fall, and create a flakier finished product.

9. Increase oven temperature to 375°F. Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and bake until the top is deep brown and the filling is bubbling, about 1 hour. Cool the pie for about 1 hour before serving to let it set up.

10. To serve, spoon some of the reserved apple juice to pool on each plate and top with a slice of pie and a dollop of lightly sweetened crème fraîche or whipped cream.

Pie Dough Recipe: Make a Supremely Flaky Double-Crust

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Pie Dough

Pie dough doesn’t have to be problematic – or store-bought. We have a foolproof pie dough recipe using simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry and we’ve included instructions for mixing by hand.

Keep all of your ingredients as cold as possible and avoid overworking the dough to ensure your crust comes out super flaky every time. Of course, if your pie doesn’t turn out how you hoped (it happens to the best of us), you can pick up one our favorites at any of our cafés. Let’s get baking!

Double-Crusted Flaky Pie Dough
Click here to print this recipe!

Ingredients

2 ½ cups plus 2 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
14 tbsp (1 ¾ sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces
½ cup chilled palm or other trans-fat-free shortening, cut into pea-size pieces
½ cup ice water

Instructions
Makes enough for one 9-inch double-crusted pie

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour and salt. Add half of the butter pieces and quickly turn the mixer on and off a few times at low speed. (This is a way of gradually cutting the butter into the flour without sending the flour skyward.) Add the remaining butter and continue mixing on low speed until the mixture is coarse and crumbly, about two minutes. Add the shortening pieces to the dough. Continue mixing on low speed until it is crumbly again, about one minute. Add the ice water all at once and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, just until it is incorporated. The dough will now look almost like cookie dough, with no dry parts at the bottom of the bowl.

2. If you are making the dough by hand, follow the same procedure using a pastry cutter to incorporate the butter and shortening and a rubber spatula to mix in the water. Mix just until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.

3. Dust your hands with flour and transfer the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two balls: one should be about two-thirds of the dough and the other about a third. Pat each ball of dough into a disk about 3/4-inch thick.

4. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about one hour.

5. If you aren’t using the pie dough right away, store it well-wrapped in the freezer for up to one month.

This dough works with all of the pies in Leslie Mackie’s latest cookbook, More from Macrina. It can also be adapted for tarts, galettes and mini pies.

Ravishing Radish: Where Epic Parties & Amazing Food Meet

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Ravishing Radish Catering Team

Photo courtesy of Ravishing Radish Catering

Wedding season might be over, but you won’t find the team at Ravishing Radish Catering resting on their laurels.

“We stay busy in the fall getting ready for holiday events, auctions and some weddings,” says Lisbet Larsen Mielke, founder of the down-to-earth catering company.

Lisbet caught the entertaining bug early in life, growing up with parents who loved to throw a good backyard bash. After graduating from culinary school, she set her sights on opening a business that combined her favorite things: amazing food and legendary parties.

“I’ve always worked in restaurants and kitchens and enjoyed it. I love troubleshooting on the fly and seeing everything come together.” And ultimately, she adds, she loves seeing people happy.

She launched Ravishing Radish in 1993, the same year that we opened our first little bakery in Belltown. In fact, Lisbet says, we were just down the street from her. She and her staff frequented our café for breakfast and lunch, and it wasn’t long before she tapped Leslie Mackie to make cakes for catered wedding receptions.

“We loved the food and bread at Macrina so much, we knew we wanted to use Macrina products on the menu,” says Lisbet, who enlisted JoAnna Cruz, a former Macrina employee, as her “chef extraordinaire.”

Our handmade breads paired with mouthwatering delights like rosemary butter or sour cherry compote and goat cheese weave through Ravishing Radish’s fall dinner menu. Sourcing ingredients from local businesses is a cornerstone of the company. Depending on the season, you’ll find Carlton Farms pork, Foraged & Found mushrooms, fresh catches from Wild Salmon Seafood Market, even choice edibles from the company’s 2,000-square-foot rooftop garden.

As if overseeing the fine details of lavish events weren’t enough, Lisbet has since opened Ravish, a bar and bistro that upholds the same steadfast commitment to community and sustainability.

Tip & Tricks: Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

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Squash Harvest Loaf

Our delicious Squash Harvest Bread topped with toasted pumpkin seeds and walnuts.

Pumpkins abound this time of year! Carved or whole, they are everyone’s favorite decorative squash. We like to use them for more than just adorning the doorstep. Each year as we’re carving up our jack-o’-lanterns, we set aside the seeds for toasting.

Loaded with zinc, iron, magnesium and heart-healthy fat, pumpkin seeds are a nutritional powerhouse. Add them to salads for a hearty crunch, toss into granola or trail mix, and use them to dress up homemade breads and pastries.

Tips for Perfectly Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

  • Rinse seeds well to remove any pumpkin pulp and pat dry with a paper towel before toasting.
  • Toss with a small amount of oil and a pinch of your favorite spices. For savory pumpkin seeds, try kosher salt, cumin and coriander, or Leslie’s favorite, kosher salt and ground chipotle chile pepper. For sweeter seeds, try cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg or ginger.
  • Spread seeds in an even layer on a heavy-duty baking sheet.
  • Preheat oven and bake at 300°F on the center rack until they are golden and fragrant, shaking and rotating the pan a few times throughout the baking process for even coloring.
  • Seeds can take up to 10 minutes to toast, but check them often and use your nose to alert you when they’re getting close.
  • An alternative to baking is toasting seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan and tossing the seeds often to keep them from burning.
  • If you don’t eat them right away, store pumpkin seeds in an airtight container.

Meet Our Family: Rebecca Early

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Rebecca Early

What do Po Dog, Matt’s in the Market, and Stumptown Coffee Roasters have in common? These local favorites – in addition to hundreds more – use our breads and pastries to complement their own delicious menu items.

“We have over 480 wholesale customers, and it’s growing every month,” says our Wholesale Sales Manager Rebecca Early. “The secret of success is growing with your demand, and we’re doing an amazing job meeting that.”

Rebecca came to Macrina nine years ago when we were comprised of just two cafés, one in Belltown and the other in Queen Anne. At the time, Rebecca was working toward a degree that would place her in the world of radio and television, unaware that the future had something else in store.

“My sister lives down the street from our McGraw location with her three boys, and I would go over and nanny and walk the baby by Macrina every day. I had to get a part-time job to afford my quiche and latte every day.”

It wasn’t long before that part-time barista job at McGraw flourished into a manager position, with Rebecca overseeing both cafés and 35 employees. Years later, as we looked for opportunities to partner with other local companies, Rebecca’s love for our customers and products made her a natural choice to head up our wholesale department.

“We make close to 500 different products for wholesale, our wholesale customer service is parallel to no other, bar none, and our offerings make us a one-stop shop,” she says with a huge smile. “You can’t get the quality of pastries and the variety of bread anywhere else in the city.”

With her natural charm and finesse, Rebecca keeps our current wholesale partners wholly satisfied and welcomes new businesses with open arms.

“It really helps that this is such a great product and people really love Macrina. I couldn’t be more proud of who I’m representing. I feel like it’s what I was supposed to be doing all along.”

Tips for Baking Perfect Cookies

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Our chilly autumn days easily lend themselves to holing up indoors. To keep from going stir crazy, we turn to baking – naturally. There is nothing more comforting than biting into a warm, freshly baked cookie. Between rainy weekends, school bake sales, and those swiftly-approaching holidays, we thought you might enjoy our best cookie baking tips.

fall_frosted_cookies_leaves_cropped

Tip #1  Most cookie recipes call for room temperature butter, but in the excitement of diving into a recipe it’s easy to forget to take the butter out of the fridge ahead of time. For those moments, simply slice the butter into smaller pieces, layer evenly on a plate, and leave it on the counter until it gives with the press of a finger – about half an hour.

Tip #2  The best cookie sheets are the heavy-gauge, stainless steel variety. Dark-colored cookie sheets may cause your cookies to over-brown on the bottom.

Tip #3  Baking cookies one sheet at a time is generally recommend for thorough cooking, but that’s also time intensive. If you’re baking more than one sheet at a time, rotate them from front to back and top to bottom halfway through the cooking time.

Tip #4  Cold dough is best for making sugar cookie cut outs. If your dough warmed up with handling, cover it in plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge until it’s well-chilled – about two hours. Once you’re ready to work with it, keep any unused portion refrigerated until it’s needed. On that note, cookie dough should be slightly cool before it goes into the oven, since warm cookie dough spreads excessively as it bakes.

Tip #5  We like using a small, spring-loaded ice cream scoop to portion out cookie dough. This keeps the cookies a nice, uniform size and helps them bake evenly.

Tip #6  Avoid cooling your cookies directly on the cookie sheet, as this causes them to overcook. Instead, gently place them on a cooling rack once you’ve pulled them from the oven.

Now that you’re ready to bake up the perfect batch, pick up More from Macrina for Leslie’s favorite cookie recipes!

Our Favorite Fall Pairings

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As daylight hours start to dwindle and the air turns crisp, we’re sipping from our coffee mugs more often. We proudly pull Caffè Umbria espresso and brew their coffee in our cafés daily. The variety of blends coming out of this renowned Pioneer Square roastery provide a nice balance to our food, be it breakfast, afternoon treat, or dessert. Here are some of our favorite fall pairing:

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cranberry Compote + Americano

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cranberry Compote

This silky cheesecake with its ginger molasses cookie crust is subtly balanced but not overwhelmed by freshly-pulled espresso with hot water.

Pecan Streusel Pumpkin Bar + Espresso Macchiato

Pecan Streusel Pumpkin BarA unique blend of butternut squash and pumpkin finished with crunchy pecan streusel, this bar is a fresh take on the season’s best flavors. Enjoy it with rich espresso topped with a dollop of creamy foam for the ultimate afternoon snack.

Mini Maple Apple Pies + Vanilla Latte

Mini Maple Apple Pie_Blog

This petite version of an autumnal classic combines tart Granny Smith apples and maple sugar. Pair it with our Vanilla Latte made with smooth espresso and our very own Vanilla Sugar blend.

Meet the Artist: Kirsten McElfresh

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KirstenMcElfresh_Artist_Skull

If you’ve ever strolled through the University Village, you’ve probably seen Kirsten McElfresh’s work. Since 2009, Kirsten has decked out dress forms and display windows for the bustling center’s Anthroplogie location. A departure from her day-to-day work, Kirsten chooses a different creative outlet in her free time: Painting. Currently on display in our SODO café, Kirsten’s work highlights nature’s organic beauty.

KirstenMcElfresh_Artist_YellowFlower

Take us through your creative process.

My latest work has been paintings and drawings of plants that have inspired me from my ventures in gardening and foraging. I like to play with the paint color in my backgrounds and will often paint multiple layers and even sand it down again and again before it feels right.

Was there a moment when you knew you wanted to be an artist?

Art has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. I used to draw still lifes of my stuffed animals when I was a kid, and I loved doing crafts with my grandmother. It was never a decision I had to make; it’s just who I am.

Where do you find inspiration?

I spend a lot of my free time working in my garden. Otherwise I am out hiking the woods with my husband and dog, foraging for mushrooms or other choice edibles. I find inspiration in the unique individuality and subtle flaws of each plant, and I try to highlight that in my work.

If you could enjoy a meal with three artists, who would you choose?

In college I had three friends [who] majored in studio art with me. We were the ones that would stick around the art building all hours of the night just making work and debating about art. We were art nerds. I would definitely want to have a meal with them; having a community to discuss and debate art really helps you grow and improve.

How did you decide to show your work at Macrina? 

I feel that the subject matter of my art works well with a restaurant. It’s so nice that art is not restricted to galleries alone and that many businesses help the arts. By showing in alternative spaces, we are exposing people to artwork that would otherwise not have seen it.

Look for Kirsten’s pieces in our SODO café through the end of September and then at our Belltown café for the month of October.