The case of the curious Christmas cake pops

Christmas is well behind us, I know.

I can't even use Armenian Christmas as an excuse (it falls on January 6) but I think this post on cake pops still merits a read for those of you, seasoned or newbie, who are considering making these.

While I have always dismissed suggestions cake pops were the new cupcakes, I also followed this trend from a distance. I concede I thought they were a charming novelty.

My Grandma's Armenian Tell Kadayif

I am making my way through a book about food writing, and it suggests that blog postings about our childhood memories of food are commonplace and therefore - well, rather boring.

Humour me, then, please as this is a topic close to my heart.

This is about my Grandmother Mariam's Tell Kadayif, an Armenian version of a dessert commonly made in the Middle East. "Tell" means "string" in Armenian, due to the thin, long strands of the kadayif.

Dark chocolate Buche de Noel with meringue mushrooms

This is the single, proudest moment I've had as a baker this holiday season. I really thought I lost my baking mojo until I produced this whimsical Buche de Noel. I'll admit I've made quite a few cheesy treats over my time. I like the glitz and the glam and the glitter and the flashing lights. I like the red and the green and the cartoon-type figures that please my toddler.

But a Buche de Noel, a traditional dessert served at Christmas, is for me evocative of a fallen log in a snow-dusted forest. It's untouched, it's pure. It's a quiet, delicious moment undisturbed by the usual din and racket. It's indulgent simply because it takes so long to create something that disappears in just a few minutes.

Florentiners a la Mama

When I first opened the pages of Gesine Bullock-Prado's cookbook "Sugar Baby" I'll admit the first thought that crossed my mind was, "Oh she's used her famous sister Sandra Bullock's name to get a book deal." But not long after I realized this was the passion project of someone without any formal training who turned what she love into a successful business, someone who truly loved baking. Someone who was funny, and authentic.

I was hesitant to try out her recipe for Florentiners a la Mama because it has German roots and involves a candy thermometer and anything that has German roots and involves a candy thermometer requires precision.

White-Chocolate Cherry Shortbread

This recipe caught my eye on Pinterest with the simple caption: "Apparently, the best Christmas cookie ever." "Best" piqued my interest, and "ever" drove it home.  How could I possibly ignore the recipe for the best Christmas cookie ever?

So I decide to make it on a whim and take it to my friend's house as my contribution to her annual cookie swap. I had already made a couple of other kinds of cookies but this one seemed like it would be my show-stopper.

Canadian Living's Really Good Rum Balls

I considered not blogging about this recipe because I'm not crazy about this photo and I'm a big perfectionist. But, I'm also a realist and these rum balls were such a hit they're all gone, and I can't bear not to share the recipe with you. I'm not making them again just for the photo, sorry.

I never used to like rum balls, but over the last couple of years I've developed a soft spot for those gigantic tennis ball-sized rum balls I can get at mom-and-pop run Italian bakeries.

Hershey's Candy Cane Blossoms

You know that saying: Don't judge a book by it's cover? Well, I'd like to meet the puritan who came up with that one to have a word or two. Because we're going to judge a book by it cover even if we don't want to! As a book publishing graduate, I study the cover: It tells me the market the publisher is going for. It tells me if it's won any awards, it tells me what other prominent authors think of the text. A cover is important.

And I also decide to make cookies based on their appearance, obviously. Especially during the holidays. So I flagged this recipe on Pinterest because I loved the vibrant Christmas colours. And we eat, first, with our eyes.