Chewy Ginger Snaps

For the 18th Day of Advent

Photo: Jolene

There’s only one week left on the Advent Calendar, but there’s still time for another cookie recipe!

The first time I made

Claire Ptak

’s ginger molasses cookies a few years ago, I shared with her that it had officially become one of my all-time favorite cookies, and it still is.

There is a tiny bit of crunch when you first bite into the cookie, followed by the chewiness. The combination of spices — cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, cardamom and a pinch of paprika — deliver all of the flavors of the season. They are perfect Christmas cookies and look so inviting piled up high on a pretty plate.

Claire, who is a celebrated baker and owner of Violet Cakes in London, can be found on Substack at

Claire Ptak’s Substack

. This recipe is from The Violet Bakery Cookbook.

Recipe: Chewy Ginger Snaps

What to listen to while you are baking

I’m in my kitchen a lot, and one of my favorite podcasts to listen to while I’m baking comes from another “Baker” — the marvelous

sam baker

whose podcast

The Shift With Sam Baker

is always so interesting I’ve been know to listen to episodes twice. Sam also has a terrific newsletter you can find at the link above. It’s so nice to listen to great conversations while you bake. ✨

Part 3 of the series: Comments from Writers about the Holidays

Two lovely traditions from

Elizabeth Marro

of

Spark

Two things: 1) for years our very large "blended" family would gather at my mother's house, usually with many add-ons and waifs in tow. She thought nothing of feeding 30 or 40 people in those days — anywhere they could find a place to sit. Every time and every year a person walked in the door she would take a Polaroid snapshot of them and it would go up on the wall. I think she did it so she'd have something to remember everyone by but it ended up being a ritual of welcome and inclusion.

2) My mom's chocolate mousse which is actually a recipe for Charlotte Russe. Velvety, dark, not-too-sweet, and never heavy. To this day, it remains the dish we all wait for at the end of the meal.✨

A “Plethora of Panettone✨ from

Cecilia Tan

I find myself now looking forward every year to having panettone at Christmas time. It wasn't a tradition my family had growing up, but my husband learned to make it himself (after learning sourdough) about ten years ago. And since then he not only makes variations every year, we've started getting fancy ones from gourmet places, and then also the ones you see stacked up in boxes in the grocery store... which are surprisingly good! Now I just look forward to having a plethora of panettone at Christmas.

Day 18 of “The Little Town” Advent Calendar — this illustration is close to my heart. The Bakery!

See you tomorrow! 👩🏼‍🍳

Jolene