OATMEAL CARDAMOM HAZELNUT COOKIES

It’s officially December and I’m officially frozen in Maine. It’s been a long time since I’ve lived in the snow - about 8 years since Chicago - and even though I’m much more prepared than before (better shoes, better jackets), I am always cold! I don’t know if my freshman 15 helped me stay warmer when I was in Chicago, but I must say, I don’t remember losing feeling in my toes and having frozen legs as much as I do these days. Regardless, Maine is very pretty and cozy covered in snow, and I’m adamant to continue my daily walks even if it takes me double the time than it normally would.

With Christmas being a few weeks away, I wanted to give another cookie option that would be great for the holiday. Every Christmas, I bake 3-4 different cookies from my blog, wrap them up nicely in a cute bag, and hand them out as gifts to friends and family. It’s a tradition of mine that I look forward to every year since I think the best gift is one that is homemade or DIY. Last year, I made: White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies, Mexican Wedding Cakes, Ginger Molasses Cookies, and Chocolate Chunk and Pistachio Cookies. Picking a variety of cookies that are unlike one another makes the cookie bag more exciting for the recipient and allows them to try cookies that they might have never had before.

One cookie that I might be adding to the gift bag this year is today’s recipe of Oatmeal Cardamom Hazelnut Cookies. I cannot take credit for the invention of this flavor combination since I actually got the idea from local Maine bakery, Night Moves. Besides being my favorite Bob Seger song, Night Moves is one of my favorite places to get an amazing loaf of bread as well as some of the tastiest cookies (their chocolate chip cookies are the best in the area, period). My love for this bakery, which is located about 30 minutes away in Biddeford, is definitely shared with many other people, and it was actually just named by Food and Wine Magazine as one of the Top 10 Best Bakeries in the Country. It is here that I tried their Double Oat + Hazelnut + Cardamom Cookie, and obviously it was insanely delicious. So I tried my best to recreate it at home with a few differences (Night Moves’ version is gluten free and has two kinds of oats, whereas mine has flour and only old-fashioned rolled oats). But to me, the stars of the cookie is the combo of buttery, crunchy hazelnuts and my favorite spice, cardamom.

I’ve mentioned this before, but ever since I tried the Cardamom Bun from another local bakery in Portland, Belleville, I’ve been on a huge cardamom kick. If you’re unfamiliar with the spice, it’s very prominent in the Middle East, North Africa and Scandinavia and is actually the second most expensive spice in the world, with saffron being number one. There are three different kinds of cardamom - green, black and white - but green cardamom is the most popular and best for baked goods, with its citrus-y and herbal flavor profile. I find that it works perfectly in carrot and coffee cakes, apple tarts, and desserts that feature pumpkin pureé. Honestly, it’s hard to find a baked good that cardamom wouldn’t work in.

Making these cookies is very straightforward, with the only nuisance of needing the butter and egg to be at room temperature. I initially wrote the recipe to have you bake off the cookies immediately (aka, no chilling of the dough), but upon testing the cookies after two hours of chilling, the cookies were so much chewier and better! So I strongly recommend chilling the dough for at least an hour.

Need more Christmas cookie options besides the ones I listed above? Here are 5 more great recipes on my blog:

1. Brown Butter, Pecan + Milk Chocolate Cookies - very decadent chocolate chip cookies

2. Grapefruit White Chocolate Cookies - perfect since citrus is in season now

3. Chewy Funfetti Sugar Cookies - just switch out the rainbow sprinkles for red and green ones!

4. Olive Oil Brownie Cookies w/ Hazelnuts Nuts - these are some of my fav cookies, with or without the nuts

5. Salted Toffee + Brown Sugar Cookies - always a fan favorite, and a great non-chocolate option

Oatmeal Cardamom Hazelnut Cookies

Yields 12-14 large cookies

Recipe adapted from Broma Bakery

Ingredients

• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

• 1 cup old-fashioned oats

• 1 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom

• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp. baking soda

• 1/4 tsp. baking powder

• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt

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

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (light or dark)

• 1 large egg, room temperature

• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

• 3/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Directions

1. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, oats, cardamom, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt with a whisk. Set aside.

2. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer), cream the butter and both sugars together for about three minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix again until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

3. All at once, add the dry ingredients to the stand mixer and mix on low for about 10 seconds before increasing the speed to medium. Mix until just combined. Fold in the hazelnuts with a spatula. Chill the dough for at least one hour.

4. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

5. Using a large cookie scoop or spoons, portion out 3 tbsp. of dough per cookie and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake 6 cookies at a time since these are larger.

6. Bake for 11-12 minutes, or until the sides of the cookies are a light brown color. Allow the cookies to sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

MAINE PHOTO JOURNAL

Fall foliage + Grafton Notch State Park

This week, it’ll be six months since Alex and I packed our things and drove 3100 miles from Orange County, CA to our new apartment in Portland, ME. During these past six months, it’s been a rollercoaster of emotions for me with many highs and a good amount of lows. Due to the pandemic, it’s been hard to feel connected to our new environment, but honestly, I think Alex and I have been doing the best that we can, and looking at my pictures from our time here is a testament to that. We’ve explored so many beautiful areas of the state, eaten the most delicious food, gotten closer to the few friends that we had here already and genuinely have had a lot of fun. I don’t know how I would have done any of it by myself and I’m so lucky to have Alex as my partner in life.

So as a way for me to look back on our first six months in Maine, I wanted to share photos from our time here so far. Some of them are very random, but each and every one of them have a certain significance to me, whether it’s a picture of a cocktail on a Friday night to the most gorgeous hike in Western Maine. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Springtime on the West End

Cardamom buns from Belleville

Western Promenade manor

Hello, Atlantic

Weekend getaway in Bridgton

Strawberry picking at Maxwell’s Farm in Cape Elizabeth

A color story

View from Casco Bay Bridge

Pumpkin bread

Sunset at the Western Prom

Bath

Neighborhood kitty: Theo aka Moo

West End cemetery + fall foliage

Mike and Alex at Presumpscot River

Halloween decor

Alex and a very foggy Fort Williams Park

Bruschetta using Night Moves’ country loaf

Picnic at the Eastern Promenade

Drinks and charcuterie at Vessel & Vine in Brunswick

Mackworth Island

Fresh Maine wild blueberries from the Portland Farmers Market

Local bodega in Portland

Owls Head Lighthouse

Favorite pizza combo from Bonobo (Baby Arugula and Farm)

Androscoggin Swinging Bridge

Five Acre Farm Stand in Kennebunkport (if you ever find yourself here, get the cookies or pie)

Frozen strawberry margaritas, always

The boys at Highland Lake

Some of my favorite apartments on Danforth Street

Carrot cake for Alex’s birthday

Neighborhood kitty: Lil Teardrop

Baseball field near Back Cove

Peonies from Alex via Harmon’s Floral Company

Foggy night at the Portland Head Light

One of many cookie batches baked in the apartment

Sunset at the very dog-friendly Willard Beach

Bayside

Hike view from Bald Mountain

Drinks at Cocktail Mary

Battery Steele on Peaks Island

Ice cream in the summer

Poolside at Strawberry Hill Seaside Inn in Rockport (it was very cold, hence the goosebumps!)

Bug Light

V&Ts

Glimpse of fall in Munjoy Hill

Beach time, Long Island

Cheesecake for the Fourth of July

Eastern Prom walks

Salsa time

Western Prom walks

A quick trip to North Pomfret, Vermont

Scone from Tandem Coffee and Bakery

Grafton Notch hike

Dried flowers from the Portland Farmers Market

Our only visitor this year: my mom!

Homemade pizza night

Vintage bottles with dried lavender

Sunset at the Western Prom

Local garden in the West End

The boys at Presumpscot

Drinks at Hunt & Alpine Club (yes, that’s a Jell-O shot)

Neighborhood blooms

Me! Hiking Camden Hills State Park.

PUMPKIN TART

With Thanksgiving being just over a week away, I wanted to squeeze in one more dessert recipe that would be perfect for the holiday, but also casual enough for any fall or winter meal. If you’ve been reading my blog for the past year or so, it’s no secret that making pies isn’t my strong suit, mostly because I don’t have the practice but also since I’m more of a cake person than a pie person. Because of my inexperience with this dessert, I decided to forgo giving you a pumpkin pie recipe and instead I’m offering a much easier and less stressful option: the pumpkin tart. Side note: if you want a pie recipe from me, here’s the recipe for my deep dish apple pie from last year, including 10 tips to achieving a “perfect” pie in the kitchen.

A pumpkin tart isn’t too different from a pumpkin pie when it comes to the filling, but one huge distinction is that the former doesn’t require making pie dough - something that a lot of people struggle with since it’s not only time consuming, but also difficult to get right (the pie dough can be too dry, too wet, hard to work with, etc.). With my pumpkin tart, it’s like you’re making a pumpkin pie but with a graham cracker (or gingersnap cookies) crust and simply pressing it into a fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. There’s no need to worry about chilling the dough, having the dreaded soggy bottom or blind-baking that comes with making a pie; you just need to partially bake the crust for about 8-10 minutes before adding the filling… and that’s it, It’s ridiculously simple.

I also decided to add toasted pecans to my crust to give it more flavor, but if you have nut allergies or just want a plain graham cracker crust, simply replace the nuts with more graham cracker crumbs, so the total in graham cracker crumbs would be 1 3/4 cups.

As for the filling, it’s as effortless as it gets. You’ll mix together the basic ingredients for a custard (milk, heavy cream, eggs, sugar), add an entire can of pumpkin purée, some vanilla extract and traditional pumpkin pie spices. The custard doesn’t need to be cooked before being added to the pan - you just pour it over the graham cracker crust and bake it in the oven until the tart is mostly set (we want a little jiggle in the middle, much like when baking a normal pumpkin pie or a cheesecake). The whole dish comes together in just about an hour, which is incredible when comparing the time it takes to make a pumpkin pie. You can essentially make this on Thanksgiving itself if you wanted, but I suggest making it the day beforehand and storing it in the fridge so you have one less thing to worry about. When it comes time to serving the tart, I definitely recommend topping it off with fresh whipped cream, a dusting of confectioners’ sugar or ground cinnamon, and/or a scoop of ice cream (my maple pecan ice cream would be SO GOOD with this).

For the first time in my 30 years on this planet, I am making an entire Thanksgiving meal by myself (with Alex being my sous chef) and I am equal parts excited and nervous. Please wish me luck and let’s hope I don’t ruin everything. But seriously, I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving, whether you’re with friends, family or by yourself. 2020 has been a real bummer, so I hope we can all have a nice and relaxing day… without spreading Covid.

P.S. Here’s 10 other recipes of mine that would be perfect for Thanksgiving:

1. Apple Butter Spice Cake w/ Mascarpone Frosting

2. Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream w/ Candied Pumpkin Seeds

3. Brown Butter, Pecan and Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

4. Pear Spice Cake

5. Apple Ricotta Tarts w/ Homemade Caramel

6. Pumpkin and Brown Butter Breakfast Puffs (for breakfast the next day!)

7. Apple Tart w/ Maple Whipped Cream

8. Pumpkin Cheesecake (my go-to dessert every Thanksgiving)

9. Classic Sangria

10. Union Square Cafe’s Bar Nuts (a perfect appetizer)

Pumpkin Tart

Yields (1) 9-inch tart

Recipe adapted from Delish

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (or gingersnap cookies)

• 1/2 cup pecan halves

• 2 tbsp. brown sugar

• 5 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

• Pinch of kosher salt

For the filling:

• 4 large eggs

• 1 can (15oz.) pumpkin purée

• 1/2 cup whole milk

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed (light or dark)

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves

• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated or ground nutmeg

• Pinch of kosher salt

• Fresh whipped cream, ice cream, confectioners’ sugar or ground cinnamon, to finish

Directions

Make the crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the pecan halves on a rimmed baking sheet and toast them in the oven for about 8-10 minutes. Allow them to cool for a couple minutes.

2. Transfer the pecans to a food processor fitted with the S-blade and pulse until finely chopped.

3. In a medium bowl, stir together the pecans, graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, melted butter and salt. Transfer the mixture to the tart pan and, using the back of a measuring cup, firmly press the crust mixture into the bottom of the pan as well as the sides.

4. Bake in the oven (on a baking sheet, for easy transfer) for 9-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool while preparing the filling. Raise the oven temperature to 375°F.

Make the filling;

1. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until thoroughly combined. Add in the rest of the filling ingredients - pumpkin purée, milk, heavy cream, brown sugar, vanilla extract, spices and salt - and stir together using a spatula or wooden spoon.

2. Pour the filling into the tart pan (you may have more filling than needed, so only fill to just below the top of the crust line). Bake in the oven on a baking sheet for about 40 to 45 minutes - the center may be a bit jiggly but that’s exactly what you’re looking for.

3. Allow the tart to cool completely before removing from the tart pan. Serve with fresh whipped cream, ice cream and/or a dusting of confectioners’ sugar or ground cinnamon,