Happy Holidays--and welcome to Wednesday!
Yep, we're five days into the holiday season. I've just about finished my shopping, the tree is trimmed, the fridge is well-stocked...
Oh, so about that well-stocked fridge. Last year I gave away something called a Yule Log. It's mentioned in Christmas Coda 37 (and I shared a version of the recipe for those of you with culinary ambition in the print coda collection All I Want for Christmas).
I finally got to sample my first Yule Log last Christmas and YUM. If you love chocolate cake, you will adore this traditional French yuletide dessert.
Anyway, we're giving away another Yule Log this year. Once again you must be in the US to be eligible--sorry about that! We'll have other gifts for those of you overseas!
Share the recipe for your favorite holiday dessert in the comment section below and I will randomly select our winner. PLEASE REMEMBER TO CHECK BACK ON FRIDAY MORNING BECAUSE SUPPLIES ARE EXTREMELY LIMITED.
And if you'd like to try baking your own Yule Log this holiday, here's the recipe!
Bûche de Noël (Yule Log Cake with Coffee Buttercream and Ganache)
(This is another
really complicated recipe--you have to start a day in advance--but it's
gorgeous. This version is from Saveur.com)
Ingredients
For the Sponge Cake
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
and cooled, plus more for pan
3⁄4 cup cake flour, plus more
for pan
2⁄3 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar,
divided
4 eggs
Confectioners' sugar, for
dusting
1 tbsp. dark rum
For the Ganache Icing, Coffee
Buttercream Filling, and Finishing
14 oz. 70-percent dark
chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. honey
1 1⁄3 cups sugar, divided
6 egg whites, divided
2 tsp. green food coloring
24 tbsp. (3 sticks) unsalted
butter, softened
1 tbsp. stongly brewed espresso
Cocoa powder, for dusting
Edible gold dust, to garnish
(available from nycake.com)
Directions
Make the meringue decorations: Heat oven to 200°. Place 1⁄3
cup sugar and 2 egg whites in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water;
stir mixture until egg whites register 140° on an instant-read thermometer.
Remove bowl from saucepan and beat with a hand mixer on high speed until
cooled. Place 1 cup meringue in a bowl, and stir in food coloring; transfer
green meringue to a piping bag fitted with a 3⁄8-inch star tip. Working on a
parchment paper-lined baking sheet, pipe two 1 1⁄2-inch-wide stars; pipe a
1-inch-wide star on top of each larger star, and then pipe a 1⁄2-inch-wide star
on top of each middle star to form a three-tiered Christmas tree. Transfer
uncolored meringue to a piping bag fitted with a 3⁄8-inch-round tip; pipe four
1 1⁄2-inch-wide mounds to resemble mushroom caps, and then pipe four
1⁄2-inch-wide x 1 1⁄2-inch-tall sticks to resemble mushroom stems. Bake
meringue shapes until dry and crisp, about 2 hours. Turn off oven and let
shapes cool completely in oven.
Make the ganache icing: Place chocolate in a bowl; set aside. Bring cream and honey to a boil
in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat; pour over chocolate and let sit for
1 minute. Using a rubber spatula, slowly stir cream and chocolate until smooth
and shiny; let cool at room temperature until set and thick, at least 6 hours
or overnight.
Make the coffee buttercream filling: Place 1 cup sugar and 4 egg whites in the
bowl of a stand mixer and set it over a saucepan of simmering water; stir
mixture until egg whites register 140° on an instant-read thermometer. Remove
bowl from saucepan and place on stand mixer fitted with a whisk; beat on high
speed until meringue is cooled and forms stiff peaks. Replace whisk with paddle
and add butter to meringue; beat until smooth, stir in espresso, and set aside.
Make the sponge cake: Heat oven to 400°. Grease and flour a 13-inch x 18-inch rimmed baking
sheet, lined with parchment paper, and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer
fitted with a whisk, beat 2⁄3 cup sugar and eggs on high speed until mixture
falls back in thick ribbons when lifted from the whisk, about 6 minutes; fold
in butter and flour. Spread batter into an even layer on bottom of prepared
baking sheet and bake until golden brown on the bottom, about 12 minutes. Place
a clean kitchen towel that is larger than the baking sheet on a work surface,
and dust it liberally with confectioners' sugar. Invert cake onto towel; dust
with more sugar. Starting with a narrow end of the rectangle, immediately roll
cake up into a jelly roll, letting the towel roll inside the cake. Let cool to
room temperature.
Make the rum syrup: Bring 2 tbsp. sugar, rum, and 1 tbsp. water to a boil in a 1-quart
saucepan over high heat; cook until sugar dissolves and set aside to cool.
Assemble the cake: Once cooled, gently unroll and remove towel from cake. Brush the
inside with the rum syrup; allow to soak in for about 2 minutes. Spread
buttercream evenly over cake; re-roll cake and set the roll seam side down on a
serving platter. Slice about 3 inches off one end of the cake roll at a 30°
angle; cut the other end to make it flat. Spread the flat end of the angled
slice with a little buttercream and set the slice on top of the cake roll to
create a "stump." Stir ganache until smooth and, using a small offset
spatula, spread ganache over cake, leaving the ends of cake and cut top of the
"stump" exposed. Drag the tines of a fork along the ganache, making
markings to resemble bark; refrigerate until chilled.
Decorate the Bûche de Noël: Using ganache as glue, place meringue
"caps" on top of "stems" to form mushrooms. Dust cocoa
powder lightly over the mushrooms, and sprinkle gold dust lightly over the
entire Bûche de Noël. Place meringue mushrooms and Christmas trees decoratively
on and around the Bûche de Noël before serving. (There are videos on how to do
this properly--I'd watch them if I were you.)
*********
Our Yule Log winners are Ariel and Sam Spayed PI!! Yes two winners--assuming I get your addresses before WS runs out of cakes. Congratulations! Sam and Ariel send me your shipping details ASAP either through email, Goodreads or Facebook.
Our Yule Log winners are Ariel and Sam Spayed PI!! Yes two winners--assuming I get your addresses before WS runs out of cakes. Congratulations! Sam and Ariel send me your shipping details ASAP either through email, Goodreads or Facebook.
I used to bake my own Yule Log with my mom on those ancients time when I was young and full of vigour, and Christmas' Eve dinners were a huge gathering of family and friends :P
ReplyDeleteNowadays, I simply cut the top of a Panettone, hollow it, fill it with icecream, and put it on the freezer until it's time to eat it.... which usually isn't Christmas' Eve, but sometime at Christmas Day, when we're able to eat again.
And no, I'm not elegible, but this is fun =D
That sounds pretty delicious!
DeleteI watch a lot of cooking shows. I have seen them make yule logs. I'm not sure I ever had that much ambition in the kitchen. But they can be beautiful. My favorite holiday dessert is a good old fashioned cookie. My mom made gumdrop bars. It was a kind of spice cake base, with chopped gumdrops in them and then frosted with a thin frosting. I loved them as a kid, and I love them as an adult. I don't have the recipe here at work.
ReplyDeleteSo you're just tantalizing us for the heck of it? :-D
DeleteI made a Yule log once using a Bon Appetit recipe - beautiful, but it took 2 days and more artistic skill than I usually possess! But after much hard work and redoing the meringue mushrooms twice, I proudly served it at a ladies’ Christmas party. Never again!
ReplyDeleteWe make rum cake every year for Christmas dinner and a chocolate peppermint trifle for Christmas Eve.
Here is the Rum cake recipe we use (from King Arthur Flours):
Caribbean Rum Cake
AT A GLANCE
PREP
35 mins.
BAKE
50 mins. to 60 mins.
TOTAL
9 hrs 35 mins.
YIELD
1 large bundt cake, 16 slices
OVERNIGHT
Baker's Hotline
Cake
2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3.4-ounce box instant vanilla pudding mix (not sugar-free)*
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup rum, plain or spiced
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon butter-rum flavor, optional
1/4 cup almond flour, for dusting baking pan, optional
Syrup*
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup rum, plain or spiced
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Place the flour, sugar, pudding mix, baking powder, salt, butter, and vegetable oil in a mixing bowl, and mix at medium speed until everything is thoroughly combined and the mixture is sandy looking.
3. Beat in the milk, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Scrape the bowl thoroughly, and beat briefly to recombine any sticky residue.
4. Stir in the rum, vanilla, and butter-rum flavor.
5. Spritz a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray. For an extra layer of nutty flavor, sprinkle the inside of the pan with almond flour and turn the pan to coat evenly; shake out any excess. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread level with a spatula.
6. Bake the cake for 50 to 60 minutes. When done, a cake tester, long toothpick, or strand of uncooked spaghetti will come out clean when inserted into the center. Remove the cake from the oven.
7. Leave the cake in the pan to cool slightly while you make the syrup.
8. In a medium-sized saucepan combine the syrup ingredients, except vanilla. Bring to a rapid boil then reduce to a simmer and cook (without stirring) for about 5 to 8 minutes, until the syrup thickens slightly. 9. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
10. Use a long skewer to poke holes all over the cake. Pour about 1/4 cup of the syrup over the cake (still in the pan). Allow the syrup to soak in, then repeat again and again until all the syrup is used.
11. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and allow the cake to sit overnight at room temperature to cool completely and soak in the syrup. When ready to serve, loosen the edges of the cake and invert onto your serving plate. If the cake won’t release, don't force it. Place it in the oven, turn the oven to 350°F, and warm for about 10 minutes, to soften the sticky syrup. (If your oven is one that preheats by making its upper element red-hot, place the cake on a lower rack and tent it with aluminum foil to protect it.) Remove the cake from the oven, and tip it onto the serving plate.
12. Serve with hot coffee or tea. The cake is very moist, fragrant and potent.
13. Wrap securely (or place under a cake cover) and store at room temperature for several days. Freeze for longer storage, up to 1 month.
I have been looking for a rum cake recipe forever! Thank you so much! <3
DeleteThis is also one of my favorite holiday desserts. I've made it a couple of times, and it is such fun! It's not particularly difficult but, as Josh says, it does take time. I think the result is well worth it. This is another dessert I made that met with great approval from the family!
ReplyDeleteNew Orleans Style Bread Pudding With Whiskey Sauce
Yield: 10 to 12 servings
Ingredients
• 12 to 14 cups 1-inch cubes day-old white bread, such as French or Italian
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 4 cups whole milk
• 6 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 4 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup raisins
• Confectioners' sugar, for garnish
• Whiskey Sauce
Directions
• Preheat the oven to 350?F.
• Place the bread in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, melt 6 tablespoons butter and pour over the bread cubes. Use a rubber spatula to toss the bread and evenly distribute the butter. Grease a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with the remaining tablespoon of butter and set aside.
• Combine the heavy cream, milk, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and raisins in a large bowl. Whisk to mix. Pour the cream mixture over the bread, and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes.
• Transfer the bread mixture to the casserole dish and bake until the center of the bread pudding is set, 50 to 60 minutes.
• Garnish the bread pudding with confectioners' sugar and serve warm with warm Whiskey Sauce.
Whiskey Sauce
• Yield: About 3 1/2 cups
Ingredients
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3/4 cup bourbon or other whiskey
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Directions
• In a 1-quart saucepan set over medium heat, combine the cream, milk, and sugar. Place the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of the bourbon in a small mixing bowl and whisk to blend and make a slurry. Pour the slurry into the cream mixture and bring to a boil. Once the sauce begins to boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat, add the salt, and stir in the butter and the remaining 1/2 cup of bourbon. Serve warm.
Oh! This sounds so Christmassy!
DeleteLooks Delish! But one thing... "Anyway, we're giving away another Yule Log this year. Once again you must be in the US to be eligible--sorry about that! We'll have other gifts for those of you overseas!" What about across the border, same continent, no sea!!! ;-)
ReplyDeleteOh and Buy Bernard Callebaut Chocolate bricks from grocery store... Melt white and add splintered candy canes, put on baking sheet, refregerate. Melt Chocolate and add slivered almonds, spread on baking sheet and refrigerate. Easy Peasy!! (if you don't eat the all the chocolate first!)
DeleteOh and Buy Bernard Callebaut Chocolate bricks from grocery store... Melt white and add splintered candy canes, put on baking sheet, refregerate. Melt Chocolate and add slivered almonds, spread on baking sheet and refrigerate. Easy Peasy!! (if you don't eat the all the chocolate first!)
Deletehahahaha. If it was up to me, yes! (The problem seems to do with dry ice) You an never go wrong with chocolate, peppermint and almonds. YuM!
DeleteVery simple, but very good.
ReplyDeleteVegan Sugar Cookies:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup vegan margarine, softened
1/4 cup vanilla soymilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Icing:
4 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons vanilla soymilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Steps:
1 In large bowl, beat 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, the margarine, 1/4 cup soymilk, 1 teaspoon vanilla and almond extract with electric mixer on medium speed to combine. Stir in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and cream of tartar until blended. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
2. Heat oven to 375° F. Lightly grease cookie sheet with shortening or cooking spray. Divide dough in half. Roll each dough half to1/4 inch thickness on generously floured surface. Cut into desired shapes with 2- to 2 1/2-inch cookie cutters. On cookie sheet, place cutouts about 2 inches apart.
3. Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until edges are light brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.
4. In large mixing bowl, beat icing ingredients with fork or whisk until smooth. If icing is too thick, beat in 1 additional teaspoon soymilk. Frost cookies. Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired.
Those look great!
DeleteI used to love these as a kid: Chocolate Covered Cherries
ReplyDeleteIngredients:
About 100 Maraschino cherries (preferably with stems)
2 boxes of confectioner’s sugar (5-1/3 cups)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (12 oz)
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
1 cup chopped coconut
1 pinch of salt
2 pkgs semi-sweet chocolate chips (24oz total)
(or 2 pkgs Log House chocolate Candyquick)
1-1/2 inch square of paraffin wax
Directions:
Melt butter over low heat and add milk. Stir in sugar and salt. Stir in coconut. Chill dough mixture for 8-10 hours.
Form some dough around each cherry. Do this quickly, so dough doesn’t get too warm as it will become sticky. Make sure cherries are clean and very dry. Place balls on waxed paper lined cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap or waxed paper. Refrigerate 4-5 hours.
Melt chocolate and wax over double boiler. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Dip covered cherry ball in chocolate, removing quickly. Use a toothpick to help if cherries don’t have stems to hold on to. Place chocolate covered balls on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate until set. Store in the refrigerator. Makes about 100 pieces.
:-D :-D :-D They sound perfect except for the damned cherries.
DeleteWe enjoy green beans made with bacon. Fry some bacon until crispy and then remove, leave some grease. Add fresh green beans and basil and oregano to taste as well as the bacon crumbled. Cook until the green beans are done. Very simple and very delicious.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a fresh (literally) take on the canned green beans recipe my mother used to make. I might try this for New Years.
DeleteBailey’s Chocolate-Chip Cheesecake
ReplyDeleteAdapted from the Bailey’s website. Serves 16-20.
10 whole graham crackers
4 TBS salted butter, melted
32 oz. cream cheese (four 8-oz packages), at room temperature
1 1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. Bailey’s Irish Cream liquor (or other Irish cream liquor)
4 eggs
1 c. sour cream
1 TBS vanilla extract
1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. bittersweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease the sides of a 9-inch round springform pan. Place the graham crackers in a heavy-duty plastic bag and crush into small pieces with a rolling pin. Mix with the crumbs with the melted butter, then press the crust into the bottom of the pan. Place the pan on top of a rimmed baking sheet, and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and the sugar until smooth. Beat in the Bailey’s, then mix in the eggs one at a time. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla, then the flour, stirring just until smooth.
Stir half of the chocolate chips into the batter, then pour the filling into the prepared pan (careful, it will be very full!). Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top of the cake, gently folding into the top half of the cake with a spatula. Place the cake (still on top of the baking sheet, in case of leaks) carefully into the oven.
Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the oven and leave the door closed. The cake will still be jiggly in the center at this point, but it will continue baking in the closed oven. Let the cake sit in the oven for 4-5 hours, to finish baking and setting. Remove from oven, then chill for 3-4 hours before serving. Serve cold, with whipped cream as a garnish.
Whoa. That. Looks. Divine.
DeleteEvery Christmas morning for the last 20+ years, I always make Cinnamon Sticky Buns. Nothing says "Ho, ho, ho" like vast amounts of sugar, cinnamon, butter and sticky!
ReplyDeleteDough
• ½ c unsalted butter
• 1 c milk
• 5 T sugar
• 1 T active dry yeast
• ¾ t salt
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
• 3 - 3 ½ c all-purpose flour
Sugar-Pecan Topping
• ¾ c unsalted butter
• ¾ c packed brown sugar
• ¼ c light corn syrup
• ¾ c chopped pecans
Cinnamon-Sugar Filling
• 4 T unsalted butter
• 1 c sugar
• 1 T cinnamon
To make the dough, melt ½ c butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the milk and sugar and heat just until lukewarm (about 110 F), stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour the warm milk mixture into a bowl. Stir in the yeast. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes, then stir in the salt.
Beat the whole egg and the egg yolk together and add to the yeast mixture. Stir in the flour 1 cup at a time until you have a sticky dough. Scrape the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until you have a nice smooth dough. Butter a large bowl. Place the dough in the prepared bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Put the bowl in a warm place and allow the dough to rise for 2 hours, until tripled in volume.
Meanwhile, brush a 9” x 13” baking pan with some melted butter. To prepare the Sugar-Pecan Topping, melt the butter with the brown sugar and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from the heat and spread the mixture in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with the chopped pecans.
Punch down the dough and turn it out of the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead for a minute, then use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle about 15” x 12” and 1/8” thick.
To make the Cinnamon-Sugar Filling, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and allow it to cool. Brush the butter thoroughly over the surface of the dough. In a bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the melted butter. Roll the rectangle up, like a jelly roll, along one long edge.
Slice the log of rolled dough into 1” thick slices and arrange the slices, cut side up, in the prepared pan. Cover the pan with a piece of plastic wrap. At this point, if you are not ready to bake, store the pan in the refrigerator overnight. Once ready to bake, remove the pan from the refrigerator and allow the sticky buns to rise in a warm place for 1 hour. Or, if you are immediately ready to bake, allow the sticky buns to rise in a warm place for 40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake the sticky buns until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. Check them occasionally during the baking time and, if they seem to be browning to quickly, loosely cover with a sheet of aluminum foil.
Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes. Turn the sticky buns out of the pan while still warm by inverting the pan over a large platter or baking sheet. Serve warm.
What a perfect Christmas morning recipe!
DeleteChocolate Cherry Mice:
ReplyDeletehttps://feedingmykid.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Christmas-Mice.jpg
1 pound chocolate candy coating, melted
24 maraschino cherries with stems, well drained
24 milk chocolate kisses
48 almond slices
White decorative icing tubes
To make each mouse, hold a cherry by the stem and dip into melted chocolate, swirling to help smooth out the coating. Set on parchment paper and press a chocolate kiss opposite the stem (which acts as the tail of the mouse). Carefully insert 2 almond slices between the cherry and chocolate kiss for ears. Create 2 white icing dots for eyes.
These are SO precious! Maybe I'll finally make some!
DeleteSo cute. So evil.
DeleteWe LURV this coconut cake with sour cream and coconut milk! It isn't my recipe, it's from thestayathomechef.com. So pretty - it looks like snow!
ReplyDeleteIngredients
Cake
1/2 cup salted butter softened
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons coconut extract
6 large egg whites room temperature
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1/4 cup sour cream
3½ cups cake flour
4 teaspoons of baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Frosting:
16 ounces cream cheese softened
1 cup salted butter softened
1 teaspoon coconut extract
3 cups powdered sugar
3 cups coconut flakes
Grease three 9-inch pans. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream the butter, oil, and sugar together until smooth. Beat in coconut extract and egg whites 2 minutes until fluffy. Beat in coconut milk and sour cream until just combined.
Mix in cake flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined.
Divide the batter among the three prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes. Let sit in pans for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before layering and frosting.
Make the frosting by using a hand mixer to beat cream cheese and butter together for 1 minute until light and fluffy. Add in coconut extract and mix until combined, about 10 seconds.
Slowly add in powdered sugar, one half cup at a time until smooth, mixing between additions.
Frost and layer cake with frosting and use coconut flakes to coat
I love coconut cake!!! YUM.
DeleteMy favorite Holiday treat is rather easy.
ReplyDeleteStuffed Cream Cheese Apple Turnover
Slice as many of your favorite Crisp apple that you like, Mix up a simple cream cheese with sugar, vanilla, and a splash of brandy (Thin with a dash of milk if you prefer) And spread the mixture over half of a large square piece of Croissant dough that you would get from a tube.
Lay on the apples on and fold the dough over, then use a fork to pinch the edges together.
Bake for 12 -15 mins (Longer if the dough is not golden yet) Then take it out and allow it to rest for about 5 mins or for as long as you can resist the deliciousness.
My Mum and I have this every Christmas morning and it's so yummy. I like to use Honeycrisp apples in mine, but last year I found an apple hybrid that tasted like Carmel and Cinnamon and let me tell you....OMG!
Oh yes! There's nothing like warm pastries on Christmas morning. <3
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThese cookies are simple, but wonderful. They are my favorite. I first found them on a vegan blog, but I believe they originated with Betty Crocker.
ReplyDeleteVegan Sugar Cookies
Cookies:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup vegan margarine, softened
1/4 cup vanilla soymilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Icing:
4 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons vanilla soymilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Steps:
1. In large bowl, beat 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, the margarine, 1/4 cup soymilk, 1 teaspoon vanilla and almond extract with electric mixer on medium speed to combine. Stir in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and cream of tartar until blended. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
2.Heat oven to 375° F. Lightly grease cookie sheet with shortening or cooking spray. Divide dough in half. Roll each dough half to1/4 inch thickness on generously floured surface. Cut into desired shapes with 2- to 2 1/2-inch cookie cutters. On cookie sheet, place cutouts about 2 inches apart.
3.Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until edges are light brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.
4. In large mixing bowl, beat icing ingredients with fork or whisk until smooth. If icing is too thick, beat in 1 additional teaspoon soymilk. Frost cookies. Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired.
5. Enjoy.
HOT COCOA COOKIES
ReplyDeleteIngredients
1-1/4 cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3-1/4 cups flour
4 pkt. or 3/4 cups Hot Chocolate Mix
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup Marshmallow Bits
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F.
Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. Combine next 4 ingredients in a bowl. Gradually add dry mixture to the butter mixture until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and Marshmallow bits.
Drop 2 tbsp. of dough, 2 inches apart, onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for approximately 9-11 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool at least 5 minutes prior to transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
These look wonderful!! Thank you!
DeleteEasy to make sounds pretty much perfect! :-D
ReplyDeleteI hope is still ok to share some recipes :). This one isn't exactly seasonal, but as I shared Roscón de Reyes last year, I'm going to share this one this time. Is not Christmas typical but I love to prepare it in the holidays.
ReplyDeleteTocino de cielo (I can't translate that, it sounds ridiculous XD)
Ingredients
Ingredients for 4 people: 6 egg yolks 250 g of sugar 3 dl of water For the caramel: 3 tbsp of sugar and 1 tbsp of water
Preparation
Put the sugar in a saucepan with the water and heat until the syrup goes golden brown. Cover a baking tin evenly and put to one side. Put the sugar and water in an earthenware dish and heat until the syrup goes stringy. Is not in the original recipe but I love to add lemon peel and a cinnamon stick. So you need to take them out when the syrup is done. Let the syrup cool. Beat the egg yolks and slowly add the syrup, stirring with a wooden spoon. Strain and pour into the caramelised tin. Cook in bain-marie in the oven at 150º for around 20 minutes. When the tocino has set, remove from the oven, leave to cool and take it out of the tin.
It's really delicious but maybe a bit too sweet.