The recipe for these yummy crescent-shaped holiday treats comes straight from my husband’s German mom. They have been a Christmas staple in his family for generations, and are typically referred to as “Vanille Hörnchen” or “Vanille Kipferl.” I absolutely love them—they are simple to prepare and yield a bold vanilla and butter flavor with a perfectly crunchy texture. It’s probably my favorite cookie recipe this time of year, and the crescents bring back memories of holidays spent in Germany. (For more German holiday cookies, take a look at my Gingerbread and Hazelnut cookie recipes.)
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For the final recipe of our holiday cookie kit, I’ve prepared a traditional German Christmas gingerbread cookie, or Lebkuchen. Created by medieval monks, lebkuchen dates back to the 13th century in Germany and Switzerland. My version is made of ginger, molasses, almond extract and a good amount of spices like cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. These cookies are soft on the inside and slightly crunchy on the outside, the perfect compliment to include in our holiday cookie kit.
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For the next installment of our holiday cookie GrubKit, I decided on a chocolate chip cookie with a kick. This recipe is perfect for the chocaholics out there. It’s decadent, moist with a brownie-like texture and added spice from cinnamon, ancho chili and cayenne. Two other recipes that will be part of this holiday cookie recipe kit are Appetite for China’s Green Tea Shortbread and my Cranberry Pistachio Biscottis.
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I love this time of year. The colors of the leaves are changing, the air is cool and the winter clothes come out. What also gets me excited is that the holiday season is coming up! I’ve been baking a lot recently working on a holiday cookie kit for our business GrubKit.com. The kit comes with ingredients for four different cookies including Mexican Chocolate Chip, German Gingerbread (Lebkuchen) and Japanese Green Tea Shortbread Cookies.
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I just got back from a trip to California for my friends’ wedding. The beautiful ceremony and reception took place in the Sequoia National Forest outside of San Francisco. After San Francisco I flew to Los Angeles, where we used to live, and got to see some old friends and spent some time at the beach. As lovely as my trip sounded, I was never this excited to cook in my own kitchen again! And what better way to welcome myself home than baking some chocolate chip cookies!
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There is nothing more comforting than the smell of muffins baking in the oven. And even better if there’s chocolate chips with an extra dose of cocoa powder. I love serving these whole wheat muffins for breakfast with coffee or as a snack on-the-go.

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The other day, I posted a recipe on how to make homemade Nutella. I needed a good amount of Nutella for today’s recipe. Cheesecake, brownies and Nutella are among my husband’s favorites, so I figured why not combine the three? The result is truly pleasurable and decadent. You’ll have to try it out for yourself!
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