Need a super easy appetizer for your next holiday gathering? You will definitely want to try these bite-sized crispy phyllo cups full of melty brie cheese topped with sweet dark cherries. Maple syrup gives a depth of flavor and a new twist to the flavor. No maple syrup and don't want to buy a bottle for just one recipe? Substitute honey. Honey is a little sweeter than maple syrup, but in the quantity we are using, that doesn't matter. Substitute with the same amount of honey. Brown sugar is another possible substitution. Brown sugar is a little less sweet than maple syrup so you will need to increase the amount to 1/4 cup OR 4 tablespoons. Just sprinkle over the top of each cup. Corn syrup on the shelf? Yes, that works but it only makes the cherries sweeter without adding ... [Read More]
12 Days of Christmas
Festive Peppermint Bark
Peppermint bark is a seasonal favorite everyone loves! This super easy recipe assembles quickly and looks spectacular with little effort. The secret to outstanding peppermint bark is in the quality of chocolate. You can pick and choose – if your crowd is mainly teens who eat quickly and move on, use the easiest available chocolate such as almond bark or melting wafers. If you are gifting pepper mint bark or serving it to, say, your boss and co-workers, anyone who will savor and appreciate the creamy texture and holiday flavors, choose a higher quality. If you prefer, you can use all dark, semi-sweet or all white chocolate for this recipe. Festive Peppermint Bark Print Prep time 15 mins Total time 15 mins Crushed peppermint chunks and smooth, creamy ... [Read More]
Creamy Classic Eggnog
Holidays are made special for several reasons. One reason is that we add a little "extra something" to our lives. Food that is prepared just for that meal as in Thanksgiving. Or food that is prepared for the entire holiday season. Eggnog is so easy to make that it could be easily available all year around. But then it wouldn't be special! Eggnog has been around for centuries. Milk, eggs and spices were mainly available to landowners. Only they had the resources to keep cows and chickens and to buy imported spices. Monks recorded the first recipes, and wealthy landowners were quick to adopt the habit of toasting one another's good health and continued prosperity with the unique drink served in small wooden cups called noggins. Upstart English colonials brought livestock with them ... [Read More]
Double Chocolate Toasted Almond Clusters
Double Chocolate Toasted Almond Clusters are so very easy to make and yet look super elegant and gift worthy! Toasting the almonds takes a little extra time and effort, but so worth it for the extra flavor and crunch. Toast them ahead of time, if you want, while baking dinner one night or another batch of goodies. Only ten minutes in a 350 degree oven makes a big difference. When adding white melting chocolate to slow cooker, break into pieces at the score. Or some brands come in little “cubes” in individual cups. Easier to melt than a big chunk. Baker’s German Chocolate is a sweet baking chocolate – also scored to break into easy to melt chunks. The chocolate chips add a different flavor to the mix. I have also used dark chocolate chips--but I like dark chocolate. Use the low ... [Read More]
Eggnog Sandwich Cookies
Eggnog Sandwich Cookies are a unique holiday treat. The nutmeg and ginger sugar topping, the soft cookie, the creamy filling -- all the eggnog flavors in your hand. The dough is soft and a little sticky, even after chilling. Just do the best you can to make round cookies. Flatten them with a drinking glass (patterned bottom optional) dipped in flour so they are even height all the way across. When baking, watch the time so cookies just begin to turn golden when you remove them from the oven. (Some of mine got a little too brown this time!) We really liked them plain, but the filling definitely lifts things up a notch. Wait until they are well cooled before assembling sandwiches. The yield is approximately 72 cookies which will make 36 sandwiches. These are better eaten within a ... [Read More]
Almond Cheesecake Squares
Almond Cheesecake Squares are a rich and delicious dessert that makes an elegant addition to a cookie tray or a flavorful end to a holiday dinner. It is a New York style cheesecake because it includes sour cream among the ingredients -- another notch up on the flavor scale! The toasted and ground almonds give the crust a nice flavor and texture. The filling is quick and easy. The hardest part is waiting for it to bake -- and then cool before slicing! Can be made ahead and frozen. Don't worry about freezing leftovers because there won't be any. :-) Almond Cheesecake Squares Print Prep time 15 mins Cook time 47 mins Total time 1 hour 2 mins Light and creamy cheesecake on a nutty graham cracker base and topped with toasted almonds. Author: A Pinch of ... [Read More]
