I was recently gifted a jar of freshly foraged juniper berries and a container of juniper sugar from my friend and collaborator

Tama Matsuoka

Wong. Tama is a forager and conservationist and every winter she collects the berries of the eastern red cedar trees near her home in New Jersey to sell to restaurants in New York. This year, I was lucky enough to get some too! The berries (technically cones) are slightly sweeter and less harsh than commercially available dried juniper berries and they smell absolutely wonderful. When I tasted the juniper sugar, I knew it's sweet foresty flavor and subtle woodsy notes would be just the thing to add to my holiday treat arsenal so I stirred up a batch of my favorite chocolate sablé dough and coated it with the sugar before slicing. The result is a wonderful holiday flavored cookie, perfect for gifting.

More tasty holiday gifts can be found in this post from last year.

In other news:

If you are still searching for an impressive Christmas dessert, check out the

Bûche de Noël I made for Food52 here.

I was recently featured on the wonderful site Pantry Confidential. Click through to peek inside my kitchen and get my recipe for Salty Caramel Apple and Cranberry Pie.

Happy Holidays!

Chocolate Sablés with Juniper Sugar

cookies adapted from Dorie Greenspan

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup confectioners sugar

1 large egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

extract

juniper sugar for rolling (recipe below)

To make juniper sugar blend 3 tablespoons dried juniper berries with 1/2 cup raw sugar in a spice grinder or high powered blender. This can also be done with a mortar and pestle (and elbow grease).

Mix the butter in a large bowl with a wooden spoon until soft. Add in the sugar and cocoa powder. Add in the egg and vanilla, then finally add the flour and salt and mix until just combined. Dump the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper and use the paper to form the dough into a log 2-inches by 12-inches. Chill the dough until firm, at least 2 hours. When firm, roll the dough log in the juniper sugar then cut into slices, just shy of 1/4-inch thick. Place the slices 1-inch apart on lined baking sheets, sprinkle with additional juniper sugar if desired, and bake in a 350º oven until they are just beginning to darken around the edges, 8-10 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets and store in an airtight container.

There are two type of persimmons that can be easily found around New York this time of year: fuyu and hachiya. This cake uses fuyu persimmons which are the short and squatty variety and unlike their hachiya cousins you don't have to wait until they are squishy-ripe to eat them. They have a sweet, honeyed flavor with a bit of vanilla and spice that makes them the perfect match for this spicy ginger cake. Make sure to have some unsweetened whipped cream or crème fraîche on hand to serve; a bit of something cool and creamy helps to balance the sweet persimmon slices and extra spicy cake.

Persimmon and Ginger Upside-Down Cake

adapted from the Macrina Bakery and Cafe Cookbook

For the Topping

3 Tablespoons soft butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch salt

4-5 firm, but ripe fuyu persimmons

For the Cake

1 cup butter

3/4 cup light brown sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 cup molasses

2 Tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest

3 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325º. Butter a 9 or 10-inch springform pan with high sides and line the bottom with an circle of parchment paper.

For the Topping

Peel and slice the persimmon into 1/4-inch slices (a y-shaped peeler is great for this task). In a medium saucepan combine the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cook over medium heat for about 1 minute. Pour the mixture into the bottom of your lined pan, then arrange the fruit on top in a decorative pattern making sure that the bottom of the pan is covered. Put pan aside.

For the Cake

1. Cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, add the grated ginger and zests. Mix for 1 more minute.

2. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs one at a time. Then slowly pour in the molasses.

3. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

4. Alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the batter, being careful not to overmix.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until deep golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then invert onto a plate and gently peel away the parchment paper.

Eat warm with a dollop of whipped cream, crème fraîche or a scoop of ice cream. This cake is best the day it's made.