If you ask most people what the pride of New England is, they’d probably say The Red Sox or The Patriots. A foodie, on the other hand, knows that the best part about New England is our maple syrup(with Ben & Jerry filling the 2nd and 3rd spot). There’s nothing like warm french toast with pure maple syrup and some hazelnut coffee on a Fall day in New England. But this isn’t a french toast recipe. It’s better: Dessert. Nicole posted these maple snickerdoodle cookies and instantly my mind was filled with a cinnamon sugar dessert. Instead of cookies, I made blondies since they’re a little less tempermental(and so much denser). This recipe is perfect to have after dinner with a little coffee because it’s just the right balance of sweetness and spice. As we say in New England, fuck you Yankees they’re wicked good!

Maple Cinnamon Blondies

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoon butter(or vegan alternative like Earth Balance)
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup natural almond butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour(or gluten-free alternative like Bob’s Red Mill)
• 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees and let your butter soften before using. Cream together the butter, sugar, almond butter, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until it’s all combined.

Next, add the maple syrup, egg, and vanilla extract and stir briefly. Sift in the flour and baking soda and mix until just combined. The batter should be rather thick like a cookie dough.

Grease an 8×8 baking pan and press the dough down in an even layer. Bake for 28-30 minutes until the center is set and the edges turn a crusty golden brown. Let the blondies cool before cutting into squares.

Mine came out a little thin(read: fudgy) since I didn’t use an egg or egg replacer and used gluten-free flour. But the flavor was everything that I wanted and more.

On a related note, I have no idea when this week became all about baked good recipes.  I’ve been eating real food, too(sometimes…), so expect those recipes to come.

You have not lived until you’ve had chocolate hazelnut spread. Bold statement? Trust me: It’s life changing. I didn’t grow up with Nutella always in the house, but when it was around it was a treat. I could never resist eating a finger-full straight from the jar. Now, I’m in love with Justin’s chocolate hazelnut butter, which is much richer and nuttier. You could spread it on ANYTHING and it would taste good. But I digress. After debating what brownies to make one afternoon, I thought about using this as the base, and the rest was history. These are thick and fudgy and full of character. I couldn’t imagine anyone not falling in love with these brownies.

Chocolate Hazelnut Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread
• 1/4 cup butter(or non-dairy substitute such as Earth Balance)
• 3/4 cup cane sugar
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour(or gluten-free flour)
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup milk(or non-dairy substitute)
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts(optional)

To start, let your butter soften or microwave it briefly and preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Cream the chocolate hazlenut butter, sugar, and butter together to form a sticky paste.

Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Pour in the milk to loosen up the batter while you stir, mixing it together(Note: The batter will be very thick). Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips and hazelnuts if using.

Grease a 9×9 baking pan and press in the batter in an even layer. Bake for 28-30 minutes, until the center has been cooked through. Let the brownies cool before cutting.

There really are no words for how good these are. I was going to make a frosting, but these stand on their own pretty easily. But I wouldn’t be opposed to spreading some chocolate hazelnut butter on top. I wouldn’t be opposed at all…

*Have you entered the holiday giveaway yet?*

I have to admit that I’m not the biggest fan of cookies. Besides being a huge challenge for a gluten-free baker, they just aren’t as interesting as cakes or as chocolaty as brownies. But come every Christmas, there’s always one cookie that has my heart: I love Italian anise cookies. Growing up Italian-American, my relatives always bought these for me fresh from an Italian bakery. I love the sharp licorice flavor with a super sweet frosting. I couldn’t imagine Christmas without them, so this year I tried to adapt the recipe to be gluten-free. After 2 batches, I came out with the perfect, sinfully good Christmas cookies.

Gluten-Free Italian Christmas Cookies

Ingredients(Makes 20 cookies):

• 2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup neutral flavored oil(not coconut oil and not butter)
• 1 1/2 eggs, lightly beaten(see here how to measure this)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons anise extract

*If you’re making these with regular flour, use just 1 egg

Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the oil, eggs, and extract.

Combine the dough by mixing until it’s firm and the flour has been all absorbed. Put the dough in the refrigerator to chill 30-60 minutes.

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees with the baking trays inside the oven to warm them up. When the oven is ready, take out the baking trays, line them with parchment paper, and roll the dough into 3/4-inch balls lining them up with enough room to spread. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the outside starts to turn slightly brown and the center is almost set. Take them out of the oven and let them set completely before moving them to another tray.

These taste just like the cookies from the bakery: Soft and slightly cakey yet still sugary dense. The anise flavor is strong, so you’ll want to give these to a true lover. And the icing—oh, the icing. But that’s for another day.