Hello friends!

I’ve started this online space to share more info about the little treats I share with you. I think information makes things more delicious! Read on for more info about this batch of cookies. I’ll include QR codes with future cookies to give you the link more easily.

Just for fun, with every delivery, I make a contribution to an environmental cause. This month I’m supporting Coral Gardeners by adopting one coral per purchase. I grew up snorkeling in the coral reefs of Southeast Asia so this cause is dear to my heart. I think I can find a way to loop you in on updates on our corals’ progress, let me know if you’re interested!

Wishing you safe travels and happy holidays!

Hazelnut cantucci

Cantucci are what biscotti are called in Italy, where biscotti is just a general word for cookies. I’m only bothering to disambiguate because I have vague intentions of deep diving into rustic Italian baking over the next year or two – calling everything biscotti will get unhelpful quickly.

This is admittedly my first ever attempt at making cantucci. I pulled out all my best ingredients in an effort to do the cookie justice. I’m new to cantucci, so I made this batch extraordinarily crunchy. The other batch is softer, as a textural experiment. Let me know what you think is better!

My goal for this cookie was to enhance the natural flavor of the hazelnuts to the maximum. Hazelnuts have their own special sweetness, but it’s hard to taste unless they’re paired with the right ingredients. I used Red Tail Grains’ Soft Wheat Semolina, maple sugar, a splash of heavy cream, hint of vanilla bean, and Flamingo Estate’s famous extra-virgin olive oil.

Pistachio & rose cantucci

My third ever batch of cantucci – the second went straight into the garbage.

Pistachio seemed like a great excuse to get into the rose petal infused wildflower honey I’ve been struggling to use – the floral fragrance is so intense that it’s difficult to pair with other flavors. Cantucci seemed like a suitable medium to use the honey and have its strong flavor balanced out by the other robust flavors of the cookie.

The texture in this cantucci comes from medium grind yellow cornmeal, which also adds a sweet summery flavor. There’s also a hint of almond flour to soften the sometimes aggressive texture of the cornmeal. The rest of the flavors are simple, allowing the pistachio and rose to take up space.

I baked these a lot softer than the other ones, partly to see what texture I preferred, but also partly because they were turning brown *really* quickly and I didn’t want the color to get too deep. I would love to know whether you prefer the soft cantucci or the crunchy ones!

Soft wheat semolina shortbread

My shortbread recipe is so minimal that it’s almost austere. It has three ingredients: cultured butter, unbleached organic cane sugar, and flour. But for years now I’ve been trying to search for THE perfect flour to make these cookies out of. I think I’m almost there after this batch.

It was really an accident – I meant to reach for a specific bag of flour, but I grabbed the wrong one and didn’t double check before liberally adding it to the cookie dough. The result is a rather hearty whole wheat shortbread, made with Red Tail Grains’ Soft Wheat Semolina cut with a little bit of all-purpose flour.

I actually love the effect the semolina has on the cookie. The texture is more toothsome, and the flavor is more pronounced. Let me know how you think it compares to other shortbreads of mine you’ve had!