Currently Baking {Homemade Samoas}

Something beautiful is happening right now. It’s Girl Scout Cookie Season (feel free to imagine me screaming this part!)!! Every year, for about 7 weeks between January and March, we can all get our fill of carb & sugar-loading deliciousness in the form of a box (or 12) of Thin Mints, Tagalongs, or my personal favorites – Samoas. I’ve been known to literally stalk the local Girl Scout Troops just so that I don’t miss their sales & end up without cookies for the Season.

But then Spring rolls around and the hoarded boxes of cookies slowly run out….what then!!?? I can’t believe it took me this long to come up with a solution – just make your own favorite Girl Scout Cookie recipe once you run out of the real deal. Don’t get me wrong, I am 100% for supporting your local Troops & buying as many boxes as you can stuff in your pantry/fridge/freezer…but for the rest of the year, making your own is the perfect cure for that cookie withdrawal we all know so well.

These absolutely taste like the real thing – amazingly crunchy, chewy, caramelly-coconutty awesome! Wish me luck at not gaining 40 pounds over the next year due to this recipe.

XO

{All Photos by Miss Renaissance.}

Currently Baking {Speculoos Cookies}

As I mentioned earlier this week, I was baking up a storm over the Holidays! I got the Bouchon Bakery Cookbook for Christmas, and had to immediately try this cookie recipe from it. This Dutch-style cookie is perfect for the Winter months. It’s delicately crunchy, slightly spiced, and so, SO good with a cup of hot chocolate or tea. These truly look as beautiful as they taste! Are you guys familiar with the amazingness that is Trader Joe’s”Cookie Butter”?! If so, these cookies will make you very, very happy!!

(Click on the recipe image to view it larger!)

XO

{All images by Miss Renaissance.}

Currently Baking {Vanilla Moons for the Holidays}

Holiday Cookie Season is finally here!! They’ve been a favorite of mine since I can remember! When I was a little girl living in Germany, I would always look forward to the Holiday Season so that I could help my Mom bake our favorite recipes.

These “Vanillekipferl”, or Vanilla Moons in English, are my absolute favorites. They’re light and airy with a perfectly crumbly texture, and the buttery vanilla flavor pairs beautifully with a cup of cappuccino or a shot of espresso. These are definitely worth a try – trust me, you’ll be hooked!

XO