Salted Carmelitas

Carmelitas will always be one of my weaknesses. Yes of course they are loaded with calories but once in a while it is so worth it. I mean how can you resist a oatmeal cookie bar that is sandwiched with a layer of two kinds of chocolate chips and a layer of silky smooth salted caramel? I know when they are around I most definitely can't resist them. I adapted this recipe slightly from Lulu the Baker (very cute blog by the way). I made a few minor changes and of course, added in the coarse sea salt to make them a salted Carmelita. I like the balance the salt adds to all the sweetness. I thought these bars were a good post for the holidays because they are an indulgent bar fit for a celebration. If you'd like you could brown the butter for the oat cookie mixture which would give them one more gourmet touch. If doing so just allow it to cool for about 15 minutes before adding it to the dry ingredient mixture. Enjoy! 

Salted Carmelitas
Yields 12

Ingredients:
32 caramels, unwrapped (such as Kraft)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp table salt
10 Tbsp salted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips*
coarse sea salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour cream over caramels in a microwave safe bowl, heat mixture on HIGH power in 30 second intervals, stirring well after each interval until melted and smooth (alternately you can combine the two ingredients in a saucepan and melt over low heat), set aside.
In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, rolled oats, baking soda and 1/4 tsp table salt. Place butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat butter in microwave until melted. Stir vanilla extract into melted butter then pour mixture over dry ingredients. Using a fork, stir well to evenly coat. Press half of the oat mixture evenly into the bottom of a buttered 8 by 8-inch baking dish and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips into an even layer over baked cookie crust, then pour caramel mixture evenly over chocolate chip layer. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp coarse sea salt evenly over caramel layer, then sprinkle top evenly with remaining oat mixture. Bake in preheated oven 16 - 20 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from oven, sprinkle top evenly with an 1/8 tsp coarse sea salt (or to taste) and allow to cool for 20 minutes at room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap leaving a small opening on one corner (to allow condensation to escape), transfer to refrigerator to chill until cool enough to cut into clean squares (mine took about 2 hours chilling). Alternately you can enjoy them warm after about 20 minutes of cooling at room temperature (you just won't have clean cut squares and the caramel will be really runny). Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

*you can use all semi-sweet chocolate chips if you'd like, I just like the combo of both kinds of chocolate.

Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Lulu the Baker

Overnight Cinnamon Roll Waffles

Growing up in my family, Christmas morning breakfast was always a big deal. Why? Because it was basically the only morning of the year my mom made a big homemade breakfast. It was one of my favorite parts of Christmas. We would usually always have pancakes, eggs, hash browns, bacon and freshly squeezed orange juice, although I'm pretty sure my mom went with a pancake mix. I don't think she loves cooking the way I do =). Because of this tradition Christmas breakfast is still important to me, it's such a highlight of Christmas. That's why I've tried to post a few breakfast recipe options you could prepare for your holiday breakfast. 

This time around I wanted to create a breakfast entree that could be prepared the night before and then cooked the next morning, because I know it's not likely you want to wake up and spend the morning in the kitchen. You can prepare the waffle batter as well as the cream cheese glaze the night before. 

If you wanted even more indulgence you could also drizzle them with a brown sugar glaze (made with brown sugar, melted butter and some cinnamon - then I'd reduce the amount of cinnamon in the waffle batter) or you could mix about 1 tsp of molasses into the batter to give them a light brown sugar flavor like a cinnamon roll (I just didn't think of it until after I'd prepared them =), but they were amazing the way they were). Also, just wanted to mention the Cream Cheese Glaze is meant to be runny, like a glaze or similar to a syrup. It's not as thick as frosting. If you want it thick just use less milk. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Overnight Cinnamon Waffles with Cream Cheese Glaze {AKA Cinnamon Roll Waffles}
Yield will vary depending on waffle iron size* 

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup milk, heated to 110 degrees 
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 recipe Cream Cheese Glaze, recipe follows

Directions:
In a mixing bowl (or the glass liquid measuring cup used to measure and warm milk in microwave) whisk together warm milk, yeast and 1/2 tsp of the sugar. Let mixture rest for 5 minutes. 
In a large mixing bowl combine remaining sugar, vegetable oil, melted butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, eggs and vanilla and whisk mixture together until well combine. Add rested yeast mixture to butter and oil mixture and mix until well combine. Whisk in 1 cup flour and mix until well blended, then add remaining 1 cup flour and mix until well blended. Scrape down the sides of bowl and cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow mixture to rest in refrigerator 12 hours or up to 24 hours (make sure you use a big mixing bowl so it doesn't overflow into your fridge as the batter rises).
After batter has rested, preheat oven to 180 degrees and set a wire cooling rack over a rimmed cookie sheet in center of oven. Preheat an electric waffle iron. Remove batter from refrigerator and whisk well, then prepare waffles according waffle iron manufacturer directions. Transfer cooked waffles to oven to bake about 10 minutes for a crispier exterior and to keep warm while preparing remaining waffles, or enjoy warm right out of waffle iron. Serve waffles drizzled with Cream Cheese Glaze (or butter and maple syrup if you prefer).

*I got 14 4 1/2 by 4-inch waffles. You can use a Belgian waffle iron you just won't get as many.

Cream Cheese Glaze

Ingredients:
6 oz cream cheese, softened
6 Tbsp butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk, plus more if desired (for a thicker consistency use only 1/4 cup)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer set on medium speed, blend together cream cheese and butter until well combine and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in remaining ingredients and mix about 1 minute until well combine, adding up to 2 Tbsp additional milk to thin if desired. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator (this can also be made the night before and stored in the refrigerator, just stir before serving).

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Snowball Cookies

So where did these cookies originally come from? They are so amazingly good I guess that several different countries want to label them as their own =). What do you call these cookies? Some of the common names for these delicious balls of pure bliss are, Russian Tea Cakes, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Italian Wedding Cookies, snowdrops, butter balls or more specifically pecan butter balls. The name that I think is most fitting is for them is Snowball Cookies, simply put because they look like little snowballs of course. I can understand where the "wedding" and "tea" labels come from because these seem so dainty and fancy, and they'd pair nicely with a warm cup of tea. You'll want to sit in your finest chair and enjoy these cookies with you pinkie fingers up, taking the most delicate little nibbles at a time as you gently dab the excess powdered sugar that falls from the cookie onto your well kept lips with a freshly pressed linen napkin.... Nah! You'll want to just pick up the entire plate of cookies and shove as many as you can fit in your mouth at once =). I absolutely love these cookies and I actually do enjoy savoring each melt in my mouth bite, not in the manor as mentioned above but I think each bite should be enjoyed. 
The snowball/tea/wedding cake/cookie doesn't seem to get the attention it deserves. They are such a classic and maybe it's their old fashioned notion that has pushed them out of the spotlight and to the back burner. These cookies should most definitely not be forgotten and go unnoticed. They are a simple cookie but they have much to offer. Textural wise they are similar to a shortbread cookie but with more dissolve to them (thanks to the cornstarch I added in this recipe I created). Their shortbread portion isn't overly sweet which pairs nicely with the generous coating of powdered sugar they are given after baking. You wont find an overabundance of nuts in this recipe just because I don't like that many nuts in my cookies, but if you do of course you could add in more if you'd like. These cookies are one of my favorites. Easy and simple but delightfully delicious. I love how they also remind me of my Grandma who has passed away because she always made these kind of cookies. She was such a fun and amazing lady. Enjoy!

Snowball Cookies
Yields 2 1/2 dozen

Ingredients:
1 cup salted butter, softened
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp cornstarch
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup finely chopped Pecans (I just used Pecan cookie chips so I didn't have to do any chopping, just poured them in right from the bag).
2 cups powdered sugar, for coating

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix butter on medium speed until creamy, about 20 seconds. Blend in 2/3 cup powdered sugar and salt. Mix in vanilla. Sprinkle cornstarch over mixture (just so it doesn't blend into one area) then with mixer set on low speed slowly add in flour and mix just until combine. Stir in Pecans. Scoop dough out 1 Tbsp at a time and roll into a ball, then place balls on Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheets and bake in preheated oven for 16 - 18 minutes, until bottom edges are lightly golden (these are a cookie that I think are best when they aren't moist in the center so I'd say don't under bake them. These actually are a cookie that are meant to be dry. Dry but a melt in your mouth kind of dry). Remove from oven and allow to cool several minutes then while cookies are still warm, pour 2 cups powdered sugar into a bowl and roll cookies in powdered sugar. Transfer to a wire rack to cool then once cookies are cool, roll in powdered sugar once more, this time to generously coat (I pressed it into the powdered sugar to give it a thick coating. Store cookies in an airtight container.

Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

Orange Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

What's my favorite part of the holidays? The food, family, friends and the holiday parties of course! And would there be any holiday parties without the food? The more I become acquainted with food, the more I come to realize how much it has to offer. Not only does it give us the constant nourishment we need to live our daily lives but it brings us together. It builds friendships. It also opens a world of opportunity to experiment with exciting flavors and try new recipes. That's one thing I love about food, it never has to be boring and there are limitless combinations of what can be created.




Another great thing about food is its array of seasonal flavors. I like how there is a rotation of fresh seasonal produce to keep things exciting. Winter can seem to lack quite as much abundance of fresh fruit, but the one fruit I'm glad I can always count on during the Christmas season is the plethora of perfectly ripe, deliciously sweet Navel oranges—the kind that don't lead me to pulling a sour face immediately after sinking my teeth into the first bite. When you really get a good orange, it's so juicy and sweet it could nearly pass as candy.
Oranges are definitely my favorite citrus fruit and their flavor complements a chocolate chip cookie like no other. The citrus-y zip hugs the semi-sweet chocolate chips. These cookies are like those chocolate oranges you buy around the holidays, but in thick and chewy cookie form! Then when you add cranberries into the equation, you'll feel like this cookie is the season’s best friend. If you ask me, cranberry, orange and chocolate were meant to be together.
This cookie is perfect to bake and give as a gift, because how many people do you know that don't like chocolate chip cookies? And how fun would it be to give a chocolate chip cookie that had such a flavorful and exciting twist? I know I'd be happy to get a plateful. Enjoy!


Orange Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yields about 2 1/2 dozen
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup salted butter, softened
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp orange zest
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp orange extract*
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, whip together butter, light-brown sugar, granulated sugar and orange zest on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy about 4 minutes. Mix in egg and egg yolk. Stir in orange extract and vanilla extract. With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combine. Mix in chocolate chips and cranberries (if you want them to look like those pictured, I set aside some of the chocolate chips and cranberries to gently press into the top of the cookie dough balls before baking).
Scoop dough out 2 Tbsp at a time and gently roll into balls, then place onto Silpat lined cookie sheets spacing them 2-inches apart. Bake in preheated oven about 10 - 11 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheet two minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.
*Orange extract can be found near the vanilla extract in most grocery stores or supermarkets.
Recipe Source: Cooking Classy
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Peppermint Red Velvet Cookies with Peppermint Kisses

So when was it that peppermint became associated with the color red? Especially considering it comes from green leaves. Not sure who came up with the color choice but for some reason it's as if it were meant to be. If you ask me, the flavors of peppermint should most definitely be associated with the color red. They are vibrant, warm and bold just like the color red, and the obvious answer - the peppermint flavor always reminds me of the Christmas season. This got me thinking that their should be a peppermint red velvet dessert. I saw these cookies on Pinterest (yes another Pinterest find, I'm an addict) and decided to make them in a peppermint version with a slightly more vibrant red for the holidays. I simply reduced the cocoa powdered (and replaced the cocoa powder reduction with flour, hence the + 2 tbsp flour) and replaced the brown sugar with granulated sugar to reduce the brown hues in the cookie and I actually used 1 less tsp of the red food coloring because I didn't think it needed a full tbsp. I also didn't think the cookies needed a full 12 minutes of baking, my first batch was so dry after baking for 12 minutes so the second I cut clear back to 8 and they were perfect. Moist and chewy on the inside and lightly crisp on the outside. Enjoy!

Peppermint Red Velvet Cookies with Kisses
Yields about 3 dozen

Ingredients:
36 Hersheys Peppermint Kisses, Hugs or Milk Chocolate Kisses, frozen*
1 1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp red food coloring
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp peppermint extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend together vegetable oil and sugar on medium speed until mixture is creamy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg. Add in food coloring, vinegar, vanilla extract and peppermint extract and mix until well blended. With  mixer set on low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combine. Roll dough into balls about 1 scant Tbsp each and place on Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake in preheated oven about 8 - 9 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool 30 seconds then lightly press 1 chocolate Kiss onto each cookie and immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. Allow Kisses on cookies to set at room temperature (or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until chocolate has set then return to room temperature before enjoying or enjoy warm out of the oven and slightly melted). Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

*Place in freezer for at least 30 minutes and don't remove from freezer until removing cookies from oven. If using Hugs or Milk Chocolate Kisses I would recommend increasing peppermint extract to a full 1 tsp.

Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Cuisine at Home

Creamy White Chicken Lasagna Roll Ups

Two of the most popular recipes that I've posted are my traditional Lasagna Roll Ups and the Caprese Lasgana Roll Ups, both of which are covered with a tomato sauce. This time around I wanted to do things a little different. I decided to go quite the opposite by using a white sauce and chicken. I wanted something similar to Chicken Alfredo but also different. I keep seeing this recipe on Pinterest and every time it has my mouth watering, so I decided to use it as the base recipe for these and adjust it to be created in roll up form. I changed a few ingredients as well as omitted some things. I left out the artichokes and sun dried tomatoes (if you wanted to add them to this dish you definitely could, just be sure to chop them into very small pieces so they will roll well), I replaced the fresh basil with dried basil and also reduced the amount, then I added fresh parsley because I think white sauce and parsley just go together. I also added in some Romano cheese and a small amount of onion powder to add a little more flavor. 
This dish was amazing! It was incredibly creamy, hearty and filling. It was subtly flavored but had just enough flavor to keep me interested. The flavors of the cheese all melded deliciously together while perfectly complimenting the chicken. And the herbs just gave it some fresh Italian flavor. 
Someone mentioned in the reviews of the recipe from Kraft, that these reheat well so I'm hoping they freeze well, because I love make ahead meals I can warm when I'm short on time. Enjoy!

Creamy White Chicken Lasagna Roll Ups
Yields 9 servings

Ingredients:
9 lasagna noodles
2 cups boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded*
8 oz. shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided (2 cups)
1 oz. finely shredded Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup)
1 oz. finely shredded Romano cheese (1/4 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare lasagna noodles according to the directions listed on package, drain pasta and align noodles in a single layer on a large sheet of wax paper.
In a mixing bowl toss together shredded chicken, 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese and 3 Tbsp fresh parsley, set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer set on low speed, blend cream cheese until smooth, then mix in milk, dried basil, garlic powder, onion powder and season with salt and pepper to taste (I hardly used any salt and 1/2 tsp pepper). Pour half of the cream cheese mixture into the chicken mixture and toss to evenly coat, reserve remaining cream cheese mixture.
Spread 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture into an even layer along the length of each cooked lasagna noodle then roll noodles to opposite end. Spread 1/4 cup of the remaining cream cheese mixture along the bottom of a 9 x 9-inch dish or along 2/3 of a 13 x 9-inch dish (I tried fitting it into an 8 x 8 and it just wasn't going to happen so a 9 x 9 should work. I don't own a 9 x 9 so I had to compromise and use a 13 x 9 and just use 2/3 of the dish). Align pasta snugly and side by side in baking dish - 3 rows of 3. Cover each lasagna roll evenly with remaining cream cheese mixture, being sure to cover tops of pasta entirely so they don't dry while baking. Sprinkle tops evenly with remaining 1 cup Mozzarella cheese. Bake in preheated oven 25 - 30 minutes until heated through and cheese has melted. Sprinkle top evenly with remaining 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley. Serve warm.

*I like to slow cook the chicken, it seems like the easiest method and always yields tender results. To cook, I poured 1 can low-sodium chicken broth over 2 medium chicken breasts in the slow cooker and cooked 6 hours, then removed and shredded into very small pieces.

Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Kraft

Iced Sugar Cookies

I have a confession. This is the very first time in my life I have made royal icing. It is the very first time in my life I've made iced sugar cookies. So please don't be too critical I've got a few things to learn about the tricks of icing. The reason I haven't made icing and iced sugar cookies up until now because I've tasted iced sugar cookies before and I've always liked the frosted puffy version better. But, iced sugar cookies can be decorated far prettier and they make better gifts so I decided it was the perfect season to give them a try. 
The icing really wasn't hard to make thanks to Annie's wonderful tutorial (from her blog - Annie's Eats). Before I reading that tutorial I didn't even know what flood icing was. Her blog has always been one of my favorites. She does amazing work that always looks flawless. 
These cookies are so delicious and are also so fun to make. Some of you may know by know how I love art and I love food so these cookies are made for me. I loved how I got to make each cookie unique just as you will never find an identical snowflake. 
I don't know why I was so harsh on iced sugar cookies in the past. They are basically a soft shortbread cookie with a sugary icing. How could that not be good? They reminded me of how I want to re-create one of my favorite cookies from my childhood, those Keebler pink iced animal cookies with their delicious nutmeg flavor. These taste nothing like those, these are far better they were just a fun reminder for some reason. 
Keep in mind these cookies aren't a batch that you can have made in 20 minutes, they take a bit of time but you don't need to put as much time into them as I did. If you wanted to simply ice them with a solid color and maybe add some sprinkle then it would be faster than piping additional decorations among the tops. Either way I hope you have a chance to try these cookies soon. They are simply amazing with their delicate, buttery cookie flavor and that lightly crunchy shell from the icing. MMMM they are a cookie you're going to remember. Enjoy!

Iced Sugar Cookies
Recipe yield varies*

Ingredients:
1 cup salted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 recipe Royal Icing from Annie's Eats

Directions:

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend together butter, powdered sugar and salt on low speed until well combine, about 20 seconds. Mix in egg, vanilla and almond extract. With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in flour and mix until combine. Transfer dough to an airtight container and refrigerate until firm about 1 1/2 hours (0r freeze folding dough once with a wooden spoon halfway through chilling until firm about 40 minutes - which is what I did). 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with Silpats or parchment paper. Roll dough out on a generously floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness then cut dough into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Carefully transfer cut shapes to prepared baking sheets and bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, edges should not brown. Allow cookies to cool for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Cool cookies completely then frost with icing.

For the icing:
For a wonderful tutorial on how to decorate with Royal Icing see the link at Annie's Eats here and follow her recipe for Royal Icing here.

*I got 26 cookies, I made about 1/2 of them large snowflakes and half of them small snowflakes so it will just depend on the size of your cookie cutters.

Recipe Source: Sugar Cookies adapted slightly from Annie's Eats

Ginger Cookies

Today I'm doing a guest post over at I Wash You Dry (a fantastic blog by the way. One you are definitely going to want to follow) so please head over here to check out the recipe! These are one of my favorite cookies. They are amazingly chewy, loaded with the perfect amount of ginger and molasses flavor and the sugary finish is divine. If you are looking for a delicious cookie recipe for the holidays I would highly recommend this one! 

Pretzel M&M Hugs {Christmas Style}

I just love everything about these fun little treats. Their sweet and lightly salty deliciousness, their beauty and of course, their simplicity. Holiday treats don't get any easier than this. Another great thing about these bite size treats is that everyone loves them, young and old alike. They are perfect for a party, to give as a gift or even to make just for yourself because you simply must have them =). And when they take about 15 minutes to make, how could you not want to make these? I just love the holidays. Especially when these show up =). Enjoy!

Pretzel M&M Hugs

Yields 70

Ingredients:

70 square pretzels (do NOT use butter snaps)

70 Hershey's Hugs chocolates (from nearly 1 full 12 oz package), unwrapped

70 Milk Chocolate M&M's, I used the red and green Christmas package

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Align pretzels on cookie sheet in a single layer then top each pretzel with one Hershey's Hug chocolate. Bake in preheated oven for 4 - 5 minutes, until the chocolate is shiny and soft (but NOT melting, the chocolates should still hold their shape).

Remove from oven and carefully place one M&M in the center of each soft Hug and press down on M&M to spread the chocolate. Place in refrigerator and allow to rest until chocolate has set, about 5 minutes. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe Source: adapted from g*rated

....and a little food pop art. Love food, love art and I love Photoshop. Don't know how to do hardly anything with it but it's fun to learn all that it can do.

Sweet Holiday Chex Mix

If there's one treat you must make this holiday season this is it. Okay there are a lot of treats that definitely deserve to be made this holiday season but this one should be near the top of your list. It's easy (we are talking 10 - 15 minutes total easy), it tastes like candy with a crunch, it's nutty, slightly sticky, deliciously sweet and it's the perfect gift for friends neighbors or coworkers. Simply said this stuff is highly addictive so share the wealth or you will want to eat it all =). Enjoy!  

Holiday Chex Mix

Ingredients:
3 cups Rice Chex cereal
3 cups Corn Chex cereal
3 cups Golden Grahams cereal
1 1/2 cups mixed nuts*
2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light-corn syrup
3/4 cup salted butter

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, toss together Rice Chex, Corn Chex, Golden Grahams, mixed nuts and coconut, set aside. In a medium saucepan combine sugar light-corn syrup and butter. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Allow mixture to boil for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and carefully pour sugar mixture over cereal mixture and toss to evenly coat. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

*A salted blend is delicious. You can also use just one type of nut such as sliced almonds or chopped cashews or peanuts.

Recipe Source: recipe from my Grandma

You could also call this Christmas Chex Mix. I think it's a very fitting name. When I think of this stuff I think of Christmas because it's one of my favorite gifts that people make to give.

Oreo Truffles Two Ways

So lets be honest, Oreo truffles look like cookie tar. BUT it is the best tasting cookie tar I could ever imagine! Back when I first had them many years ago, it was when my sister made them and I was like, uh... what is that? But after one blissful bite that so perfectly melted in my mouth, I was hooked. For life. Most of you have probably already tried these and feel much the same way as I do. If you haven't tried them then you must! If you have tried them, then you can try the peppermint version I made to switch things up. It adds a fun and festive twist for the holidays.
I personally prefer these coated with a white chocolate coating because it makes it more like a cookies and cream or peppermint bark truffle but of course you can use a milk or semi-sweet chocolate if you prefer. Also, you can use vanilla candy melts in place of the almond bark (they are basically the same thing as far as I know, just in a different shape and size). 
My second favorite part of these beyond their divine taste: when someone smiles immediately after taking a bite of one. It's great, sparkly black teeth =). Enjoy!

Oreo Truffles
Yields 36 

Ingredients:
39 Oreos, divided (Orignal NOT Doublestuff. This is one entire 15.5 oz pkg)
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
16 oz. white chocolate almond bark

Directions:
Set a long sheet of wax paper over a cookie sheet, set aside. Place 36 Oreos in a food processor (entire cookie, DON'T remove cream filling) and pulse until finely crushed (alternately if you don't own a food processor you can place Oreos in a large Ziploc bag, seal bag and crush with a rolling pin until finely crushed). Pour crushed Oreos into a mixing bowl along with cream cheese and using a the back of a spoon, stir mixture while pressing it along the bottom of the bowl, until well combine and evenly moistened. Scoop mixture out and form into 1 inch balls (if you happen to have a kitchen scale, the should be about 16 grams each) then align on prepared cookie sheet. Place truffles in freezer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile crush remaining 3 Oreos.
Melt almond bark according to directions on package. Remove truffles from freezer and dip in melted chocolate and evenly coat then allow excess chocolate to run off (I barely made it with 16 oz. of the melted bark but you may need a little more). Return to baking sheet, immediately sprinkle tops with remaining crushed Oreos then allow chocolate to set. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.

Recipe Source: adapted from Kraft

  
Peppermint Oreo Truffles
Yields 36

Ingredients:
36 Oreos (NOT Doublestuff)
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 tsp peppermint extract
16 oz. white chocolate almond bark
1/4 cup crushed candy canes or peppermint candies, for decorating

Directions:

Set a long sheet of wax paper over a cookie sheet, set aside. Place 36 Oreos in a food processor and pulse until finely crushed (alternately if you don't own a food processor you can place Oreos in a large Ziploc bag, seal bag and crush with a rolling pin until finely crushed). Pour crushed Oreos into a mixing bowl. In separate mixing bow blend together cream cheese and peppermint extract. Add cream cheese mixture to crushed Oreos and using a the back of a spoon, stir mixture while pressing it along the bottom of the bowl, until well combine and evenly moistened. Scoop mixture out and form into 1 inch balls (if you happen to have a kitchen scale, they should be about 16 grams each) then align on prepared cookie sheet. Place truffles in freezer for 10 minutes.
Melt almond bark according to directions on package. Remove truffles from freezer and dip in melted chocolate and evenly coat then allow excess chocolate to run off (I barely made it with 16 oz. of the melted bark but you may need a little more). Return to baking sheet, immediately sprinkle tops with crushed candy canes then allow chocolate to set. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.

Recipe Source: adapted from Kraft

PS if you can find it I would highly recommend these Ghirardelli candy making and dipping bars. They are like bars of gold. I'm going to have to go back to the store to stock up for the year because I think they may only be in stock seasonally.

Santa Hat Cheesecake Bites

I know what some of you may be thinking. Girl, you are so last year. I know I know, if you have had a Pinterest account last year you'll know what I mean when I say these Santa Hat Brownies were basically the hit of the century on Pinterest. Sadly though I never got around to making them. Well not this year! And this year I decided to add my own twist. Cheesecake! And not just any cheesecake, a White Chocolate Cheesecake. I'm obsessed with cheesecake. Okay, I basically say that about every dessert. I'm obsessed with them all. So I guess we'll say I am super obsessed with cheesecake. It's like the best of the best. The luxurious of the luxurious. I adapted this recipe from my Heart Swirled White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake because it's my favorite. I need to give my husband some credit in this post for pulling out some creative thinking. So often I ask his opinion when I'm going to create something to post, for example which variation of food would taste better or look the prettiest. 99% of the time he responds with "I like them all." To which I respond with, "well you have a million opinions about everything else so why not this?" Yeah it's funny but this time he finally responded with some great feedback. I explained I wanted to make these and asked if I should do a traditional graham cracker crust or an Oreo crust and he said "well the Oreo because it's like a black Santa Belt." Genius. I need his input more often =). No, I'm just glad he finally responded with an actual response this time around. 
I also wanted to mention, if you really really don't want to make a cheesecake from scratch (but you should because it so much better) you could by the frozen cheesecake bites from the store then simply top them with the strawberries and sweetened whipped cream. A definite short cut when you are in a pinch. 
I hope you enjoy these divine little treats and remember to take a moment from all the hussle and bustle of the holidays.... to relax and enjoy the holidays....and eat cheesecake! I love fruit with cheesecake so this dessert was meant for me. Enjoy!

Ho Ho Ho!!

How could I resist adding some sprinkles?

Santa Hat White Chocolate Cheesecake Bites
Yields about 25

Ingredients:
18  Oreos finely crushed to about 1 3/4 cups*
2 1/2 Tbsp butter, melted and divided
2 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups white chocolate chips 
1/2 cup + 1/3 cup heavy cream, divided
25 fairly small, fresh strawberries (or more if cutting more squares)
2 Tbsp powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8 by 8-inch  baking dish with two large sheets of tinfoil (one going horizontally and one over the top of the other vertically. Make sure your sheets are long enough that you'll have an overhang of foil over the edges of the pan. Also, be sure to mold it well to the pan). Brush foil with 1/2 tbsp melted butter. In a mixing bowl, using a fork blend together crushed Oreos and 2 Tbsp melted butter until mixture is well combined and evenly moistened. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish (the bottom of a flat measuring cup or glass works well for pressing crust), set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer set on medium-low speed, blend together cream cheese and granulated sugar until mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. Add in eggs and vanilla extract and mix until well blended. In a separate microwave safe bowl, heat white chocolate chips with 1/3 cup heavy cream on 50% power in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth. Pour melted white chocolate mixture into cream cheese mixture and blend on low speed until combined. Tap bowl against counter top about 30 times to release some of the  air bubbles then pour mixture over prepared crust in baking dish.
Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes then turn oven off and without opening oven door allow cheesecake to rest in warm oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 3 hours or refrigerate for 6 hours. 
Once cheesecake is fully chilled and set, remove from freezer or refrigerator and lift cheesecake out of pan using the foil overhang. Cut cheesecake into squares (I'd recommend cutting them just a bit larger the the width of your strawberries. Also it's nice to keep some clean paper towels close by to clean your knife while cutting squares). 
In a mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer set on high speed, whip remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream until soft peaks form, then add powdered sugar and mix until stiff peaks form. 
To assemble: cut a flat top off of each strawberry and lay flat side down over top of cheesecake. Fill a pastry bag (or Ziploc bag and cut a small tip of corner) with sweetened whipped cream and pipe around strawberry then finish with a small amount over the top of the "hat". Serve immediately (for do ahead- you can make cheesecake the day before then assemble within an hour of serving the following day). Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.

*Don't use Doublestuff Oreos. I processed the Oreos in a food processor but if you don't have one you can place them in a large Ziploc bag, seal bag and finely crush with a rolling pin .

Recipe Source: cheesecake bites - Cooking Classy, Santa hat inspired by - daisy's world who adapted it from Erica's Sweet Tooth

45 Minute Cinnamon Rolls {From Scratch}

 Too often I get a huge craving for a fresh, made from scratch, warm out of the oven cinnamon roll but so often I don't want to wait the 3 - 4 hours it takes to prepare them with all those tedious and lengthy rise times. Yes, I love a good yeast based cinnamon roll, but is the yeast absolutely necessary? Well, I decided to find out for myself. 
Recently, I've been reading through the "The Quick Recipe" from the Editors of Cook Illustrated Magazine and came upon their recipe for Fastest Cinnamon Buns. I knew I had to try it for a number of reasons. First off I'm yet to be let down by Cook's Illustrated. If you are looking for a cookbook that you will likely love and cherish for life, I'd recommend any of the Cook's Illustrated cookbook collections. They are fabulous. And second I'm a cinnamon roll addict so if it can be done in anywhere under the usual 3 hours, then I'm in.
Normally when I try someone else's recipe I like to make quite a few of my own changes, but this time around I mostly just made minor changes. The changes I made from their recipe were using a little more cinnamon as well as nutmeg instead of cloves (I just like it better), I used light-brown sugar instead of dark-brown sugar (because I rarely have dark brown on hand), I used the buttermilk substitute I listed because I was out of buttermilk, also I used salted butter instead of unsalted (I'm a salted butter baker) and I replaced their glaze recipe with my own because I thought it could use a little butter. 
I'm telling you, this recipe is amazing! Not only is it the fastest batch of cinnamon rolls I've ever made but they also tasted spectacular. The texture was slightly different from that of a yeast based cinnamon roll. It didn't have the same stretch you get from using yeast, but other than that not a whole lot of difference. I will definitely continue to make My Favorite Cinnamon Rolls (the other cinnamon roll recipe I've posted) but when I don't want to wait that long I will always turn to these. I should also mention Cook's illustrated listed the total time to be 55 minutes, which included 5 minutes of cooling in that time. I say they were being generous with the time they allotted  I had these prepared and out of the oven in just under 45 minutes. Just be sure to make the glaze while they are baking to save time. Enjoy!

45 Minute Cinnamon Rolls
Yields 8 

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
6 Tbsp granulated sugar, divided
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp + 1/8 tsp salt, divided
8 Tbsp salted butter, melted
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cups buttermilk*
1 recipe Cream Cheese Glaze, recipe follows

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush a 9-inch cake or pie pan with 1 Tbsp melted butter, set aside. In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, 2 Tbsp granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt, set aside. 
In a separate mixing bowl whisk together light-brown sugar, remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/8 tsp salt. Add in 1 Tbsp melted butter and blend mixture together with your fingertips or a fork until mixture is well blended and evenly moistened, set aside. 
Measure out buttermilk into a liquid measuring cup and stir in 2 Tbsp melted butter. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms and liquid has been absorbed, then knead mixture in bowl by hand just until smooth, about 30 seconds (dough will be sticky). 
Sprinkle a clean work surface with a fair amount of flour. Pat the dough with your hands into a 12 x 9-inch rectangle. Brush top of dough with 2 Tbsp melted butter then sprinkle evenly with brown sugar mixture, coming within a 1/2 inch of the border on all sides. Press the brown sugar filling into the dough (they stated "firmly press" in their recipe which didn't make sense to me because then you are flattening your dough and releasing some of the rise the baking powder has already given so I only lightly pressed). Starting on the long side, roll dough (using a bench scraper or metal spatula to loosen dough from work surface if necessary. I didn't need one) snugly and gently to opposite end. Pinch the end seam to seal. Roll the log seam side down and cut dough into 8 equal portions. 
Place 1 roll in the center of the prepared baking dish, then place remaining 7 rolls around it. Brush tops of rolls with remaining 2 Tbsp butter. Bake in preheated oven 22 - 25 minutes until edges are golden brown. (After baking you can invert the rolls using a plate onto a wire rack but I just served them without flipping). Serve warm drizzled with Cream Cheese Glaze. Store in an airtight container and reheat in microwave if desired.


*If you don't have buttermilk you can use 1 cup + 3 Tbsp milk and 1 Tbsp vinegar, whisk it together and let rest 2 minutes. That's actually what I did this time around because I was out of buttermilk.

Cream Cheese Glaze

Ingredients:
3 oz cream cheese, softened
3 Tbsp butter, softened
1 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk 
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer set on medium speed, blend together cream cheese and butter until well combine and slightly fluffy, about 1 minute. Add in remaining ingredients and mix until well combine. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe Source: Cinnamon Roll - adapted from The Quick Recipe, By the Editors of Cook's Illustrated. Fastest Cinnamon Buns, pg 375 - 376. 
Cream Cheese Glaze - Cooking Classy