Announcement    Welcome to winter 2015! I have some bad news, though. Due to a family emergency that used up all my remaining PTO and the general confluence of work + school + living somewhere with a worse kitchen setup than in prior years + trying to buy a home to solve the aforementioned kitchen problem, I am already straining my time and resources just to keep afloat and will be unable to offer a full shop as I have done in past years. However, out of respect to my customers over the years, I'm not closing up entirely.

I will be offering the "6 cookies" and "mini + 3 cookies" items ONLY. A limited number of these items will be made available according to the schedule listed below. Once the ordering window has passed, that listing will be pulled for the week whether or not it has sold out so that I have a fixed number of orders to make; if you miss it, please try for the next one. If you're really longing for a large torte, please contact me privately and depending on time constraints I may be able to make you a custom order, but making them en masse is simply not a possibility at this time.

Odering windows will be:

12/2/15 12PM CST - 12/4/15 12PM CST

12/9/15 12PM CST - 12/11/15 12PM CST

12/16/15 12PM CST - 12/18/15 4:30PM CST

I am trying to find the midpoint between not disappointing anyone and staying sane and I think this will be a decent one. This ordering-windows model may be more tenable for me in general and if next year I have a better baking setup, I will probably extend it to the shop as a whole (but offering more quantity/options as I’ve done in past years). I want to thank everyone who’s been a customer over the last 3 years, and I sincerely apologize for the limited availability this year. Hopefully I will be back to full speed by 2016.

*****
Delicious and beautiful holiday creations... Not quite like most of the ones that share their name, my linzertortes are based on an old family recipe handed down from my great-grandmother to my mother to me. The style of decoration is my own personal twist, the result of years of practice and an art degree that wasn't doing anything else anyway. I've been helping bake these for as long as I've been old enough to be in a kitchen, and baking them on my own for the last 13 years.

The cost reflects the ingredients used -- almonds, butter, and jam are all pretty pricy -- and the time spent on these. Each is hand-crafted and hand-decorated; the butter-based dough must be kneaded by hand to come together correctly, cut and rolled to form the decorations, and carefully glazed with egg wash before baking. They will be packaged with care to make it to your doorstep in one piece.

Gluten free tortes are also available on a custom basis. I have a mixed kitchen so please see shop policies to determine if my practices are compatible with your sensitivity level. Message me for a custom order if you are interested.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with my linzertortes, here are some testimonials from past recipients:

"Kelsey's linzertortes are an elegant holiday treat you simply must experience to believe. The crust is a tender, buttery medley of crushed almonds and warm and fragrant spices, surrounding a rich and tantalizing raspberry filling. The beautiful and intricate designs are almost too pretty to eat--almost! Kelsey carefully crafts each torte with high-quality ingredients and gorgeous handmade designs, and bakes them to a perfectly golden finish. Better still, the tortes ship well and come in a variety of sizes perfect for any occasion. These are great as gifts, for entertaining, or anytime you crave a fantastic holiday treat." - T, New Jersey

"They really are beautiful enough that I want to use them to decorate for a party, but tasty enough that my dude and I were fighting over the last piece. The linzertorte lasted less than 12 hours." - J, California

"You can SMELL the butter when you get the shit in the mail. So good." L, New York

"Tastes like holiday miracles" - L, California

"Smells like butter and happiness and tastes even better." - C, North Carolina