Bake the World
Chinese Mooncakes, Dutch Speculaas, Middle Eastern Mamool, and Peruvian Alfajores. All around the world, families come together to share the joy and tradition of baking and eating these cookies. Bake the World brings together four different cookie-making traditions from cultures across the globe for you and your family to experience together. Bake the World includes a carved hardwood mold, a recipe book, and a pastry brush and is the only cookie mold set combining different styles of cookies in a cohesive multicultural experience. Share the joy of baking traditions from cultures around the world with your loved ones this holiday season. Website: https://bake-the-world.square.site/ Instagram: @baketheworld.mit
Vision
As we reflected on the pains of the pandemic, our team empathized with the effect it has had on families. The holidays were a time people would come together and experience and learn from one another in their intergenerational households. The insurmountable losses in these same households have a heavy weight as we enter into our second holiday season in COVID. Another loss from this pandemic has been in traveling the world and appreciating the cultures and people that make our world so beautifully diverse. Our vision for Bake the World is to share in the humanity and beauty of culture and family as we gather together in-person this holiday season. We hope Bake the World will build your appreciation for baked goods that have been honored through generations, and that it brings joy and learning as you share together with your loved ones.
Team Members Gabriela Torres As a Peruvian with a background in Business and Finance, Gabriela has worked in digital transformation in the banking sector and founded an entrepreneurial venture in education. Her motto in life is "Your change changes the world". linkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gabriela-torres-vives Nadine Zaza As a Jordanian American with a background in architecture, research and exhibit design, Nadine has worked as a design curriculum consultant and freelance designer. She believes deeply in how design can be a tool for social and cultural cohesion. Website: nadinezaza.com Chen Huang A self-taught visual designer, and genuinely “Made in China”, Chen pursued language and culture during his undergrad. His belief in being a citizen of the world led him to leave his consulting work and become a full time designer working towards connecting people together for a better world. linkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chenhuang777/ Alex Crease As a robotics engineer by training, Alex is a crafty creator with a passion for making things come to life. From building BattleBots to designing kinetic sculptures out of recycled materials, he uses engineering and product design to engage, to teach, and to bring people together. Website: alexcrease.com
Care Instructions Cleaning Clean your Bake the World mold by hand in cold water with soap. To clean out engravings, use the provided pastry brush, or use a sink sprayer. Dry immediately after use. Cleaning with boiling or hot water may shorten product durability and lifetime. The Bake the World mold is not dishwasher-safe. Care Your Bake the World mold is made from non-toxic cherry wood and coated in food-safe mineral oil. Reapply mineral oil semi-regularly to your mold if you notice bare spots in the coating over time. Safety Bake the World is not oven, microwave, or dishwasher safe.
About
MIT Integrated Design & Management (IDM) is an innovation leadership program dedicated to developing thoughtful, inspired leaders by way of human-centered design and interdisciplinary collaboration. During the two-year masters degree program at MIT, IDM prepares future leaders who look at problems through the eyes of their stakeholders, connect design with the needs of people who will ultimately judge and use the product, and drive innovation with empathy, passion and process. Offered jointly by the MIT School of Engineering and Sloan School of Management, IDM is targeted at early to mid-career professionals and will be taught in an innovative design studio format.
About this Project Bake the World was made as a final project for EM.441: Integrated Design Lab, the core class for the Integrated Design & Management (IDM) program. Students were asked to conceive a holiday gift idea, and then design and construct 50 units to sell at the IDM Sales Gala at the end of the term.
Special Thanks Tony Hu, Andy MacInnis, and Sheila Pontis, the IDM Faculty for their guidance throughout the semester. Coby Unger and Hayami Arakawa for coaching us through our construction of Bake the World at the MIT HobbyShop. Michelle Chung, Nihara Kurian, Yash Trivedi, and Liane Yue, our IDM Teaching Assistants, for supporting and mentoring us during our project. Grace Agosto, the IDM Events & Administrative Assistant, for planning and organizing everything from the IDM Sales Gala to our in-class snacks. Our families and friends, for providing us with the stories and recipes for these delicious baked goods.
Who eats
Speculaas
History of Speculaas The Speculaas cookie stems from Dutch and Belgian cultures as a traditional Christmas cookie. Speculaas are spiced biscuits, similar to gingerbread cookies but more crispy and flavorful due to the range of spices typically in the recipes. Speculaas date back to 17th century Belgium, used to celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas on December 6th. Many elements of today's Christmas celebrations can be traced to these Dutch traditions making their way to America. Themes of generosity and compassion are central to the celebration, and the Dutch name for St. Nicholas, Sinterklaas, evolved into what we now know as Santa Claus. Even the modern gingerbread cookie bears similarities to Speculaas cookies.
Speculaas and their recipe variations can be found in these countries. With America adopting a well known variation, the gingerbread cookie.
Dutch
Speculaas Cookies
Wooden molds are often used to create Speculaas cookies, with patterns resembling elements of the story of St. Nicholas. Traditional mold patterns commonly feature St. Nicholas himself, or a windmill, because it was believed St. Nicholas lived in a windmill by the sea. Windmills have a rich history in the Netherlands and Belgium, and populated the countryside since the 13th century. Early windmills were primarily used for pumping water and grinding grain, and expanded to cover more applications such as churning paint and sawing wood — eventually paving the way for electricity-generating wind turbines. The windmill on your Speculaas cookie mold not only represents the story of St. Nicholas, but also conveys the importance of the windmill in Dutch and Belgian innovation and culture over the last several centuries.
Dutch Speculaas Cookies
Recipe inspired by the Daring Gourmet Speculaas cookie recipe
PREP TIME ~30 mins
COOK TIME RESTING TIME ~12 mins ~5 hrs
TOTAL TIME ~5 hrs 42 mins
SERVINGS ~30 cookies
INGREDIENTS 2¼ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar 1 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature 2 large egg yolks 3 Tb. heavy whipping cream 1 tsp. quality pure vanilla extract 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest 1 cup almond flour 3 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg 1/2 tsp. ground cloves 1/2 tsp. ground ginger 1/4 tsp. ground anise seed 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
EQUIPMENT Bake the World mold Electric mixer Plastic wrap Cookie sheet Pastry brush Cooling rack
INSTRUCTIONS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Beat the brown sugar, butter, egg yolks, cream, vanilla and lemon zest with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, and then mix in the almond flour. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Gradually pour this flour mixture into the wet mixture, mixing as you go. Form the dough into a ball, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for at least 5 hours or overnight. Roll the dough onto a lightly floured work surface to just under 1/4 inch. Lightly brush flour or vegetable oil into the speculaas mold with the provided pastry brush for easy cookie release. You will repeat this step after each cookie. Cut the dough into approximately 2” squares. Press each square into the speculaas mold on your Bake the World mold set, and scrape any excess dough off with a knife or scraper. Tap the mold against a counter top with one hand while holding another beneath the mold to release the cookie into your hand. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Then place the cookies on a non-stick baking sheet, and chill the cookies for at least one hour before baking. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until nicely browned. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy the speculaas by themselves or dipped in hot cider or hot chocolate!
History of Mooncakes: Though mooncakes have a 3,000 years history, they did not become popular until autumn festivals during the Ming Dynasty in China from 1368 to 1644. The history and story of mooncakes is not as commonly known these days. Historians claim that during the Yuan dynasty (1271 to 1368) lead by Kublai Khan, leader of the Mongol Borjigin clan, had an oppressive regime over the Chinese people at the time. They were ruled closely by Mongolian guards outside Chinese homes, which blocked transmission of messages or communication between people. Families were even expected to give the guards food and wine. To overthrow the tyranny of the Yuan dynasty, the Ming dynasty that preceded the Yuan, revolutionized their messaging among ordinary people using mooncakes. It is claimed that they formulated a rumor that eating mooncakes could help ordinary people prevent a plague outbreak. This prompted the quick distribution of mooncakes. Then, they contained secret messages through the mooncake design and inside the pastry. One message had “get rid of the rulers on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month”.
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Mooncakes
Mooncakes are enjoyed during Autumn festivals across these countries.
Although mooncakes today have words or patterns on the crust to show the flavor of the stuffing inside or share goodwill with recipients, they were originally created to transmit secret messages. Some even became puzzle pieces when cut up to further disguise their hidden messages. Fortunately, to dispose of the evidence you’d eat the tasty mooncake.
Chinese
Moon Cakes
Mooncakes are a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. . The festival is about lunar appreciation and traditional moon watching, with mooncakes regarded as a delicacy during these times. There are varieties of mooncakes consumed within China and Chinese communities overseas. The Cantonese mooncake is the most famous variety. A typical Cantonese mooncake is a round pastry that consists of a rich, thick filling usually made from red bean paste or lotus seed paste which is surrounded by a thin crust. Mooncakes can also have a yolk filling made from salted duck eggs. The fish pattern, like the one on the Bake the World mold, is one of the most popular patterns in East Asia. The Chinese word for fish is pronounced the same as another Chinese word “ ” (pronounced as “yu”), meaning abundance, which Chinese people believe offers good fortune.
Chinese Moon Cake
Recipe inspired by KP Kwan from Taste of Asian Food
PREP TIME ~35 mins
COOK TIME RESTING TIME ~10 mins ~2 hrs
TOTAL TIME ~3.5 hrs
SERVINGS ~10 Mooncakes
INGREDIENTS 60g golden syrup (or substitute with honey) ¼ tsp lye water or Kan sui (or substitute with 1 tsp of a mixture from 2 tsp. baking soda + 200ml water boiled together) 24g vegetable oil 100g all-purpose flour 1 egg white Store-bought lotus paste
EQUIPMENT Bake the World mold Kitchen scale Pastry brush Large bowl Cling wrap Oven pan Rolling pin
INSTRUCTIONS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.
Mix the measured out golden syrup, lye water, and vegetable oil into a bowl. Sieve the flour and add to the bowl, then combined all the ingredients until it becomes a soft dough. Cover the dough with cling wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the dough relax so it doesn’t crack when you roll it out. To prepare the dough for the filling paste weigh each carefully on the kitchen scale. The best proportion for our mooncake is 19g of dough to 36g of filling paste. Roll the filling paste into a ball by hand, and put it aside covered by cling wrap. Then roll or press the dough into a circular shape. Place the lotus filling in the middle of the dough and fold around and over it making sure the dough has a consistent thickness all around the lotus paste. Roll the filled ball in your palms a few times then roll it in a bowl of flour to coat the surface. Place the mooncake ball into its appropriate mold pressing it slowly and firmly to get the ideal design on the surface. Fill the spray bottle with water and spray to the surface of the mooncake to help it firm up better when baking. Bake it on the middle rack, 175°C/350°F for five minutes or until the surface starts to firm up. At the same time, make egg wash with a cracked egg and water. Remove the mooncake from the oven and brush the surface of the mooncake with a little egg wash. Bake for another 5 to 8 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove the cake from the oven to cool at room temperature. Preserve the mooncakes in an airtight container. You can keep them refrigerated for one to three days allowing them to become more shiny.
Enjoy your mooncakes!
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Mamool History of Mamool For many in the Middle East, the sound of the wooden mamool molds being banged time after time accompanied with the gentle aromas of rose water, mastic, and rich ghee are a familiar and anticipated experience. Mamool, as it's called in the Levant or Belad Al Sham comprising Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine, also goes by kombe in southern Turkey, and as kahk in Egypt.
The origins of mamool cookies have a long history for Muslim and Christian in the Levant and Mizrahi Jewish communities during Purim in Persia and North Africa. Some scholars have dated the indisputable ancestor of mamool, called kahk, as far back as the Pharaonic era, evidenced by temple paintings and carvings. What is known widely about mamool however, are that the delicious buttery cookies stuffed with date paste or chopped walnuts or pistachios, and dusted with powdered sugar, are the perfect reward after a month of fasting during Ramadan or Lent.
Mamool and their variations can be found in these countries as well as Iran.
Middle Eastern
Mamool Cookie
How these cookies came to be associated with Christian and Islamic holidays is less certain. A common belief is that during the periods of Lent and Ramadan, observers of the relevant faith will fast, abstaining from some of their favorite foods for a period of time as a means of intentionally experiencing their faith. Dates, the most common mamool filling, have a deep significance to Ramadan, the month of fasting, as Muslims across the globe would break their fast with an odd number of dates, something that the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) would partake in. Dates boast many vital nutrients. The sugar in dates keeps your energy levels high, and its high fiber content makes you feel full for longer. The mamool design, in the Bake the World mold has a prominent 7 pointed star that refers to the seven verses of Al-Fatiha, which is the first chapter from the Quran; the Islamic holy book giving ode to the religious Islamic significance of the cookie. Be it Easter, Purim or Eid, holidays in the Levantine region and across these religious diasporas are incomplete without mamool. Mamool are typically served with Arabic coffee and chocolate to guests during the holidays.
Palestinian & Jordanian Mamool Recipe Provided by Fatima Abu Ruman
PREP TIME COOK TIME RESTING TIME ~6 hr 15 mins ~15 mins ~1 hr
TOTAL TIME ~7 hr 30 min
SERVINGS ~30-40 cookies (depending on size)
INGREDIENTS 1 cup fine semolina flour 1 cup coarse semolina flour ½ cup of flour for coating the cookie and mold 3/4 cup + 1 Tb. melted ghee (3/4 cup for dough, 1 tbsp for filling) 2 Tb. of sugar ½ Tb. + 1 tsp. of mahlab spice (½ Tb. for dough, 1 tsp. for filling) ½ Tb. + 1 tsp. ground mastic gum (½ Tb. for dough, 1 tsp. for filling) 3/4 cup of whole milk (pour in more if needed) 1½ tsp. orange blossom water or rose water (to your liking) 1 tsp. of activate dry yeast Premade baking dates pack - 13 ounce 3 Tb. ground cinnamon Powdered sugar
EQUIPMENT Bake the World mold 2 Bowls Cloth Cookie Sheets & Parchment Paper
INSTRUCTIONS 1.
Melt the ghee and mix with the semolina flours in a bowl. Let this mixture rest covered for at least 1 hours. 2. In a separate bowl, bring together the mahlab, ground mastic, cinnamon, ghee and baking dates. 3. After the ghee and Semolina mixture has rested, combine the sugar, mahlab, rose water and ground mastic into the bowl. 4. Sprinkle the yeast over the surface of the dough and then pour the milk over the top, slowly folding the mixture together until it’s all combined. 5. Let this dough rest covered for 4 -5 hours. You may also let this rest overnight for better results. Once the dough has rested it should have a semi compact consistency. If the dough feels dry at all you can add a bit more milk. 6. Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit. To prepare filling, pull it apart and roll segments into half inch diameter spheres in your palm. 7. Once the dough is ready, take a portion of it and form into a ~1 inch diameter sphere. Flatten it out in the palm of your hand and place the date filling sphere in the middle. Wrap the dough around the ball. If there is excess, remove it. 8. In a bowl, add the all purpose flour and roll the mamool in it. Brush off any excess. This is to ensure the cookie doesn’t stick in the mold. 9. Flour the mamool mold with the pastry brush and firmly press the mamool in the mold. There may be excess dough. Take some dough off if needed. 10. Bang the mold on the edge of a counter that is covered with a wet cloth to reduce noise and damage to mold and counter. Make sure to have your hand underneath the appropriate mold to catch the cookie in your palm. Place mamool on a cookie tray and repeat steps 6 - 11 until all filling is used. 11. Bake in the oven for up to 10 min or until the bottom of the mamool are a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and then set to broil to lightly brown the top. This may take 1 -2 minutes depending on your oven. 12. Let the mamool rest and cool completely before sprinkling powdered sugar over their tops. Enjoy with Arabic coffee and chocolates!
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Alfajores History of the Nazca Monkey The mysterious Nazca Lines, the main legacy of the Nazca civilization, flourished in southern Peru between 200 BCE and 600 CE. The designs include stylized drawings of animals, plants and humans, and simple lines connecting sacred sites or pointing to water sources. Their exact purpose is disputed. The most widely held theory is that they were designed to be walked along as part of religious rites and processions. The Nazca Lines are listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, and the total combined length of the Nazca Lines has been estimated at over 1,300 km. In total, they include more than 300 examples of geometric animal designs such as a hummingbird, condor, monkey, llama, duck, lizard, spider and even a killer whale. The scale of the designs can be huge, many are at least the size of a sports field. On your Bake the World mold, you will see one of the most famous Nazca Lines, the Monkey.
Alfajores can be found in these countries
Peru is home to over 32 species of monkeys, belonging to three different families. These can explain their significance in Nazca civilization, and hint at trade routes developed or accepted by the Nazcans because monkeys typically come from the jungle regions of Peru and not the coast, where the Nazca Lines are located. The Nazca Monkey is about 190 feet tall and 330 feet long. If you’ve ever seen Peru’s official national logo you can see how the monkey’s spiraling tail inspired the modern logotype in the letter “P” in Peru!
Peruvian
Alfajores Cookies History of Alfajores Alfajor (Al-fa-hor) is an Andalusian variant of the Castilian alajú, derived from the Arabic word al-fakher, meaning luxurious. Alfajores originated in Spain during the Moorish Invasion, a time in the 700s when nomadic tribes from North Africa brought Islamic religion and culture to the West. They were introduced to Latin America by the Spanish as alfajor in the 19th century. With time each region of the Americas adapted the Spanish alfajor and made it their own. No matter where you go in Latin America, you will find a local version of an alfajor.
Peruvian Alfajores
Recipe Provided by Ana María Vives
PREP TIME ~30 mins
COOK TIME RESTING TIME ~12 mins ~5 hrs
TOTAL TIME ~5 hrs 42 mins
SERVINGS ~30 cookies (depending on size)
INGREDIENTS 1¼ cups of unsalted butter (room temperature) 1 cup of sugar 4 egg yolks 4 cups of prepared flour Premade dulce de leche caramel can - 13.4 oz. (You can make your own following a separate recipe) Unsweetened shredded coconut
EQUIPMENT Bake the World mold Electric mixer Plastic wrap Baking sheet Whisk Knife or scraper
INSTRUCTIONS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.
Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until it forms a creamy texture. Add one egg yolk at a time, making sure to mix the ingredients together well. In the bowl add each cup of flour at a time and mix together. The dough will become flakey. Transfer dough and all remaining flour onto a clean surface and begin to knead dough until it forms a firm mass. Wrap dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour before molding the cookies. Use pastry brush and lightly flour the alfajores mold before placing dough. Cut a portion that would fit in the mold from the refrigerated dough and form into a ball in your palms. Pack the dough tightly into the mold. There will be excess dough. Slide a butter knife or scraper across the mold to remove the excess dough. Tap the mold against a countertop to release the cookie, making sure your hand is under the appropriate cookie mold to catch it, then place it on a lined cookie sheet. Repeat steps 6 - 10 for remaining dough. Bake for 15 min at 350 F or until the cookie forms a slight caramel tint at the edges. After baking, let the alfajores cool before adding the dulce de leche. Spoon and spread dulce de leche onto the inside of the cookie, then press another cookie on top, making sure to leave some dulce de leche exposed across the edge. On a plate, pour shredded coconut and roll the cookies along their sides across the plate until enough coconut sticks to the dulce de leche stuffing.
Enjoy them with some coffee!
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