Soft-baked Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies

Do you know Ben's Cookies in London? To me they are literally the best cookies in the world. Super soft and they taste like cookie dough. Unfortunately I haven't found such cookies elsewhere yet, so I decided to give it a try and bake them myself. I found a very good recipe online, which I tried, though I think the vanilla taste was a little bit to pungent. The cookies had quite a dark colour, due to the dark brown sugar I have used, which didn't look appealing to me. Not quite like the cookies I have seen on the original recipe, which looked very delicious and tasty. Therefore I baked them again, this time without the vanilla aroma and instead of dark brown sugar I used white sugar. I guess the dark brown sugar gave the cookies a softer texture but also those with white sugar were super delicious. Before putting the unbaked cookies in the oven I stamped my cookies with a cute 'I Love You' cookie stamper. After literally 8 - 10 minutes they were ready, even quicker than those with brown sugar. I decorated them with white and milk chocolate hearts, when they were still warm.  Let them cool a little bit more or eat them warm, up to your taste. Enjoy!

Find the original and very delicious recipe here: Sally's Baking Addiction

My cookies are baked without vanilla extract and I haven't used the dark brown sugar.

Insta Life

London Eye, Selfridges ,Vogue

Insta-Life London

The weeks before Christmas are always so busy...besides final projects, essays and exams there is the biggest challenge: finding the perfect Christmas present for everyone. It's though..every year again. I got some inspirations from my favourite online shops net-a-porter and mytheresa, but also yoox has some good gift. And last but not least: Selfridges, Christmas gifts heaven. For fashionistas, foodies, voyagers and everyone else you want to give a unique present. 

So while I was rushing around London - finding presents - and working on University projects, I tried to enjoy a bit of the fabulous London life. I am so in love with this city and every minute I cannot spend outside feels a little bit wasted. Especially because there are those lovely vanilla skies at the moment, which make London look like a pink fairy floss. (...not forgetting the pretty Christmas lights and markets)

Howsoever, here are some snapshots and Instagram pictures of the fabulous London life. For me that means quality time with friends and family. Dinner together, walking around London and all the lovely things you can do in London.

From the left to the right

First line: my healthy snack, goji berries and pistachios, full of vitamins and antioxidants; the beautiful Trafalgar Sqaure at sunset; delicious dessert at Roka, which is one of my favourite Japanese restaurants; Isabel Marant pour H&M bracelet

Second line: Lunch at 202 London; Trying on the Zara skort (skirts meets short); lovely candle-light ambience and tasty cocktails in the Dean Street Townhouse bar; another favourite restaurant: Bocca di Lupo, we had lovely dolci with a very special DIY cannelloni dessert

Third line: Being arty at the British Museum; Sashimi at Roka, oh boy...so delicious; Ambre scent and good music at Sketch bar; and there is finally a KIKO branch in Regent Street

Fourth line: Girls dinner at Sticks n Sushi, a very nice Danish Sushi chain. The dessert combo was very delicious! Can only recommend it; my new Orelia feather bracelet; Bocca di Lupo again, a tasty starter: Burrata and tartar; and last but not least: Kate Spade at Selfridges

What we want in our Advent calendar this year! Part I

I think it is ways nicer to make your own Advent calendar instead of buying one. The most common Advent calendar filler are probably sweets, like chocolate, bonbons or other dainties. Chocolate, twenty-four days in a row...not very eventful. Therefore it's nice to buy some other things as well, as a kind of weekly highlight if you want. That might be a bit more expensive than sweets, but it is definitely healthier :)

Here are some ideas for sporty ones, Jetsetter, Karl Lagerfeld fans and girls who know how to enjoy their lives

Super stylish Martone Mercer Bike in more colours available £795 

Benefit Do The Bright Thing Kit £24 ; Johny Ive and Marc Newson Leica M Camera
It's limited edition that's why it costs $7000 upwards (there are cheaper ones for abut £500) 

The World According to Karl £19

Fleur Of England "Belle de Nuit" lace briefy £99 and lace bra £89; Rosé Champagne and Prestat chocolate £11

Frieze Masters 2013

Today was the last day of Frieze Art Fair and Frieze Masters. Frieze Masters, is the sister fair of Frieze Art Fair and presents top-class art works from ancient time to the pre-21st century. The fair offers a contemporary perspective on art by showing ancient and modern art side by side. I think everybody who is a little bit interested in art will recognize some famous artists like Jackson Pollock, Picasso, Henri Matisse, David Hockney, Richard Hamilton, Lucio Fontana, Sean Scully and Francis Baco..just to name a few. I really enjoyed the diversity of art at the Frieze Art Fair, Frieze Masters and the Sculpture Park. Here are some snapshots of my last visits at Frieze Masters and the Sculpture Park. 

Love Love Love 

Frieze Art Fair London 2013

It's the 11th year of the Frieze Art Fair London in Regents Park and one of the biggest contemporary art fairs. Every year Frieze attracts influential and world famous art buyers and people interested in the arts. Today there was the pre-opening day. Officially it starts tomorrow and will then run until Sunday, the 20th October. The fair is the perfect place to discover new artists and gives an overview of the current art market but also the opportunity to buy art pieces, exhibited by the most highly respected art galleries in the world. I experienced the fair as the perfect mix of the beautiful, the humorous but also the bizarre. Luckily the fair runs four more days, all the time in the world to enjoy Frieze a bit more with all its overwhelming sculptures, art pieces, projects, films, talks and their delicious food stands. Here are snapshots of the fair, which I took today...

Gail's bakery at the Frieze

Café-Hopping in Berlin

Last week I've been to Berlin. The weather was almost unbearable, so hot and steamy....therefore we spent most of the time drinking iced coffee in some lovely cafés. Here are some snapshots of my new favourite cafés in Berlin, which where recommended by Berlin experts...thanks for the good advice!

Andrew Edmunds - Bistro in Soho

A.E. during lunch time 

What a romantic place. I passed by there quite often, but it was always packed with people. I really wanted to go there for a long time, drink some wine, enjoy good food and watch people walking by (Soho is the best place for that). Last weekend I was lucky, finally. I think you can actually book a table, but as I am in that area most of the time anyway, I go there spontaneously. Anyways this time we got a table outside (there are only two tables outside) while it was still warm and bright around 9pm. It was one of those nice summer evenings, when everybody is out and about. The charming bistro could be located somewhere in a small European village. And that's the feeling you get when dining there, somewhere far away from London's busy Soho. It's a very rustic and unpretentious place, inside you can either sit up or downstairs in very tiny rooms. The rustic wooden furniture and dim candle light create a cosy and intimate atmosphere. The menu changes on a daily basis and offers simple and Modern European food with no frills.