3-Ingredient Gingerbread Truffles

These little make-ahead truffles just taste like Christmas to me.  It's like eating gingerbread cookie dough, but better because this "dough" is dipped in white chocolate.  And they're bite-size so you don't have to make a whole big dessert out of them, although you could.  Instead, just pop one or two or four in your mouth and move on to the rest of the holiday goodies.

Bonus:  This couldn't be any easier.  Seriously, get the kids to make these, they'll love it!

16oz. pkg. frosted gingerbread cookies, finely crushed

8oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

1c white melting chocolate (Ghirardelli wafers are my new favorite) 

1.  In a large bowl, mix together the crushed cookies and cream cheese until well blended.  Cover and refrigerate 3-4 hours or overnight.

2.  Roll into 1" balls and place on parchment paper.

3.  Melt chocolate according to package instructions.

4.  Using a toothpick, dip each ball one at a time into the chocolate, turning to coat completely.  Allow excess chocolate to drip off and place truffle on the paper.

5.  Refrigerate and allow chocolate to harden prior to serving.  Store any extras in the refrigerator.

Deep Dark Chocolate Brownies with Pomegranate and Sea Salt

I was recently gifted two fantastic ingredients - black onyx cocoa powder and vanilla bean paste.  Both of which I had never tried before so had no idea what I was missing out on.  The first thing you should know is, I will never buy plain old vanilla extract again.  The vanilla bean paste has spoiled me forever on that.  Secondly, people are not joking when they say black onyx cocoa absolutely needs to be blended into regular cocoa.  It's that rich.

The pomegranate seeds not only add a nice pop of color but also a lighter contrast in flavors to the intensity of the dark chocolate.  And just a little sprinkling of sea salt at the end brings it all together.

1/2c butter, melted

1 1/4c white sugar

1/2c cocoa powder

1/4c + 2 TBSP black onyx cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. vanilla bean paste

2 eggs

1/3c all-purpose flour

1 pomegranate, seeded

1.  Preheat oven to 350°

2.  In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar, both cocoa powders, salt, and vanilla paste.

3.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after adding each.

4.  Gradually stir in the flour just until blended.

5.  Pour batter into a prepared 8x8 baking dish (batter will be thick!) and top with 1/2c of the pomegranate seeds.  Bake 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle with additional salt and pomegranate seeds.

Our New Favorite Pumpkin Pie

My pumpkin pies have definitely evolved over the years.... I followed the recipe on the Libby's can for awhile and that was okay.  Then came a few years of folding in meringue and topping with pecans, which we all agreed was superior to the pies from the back-of-the-can days.  But then, this happened.  

I took a chance and tried out a new version of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving day and the verdict was unanimous... this is THE pumpkin pie we will be having every year for the foreseeable future.

I was feeling fancy and decided to roast a sugar pumpkin rather than using canned but really, canned would work just as well here.

2c cooked pumpkin, pureed

2 eggs, beaten

1/2c heavy cream

1/2c sour cream

1c raw brown sugar

1 TBSP all-purpose flour

1 TBSP pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 - unbaked, deep-dish pie crust

1.  Preheat oven to 425°  Place pie crust on a baking sheet.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, add all filling ingredients.

3.  Mix on medium speed until well blended and smooth.

4.  Pour filing into the pie crust.

5.  Bake approximately 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 

6.  Refrigerate 2-3 hours or overnight; long enough for it to chill throughout.  Serve cool or room temperature.

Aren't these cutouts adorable?!

Since I used a store bought crust, I just rolled out the extra crust in the package, stamped them out with my little cutter, and placed them right over the other crust.  ;)

Cinnamon Spice Applesauce (Slow Cooked and Sugar-Free)

Are you ready for the easiest applesauce you've ever made?  Break out the crock pot and let's get to it!

Let me just first say, even if you've been making applesauce with white or brown sugar forever, I promise, you absolutely will not miss it in this applesauce.  The apples have so much natural sweetness anyway.  I used Galas but don't see why any variety of apple wouldn't work here.

So, just use whatever you've got on hand and adjust spices to your personal preference.  Serve it hot; serve it cold - doesn't matter.  This recipe is super flexible!  Bonus: Your entire house will smell amazing!

Recipe can be scaled for whatever amount of apples you want to use without changing the cooking time.  I went with a small 1 lb. batch and it yielded approximately 1 1/2c.

1 lb, apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thin

1/3 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1.  Layer apple slices in the slow cooker.

2.  Sprinkle with spices.

3.  Set temperature on High and leave it alone for about 4 hours, checking progress periodically.

4.  Stir everything together and mash to desired consistency.  I like a chunkier applesauce so all it took was just a few times around in the pot with a spoon and it was ready.

Rhubarb Crisp

Rhubarb is one of those vegetables I would always bypass in the grocery store because, really, I had no clue what to do with it.  I had never even tasted it before and neither had my husband.  Apparently, his mom used to make rhubarb pies when he was growing up but he would never try it because, well, it's rhubarb - gross.  Turns out, it's pretty good. 

This recipe yields two 6oz. ramekins:

1 1/4c rhubarb, diced

2 tsp. all-purpose flour

4 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. lemon zest

1/4 tsp. salt

3 TBSP rolled oats

1 TBSP brown sugar, packed

1 TBSP all-purpose flour

1 TBSP butter, melted

1/8 tsp. allspice

1/8 tsp. salt

1.  Preheat oven to 400*.

2.  In a medium bowl, combine the rhubarb, 2 tsp. flour, sugar, vanilla extract, 1/8 tsp. allspice, lemon zest, and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Pour into prepared ramekins.

3.  For the topping, combine the oats, brown sugar, 1 TBSP flour, butter, 1/8 tsp. allspice, and 1/8 tsp. salt.  Sprinkle over rhubarb mixture and press gently to make it stick.

4.  Place on cookie sheet and bake approximately 25 minutes, or until bubbly and topping is a pretty golden brown.

This has inspired me to keep experimenting with rhubarb. :)

Orange Cake

I made an orange cake for the first time yesterday and was very pleased with the result.  I was a little afraid the orange-y flavor would be overwhelming but it's really not.  Nor does it taste like a cake from a mix!  

1 package vanilla cake mix

1 (3oz.) package instant vanilla pudding mix

3/4c orange juice

1/2c vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 tsp. orange extract

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 TBSP orange peel

For the Glaze:

1/3c orange juice

2/3c white sugar

1/4c butter

1.  Preheat oven to 325* and grease a Bundt pan.   

2.  In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and pudding mix. 

3.  Add 3/4 cup orange juice, oil, eggs , orange extract, vanilla extract, and orange peel.

4.  Beat on low speed until blended.

Then beat another 3-4 minutes on medium speed until well blended.

5.  Pour batter into prepared pan and bake approximately 40 minutes.

6.  Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes in pan

before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

7.  Make the glaze by combining remaining ingredients

in a small saucepan.  Boil 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.

8.  Pour glaze into Bundt pan and return cooled cake to pan. 

Allow glaze to soak in for about 10-15 minutes

before turning out onto a serving plate.     

We had this for dessert last night and all morning
 I have resisted the urge to have a piece for breakfast!

       

Easiest Fudge Ever

What makes this so easy is that it's all done in the microwave.  This is not gourmet fudge but it's a simple one that's easy enough for kids to make and yummy enough to serve with the other holiday candies and cookies:

2c semi-sweet chocolate chips

14oz. sweetened condensed milk

2 tsp. vanilla

3/4c chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

4oz. candied cherries, chopped

1c mini marshmallows

1. In a medium-size glass bowl, combine chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Microwave 1 min. Stir. If the chips aren't fully melted yet, microwave another 30 seconds and stir again.

2. Add vanilla and stir to combine.

3. Add nuts, cherries, and marshmallows. Stir until well blended.

4. Pour in a parchment-lined 8x8 pan and chill in the refrigerator. (You could just spray the pan but I like the paper because it makes it easy to lift everything out for cutting later.)

 

I have no idea how long this takes to set because I just set it in the fridge and left it there overnight.

Gingerbread Pear Cake

We love gingerbread and since I didn't feel up to going through with
 the whole business of cutting and decorating gingerbread people,
I decided to get the holiday baking started with a
*semi-homemade* gingerbread cake.

This couldn't be any easier and the flavor combination of gingerbread,
pears, and pecans is just fabulous!

2 tablespoons real butter, melted
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 (16 ounce) cans pear slices, well drained
1/2 cup pecan pieces
1 (14.5 ounce) package gingerbread cake mix

1. Preheat oven to 350*

2. Mix the melted butter, corn syrup, and brown sugar in a 9-inch round cake pan.

3. Arrange pear slices over sugar mixture.

4. Sprinkle pecans around the pears.

5. .Prepare the cake mix according to package directions,
and pour over the pears and pecans in the cake pan.
6. Bake approximately 50 minutes.

7. Cool slightly before turning out onto a serving dish.

Easy, no-fuss holiday dessert!

It's Time for Pumpkin Pie!

My son loves pumpkin pie more than anyone I have ever seen.  So

much so that he has been known to eat an entire pie all my himself. 

His big complaint though is that I don't make it all the time. 

For me, there are certain foods that are best suited for specific

times of year.  For example, pumpkin pie.  I refuse to make it until I

can feel it in the air that fall has arrived.  Also, since I've started

using fresh pumpkins instead of the canned stuff for pies,

the ingredients aren't always available.

But they are now and today I decided to make the first pumpkin pie

of this year.  I opened the windows and let the cool breeze blow

through the house as the scent of the pumpkin baking filled the kitchen.

For a traditional pumpkin pie, I like to use the old recipe from the

 back of the Libby's pumpkin can as a base.  Over the years I have

adapted it to suit our preferences:  I use fresh pumpkin, add a little

allspice, and extra cinnamon and cloves, to taste. 

The cooking method is the same though. 

By the time my son came home, the pie had been a

assembled and was almost finished baking.  He was pleasantly

surprised and the house smelled amazing!

Hint of Coconut Cookies

I want to share this recipe because even my non-coconut eaters raved about these cookies!  It may seem like a lot of coconut but for some reason, the flavor is pleasantly mild and not at all.  And the texture

is just the right amount of chewy goodness!

Here's the recipe:

1 1/4c.  all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. butter

1/2c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. white sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/3 c. flaked coconut

 

1.  Preheat oven to 350*

 

2.  In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

3.  In a stand mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar on medium speed until smooth.

4.  Beat in the egg and vanilla until light and fluffy.

5.  Gradually blend in the flour mixture, then mix in the coconut.

6.  Roll into 1" balls and place on a cookie sheet a few inches apart.  

7.  Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator and allow it to chill for about 30 min.

8.  Remove from the refrigerator straight to the oven.  Bake for approximately 12 min. or until lightly toasted.

9.  Cool on wire racks.

My most adamant coconut hater kept trying to sneak cookies while I was making dinner.  :)

Bavarian Apple Torte

The great thing about doing all the cooking around here is that we're always having exactly what I'm hungry for ;) and lately I've been craving apples. I made this Bavarian Apple Torte from Taste of Home a few days ago and everyone devoured it without any knowledge of how ridiculously easy it was to make! The crust has a nice shortbread flavor that hubby and I thought went well with the apples (Granny Smith). Here's the recipe:

3/4 c. real butter
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:
2 - 8oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Topping:
3 c. thin sliced and peeled tart apples
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

1. Combine the first four ingredients. Press onto the bottom of an ungreased 9-in. springform pan.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Pour over the crust.

3. Combine topping ingredients and arrange as pretty or as messy as you like over filling.

4. Bake at 350* for 55-65 minutes (mine was done in 60) or until the center is set. Cool on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator. Cut into wedges with a serrated knife.