My sister has just arrived to spend the holidays with us and we are all so excited!! Her arrival really marked the start of the holiday season for us, and also the start of the Christmas cookie baking frenzy! We decided to start with a dessert our mum used to make every Christmas called Kristina Kringle. Just the almondy smell of them makes my mouth water and reminds me of being a child, counting down the days ’til Christmas!

This is another great recipe from one of my very favourite cookbooks, the Alice Bay Cookbook, referenced before here and here and here. I hope you like them as much as we do! Here’s the recipe:

Kristina Kringle:

-1 cup flour
-1/2 cup butter (112 grams)
-2 tablespoons water

-1 cup water
-1/2 cup butter
-1 cup flour
-3 eggs
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut together 1 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of butter until mixture resembles fine meal. Add the water and blend well. Form dough into a ball and divide in half. Using the heel of your hand, press dough into two long strips about 3 inches wide, down the length of a cookie sheet.

In a saucepan, bring 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of butter to a boil. Remove from heat. Add flour, and stir until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Add salt and extract. Stir into a smooth consistency. Spread on top of the dough strips. And bake for 45 minutes. Cool and frost with Almond Icing.

Almond Icing:

-1/4 cup butter, softened
-1 cup confectioner’s sugar
-1 tablespoon milk
-1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Combine the butter, sugar, milk and extract. Blend until smooth and spread over pastry.

Enjoy! And happy Christmas cookie baking.

xx Courtney