🎄 Holiday Treats are Here! 🍫

The front of Ava’s is currently bursting with holiday treats, stacked so high it looks like Santa crash-landed on Castro St. and left us his carry-on. We’ve got chocolates, panettone, nougat, fruitcake, cookies, and then more chocolate because Juan said “people need options” and then ordered enough to qualify as an international cacao crisis. Your grubby holiday hands are invited—nay, encouraged—to dig right in.

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A few fun global facts while you snack your way through the display: panettone became Italy’s Christmas sweetheart because wealthy families in Milan used to give it as a status gift (which means gifting one now makes you classy by default). Turrón has been a Spanish winter staple since the Middle Ages, when almonds and honey were worth more than Bitcoin. Fruitcake exists in every culture under a different name, all united by the universal human belief that dried fruit should survive the apocalypse. And chocolate? Nearly every holiday tradition on Earth eventually folds chocolate into it because… well, because chocolate. 🍫

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Our international selection is huge, weird, wonderful, and honestly kind of impressive for a little market in downtown Mountain View. Think of it as a world tour without the jet lag. Grab a panettone, crack into some sweet biscuits, smash open a German cookie tin, and ponder why we put the chocolate eye-level for toddlers. It’s the holidays. We embrace chaos. 🎄

🍫Too Legit, Too Legit Turrón! 🍮

Nougat season has officially hit Ava’s, and we’re especially stocked with the E. Moreno varieties: the fancy stuff from Estepa, a town in Andalucía, Spain that basically runs on holiday sweets the way Mountain View runs on cold brew. Their turrón (too-ROHN) is famous because they use premium Marcona almonds, loads of real honey, and old-school artisanal methods that involve actual humans instead of robots (we asked Juan if we could get a nougat robot and he said no, something about “liability”). Fun fact: the best nougat is judged by its almond percentage, and E. Moreno regularly flexes numbers in the 60% range like it’s showing off at a crossfit gym. 💪🌰

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We’ve got a large variety of their nougats on the shelves right now, from soft and melty to hard enough to remind you you’re mortal. They’re going fast, because nothing says “holiday spirit” quite like bribing friends and coworkers with imported Spanish sweets. Swing by soon and grab a bar (or seven) before they disappear faster than a non-chain restaurant on Castro St.

🀣 Festive Gourds Are Gone; Festive Orchids Are Here 🌺

Orchids are back at Ava’s for the holidays, those elegant, slightly smug flowers that somehow look both festive and like they’re silently judging your gift-wrapping skills. Their long blooms and bright colors fit right in with the season’s lights and garlands, and they make the perfect host gift when you want something fancier than cookies, but less complicated than picking out a perfect wine. Fun Fact: orchids can actually live for decades if you treat them well (which is more than we can say for most of the gingerbread men we’ve decapitated on Castro St. this week.) 🌸

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We’ve just kicked off a holiday orchid sale, and these beauties are vanishing faster than free parking in downtown Mountain View. If you want one that perfectly says “happy holidays” with a hint of “please don’t kill me like your last houseplant,” now’s the time. Swing by, grab one, and let an orchid silently supervise your seasonal baking.

🍊🍒 Juan's Orange Cranberry Bread 🍞

Juan swears this loaf is basically holiday spirit in carb form, and who are we to argue? It’s bright, cozy, and perfect for gifting… or for eating alone in the dark while pretending you’ll start your diet after New Year’s. Whatever works.

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You'll Need (from Ava's):

• 1½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Zest of 1 orange
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup orange juice
• 1½ cups cranberries

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1. Get Ready​
   Heat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan like you mean it.
2. Mix
   ​Stir all that dry stuff together (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, orange zest). In a second bowl, whisk the melted butter and sugar. Add eggs and orange juice.
3. Combine
   ​Bring the two bowls together in harmony. Mix gently. Fold in 1 cup of cranberries like you’re tucking them gently into bed… for the last time.
4. Pour
   ​Transfer to your loaf pan. Scatter the remaining cranberries on top for that “I bake casually but beautifully” look.
   Bake about 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean, and not confused or screaming.
5. Wrap
   ​Let it cool, then slice or wrap that beautiful loaf up for someone special. Or keep it for yourself. After all… you're special. Your mom says so all the time when she calls us.

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"Thank you for being part of our Mountain View community." – Juan