On the hunt for the perfect Mother's Day gift? Biscotti Queen's newest 'biscookie' releases are guaranteed to satisfy any mother's sweet tooth.
The 'Mother's Day Biscookie Special' is a limited-time offering that includes three flavours. First is the 'Lemon Meringue Pie', which is a combination of a homemade lemon curd filling and lemon meringue. Next up is the 'White Chocolate Raspberry', which consists of raspberry puree infused with white chocolate pieces and drizzled with homemade white chocolate ganache. Last but not least is the 'Chocolate Caramel Cake'––a milk chocolate ganache filled with milk chocolate chips and swirled with Biscotti Queen's signature caramel sauce. Their Mother's Day biscookies can be ordered separately, or in a mixed box so that your Mother can try a little bit of everything.
The 'biscookie' is a creation of Biscotti Queen, which uses high-quality ingredients to put a unique twist on a traditional Italian biscotti. This is done by incorporating elements of a cookie, resulting in a biscotti with a softer consistency.
Nancy Burkes, also referred to as 'Queen Nancy', is the founder of Biscotti Queen. Burkes was originally in the art industry, and received her education from OCAD (Ontario College of Art and Design) for Textile Design and Fine Arts. She then became a commercial artist while also exhibiting curated projects and teaching art to children.
On top of her creative drive, Burkes also had a love for baking. She enrolled in a Pastry Arts program at George Brown College. After becoming a professional pastry chef, Burkes worked at both the Windsor Arms Hotel and Rosedale Country Club.
This special creation of the biscookie began with ‘Mandel bread,’ which is the Yiddish version of a biscotti. This was always Burkes' favourite treat to bake. Traditional biscottis are baked twice, but Nancy's daughters preferred less crunch. So over the years, she adapted a recipe that had more of a cookie texture.
Burkes did not stop there. For over 25 years she had a certain fondness for making biscottis, resulting in constant encouragement from her family and friends to open her own biscotti bakery. Each time Burkes took a batch of biscookies out of the oven, everyone would rant and rave while saying, “You’re the queen of biscotti!" Eventually, the name stuck, so when she took the leap to open her own bakery, 'Biscotti Queen' was the obvious choice for a name.
Jill Burkes, Nancy's daughter who goes by 'Princess Jill', came back to Toronto at the end of 2019 after 10 years of travelling abroad. Together, this unstoppable mother and daughter duo turned Nancy's dream into a reality, and Biscotti Queen was born!
Every Sunday at noon, new flavours are released on their website and Instagram. On top of their Mother's Day features, Biscotti Queen's homemade biscookie lineup includes over 30 unique creations such as Birthday Cake Confetti, Campfire S'mores, Cinnamon Toast Carmel Crunch, Blueberry Lemon Crumble and so on.
Biscotti Queen offers both pick-up and delivery options, and pre-ordering is currently available for their Mother's Day flavours. Pick-ups and deliveries will take place on May 6, and if you choose the pick-up option, head to the Windsor Arms Hotel at 18 St Thomas Street between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Starting today, you can place your order by visiting their website. Stay tuned for future announcements about new product releases and seasonal updates from Biscotti Queen––they have big and sweet things coming your way in the upcoming months!
