#almond cutter

[luru-mlp]

Incoming Confetti Surprise Family!!!~

So this is Confetti Surprise’s (Element of Laughter) family. Her parents are Red Velvet and Almond Cutter, with her two brothers, Stable Ground and Cautionary Wind.

Red Velvet is Confetti’s mother, and works as an assistant in Canterlot to a seamstress. Almond Cutter is Confetti’s father and works as a hair stylist in Canterlot.

The two met when they were young and Cutter moved to Canterlot. Almond Cutter is originally from Cloudsdale, but found joy in styling others’ manes. He stopped by the store Red Velvet was working in to pick up an outfit for his job interview, and the two got along perfectly. He ended up coming back over and over again, buying more clothes just to see Velvet. And while Cutter didn’t make enough for a proper ring (or whatever Earth Ponies and Pegasi use to show they’re married), he gave Velvet his grandmare’s earrings as a sign of his devotion to her. And they’ve been together ever since.

Stable Ground is the eldest child, and is a master of working with electricity. However, due to his lack of confidence, he often struggles to get a successful interview. He currently works as a waiter at a nearby restaurant, though he craves to work as an electrician and fix any technological errors.

Cautionary Wind is the youngest of the children, and currently works at the Rainbow Factory in Cloudsdale as the safety inspector. He ensures no colors are mixed and that no pony tries to eat the rainbows after some incidents regarding the Pie family. He and Stable are both very overprotective and over cautious when it comes to just about anything.

Also; fun fact. Almond Cutter has changed and dyed his mane and tail multiple times! No pony seems to remember what the original color was except for Velvet. Even then, she’s unsure.

[umilily]

It is done.

[equalseleventhirds]

got a chai latte w/ my lunch bcos it was cheap and I love a chai latte

unfortunately, the marcus cutter in my brain,

[anmolsmsblog]

TASMAX dry fruit cutter and slicer (PACK of 2) dryfruit choppers for kitchen dry fruit slicer dry fruits cutter for kitchen gadgets almond slicer cutter dryfruit cutter dry fruit graters for kitchen

Price: (as of – Details) TIRED BY CUTTING VERY HARD DRY FRUITS??? TASMAX dry fruit cutter comes with non detachable stainless steel blade which can slice off dry fruits so easily.Made from High grade Plastic food grade material.DON’T NEED MUCH SPACE OF YOUR KITCHEN: very handy mini chopper for kitchen does not require your kitchen space. Sturdy Stainless steel blade for sharp cutting & long life…

[solxamber]

Hi! Haven't seen any pomefiore asks yet for the holiday event so can I ask for that with #2 and fluff as the genre? Thanks!

"try not to choose vil for pomefiore" challenge: failed

Sweet as You || Vil Schoenheit

For the Holiday Event! || Theme: Cooking/Baking together ; Genre: Fluff

The scent of cinnamon and almond flour filled the kitchen as you measured out the last of the ingredients. The countertop was a bit messier than you’d intended—there were splashes of oat milk here and a small mountain of protein powder there—but the recipe seemed promising. At least, you hoped so.

You glanced at the recipe card again. “Healthy Holiday Cookies That Don’t Taste Like Sadness.” It had taken hours of searching to find something festive yet Vil-approved.

“Darling,” a familiar voice called from the doorway, “what are you doing?”

You turned to see Vil, looking effortlessly elegant even in his casual at-home wear. His perfectly arched brow lifted as his gaze swept over the kitchen disaster you’d created.

“Baking,” you said cheerfully, gesturing to the chaos. “For the holidays!”

His lips twitched into something halfway between a smile and a grimace. “I thought I mentioned I have a shoot coming up. I can’t indulge in—”

“They’re healthy,” you interrupted quickly. “I found a recipe with all-natural ingredients. No butter, no sugar—well, no regular sugar—and no dairy. They’re practically edible skincare!”

That caught his attention. He walked over to inspect your work, peering at the ingredients and recipe. “Hmm. Interesting. And this is supposed to taste… good?”

“It’s supposed to taste like love,” you said with mock-seriousness, earning a soft laugh from him.

“Would you like to help?” you offered, holding up a whisk. “It’ll be fun. Promise.”

Vil hesitated for a moment, but the way you looked at him—bright-eyed and hopeful—was his undoing. “Very well,” he said, rolling up his sleeves. “Show me what to do.”

You grinned, handing him the whisk. Together, the two of you got to work, mixing, kneading, and shaping the dough into neat little stars and trees. Vil, of course, worked with precise efficiency, while you leaned more toward chaotic enthusiasm.

“Here,” he said, stepping behind you to guide your hands as you struggled with the cookie cutter. “Like this.”

Your heart skipped a beat at his closeness, but you played it cool. “See? Teamwork.”

As the cookies baked, you prepared a small bowl of frosting, made with powdered monk fruit and Greek yogurt. You handed Vil the bowl and spoon, but he paused, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Hold still,” he said, dabbing a small bit of frosting on your cheek.

“Vil!” you gasped, laughing. “You’re not supposed to waste it!”

“It’s hardly a waste,” he said, smirking.

“Oh, really?” You grabbed some frosting and swiped it across the tip of his nose. He froze for a second, then let out a soft, incredulous laugh.

“You’re lucky I love you,” he said, shaking his head.

“I know,” you teased, leaning up to kiss the frosting off his nose.

When the cookies were finally ready, the two of you arranged them on a plate and took a selfie with your creations. Vil’s expression was soft, his arm draped around you as you both smiled at the camera.

Later that evening, as you curled up on the couch with a plate of cookies and a holiday movie, you noticed Vil glancing at his phone.

“Something interesting?” you asked, peeking over his shoulder.

He turned the screen toward you, revealing your selfie set as his wallpaper.

“Nothing more interesting than you,” he said, kissing your forehead.

The cookies, as it turned out, weren’t half bad—but the evening was perfect.

Masterlist

[foldingfittedsheets]

My cookie cat cookie cutter got its maiden voyage with lemon and almond shortbread cookies. So cute!!

[kcrossvine-art]

hi friends! :D y'all voted and fought neck and neck for this SO- heres the first entry into our little cooking journey of J. R. R. Tolkeins fictional food for his fictional little guys he puts in fictional turmoils for our enjoyment and awe!

 Before we get started i wanna say i owe my heart to all the LotR fans who upkeep the wiki, debate the cannon, and create their own versions of the foods mentioned. Both because of my love for people who LOVE (passionate people)(passion about anything) and because my own knowledge of this series is a little dusty. I've never seen the movies but I did read the books growing up. I'll be learning and remembering things from a fairly newbie standpoint, so no worries if you yourself arent familiar with the series! (and if you are familiar, hopefully youll forgive me!)

We will be making Lembas ('waybread') today! If you've made your own version of this please feel free to share it, similarly if you have any ideas for what we make next!

(As always you can find the cooking instructions and full ingredient list under the break-)

MY NAMES CROSS NOW LETS COOK LIKE ANIMALS

SO, “what goes in to Lembas?” YOU MIGHT ASKWell so the funny thing is we kinda dont know. At least not entirely? The elves are dicks like that. But heres what we'll be using in ours-

Butter

Self-rising flour

Granulated Sugar

Raisins

A small dried fruit of your choosing

Almonds OR Pecans

EGG

Whole Milk

Heavy Cream

And if you would like for dipping-

Blackberry jam

To the extent i understand this is kinda like hardtack from the bri'ish military, but a fantastical version of it that actually tastes really good. Hardtack was a military provision with the texture of a brick that took a long time to spoil and could be easily carried with soldiers. So the texture we're going for is super dense, packed full with nuts and fruits (haha just lik-), but perhaps not that dense. We want something closer to a dog biscuit than actual tack.

I remembered something about corn being mentioned, thankfully the wiki clarified that no actually the british just referred to any grain as corn back in the day. Thank Fuck! Although I would like to try a version of this using masa in the future.

AND, “what does Lembas taste like?” YOU MIGHT ASK

Took a few tries but eventually got it perfectly chewy and dense

The raisins cook-in like little beads of flavortown sweetness

Cant speak for other fruits but for dried apple it softened up nicely, kinda matching the raisins in the end

Im a big pecan slut, pecans fuck on anything especially here. Crumble them on top after you coat the dough with the egg-mixture for some visual appeal

Somewhat flakey outside

The jam was my idea, it was nice but might be too sweet for some tastes

Would pair very well with a kiwi flavored drink

Or mead

I can see why this would a travelling provision. Its both sugary (a good thing when expending energy) and filling (also a good thing when youre travelling) while not being overwhelming with flavor (if youre prone to motion sickness. Horse sickness? Do get motion sickness on horses?)

Its like how if you're going hiking you want a good mix of sugars and salts, to balance your intake of water.

. If you wanna make it like the illustrations or the movie, use a cookie cutter for either triangles or squares . If you don't have a cookie cutter, an apple cutter also works ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . try to keep the board you'll roll the dough out onto chilled before you use it, it seems better for the texture of the food though i dont entirely know why

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So from beginning to end, it took about an hour and half for the first attempt. Down to about 40 minutes for the second attempt. These are a real simple recipe because its not like a croissant where the margin for error is nonexistent. Middle-earth be damned my boy can work a grill.

I'd recommend storing in a tubberware container, but if you're deadset on using leaves please rinse and dry them first, and wrap the bread in either wax paper or saran wrap underneath. We dont have mallorn leaves in real life (as far as we know) but most salad greens should work, or as Marie Porter says (linked in the reblogs!) a banana leaf.

I really enjoyed the process of making this recipe, itd be really easy to batch-bake these en masse, and the process of eating said recipe. Like all jokes aside, i think this would be a great substitute for trailmix. Its not going to get smushed and even if it breaks a bit it wont affect the taste. It wont keep you fed for a whole day but pair it with some pickles or a salty snack and yeah itll keep your motor running.

I give this recipe a solid 10/10 (with 1 being food that makes one physically sick and 10 being food that gives one a lust for life again.) Let me know if you think I got something wrong, or if you ran into issues with the recipe. We're off to a strong start, lads!

🐁 ORIGINAL RESIPPY TEXT BELOW 🐁

Ingredients:

6 TBSP butter, chilled

2 cups self-rising flour

1 TBSP granulated sugar

½ cup raisins

½ other dried fruit (strawberry slices, oranges, etc.), chopped

Handful of almonds or pecans, chopped

1 egg, well beaten

½ cup whole milk

4 TBSP heavy cream

Method:

Preheat your oven to 400 f.

Cut the butter into slivers/small pieces. With your hands, combine the butter into the flour in a mixing bowl until the mixture resembles coarse sand.

Chop your dried nuts and dried fruit until it feels right.

Mix in the sugar, raisins, nut, and dried fruit of your choosing

In a seperate bowl, beat the egg until combined, and then mix in the milk until combined. Keep a bit of this mixture to brush the tops of the bread.

Stir while adding the egg/milk mixture and the heavy cream into the flour. Mix just until combined into a soft dough.

Knead the dough until firm on a floured surface.

Roll into a half inch thickness and cut with a square or leaf shaped cookie cutter. (...or in my case, an apple corer).

Place on a lightly greased baking sheet, with about an inch of space between each piece. Brush the tops of the lembas with some of the mixture you saved earlier.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until it turns a soft gold and the inside is chewy.

[thehypedbuddy]

It's a tough road to walk, but it's just a tad bit easier if you open your heart.

Commission I got from LilRainStories (lilrainstory.bsky.social)‬ featuring Aiden, Almond and Oliver! The D1am0nd cutters if you will.

[thetxtdevil]

An addition to the Strawberry Shortcake Universe, I made short thoughts of dessert Enhypen members.

content: strawberry shortcake!au, slightly suggestive

In Strawberryland, where all the people are happy and a little fruity…

Cherry Cola Heeseung x Coco Calypso

Heeseung’s bubbly personality, big cherry eyes, and bigger smile made it hard for Coco Calypso(You) to keep their friendship as it was and nothing more. Every time Cherry Cola Hee came to visit your tropical getaway, you couldn’t help but thirst for his glowing tanned skin and the slight droplets of cola dripping from his mahogany hairline.

Blackberry Cheesecake Jay x Raspberry Tart

Childhood friends who connected with both of your sour personalities and the dream of becoming runway models. Your dreams come true however, Raspberry Tart(You) lose contact with Blackberry Jay while pursuing your respective careers in the Big Apple City. For the holidays, you two decide to go home to Strawberryland. While on break Jay asks to have dinner with you, little did you know that the once nostalgic scent of his creamy cheesecake was now making your mouth water and thighs press together.

Sugar Cookie Jake x Orange Blossom

Cookie cutter of a man, so simple and sweet, Jake is someone everyone fonds over. There was nothing he could do wrong however, there was a side to him that no one knew, the rough burnt edges that fired his needs. Lucky for Sugar Cookie Jake, he found that the fresh citrusy scent of Orange Blossom(You) settled his needs until he eventually needed more.

Tiramisu Sunghoon x Crape Suzette

Your fruity friends convinced Crape Suzette(You) to go ice skating at the local ice rink. New to the hobby, you were a fast learner, however, the flash of the Tiramisu boy and his sweet espresso scent had you distracted. Feeling confident you let go of the handrail only to slip and fall on the hard, cold ground. And to your surprise that same distracting espresso scent came up to you, hovering over asking if you were alright. You were really hoping he couldn’t see up your skirt right now.

Cotton Candy Sunoo x Rainbow Sherbet

You two were always messing around, cuddly, and clinging onto each other like you were attached to the hip. The moment Rainbow Sherbet(You) playfully kissed and gave a bold lick on Cotton Candy Sunoo’s colorful cheek, the sweet man gasped. Little did you know your fairy floss friend’s skin was sensitive and now he was melting under your touch.

Chocolate Strawberry Jungwon x Banana Candy

The sugary smell and pastel atmosphere of a candy shop could make anyone happy, except for Banana Candy(You). The Strawberryland’s Candy Shop was a family business, a business you weren’t overly fond of, but dealt with. What angered you the most was when your father hired an overly happy, hardworking Chocolate Strawberry Jungwon. Something about the sweet man made your stomach twist and burn, however, not in a displeasureble way.

Matcha Mochi Niki x Almond Tea

The bright green of the bamboo surrounding the both of you, kneeling at your patio table full of scrumptious foods. The environment matches the mint of Mochi Niki’s hair and catches your eye. Almond Tea(You) adores his elegance of placing your favorite set of china on his lips fully devoted to the flavors of your tea. However, there are times when accidentally spits the liquid out from laughing but that’s ok because you love him.

Yours Cruelly,

Enhypen's Lucifer

PS -If you're interested in writing a full fic message me, I don't bite ☺️

taglist: @izzyy-stuff, @naoristerling, @inkigayocamman

[thetriumphantpanda]

i work from nine to five; hey hell, i pay the price | Marcus Pike

Summary | You use the office halloween party as a way to prove you can push yourself out of your comfort zone. You didn't expect that to mean that the apple of your eye, Marcus Pike, would take an interest in you.

Pairing | Marcus Pike x Plus Size F!Reader

Word Count | 4.4K

Warnings | Explicit smut, workplace 'romance', negative talk about bodies, body issues, plus size reader, oral sex (f receiving), unprotected PiV sex, dirty talk, mention of food and alcohol, halloween vibes, costumes, pet names, but nothing else.

Authors Note | I told myself I wasn't going to do halloween writing, and then I had a very vivid image of Marcus Pike bending me over his desk at a work party.... So I did some halloween writing. As a woman who lives life in a bigger body, this one goes out to everyone else who has felt the way reader has felt. These are MY OWN experiences, attitudes I've had given to me, and given to myself, they aren't universal, we all feel differently about ourselves, but if you've ever been made to feel less than because of the way you look, just know I see you and that Marcus Pike would absolutely take you apart regardless of how thick your thighs are. If you liked this, please consider supporting me through my Ko-Fi.

Divider by @saradika

Main Masterlist | Ko-Fi

You tug at your skirt a little, trying to pull it down over your thighs. It seemed like a good idea at the time, to choose something skimpy for the office Halloween party. A way to challenge yourself, finally start to work through the years of bullying at school, and the off-hand comments from your almond-mom who had always told you things like, ‘you could stand to lose a few pounds’, or ‘surely a salad would be a better idea?’. 

It had been such a relief when you’d gotten this job two years ago, finally earning enough on an FBI salary to move out of your family home and into your own space. A space where you weren’t judged for how many fries you had on your plate, or how the pair of trousers you’d chosen to wear made your belly look. It had been good for you, and ever since, you’d been trying your best to challenge yourself to do things you never thought you’d ever have the confidence to do. 

Things like standing in the office, in a pair of fishnet tights, with a skirt so short that if you bent over, Dave from Finance would get a complete eyeful. Looking around though, you couldn’t help feel like it had been a terrible idea. Amy from HR looked absolutely phenomenal in her devil outfit – a red bodycon dress that looked like it had been painted on, showing not a single imperfection on her body – and Jessica, who worked reception, in a Catwoman jumpsuit that hugged her figure perfectly. You don’t think it would ever go away, the comparing yourself to everyone else, even though you knew that Amy and Jessica would totally have their own insecurities about things. 

You were trying to make yourself at small as possible, crowding yourself into the corner of the room, hand clutched around a plastic cup full of ‘spooky punch’, that Hannah, the office manager had put together, which comprised of mostly vodka, some orange juice and what looked like a whole bottle of green food coloring, with some eyeball candy floating around in it. She’d put together a Halloween playlist, which was currently blasting The Monster Mash at a decibel you think should be illegal, and everyone had contributed to her spooky buffet, which was just normal food cut into shapes – like your addition of frozen pizza that you’d cut out with a ghost-shaped cookie cutter. You know you should go and mingle. Adam, on your team has already tried twice to get you to join their little group, so you relent, and walk over, giving everyone a warm smile. It’s all going well, until Alison, nods her head in your direction and stats speaking. 

“Did you work late?” She asks, to which you shake your head. 

“No, why?” 

“Oh,” She grimaces, “I just didn’t think you’d dressed up, is all.” 

And you know it’s mainly because she’s oblivious to mostly everything, but it smarts. Sure, the orange turtleneck is something you’d worn to work before, as are the black platform heels, but the skirt that ghosts the bottom of your ass and the fishnet tights that are still probably one size too small are not something you usually wear, nor are the fake glasses, with thick black frames, or the fucking magnifying glass you’re clutching. You sigh, make your excuses and walk over to the buffet table, picking up one of the slices of pizza you’d brought. Once you’ve eaten that, you reach for one of the cupcakes at the back of the table. It’s iced like a pumpkin and the cake looks to be chocolate, which is your favourite. You’re peeling off the wrapper and about to take a bite when someone interrupts you. 

“They’re delicious.” 

You’d recognize that voice anywhere. Marcus Pike. Head of Department. Not your boss, but your boss’ boss, and the most beautiful man you think you’d ever laid eyes on. You’d sat in on meetings that he chaired, supposed to be taking notes but instead focused entirely on him and how he commanded the room. The way he talked with his hands, and how much you wish you could have him run those over your thighs. Or the way he would chew on his bottom lip when he was concentrating, wondering whether he’d like it if you did that if he were to ever kiss you. 

“Oh.” You exhale softly, suddenly uber aware of the fact he’s probably just watched you eat the ghost-shaped pizza, and now, not a minute later, getting ready to bite into the cupcake, you go to set it down on the table, but he stops you, hand gently holding onto your wrist. 

“Please,” He says softly, “I made them, so I need the ego boost.” 

You smile a little, finally meeting his eyes, “You just said they were delicious, what do you need my opinion for?” 

“I remember the raspberry muffins you made last week,” He smirks a little, “And the apple turnovers the week before those, and everything else you bring in, I need to know what the office star baker thinks about my effort.” 

You’re going to refuse, say you’re already full, despite the pizza being the first thing you’d eaten that evening, that you’ll take it home with you and report back on Monday, but his beautiful brown eyes are soft, almost pleading, so you sigh, peel the rest of the wrapper off and take a bite. It’s actually delicious. He’s put some kind of orange flavouring in the icing, and the cake itself is really good. 

“You were right,” You smile, “It is delicious.”

He smiles, like he’s won a prize and it makes you feel a bit fuzzy inside, that this man next to you has been affected by your praise. 

“Great costume, by the way.” He compliments, and you don’t miss the way his eyes trail over your body. 

“You mean you don’t think I ran out of time and came in my office clothes?” You tease. 

“You’d wear that skirt to the office?” He’s smirking at you, and also offers you a wink, which has your hand dropping to the table, holding yourself up, why on earth was Marcus Pike flirting with you? “It’s good, Velma, right?” He motions to the magnifying glass abandoned on the table. 

You chuckle a little, “First prize, got it first time,” You then take a moment to take in his costume, he’s wearing a brown jacket over one of his usual shirts, a brown satchel is draped across his body and he’s got a hat on, but it’s the whip that really gives him away, “Indiana Jones?” You say quietly. 

“The one and only.” He smiles, opening his arms a little. 

You think it must be the amount of vodka that Hannah put in the punch, but even so, your next question shocks you, “Do I ask where you got the whip from?” 

He looks around dramatically, “Just checking Amy from HR is out of earshot,” Then he leans in a little closer, “It’s from my own personal collection.” 

You reach your hand out, letting your fingers run over the material where the handle is holstered in his pocket. It feels expensive, although it’s not like you have much experience with them to pass judgement on what’s expensive and what isn’t.

“Feels expensive,” You hum, “Guess that head of department salary has to get spent on something.” 

He reaches down and takes your hand in his gently, running soft circles over the skin on the back of your hand, “You really do look lovely tonight,” He speaks softly, “Enjoy the rest of the evening.” 

And then as quickly as he was stood in front of you, he’s gone. You let out a breath that you didn’t realise you’d been holding in, focusing on the way your chest is heaving and you can feel your pulse in your head. You pick up your plastic cup and down the liquid that’s left in the bottom, wincing at the strength of the vodka, then deciding you need a top up. 

You mill about for a little bit longer, but still feel like a bit of a spare part. You’ve shown your face, spoken to everyone you should have, and now there’s a glass of wine and a bubble bath with your name on it back home. You pick up your coat from the back of a random office chair, grab your bag from your own desk, and sneak out as quietly as you can. You’re halfway down the hall, almost to the elevator, when you hear a voice from behind you. 

“Running away?” 

You turn around, Marcus Pike is leaning against the doorframe to his office. He’s taken the satchel off, and the whip is no longer in his pocket. He’s crossed one ankle over the other, arms crossed over his chest. 

“Feeling a little like a spare part,” You shrug, “And there’s a glass of wine calling my name at home.” 

He nods in understanding, “You drink whiskey?” He asks. 

“If I have to.” You answer back. 

“Well, how about you stay and have one with me,” He offers, “Leave that wine for another day.” 

You shift awkwardly from foot to foot, because why on earth would Marcus Pike want to have a drink with you? It feels like someone somewhere is having a good old laugh at your expense, but you feel your feet leading you towards him, brushing past him and into his office. 

You’ve been in here a handful of times before, mainly to drop of reports and papers, and only once whilst he’s been there. It’s been a very professional relationship up until now, no flirting, nothing inappropriate. You drape your coat over the arm of the small couch he’s got there – you imagine he sleeps on it when he hasn’t got time to go home during crunch time of investigations.  Your bag sits on the floor next to it. 

He leaves the door open, giving you an out if you want it. He points to the couch, tells you to sit down, which you do, pulling once again at the tiny skirt, trying to cover the way the skin of your thighs bulge through the holes of the fishnet tights, ultimately failing, as Marcus reaches into one of the drawers of his desk, pulling out two crystal tumblers and a bottle of whiskey. He fills them both equally, handing one to you, but he doesn’t sit next to you, he just leans against the edge of his desk. 

“I always thought it was a myth,” You muse, “Agents with whiskey in their desks.” 

He smiles at you, “It’s in there for big wins,” He explains, “Cracking cases and that kind of stuff.” 

You nod your head, taking a small sip of your drink, wincing as it drags down your throat, “What’s tonight’s big win?” You ask, fluttering your eyelashes and then cringing a little at yourself. 

“You looking that sinful.” 

You’re taking a sip when he says it, so you end up spluttering quite unattractively at his words. Is he serious? You dab at the corners on your mouth, setting your glass down on the floor, “Sorry,” You mutter, “But are you for real?” 

He smirks, “As real as you and I.” 

He pushes himself off the desk, puts his drink down on it as he moves. He takes three wide strides until he’s stood in front of you. You look up from where you’re sat, hands folded in your lap. He reaches out, drags the fake glasses from your face, throws them absentmindedly onto the couch next to you. You’re breathing heavily as reaches out with one of his hands. The flat of his palm cupping your jaw, whilst his thumb traces along your bottom lip. 

“Do you want me to close the door?” He asks, voice lower than you’ve ever known it. 

You have no words, your tongue refusing to work, so you nod instead, because as much as you’re still thinking someone is going to come in and tell you you’re being pranked, you also want to know what he’s going to do next. He’s back to you in moments once he’s closed the door and turned the lock. The light above is harsh, but it’s needed, because the blinds are closed. 

He's standing in front of you again, this time both his palms are cupping your cheeks, and he’s leaning down, ever so slowly, until his lips are a hairs breath from yours. God, you want him to push the last few millimeters and kiss you, but he’s stopped. Waiting. And you don’t want to break first. You’ve done it before, gone to kiss someone, and then felt them laugh just before you can, because why would they want to? 

“You gonna kiss me, pretty lady?” 

“I want you to kiss me first.” You admit on a shaky breath. 

You’ve got your eyes closed, so you can’t read his eyes, look for the sense of regret in them, so it’s a shock when you feel his lips on yours. It’s so soft, barely there, before he’s pulling away, still close enough to feel his hot breath over your skin though. 

“There,” His thumbs are moving across the skin of your cheeks, “Now you.” 

So, you do. You reach your hand around to the back of his neck, pull him into you and really press your lips to his. His bottom lip slots between yours and you suck it gently into your mouth. You smile a little at the sound that comes from his throat, then he’s opening his mouth against yours and you’re following, doing exactly the same, letting his tongue behind your teeth as it melds with your own. His hands are dropping from your face, trailing down your shoulders. He leans forward into you a little, his hands under your arms to tug you up. 

You drag your mouth from him to stand up, his hands dropping to your hips to guide you behind his desk. There are nerves bubbling under your skin because you know what he wants as he pressed your ass into the wood. He wants you to sit on it. To be fair to the department, it’s a sturdy looking desk, but the thought of the way it’s going to creak under your weight makes you want to crawl into a hole. Marcus doesn’t push though, just brings his mouth back to yours, letting his hands wander a little, dragging them back up your body to palm your tits through the layers you’re wearing. 

“I think you did this on purpose,” He speaks against your mouth, “Like you knew this woman had always driven me wild.” 

You don’t mean to, but it makes you laugh, “Don’t tell me Velma from Scooby-Doo was your sexual awakening?” 

He laughs back, doesn’t confirm it, but doesn’t deny it either. He’s looking down your body, having pulled back a bit, “Fuck,” He mutters, “Every time I look at you, it gets better.” 

“The magic of a slutty Halloween costume.” You shrug. 

He nods his head, but speaks again, “It’s not just that though,” He’s speaking softly now, “I think you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, wandering around the office all the time, driving me mad.” 

This would normally be the time that you’d try and fight against the compliments being thrown your way. Tell them they must be lying, or joke that they need to get their eyes tested. But somehow, it doesn’t feel like you should do that here. There’s something about Marcus that makes you think he wouldn’t lie, wouldn’t string you along this far just to have a laugh at your expense, so you don’t do it, for the first time in your life. 

You reach up to his shirt, undo two of the buttons, “You know,” You hum, “I think exactly the same as you, with your whip or not.” 

He breathes out, taking hold of your wrists to stop your movements, “Let me make you feel good?” He asks. 

You meet his eyes, feeling heat rise across your face, but you nod anyway, because you’ve come this far, and you can already feel wetness pooling in your panties. He drags his hands down your body, grips your hips and forces you to sit on the edge of the desk, dropping to his knees in front of you. He’s looking you straight in the eyes, as he pushes the material of your skirt to gather at your waist. Your legs open further, and Marcus groans when your movement reveals the see-through black lace of your panties. It hadn’t felt right to dress as a sexy Velma and wear your normal underwear, is how you justify it. 

You’re expecting him to tell you to lift up so he can drag your tights off you, but instead, he hooks a finger through the material at your groin and fucking rips them apart. It makes you gasp. You’d chide him for ruining them, but at this point you don’t care. They were cheap, and if it means you’re going to have his mouth on you quicker, then you’re not going to complain. 

Marcus leans forwards, you can feel the heat of his breath splaying across the lace material, and then he drags his tongue across the length of your folds over the lace of your panties. Even with the material barrier between your skin and his mouth, you’re tipping your head back in pleasure, letting out a breath as he repeats his movements, dragging his fingers just behind his tongue on his last pass of movements. It’s not enough. 

“Please, Marcus.” You beg quietly. 

“What do you want, pretty lady?” He asks, looking up at you with angelic eyes, as if he couldn’t possibly think what it is you want from him. 

“Your mouth.” 

“You already have it.” He points out, proving his point by licking another stripe up your panties. 

“Marcus,” You sigh, “Move the… fuck… move the damn material out of the way.” 

He lets out a huff of amusement, “See,” He says, doing exactly as you ask, hooking his fingers under the material and moving it to the side, “All you had to do was ask.” 

He doesn’t waste any more time now. Letting his tongue dip between your slick folds, dragging the wetness that’s pooled at your entrance up to your clit, where he flicks softly with the tip of his tongue. You feel his thumbs spreading the lips of your cunt, baring you to him so he can really start to work you up. He presses the flat of his tongue to your clit, working it gently as your hand settles into the curls on his head, anchoring him there. He’s doing all the things you love, moving between wide stripes of the flat of his tongue, and quick flicks with the tip, until your hips are grinding against his face and you’re biting down onto your bottom lip to keep quiet. 

“You taste so fucking sweet, pretty lady,” He speaks against your skin, surprising you a little as he pushes not one, but two of his fingers into your soaked cunt, “Feel good?” 

“Oh God,” You breathe out as he hooks his fingers inside you, pressing against a spot you had no idea even existed inside of you, “Don’t stop… don’t fucking stop.” 

He doesn’t, the obedient man that he is. He starts dragging his fingers in and out of you, whilst his lips wrap around your clit, pulling it into his mouth, laving it with attention from his tongue, which sends you over the edge. 

Your thighs are clenching around his head as your body convulses. All you want is to cry out, call his name into the room, but even though you can hear the music from the party down here, anyone could be walking past, and it would be just your luck that it would be Amy from HR. His mouth is working you through those aftershocks as your thighs ease the pressure around his head. 

He's breathing as heavy as you are when he stands, slotting himself between your open legs. You can feel the hard length of him pressing against your silken center, as he dips his head to kiss you again, your taste intoxicating on his tongue. 

“Can I fuck you?” He asks, almost desperately, “You gonna let me?” 

“Please.” Is all you can get out, as he drags you off the desk, flipping you around so your front is pressed against the wood of the desk. 

He’s got his hand on the nape of your neck, pressing you down. You can hear him undoing his belt, dragging the zipper of his jeans down. You shuffle a little, widening your stance as he takes his place behind you. You can feel him dragging his cock through your folds, gathering the slick he’s pulled from you, before he’s plunging into you in one go. It takes everything you have not to scream. He’s big. Stretching you like no-one has before and it feels so fucking good. 

Marcus is still gripping the back of your neck as he starts moving, his other hand gripping the plush cheek of your ass, spreading you open even more as he slowly drags himself in and out of you. He’s going slowly, and you think that the way his breath is hitching in his throat means he’s struggling to keep his composure, so you decide to have a little fun. 

When he’s pulled almost all the way out of you, you turn your head as much as you can with his hand resting there, looking over your shoulder at him as you wiggle your ass, slowly backing into him, letting your cunt suck him right back into you again. 

“Baby, you can’t do that,” He pleads, his fingers digging into the skin of your ass, “Carry on like that and this will be over before it’s begun.” 

“Don’t care,” You mutter, “Harder, please.” 

He starts pounding into you now, the sound of his skin slapping against yours is obscene. You’re both trying as hard as possible to keep the moans and groans as quiet as possible, and you can’t help but wish he wants more, that he’ll take you home sometime, unwrap you and let you scream for him, but you decide to focus on the here and now. 

“Touch yourself.” You hear demanded from behind you, “I want to feel you come on my cock.” 

You snake your hand underneath you, pushing the discomfort of how your arm is trapped between your body and the desk, and start tracing quick circles over your clit. You’re already sensitive, hanging on the edge from his mouth, so you press harder, move your wrist faster. 

“Feel so fucking good, baby,” Marcus groans behind you, “Close, ain’tcha?” He asks, “Go on baby, let go for me, let me feel you.” 

And it’s his voice that does it, that finally tips you over the edge, has your cunt clenching around him, walls fluttering and teeth biting into your bottom lip as your knees give way. Thankfully, Marcus is gripping at your hips, which helps to keep you upright. 

“Where, baby?” He asks, voice strained, and you don’t catch what he means, “Quick baby, where do you want me?” 

“Anywhere.” You groan out, “I don’t care Marcus, just come for me.” 

You think for a moment he might stay inside you, which would be fine, you thank the implant under the skin of your arm, but at the last minute he’s pulling out of you, feeling the hot slick of his cum on the skin of your ass as he lets out a low groan out of his mouth. He’s breathing heavily behind you, pulling his jeans back up. You try and move, to push yourself up, but you’re worried if you move further you might collapse. 

“Stay there.” He says gently, leaning over you to pluck a few tissues from the box on his desk, gently wiping away the mess he’s caused, pulling your panties back into place and letting your skirt cover as much of your ass as it can in your position. 

“You okay?” He asks softly, helping you to stand, tucking a bit of your hair behind your ear. 

You nod, because you are, you’ve never been fucked so thoroughly, never been made to come so hard in your life, but there’s an anxiety settling in your stomach. What always happens now is they’ll tell you they had a great time, but don’t think they want to see you again, which is going to be even more embarrassing because you have to work with this man. 

It's almost as if he can sense your anxiety, because he’s cupping your cheek again, leaning to give you a soft kiss on the lips, “Would you maybe want to go out sometime?” He asks, “I know we’ve done things out of order, but I’ve wanted to ask for a while.” 

You smile, because it does make you happy, that the man you’ve fancied for the best part of a year actually wants to take you out, “As long as you promise to take me back to yours after and let me see you naked?” 

He blows out air from his mouth, but his eyes are twinkling, “You drive a hard bargain,” He muses, “But you’ve got yourself a deal.” 

He’s moving from you now, over to the couch, picking up your coat and your back, motioning you over so he can help you into your jacket, hooking your bag onto your elbow, then moving to gather his own things, “Wait, right now?” You ask, sounding surprised, as he shrugs his jacket on. 

“I know a great diner just down the road.” He shrugs, picking up his satchel. 

He’s walking back to you, but you put a hand on his chest, “Aren’t you forgetting something?” You ask, watching a confused look fall over his face, you dart your eyes to his desk, where the whip from earlier is lying abandoned, “I’m only coming back to yours if you bring that.” 

You watch as a smirk splays across his lips. He snatches the whip from his desk, shoving it into the satchel, “Well, pretty lady, lead the way.” 

[psychedelic-charm]

The Amazing Digital Circus Recipe Ideas

1. Glitch Cupcakes

Ingredients: Vanilla or chocolate cupcakes, bright colored icing (blue, neon pink, green), edible glitter, and candy pixels (made with small square-shaped candies).

Idea: Decorate the cupcakes with digital glitch patterns using bright, pixelated colors and add some metallic or glowing effects to reflect the theme.

2. Circus Popcorn Cones

Ingredients: Freshly popped popcorn, melted chocolate (white, dark, or colored candy melts), sprinkles, edible confetti, and sugar cones.

Idea: Fill the sugar cones with the popcorn and drizzle with colorful chocolate, adding edible confetti and sprinkles to make them pop with color and circus excitement.

3. Neon Pixel Jello Bites

Ingredients: Different flavors/colors of jello, neon food coloring, and small square-shaped molds.

Idea: Make jello bites in various bright neon colors to look like digital pixels. You can layer them in a clear glass bowl to create a glowing, tech-inspired effect that resembles a digital screen.

4. Clown Cake Pops

Ingredients: Cake pop mix, candy melts in bright colors, edible metallic paint, and candy eyes.

Idea: Shape cake pops into mini robots or clown faces. Use candy melts to give them fun, whimsical colors and add metallic touches to give them a digital feel.

5. Augmented Reality Nachos

Ingredients: Tortilla chips, multicolored cheese sauces (cheddar, mozzarella dyed with food coloring), guacamole, salsa, sour cream, and digital-themed toppers (like pixelated cheese or nachos shaped like tech symbols).

Idea: Serve this with a fun twist by arranging the nachos in a digital pattern, or use nacho toppings with wild, unexpected colors that look like they’ve been “augmented” digitally.

6. Glowing Cotton Candy Drinks

Ingredients: Club soda, colorful cotton candy, and edible glow sticks or LED ice cubes.

Idea: Serve a drink with a tuft of cotton candy on top. When stirred in, it dissolves and creates a sweet, colorful drink. The glowing ice cubes or LED sticks add a futuristic, digital effect.

7. Pixelated Fruit Kabobs

Ingredients: Different types of colorful fruits like watermelon, pineapple, strawberries, and cantaloupe cut into cube shapes.

Idea: Arrange these fruit cubes on skewers to resemble pixels. You can even create patterns or images with the cubes to enhance the digital vibe.

8. Virtual Reality Pizza

Ingredients: Basic pizza dough, neon-colored toppings (dyed cheese, bright vegetables like bell peppers), and LED skewers.

Idea: Top your pizza with vibrant, digital-inspired toppings. You can even serve slices on LED-lit plates for an extra futuristic feel!

9. Pixel Pancakes

Make pancakes in different shapes and vibrant colors to represent pixels. You can use food coloring to create different shades. Stack them up and decorate with colorful fruits (blueberries, strawberries, kiwi) and whipped cream.

Ingredients: Pancake mix, food coloring, fruit, whipped cream

Directions: Make the pancake batter, divide it into separate bowls, and add different colors. Pour in pixel shapes using cookie cutters or freehand. Stack and decorate!

10. Circus Swirl Smoothie

A layered smoothie in bright, contrasting colors. Think of it as layers of different flavors stacked like a digital landscape.

Ingredients: Mango, strawberries, blueberries, yogurt, spinach, almond milk

Directions: Blend each fruit separately with a bit of yogurt and almond milk, then layer them carefully in a glass for a striped, rainbow effect.

11.Neon Popcorn

Regular popcorn with an exciting twist! Coat popcorn with neon-colored candy melts or edible glitter for a fun snack that feels like it’s straight out of a digital circus.

Ingredients: Popcorn, candy melts (neon colors), edible glitter

Directions: Melt candy melts, toss popcorn, and coat. Add edible glitter for an extra pop!

12. Digital Circuit Board Cookies

Sugar cookies shaped and decorated to resemble circuit boards or digital screens. Use royal icing to draw out "wires" and "chips."

Ingredients: Sugar cookie dough, royal icing, food coloring, edible silver dust

Directions: Bake the cookies in square or rectangular shapes, then decorate with green icing to mimic a circuit board. Use darker icing to draw connections and sprinkle edible dust for a high-tech look.

13. Binary Byte Brownies

These brownies are divided into tiny squares (like pixels) and decorated with a binary pattern using white and dark chocolate.

Ingredients: Brownie mix, white chocolate, dark chocolate

Directions: Bake a sheet of brownies and once cooled, cut into small squares. Decorate each square with melted white or dark chocolate to represent binary code (1s and 0s).

14. Digital Rainbow Donuts

Idea: Brightly colored donuts with a rainbow glaze, giving them a surreal, otherworldly appearance.

Ingredients: Donut batter, rainbow icing (made with white icing and food coloring), sprinkles.

Decoration: Dip the donuts into colorful glazes, using swirling patterns or separate rainbow layers for an electric circus feel.

[sweethoneyrose83]

The Amazing Digital Circus Recipe Ideas

1. Glitch Cupcakes

Ingredients: Vanilla or chocolate cupcakes, bright colored icing (blue, neon pink, green), edible glitter, and candy pixels (made with small square-shaped candies).

Idea: Decorate the cupcakes with digital glitch patterns using bright, pixelated colors and add some metallic or glowing effects to reflect the theme.

2. Circus Popcorn Cones

Ingredients: Freshly popped popcorn, melted chocolate (white, dark, or colored candy melts), sprinkles, edible confetti, and sugar cones.

Idea: Fill the sugar cones with the popcorn and drizzle with colorful chocolate, adding edible confetti and sprinkles to make them pop with color and circus excitement.

3. Neon Pixel Jello Bites

Ingredients: Different flavors/colors of jello, neon food coloring, and small square-shaped molds.

Idea: Make jello bites in various bright neon colors to look like digital pixels. You can layer them in a clear glass bowl to create a glowing, tech-inspired effect that resembles a digital screen.

4. Clown Cake Pops

Ingredients: Cake pop mix, candy melts in bright colors, edible metallic paint, and candy eyes.

Idea: Shape cake pops into mini robots or clown faces. Use candy melts to give them fun, whimsical colors and add metallic touches to give them a digital feel.

5. Augmented Reality Nachos

Ingredients: Tortilla chips, multicolored cheese sauces (cheddar, mozzarella dyed with food coloring), guacamole, salsa, sour cream, and digital-themed toppers (like pixelated cheese or nachos shaped like tech symbols).

Idea: Serve this with a fun twist by arranging the nachos in a digital pattern, or use nacho toppings with wild, unexpected colors that look like they’ve been “augmented” digitally.

6. Glowing Cotton Candy Drinks

Ingredients: Club soda, colorful cotton candy, and edible glow sticks or LED ice cubes.

Idea: Serve a drink with a tuft of cotton candy on top. When stirred in, it dissolves and creates a sweet, colorful drink. The glowing ice cubes or LED sticks add a futuristic, digital effect.

7. Pixelated Fruit Kabobs

Ingredients: Different types of colorful fruits like watermelon, pineapple, strawberries, and cantaloupe cut into cube shapes.

Idea: Arrange these fruit cubes on skewers to resemble pixels. You can even create patterns or images with the cubes to enhance the digital vibe.

8. Virtual Reality Pizza

Ingredients: Basic pizza dough, neon-colored toppings (dyed cheese, bright vegetables like bell peppers), and LED skewers.

Idea: Top your pizza with vibrant, digital-inspired toppings. You can even serve slices on LED-lit plates for an extra futuristic feel!

9. Pixel Pancakes

Make pancakes in different shapes and vibrant colors to represent pixels. You can use food coloring to create different shades. Stack them up and decorate with colorful fruits (blueberries, strawberries, kiwi) and whipped cream.

Ingredients: Pancake mix, food coloring, fruit, whipped cream

Directions: Make the pancake batter, divide it into separate bowls, and add different colors. Pour in pixel shapes using cookie cutters or freehand. Stack and decorate!

10. Circus Swirl Smoothie

A layered smoothie in bright, contrasting colors. Think of it as layers of different flavors stacked like a digital landscape.

Ingredients: Mango, strawberries, blueberries, yogurt, spinach, almond milk

Directions: Blend each fruit separately with a bit of yogurt and almond milk, then layer them carefully in a glass for a striped, rainbow effect.

11.Neon Popcorn

Regular popcorn with an exciting twist! Coat popcorn with neon-colored candy melts or edible glitter for a fun snack that feels like it’s straight out of a digital circus.

Ingredients: Popcorn, candy melts (neon colors), edible glitter

Directions: Melt candy melts, toss popcorn, and coat. Add edible glitter for an extra pop!

12. Digital Circuit Board Cookies

Sugar cookies shaped and decorated to resemble circuit boards or digital screens. Use royal icing to draw out "wires" and "chips."

Ingredients: Sugar cookie dough, royal icing, food coloring, edible silver dust

Directions: Bake the cookies in square or rectangular shapes, then decorate with green icing to mimic a circuit board. Use darker icing to draw connections and sprinkle edible dust for a high-tech look.

13. Binary Byte Brownies

These brownies are divided into tiny squares (like pixels) and decorated with a binary pattern using white and dark chocolate.

Ingredients: Brownie mix, white chocolate, dark chocolate

Directions: Bake a sheet of brownies and once cooled, cut into small squares. Decorate each square with melted white or dark chocolate to represent binary code (1s and 0s).

14. Digital Rainbow Donuts

Idea: Brightly colored donuts with a rainbow glaze, giving them a surreal, otherworldly appearance.

Ingredients: Donut batter, rainbow icing (made with white icing and food coloring), sprinkles.

Decoration: Dip the donuts into colorful glazes, using swirling patterns or separate rainbow layers for an electric circus feel.

[inoreuct]

okay okay yes chef sanji is wonderful but baker sanji. confectioner sanji. think about it.

sanji kneading dough on a saturday morning with his shirtsleeves rolled up to the elbow. he has flour on his cheeks and one of those cute canvas aprons the colour of a brown paper bag with a million pockets and he keeps getting pissed off because strands of his bangs are constantly falling into his face. he makes sourdough and cheesecake and strawberry pavlova and tangerine tarts and dried mango nougat and carrot cupcakes that everybody eyed suspiciously before they actually tried them and now they're a friend group favourite.

he makes monthly batches of those agar-agar edible crystals for vivi's entire family and ships them by the crate to alabasta. he bakes robin and franky's blue raspberry black forest wedding cake. all of the straw hats have multiple packets of his dark chocolate dried fruit and nut and oat yoghurt brittle in their bags at any one time because they're the perfect snack and they're delicious. he makes red bean matcha mochi for zoro because the mosshead can't tolerate anything too sweet.

he has jar upon jar of aromatic infusions on the shelf: vanilla, black pepper, florals, all steeped in liquor to make high-quality extracts that he has gotten MULTIPLE offers to start a business out of, but he always declines because hello. he's busy cooking for straw hats and co.. luffy and fam. he has no time he is a busy busy man and would you look at that chopper's upside-down apple crumble is ready.

usopp makes him all sorts of contraptions, a high-speed blender, a state-of-the-art stand mixer, an ice-cream machine; sometimes if he's feeling lazy he'll go equipment shopping with sanji and just modify whatever they buy. sanji has a toffee hook on the wall of the galley and a very formidable collection of cookie cutters and piping tips. he's managed to make fondant that doesn't taste like utter trash and it's legendary. his salted caramel cashew macadamia popcorn has and will continue to make grown men cry.

but sometimes, he just chucks some charcoal in a pot and plops it in the middle of the dining table with a bowl of chocolate on top and brings out the fruit skewers, or the marshmallows and graham crackers. sometimes they eat rice krispy treats out of the packaging as they huddle together on the lawn and stargaze just because they can. sometimes the almond and dried cranberry combo just can't be beat and sometimes plain toast with butter makes you see god. but you'd best believe the next day he's up and at it again; his sourdough starter's looking more and more like a sentient life form by the hour and he has seven different things going on at once with two more bowls cooling off in the fridge and the oven preheating. i love baker confectioner sanji.

[quilleth]

Realized i forgot to post the other recipe card I made for this year's @mxtxfoodzine!

The templates for dusting the tarts and making cookies from scrap pastry dough can be found along with all the rest of the awesome stuff everyone made in the full zine, here!

Sign-ups for the 2025 zine are also open now ;)

Text for the recipe is under the cut since i know tumblr kills image quality and i probably should've used an easier to read font too (oops).

Frangipane Tarts

Ingredients:

one package puff pastry, thawed

1 ½ tablespoons butter, softened

⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon white sugar

1 large egg

¾ cup almond flour

¼ teaspoon fine salt

⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional, but recommended)

3-4 tablespoons jam or fruit preserves of your choice

powdered sugar (Optional)

**cinnamon sugar (Optional)

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

2) Lay the sheets of puff pastry on a piece of parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Using a 3 inch circle cutter or the opening of a large drinking glass, cut an equal number of circles-2 for each tart. Depending on the size of your pastry, you should get enough for 5-6 tarts.

3) Using a 1 inch cutter or the smaller end of the glass, cut out a circle from half of your 3 inch circles so that you have a ring.

3) Lay the full circles out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat about 1-2 inches apart. Lightly moisten the edges with plain water, then place the rings on top. Prick the center of the bottom pieces with a fork, being sure not to get the outer ring.

4) Bake the pastries for 15 minutes or until it turns lightly golden brown. Reduce the oven to 375 degrees. Using a fork, press the centers of the tarts down to flatten them. Set aside.

5) Make the frangipane filling by creaming together butter and 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon of sugar with a spatula. Whisk in egg until creamy. Add almond flour, salt, vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

6) Spoon about half a tablespoon of jam into the bottom of prebaked pastry shells. Divide the frangipane filling evenly among the tarts, spooning it on top of the jam.

7) Bake tarts for about 20-25 minutes or until the pastry shells are browned and the frangipane is set; it should be risen to about the same height as the shell. Remove from the baking sheet and let cool.

If desired, dust with powdered sugar for decoration, either completely, or using the template to create a cute shape!

**While the shells are baking, cut your scrap pastries into cookies with the templates or your own cookie cutters. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool slightly, and make cinnamon sugar in a shallow dish by combining 2 tablespoons of sugar with half a tablespoon of cinnamon (or to taste). Gently coat the cookies in the cinnamon sugar mix, so that the pastry doesn’t lose its flakiness.

[my-my-my]

For the Christmas ask game: eggnog, pudding and glitter! 🎄✨💖

Eggnog: What’s your favourite Christmas time drink?

I am a sucker for peppermint mochas and Mexican hot chocolate! My friends and I have started a tradition of going to the big Christmas market and wandering around with a Mexican hot chocolate, so now I associate that flavour with this tradition.

Pudding: Name your perfect Christmas dinner!

So another person asked me this so I’ll answer this one with my perfect Christmas appetizers and desserts!! My family loves Christmas so our Christmas dinner party is something we plan out months in advance. We are also Sri Lankan Tamil, so there’s a lot of ethnic food we serve too!

I’m putting it behind the read more because it’s image heavy.

I absolutely love Sri Lankan mutton rolls. I’m actually super picky about them too, so as of late I’ve learned how to make my own. Curried goat mixed with mashed potatoes, wrapped in a chewy wrapper, breaded and then shallow fried.

Another one is Sri Lankan fish cutlets. We call them cutlets, but it is what non-Tamil people would call “croquettes.” My family’s version uses shredded king fish, but I’ve seen some families use salmon and tuna. You combine it with potatoes, red onions, green chilies and parsley, then bread and shallow fry!

It can be really spicy depending on how many green chilies you put in lol.

One year I made chili lime shrimp cups with arugula and I still think about them.

To balance out all the savoury, my sister’s shortbread cookies. Specifically with her Miffy cookie cutters.

As for dessert, I like having options 🤪

Williams Sonoma peppermint bark (ok, I also just snack on this lmao)

Watalppam: my aunt makes THE BEST version of this. It is a Sri Lankan coconut custard pudding topped with cashews.

Payasam - I think non-Tamil south Asians call it “kheer” but our version is a saffron/cardamom-spiced tapioca pudding. I specifically only like the Tamil version (I’m so biased LOL), because we make it “tropical” by adding in pineapple, mango or splashes of coconut milk into it.

Bûche de Noël: I love love Christmas cakes and this version is my favourite. So much so that this year I got one as my own birthday cake (my birthday is a bit after Christmas). There’s a French bakery here that makes this “modern” version that I loved:

It contains: vanilla mousse and chocolate mousse, crunchy hazelnut/almond Praliné Feuilletine with a chocolate sponge.

Glitter: What is the weirdest Christmas decoration you own/owned?

So to be completely honest, I don’t think I own any. My family and I are very into having particular Christmas trees (every year I decide on the colour scheme LOL), so this was really hard to decide! I think maybe the giant nutcracker? I personally like it but my sister thinks it’s creepy.

The bear is cute but it has this annoying song it dances to. I took out the batteries because it pissed me off LOL.

[yummilily]

Butter Cookies (1 h)

I firmly believe family recipes should be shared, so here's THE family recipe I have to offer: my grandma’s butter cookies! There’s probably a lot of people who have fond memories of winters spent picking just the right design for the occasion and staring into the oven until they’re finally done - Just like I have fond memories of being an integral part of my grandmother’s cookie empire since I was old enough to hold a cookie cutter. The woman never did anything casually. And since I can’t even begin to hope to replicate the sheer scale of such an operation, I’m counting on you all to help me out and make these for yourself. (And family and friends if you’re feeling generous.)

Equipment:

Big bowl

Rolling pin

Cookie cutters (see notes)

Pastry brush (or a spoon or your fingers…)

Oven

Baking paper

Ingredients:

200g butter

200g sugar

4 egg yolks 

300g flour + extra for rolling out the dough

200g grated almonds

100g cornstarch

2 satchels vanilla sugar (or vanilla extract to taste)

Lemon juice 

Rum (optional, if you omit this, add some water to get the dough to the right consistency)

1 egg, lightly beaten with a splash of milk

Instructions:

Combine all dry ingredients, then add the egg yolks and knead until a dough forms. Adjust the consistency with lemon juice and rum: not quite moist, but rollable without crumbling.

Chill in the fridge until firm, ideally overnight.

Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan) and line a sheet (or many) with baking paper. Then, roll out the dough to about ½ cm thick on a lightly floured surface. Dust the cookie cutters with some flour as well, so it doesn’t stick.

Place them on the baking tray with a little space in between (they won’t get much bigger than they are, but it’d be sad if they end up stuck together after all that work, wouldn’t it?) and brush each one with the beaten egg.

The baking time for these will largely depend on how big of a cookie cutter you chose. Check in on them after 10 minutes in the oven and take them out once they’re lightly browned.

If you want to decorate these, allow them to cool completely first. Otherwise, snacking is now allowed and encouraged. Don’t burn your tongue!

Enjoy!

Notes:

Yes, I am aware that this recipe makes a lot. Like I said, my grandma didn’t do casual. (But you can downscale this of course.)

Naturally, you can make this with a stand or handheld mixer if you don’t want to knead by hand, but make sure not to overwork the dough. You just need to keep going until it comes together.

Working with the dough too warm (and thus soft) will turn this into a headache. Try to be quick once you take it out of the fridge, do so in portions, or place it back in there if things get too sticky.

If you don’t have cookie cutters, you can make some basic shapes with a knife instead. Form the dough into a looong sausage and cut disks. Go wild modelling freestyle with your hands. It will all be a cookie in the end. (Just try not to make anything too thick, so it bakes through all the way.)

Since baking time varies, try to keep the shapes you pick roughly the same size on each tray.

As for decorations, classics include icing (mix powdered sugar and lemon juice) or melted chocolate, but you could also add some nuts on top or sprinkles or…