Eggnog Truffles

Tags

chocolate, eggnog, nutmeg, rum, truffles

This may seem a little late, but eggnog is still in the stores, and sometimes cravings exceed their season (I’m still making pumpkin treats!). I made these delicious little treats for Christmas, and they were a huge hit. And this just shows how far behind I am with things still! My goal was to have this posted in time for Christmas, along with some other little candies I made, but obviously that didn’t happen… sorry! I’ll try to be more on top of the ball!

Anyways, back to the point here. These eggnog truffles are awesome. I’m not a huge fan of store bought eggnog. The flavor just isn’t quite right. I much prefer homemade eggnog in all its raw-egged glory. 🙂 But put store bought eggnog with some white chocolate, and we’ve got ourselves a winner! The truffles taste like creamy little balls of eggnog with a hint of nutmeg and rum. My sister thought they needed more rum flavor, so I’m sure they could be made with real rum instead of rum extract for a little more of a kick. If you have any leftover eggnog, this is a perfect use!Eggnog Truffles
Yield: about 2 dozen truffles

14 ounces white chocolate
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup eggnog
½ teaspoon rum extract
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 ounces white melting chocolate

Place the white chocolate in a medium glass or metal bowl; set aside. In a small saucepan, heat the cream and eggnog until barely boiling, stirring regularly. Add hot cream mixture immediately to the white chocolate and stir until melted and glossy. If chocolate doesn’t melt completely, heat over low heat in a double boiler or microwave for short increments in the microwave. Once melted, stir in the rum extract and nutmeg. Let cool to room temperature then place in refrigerator for a couple hours until solid enough to form truffles. Using a small cookie scoop or a teaspoon, scoop out balls of ganache and place on a cookie sheet lined with waxed or parchment paper. Using your hands, roll the ganache into smooth, uniform balls and return to cookie sheet. Refrigerate overnight, or until fully solid.

In a double boiler over low heat, or in a microwave safe bowl, melt the melting chocolate until smooth and glossy. In small batches, remove truffles from the refrigerator and use a fork to dip the cold ganache into the melted chocolate. Place dipped truffles on another cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. Decorate or garnish if desired, while chocolate coating is still soft. Continue to pull batches of ganache from the refrigerator to dip in the melted chocolate until all are dipped and garnished. Let coating harden at room temperature, or place in refrigerate to expedite hardening. Serve truffles at room temp; store in airtight container in the refrigerator.

Source: A Dash of Sugar and Spice original

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Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies

Tags

chocolate, cookies, dessert, peppermint

I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays, and are enjoying your time off, if you’re fortunate enough to have some! I know this might be a little late, but it’s still December so it’s okay to post a peppermint recipe, right? I found these delicious baking chips last year, and they were available this year, too. Andes peppermint crunch baking bits. Super good… Creamy white chocolate bits with a little bit of crunch to them, and candy cane coloring and flavor. What better way to use them than with chocolate! Personally, I love these chocolate cookies. They’re rich, but stand up to the peppermint flavor perfectly. And the little baking chips look so cute nestled in the cookies! If you’re a fan of rich chocolate and peppermint, you’ll love these cookies!Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1¼ cup sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup dark cocoa powder
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon coarse salt or table salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 (10-ounce) bag Andes peppermint crunch baking bits
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Blend in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix in the cocoa powder and peppermint extract until well blended. Add the flour, salt and baking powder to the bowl and mix on low speed just until incorporated. Gently fold in the baking chips and chocolate chips. On a work surface or against the side of the mixing bowl, mix the dough by hand to ensure even distribution of the chocolate chips.

Divide the dough equally into 16 or 20 pieces. Roll each portion of dough into a ball and flatten just slightly into a disc. Place on the prepared baking sheets, a few inches apart. Bake 16 to 20 minutes, or until the cookie edges are set. Let cool on the baking sheets 5-10 minutes, where they will finish cooking, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Source: Adapted from Annie’s Eats

Peppermint Fudge

Tags

candy cane, chocolate, Christmas, fudge, peppermint, white

I love peppermint, especially at this time of year. I’m not really a fan of candy canes though, unless they are crushed up and added to things, such as fudge!This fudge is awesome. Another recipe that I found last year! Everyone who tried it loved it, and so I had to make more to share this year. And more to have for myself, of course… 🙂 This isn’t a true chocolate fudge, since you can use vanilla chips, white melting candy, or white chips, but it’s just as good as any true fudge! And the food coloring is a perfectly festive addition. The red swirls on the white fudge make for a delicious candy cane-colored design! The fudge is quick and easy, and creamy with little crunches from the candy cane bits. A must try for the holiday season!Peppermint Fudge

2½ cups sugar
½ cup margarine
5 ounces evaporated milk (10 tablespoons)
7 ounces jarred marshmallow crème (2 cups)
8 ounces white or vanilla chips
½ cup peppermint candies or candy canes, finely crushed
Red food coloring

Line a 9-inch square pan with foil so that foil extends over sides of pan. Spray with cooking spray or butter the foil.

In a large saucepan, combine sugar, margarine and evaporated milk. Melt butter and bring to a boil. Continue boiling 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add marshmallow crème and vanilla chips. Stir until melted and smooth, then stir in crushed peppermint.

Pour into prepared pan. Add desired number of drops of food coloring to the top of the fudge, and swirl on top of fudge with a knife. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until firm then cut into 36 to 48 squares. Store in the refrigerator.

Source: Adapted from Food.com

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Buttercream

Tags

buttercream, Christmas, cinnamon, ginger, gingerbread, molasses

I love the flavors of this season. While gingerbread isn’t one of my favorite flavors, it’s so traditional for this time of the year, I couldn’t resist! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy little gingerbread men and whatnot, just in small doses. And these cupcakes are little cake versions of those tasty seasonal cookies. Cream cheese frosting is such a common pairing with gingerbread, and I know it’s what some people would want and expect. And who am I to disappoint! But at the same time, I saw so many unique frostings paired up with other gingerbread cupcakes, and I really wanted to try a less traditional flavor.I couldn’t decide between the two frosting options, so I asked at work and on Facebook. I didn’t really get a clear winner there, either, though one person recommended putting both frostings on one cupcake! As good as that sounds, I took their suggestion with a sort of twist… I made both frostings and one batch of cupcakes, so now I have extra frosting already made for when I make another batch of cupcakes!! Win-win for me and everyone who gets extra cupcakes! Hehe. The frosting went wonderfully with the cupcakes, and all the flavors complimented each other perfectly. If you are a fan of gingerbread, you’ll absolutely love these cupcakes!Gingerbread Cupcakes with Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Buttercream 

Cupcakes:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup molasses
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 cup all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon salt

Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Buttercream
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
⅓ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2-3 tablespoons cream

To make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake tins with paper liners.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and salt; set aside. In another small bowl, stir together the boiling water and baking soda until dissolved; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the molasses, egg, and vanilla. Slowly beat in the baking soda water. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture; mix until just combined.

Spoon the gingerbread batter into the prepared cupcake tins. Bake about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes to the wire rack and cool completely.

To make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar together until creamy. Add the cinnamon and confectioners’ sugar; beat at medium-low speed until the sugar is fully incorporated. Add the cream 1 tablespoon at a time, until frosting is smooth and fluffy. Frost cupcakes and decorate as desired.

Source: Adapted from The Culinary Chronicles, who adapted it from The Spice Kitchen: Everyday Cooking with Organic Spices

Pumpkin Pie

Tags

Christmas, cinnamon, cream, evaporated milk, pie, Pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, Thanksgiving

I had a very fun and successful day of holiday baking with my mom yesterday! We made our traditional array of cookies and goodies, including some new ones that we added this year. We made sugar cookies, cinnamon swirls, chocolate cherry thumbprints, melting moments, and pumpkin oatmeal cookies with cranberries and white chocolate. I have a list of cookies and candies I want to try this year, and hopefully they’ll be good enough to make the list for next year!

In the meantime, I wanted to share my favorite pumpkin pie recipe. I don’t know about the rest of you, but my family has pumpkin pie for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’m not a big pumpkin pie fan, unless it’s this pie. I discovered this recipe a few years ago, and have been making it ever since. It’s pumpkin-y, lightly spiced, and creamy, all of which makes for a delicious and perfect pie! The random amount of sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk are kind of inconvenient, but just save the leftovers for fudge or another pumpkin pie!Pumpkin Pie

1½ cups pumpkin puree
½ cup brown sugar
⅔ cup heavy cream
7 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
6½ tablespoons evaporated milk
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch ground clove
Pinch salt
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
Pastry for 1 pie dough, or 1 prebaked pie crust

To prepare pie crust: Place rolled out pie crust in pie dish, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on each side. Ease dough into the plate by gently lifting the edge of the dough with one hand while pressing into the plate bottom with the other hand, making sure to not stretch the dough. Trim overhang to ½-inch beyond the plate rim. Fold overhang under itself onto the flat rim of the plate, and use a thumb and two index fingers to flute the crust. Refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove pie pan from the refrigerator and prick with a fork. Line the crust with 2 pieces of foil, and fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights and bake for 5 to 10 minutes until crust is golden brown and crisp.

To make the filling: Lower the oven to 325 degrees F.

In a medium saucepan, combine the pumpkin and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the majority of the water has evaporated and the mixture has thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cream, milks, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and salt. Add eggs and yolk, and whisk until thoroughly combined. Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake until set, about 45 to 55 minutes. Cool and serve.

Source: Adapted from Food Network