12 days of Christmas Recipes: Snowflake Bread

This honey-glazed bread has just hint of anise.  You get to practice your snowflake drawing in the dough, too.  It's best served warm from the oven.  It goes great with a big pot of stew. 

Snowflake Bread
from Gooseberry Patch

2 1/4 tsp. yeast
1/4 c. warm water
3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. butter, melted
1/4 c. honey
4 3/4 c. flour, divided
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. anise seed, crushed
1/2 tsp. salt

Glaze:
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. water

Combine yeast and warm water in a small bowl and let stand 5 minutes. Combine milk, butter, and honey in a large bowl.  Stir in the yeast mixture, 2 cups flour, eggs, vanilla, anise, and salt.  Beat with a mixer until smooth.  Stir in another 2 cups flour until a soft dough forms.  Knead until smooth, gradually adding the remaining 3/4 c. flour.  Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise 45 minutes or until doubled.  Punch down dough and divide in half.  Form each half into a 8 inch round loaf.  Place on greased baking sheets.  Cover and let rise 15 minutes.  Use a knife to make a snowflake design in each loaf.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Brush glaze over loaves and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes.  Serves 10-12.

12 Days of Christmas Recipes: 4 Layer Brownies

These brownies happened by accident (or perhaps necessity).  And they are pretty delicious.  Four layers of chocolate, oats, and peanut butter.  These babies are super sweet.  Rich.  A little goes a long way.  Well, not that long if you find yourself carving off little slivers all day long as I may have done.

I was planning on making some buckeye brownies (think brownies, peanut butter filling, more chocolate) that caught my eye in one of my Christmas cookbooks, but when I got around to reading the recipe I realized that it called for a boxed brownie mix which I, of course, did not have on hand.  So, in my search for a brownie recipe I came across a recipe for 3 layer brownies (think oat layer, fudgy brownie, chocolate topping).  So I combined them together to make some mighty 4 layer peanut butter brownies.  Perfect for sharing with my awesome student teacher after a crazy Monday.

4 Layer Peanut Butter Brownies
adapted from taste of home and gooseberry patch

Oat Layer
1 c. quick cooking oats
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/3 c. flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. butter, melted

Brownie Layer
1/2 c. butter
2 squares (1 oz. each) semisweet chocoate
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 c. flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Peanut Butter Layer
1 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

Chocolate Layer
3 Tbsp. butter
1 c. chocolate chips

In a small mixing bowl, combine the ingredients for the oat layer and mix on low speed until blended.  Press into a greased 9 inch square baking pan.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan over low heat, melt butter and chocolate.  Remove from heat; stir in sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla.  Combine flour, baking soda and salt.  Gradually stir into chocolate mixture until smooth.  Pour over crust.

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.  Cool.

Mix together the powdered sugar, butter and peanut butter.  Spread over cooled brownies.  Chill about 1 hour.

Melt the chocolate chips and butter over low heat, stirring occasionally.  Spread over brownies.  Let cool and cut into squares.

12 Days of Christmas Recipes: Eggnog Glazed Doughnuts

Can you believe it's December?  Me either.  There are a lot of things I love about this month.  Snow. Baking.  Family.  Eggnog.  Christmas music.  Christmas lights.  Friends.  Cookies.  We haven't had much snow yet, but we're enjoying plenty of everything else on the list. 

I have a long list of recipes I want to try, so I'm challenging myself to post about 12 of them again this year.  Last year I was cooking up these.

So, when I found myself making doughnuts this weekend for my friend's birthday (Hi Holly!) I decided to try some with an eggnog glaze.  If you love everything eggnog like I do, you'll understand.  Make sure to roll the doughnut holes in cinnamon and sugar.  It's the only way. 

Eggnog-Glazed Doughnuts
doughnut recipe adapted from Baked Explorations

Doughnuts
3 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
3/4 c buttermilk
1/4 c. yogurt
1/4 c. butter, melted and cooled
vegetable oil for frying

Eggnog Glaze
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbsp eggnog

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and yogurt.  Add the melted, cooled butter and mix again.  Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until a sticky dough forms. 

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat it out until it is about 1/2 inch thick.  Cut with a doughnut cutter or two different sized circle cutters. 

Pour about 1 inch of oil into a deep skillet.  Heat slowly over medium-high heat until it is about 365 degrees.

Make the glaze while your oil is heating up by combining the powdered sugar and eggnog.

When the oil is hot,  place 2-3 doughnuts into the skillet at a time.  Once they have browned (about 2-3 minutes) turn them over and cook one more minute.  Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined baking sheet.  Dip the doughnuts into the glaze and decorate with sprinkles. 

12 Days of Christmas: Oreo Candy Cane Pie

Day 12: Oreo Candy Cane Pie This is what happens when my sister-in-law, Caroline, and I start dreaming up desserts. It's also what happens after Grammie makes candy cane ice cream (crushed candy canes mixed into vanilla ice cream) for dessert earlier in the week. We had a lot of ice cream left over, so what better thing to do than turn it into a pie? We started with an oreo cookie crust and spread the softened ice cream on top. Froze it and then added a layer of hot fudge topped with more crushed candy canes and froze it again. Peppermint and chocolate. Oreos and ice cream. Perfect! Then we enjoyed a piece of it every night after dinner for the past two nights. We also enjoyed some sweet victory over the guys in our Spades tournament.

Between all the deliciousness in the kitchen, the crazy card games and the eggnog latte drinking , we are having way too much fun with the kids.

Are you ready for Christmas? I hope this season finds you well. Ryan and I have spent some time discussing what exactly we want this holiday to look like for our kids. While it may be different from year to year, we are excited to teach them the true meaning of the season....a celebration of Christ's birth. Merry Christmas!

12 Days of Christmas: Gingerbread Cookies

Day 11: Gingerbread CookiesI usually don't make cut-out cookies at Christmas, but I knew it was something I wanted to do with Mason's cousins. We spent one afternoon letting them cut out the cookies and then decorate them. They loved it. It was sweet to watch them working together, discussing the frosting and sprinkles.

Gingerbread Cut-out Cookies

From Gooseberry Patch: Christmas All Through the House

1 1/2 c. light molasses
1 c. packed brown sugar
2/3 c. cold water
1/3 c. shortening
6 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 t. allspice
1 t. ground ginger
1 t. ground cloves
1 t. cinnamon

Mix the first four ingredients together until thoroughly combined. Sift together dry ingredients and stir into molasses mixture. Chill dough overnight (we chilled it for a couple hours and it was great.) When ready to bake, roll dough into 1/4 inch thickness and cut out with cookie cutters. Place on lightly greased cookie sheets; bake at 350 for 15 minutes. (Maybe a little less if you want them chewy.) Decorate! 3 dozen.

12 Days of Christmas: Honey Knot Rolls

Day 10: Honey Knot Rolls

Last Sunday we had our Christmas meal at church after an amazing service. I was supposed to bring bread, so after searching around a bit on the internet I decided on honey knot rolls, and the recipe can be found here. These are wonderful, with a honey butter glaze on top. Watch them closely though, the bottoms browned up pretty quick.

The kids are napping and when they wake up their cousins should be here! We get to spend the holiday with Ryan's brother and his family who are stationed in Germany. It's going to be a great week! Four little ones will sure keep up busy, but we have lots of fun things planned.

12 Days of Christmas: Budino

Day 9: Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Budino
Another recipe from Baked Explorations. And it doesn't really involve baking. But it does involve 3 bowls and a pan. Budino is just a fancy name for pudding. Ever since I saw my first pudding recipe I have always wanted to try to make it from scratch. It's actually super easy and way better than the box stuff. Today is my cousin, Marylin's, birthday. We celebrated last week because she is currently out of town. I made birthday budino. Complete with a solo of "happy birthday" where I made a complete fool of myself. This would make a great dessert after your Christmas meal. You can make it early and let it set in the fridge.
Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Budino
from Baked Explorations

1 Tbsp. bourbon
1 vanilla bean
4 oz. milk chocolate (I used chocolate chips)
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/4 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. cornstarch, sifted
1/2 tsp. salt
3 c. whole milk
1 Tbsp. butter
whipped cream to serve (I just used the rest of the heavy cream and added a touch of vanilla and sugar)

Choose eight small wide-mouth glasses for serving. Put the bourbon in a medium heatproof bowl (bowl #1). Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, and using the tip of the knife, scrape the seeds into the bourbon. Stir to combine.

Place the milk chocolate in another medium heatproof bowl (bowl #2). In a third heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, whole eggs, and cream.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in the milk. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until it just begins to boil. Whisking constantly, pour a third of the milk mixture over the egg mixture. Then add some more (about another third...you don't want cooked eggs in your pudding.) Transfer the tempered egg mixture back to the saucepan with the milk mixture, and whisking constantly, bring it to a boil. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until pudding is very thick.

Pour half of the pudding over the vanilla bean mixture and half over the milk chocolate. Add half of the butter to each mixture. Stir vigorously to release the heat.

Divide the vanilla pudding among the serving glasses. Chill them for 20 minutes. Keep stirring the chocolate mixture about every 5 minutes. Spoon the chocolate layer on top of the vanilla. Cover and chill until firm (about 2 hours). Top with whipped cream if you like.


Happy Birthday, Marylin!!

12 Days of Christmas: Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls

Day 8: Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls
What should you do with leftover frosting from these cookies? Why, make cinnamon rolls of course. I just took a basic cinnamon roll recipe and eggnog-ified it. I added a dash of rum extract, nutmeg, and cinnamon to the dough and then slathered them with leftover frosting. These were delicious warm from the oven, but they were just as great the next day too.

Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls
adapted from Quick Cooking 2001

1 1/4 c. water
1 egg
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 tsp. salt
4 c. bread flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. rum extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Filling:
1/4 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. raisins

Frosting: leftovers from the nutmeg cookies

Knead all the ingredients in a stand mixer fitted with dough hook. Let rise until doubled. Roll into a 17 x 10 inch rectangle. Spread with butter; sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins. Roll up, jelly-roll style, starting from a long side; pinch seam to seal. Cut into 24 slices. Place cut side down in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place, until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Frost warm rolls.

I actually made the dough the night before and put it in the fridge and then rolled them out in the morning and let them rise then baked them. Perfect for breakfast or to share with friends.

12 Days of Christmas: Nutmeg Logs

Day 7: Nutmeg Logs
Do you love eggnog? I do. I can only handle a little bit at a time though. Or mix it with milk. because it's so sweet. These log shaped cookies taste just like eggnog. They are a fun addition to our cookie trays. Luckily we don't have any more in the house between delivering them to friends and bringing the rest to school because I couldn't stop eating them. These are probably my favorite new cookie recipe so far.

Frosted Nutmeg Logs
From Taste of Home

1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. rum extract
3 c. flour
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt

Frosting
1/3 c. butter
2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. rum extract
1-2 Tbsp. half-and-half

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and extracts. Combine the flour, nutmeg, and salt; gradually add to the cream mixture. On a lightly floured surface, shape dough into 1/2 inch wide logs. Cut into 2 inch pieces. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 11-14 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes before moving to wire racks.

For frosting, in a mixing bowl, combine the butter, powdered sugar, extracts and enough cream to achieve a spreading consistency. Frost cooled cookies. 4 1/2 dozen.

I'm looking forward to two (busy!) weeks home with my kids. Yesterday we cut out snowflakes to hang from the windows, played, read books, and made granola. I still have a pretty long to-do list, but I know it will get done. It always does. I still need to finish making a couple presents and do all the wrapping. I'm pretty sure our Christmas cards are going to be late considering the email I got from snapfish saying my pictures weren't going to ship for two more weeks because of the holiday frenzy. Bummer. That's what I get for finishing my cards in June but waiting until Thanksgiving to get a photo.

We'll spend today finishing the ceiling trim, cleaning the house for company, going for a walk, and watching Emma perfect her crawling techniques. She can get anywhere she wants, but I wouldn't exactly call it crawling yet. She's too busy pulling herself up on everything. I've gone in to her room a couple times to find her standing in her crib, so pround of herself and as happy as can be! Then Ryan and I are off to have dinner with friends while the kiddos hang out with Lacy. Shaping up to be a pretty nice Saturday!

12 Days of Christmas: baking

Day 6: Double Chocolate Loaf with Peanut Butter and Cream Cheese Spread This loaf is in the breakfast section of the Baked Explorations cookbook. It would be like eating a giant slice of brownies for breakfast! I didn't actually try this since it was a gift, but it smelled amazing. And the spread was delicious. I definitely will be making it again so I can try them both together. This would make a great gift if you have a chocolate-lover on your list.

Double Chocolate Loaf with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Spread
from Baked Explorations

3/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. dark unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
3/4 c. buttermilk (I used whole milk)
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
8 oz. dark chocolate, coarsely chopped ( I used about 1/2 c. chocolate chips)

Peanut Butter and Cream Cheese Spread
5 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp. creamy peanut butter
1/3 c. sugar

Place the brown sugar in a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add all the dry ingredients and mix. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk until blended, then add the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Whisk until combined. Turn the mixer on low and slowly stream the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Stir in the dark chocolate chunks by hand. Pour batter into a bread pan prepared with butter and flour. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour, until toothpick comes out clean.

To make the spread, beat together the cream cheese and peanut butter until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until incorporated.

12 Days of Christmas: baking

Day 5: Caramel-Filled Chocolate Cookies

I made these cookies for our friend Tim. We hung out with him on Friday and celebrated his birthday. He got extra points for watching Mason while Ryan and I went to our eye doctor appointments. Let me tell you...it is a little difficult to pay attention to all the 1 or 2?, 3 or 4? , better or worse? questions from the eye doctor with a squirming baby on your lap. Somehow, even with all the baby passing back and forth, Ryan and I both ended up with Emma girl during this part of our eye exams. I think next time I'll bribe Uncle Tim to watch both kiddos and make him a dozen more cookies!

These are best warm out of the oven, when the Rolos are really melty inside! Mason helped me unwrap all the Rolos. And after every single one, he would ask "for Uncle Tim's birthday?" as he dropped it in the bowl. Oh, I love that boy. Here's the recipe:

Caramel-Filled Chocolate Cookies
from Taste of Home
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. plus 1 Tbsp. sugar, divided
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. baking cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 c. chopped pecans, divided
1 package (13 oz) Rolo candies
4 squares white baking chocolate, melted (I used white chocolate chips)

In a large bowl, cream butter, 1 c. sugar, and brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in 1/2 c. pecans. Shape a tablespoon of dough around each candy, forming a ball. In a small bowl, comgine the remaining sugar and pecans. Dip each cookie halfway. Place nut-side up 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 for 7-10 minutes or until tops are slightly cracked. Cool for 3 minutes before removing to wire racks. Drizzle with melted white chocolate. 5 dozen.

12 Days of Christmas: baking

Day 4: Fennel Tea Cookies

These cookies taste a little unique because of the fennel. I think they are a great addition to the usual cookie tray if you want something a little different. The fennel is subtle, but lovely. Best of all, they're quick and easy to make.

Fennel Tea Cookies
from Taste of Home
1 Tbsp. fennel seed, crushed
2 Tbsp. boiling water
3/4 c. butter, softened
2/3 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
powdered sugar (for rolling)

In a small bowl, soak the fennel seed in boiling water; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Beat in the egg. Drain fennel seed. Combine the flour, baking soda, and fennel seed; gradually add to creamed mixture.

Roll into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar and let cool. 3 Dozen.

12 Days of Christmas: baking

Day 3: Sweet Potato Coconut Scones

I love to make scones for breakfast. Served with some fruit and coffee or tea, it's perfect for a chilly morning. I used to think that scones were a time-consuming special treat that I only made for tea parties. But, really they are pretty quick and easy. Just make up the dough, turn onto the baking sheet, shape, cut and bake.

This recipe is adapted from the Carrot Coconut Scones recipe I found in the Baked Explorations cookbook. It called for carrot puree and I didn't have any carrots on hand. I did have a batch of sweet potato puree though (for little Emma). I thought I could give it a try. You really could only taste a hint of sweet potato, but the overall flavor was delicious. I think next time I would toast the coconut and put it on top. Sweet Potato Coconut Scones

adapted from Baked Explorations

2 3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. rolled oats
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 c. cold butter, cut into chunks
1 egg
3/4 c. milk
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1/4 c. sweet potato puree

Glaze:
1 c. powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1-2 Tbsp. milk

In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, oats, baking powder, salt, and coconut. Add the butter. Use your fingertips to rub butter into flour until mixture is coarse. In a separate bowl, which together the egg, milk, vanilla, and sweet potato puree. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until dough just comes together. Knead dough briefly with your hands. Shape the dough into a disk and gently flatten to about 1 3/4 inches high. (I shaped it right on the greased baking sheet). Cut into 6-8 wedges. Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool.

To make the glaze, whisk all the ingredients in a bowl. Add enough milk until desired consistency. Drizzle over the scones before serving.

12 days of Christmas: baking

I don't know if homemade pita chips count as Christmas baking. Maybe you need a snack while you're wrapping presents or addressing Christmas cards. Maybe you need something to munch on while you cook dinner. I just needed something to go with my roasted red pepper hummus.

I've never had pita chips that I can recall, but the idea of them sounded perfect after I made a batch of hummus. I didn't even have pita bread on hand, so this was a two-step process. But it was so simple and hit the spot! I started by making pita bread following this recipe (which I randomly found when searching for pita chip recipes.)

Then I mixed some olive oil, parsley, garlic powder, and rosemary. I cut the pita bread rounds into triangles. I coated them with the olive oil mixture and popped them in the oven (350) for about 15 minutes.

These turned out very flavorful and crunchy. I can't wait to try some whole wheat pitas next.

12 days of Christmas: baking

I've been enjoying looking through all my cookbooks finding new recipes to try this holiday season. I'm challenging myself to post 12 of those recipes here on the blog. First up is White Chocolate-Cranberry Biscotti. I love biscotti. When Ryan and I were hanging out in Salida on Friday we went to a bakery in town and they had a basket full of huge biscotti. I have about a dozen biscotti recipes earmarked, but I'm sort of on a cranberry kick these days so I decided to try these first.
White Chocolate-Cranberry Biscotti
from Taste of Home: Cookies & Bars

1/2 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar (the recipe calls for 1 cup, but it was plenty sweet with 3/4 c.)
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
3/4 c. dried cranberries
3/4 c. white chocolate chips
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in cranberries and white chips. Divide dough into 3 portions.
On ungreased baking sheets, shape each portion into a 10 by 2 inch rectangle. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes.
Transfer to a cutting board; cut diagonally with a serrated knife into 1 inch slices. Place cut side down on baking sheets. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. 2 1/2 dozen.


Mason wanted to help me stack the biscotti. When I got the camera and told him to smile he said, "they can't smile mom, they don't have teeth!" I said, "yeah, you're right." He then said, "mommy didn't know?" Ha!