ABC: Maple-Pecan Medjool Date Rugelach

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The first time I came across Rugelach was at the Epicure Market, a local gourmet market, that has been a staple in Miami Beach for over 65 years.  These crescent pastries are a traditional Jewish food which is eaten any time of the year, but are really popular and traditional during the Hanukkah holiday. Epicure (as the local refer to it), which catered to the large Jewish population in Miami Beach, made sure to have a whole case dedicated to these pastries.  It was the mecca of Rugelach. I can not remember how many types there were but the combination of filling were numerous - raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, chocolate, marzipan, poppy seed, dry fruits even preserves.  I don’t think there was any type of combination that Epicure had not tried.

My favorites were the ones filled with chocolate and marzipan.  When I lived in Miami Beach, I would make sure to get there early on Saturday to fill a bakery box with this sweet treat and then spend the whole weekend munching away at the treat.

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Palmeras {Palmiers – Elephant Ears}

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In Venezuela there is a bakery in every single corner of every single neighborhood.  Most of these bakeries are owned either by Portuguese and/or Italian immigrants that came after the war – and in some cases pass down form generation to generation.  Do you know what that means right?

European pastries and breads.

I know, I know, I’m a total snob when it comes to my sweets.

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TWD: Peanut Butter Crisscrosses

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After all the cakes in the past week, this weeks Tuesdays with Dorie choice, which was made by Jasmine of Jasmine Cuisine, was a welcome change around these parts.

No cake, no buckle, no upside down fruit tart.  Just a simple, straight forward cookie recipe.

Cookies!

My cookie jar has been empty for a while now.  So when I started to make these Tom and the little man were ecstatic to say the least.  Asking if they were ready about a trillion times during the 20 minutes it took me to put them together.

And in times like this you realized that you really never fully know your other half.  Because after two years together, it was news to me that peanut butter cookies is Tom’s Holy Grail.  His words, not mine folks.  He has some serious Peanut Butter cookie love going there.

But, back to the cookies.  

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