Christmas-Mega-Post

Honey Cheesecake w/ Blueberry Sauce

Rocky Road Fudge

Brown Sugar Shortbread Stars + Hazelnut Macaroons

Lemon Shortbread Stars

This is the third time I've made shortbread this December. This mixture was not as crumbly as usual is because I decreased the amount of flour I usually use. This is excellent if you want to make shapes. Plus I took pictures as I went. It's like a whole how-to guide!

Lemon Shortbread Stars
-1 c. unbleached flour
-1/2 c. butter
-1/4 c. sugar
-1 tsp. vanilla
-zest of one lemon
-sprinkles (not optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Cream together butter and sugar. Slowly add in the flour. Then add the vanilla and lemon. On a floured surface, using a floured rolling pin, flatten out mixture to 1/4 inch. Press out stars using a lightly floured cookie cutter.

When you press out shapes, you're going to have leftovers, because that dough in between the stars isn't going anywhere. Simply gather the leftovers up and again roll the dough out until it's 1/4 inch thick. Keep doing this until you can't make anymore stars. Place the dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure the stars are at least 1/2 an inch apart because they will spread out slightly when cooked.

Put a pinch of sprinkles on top of every cookie. Bake cookies for 12 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool completely before moving. Once cooled, transfer cookies to tin. Enjoy!

Cherry Snowballs

I thought I'd do something Christmassy, so this is my take on the your classic date-nut dessert. :)

Cherry Snowballs
makes 20-25

• 1 c. almonds
• 1 c. dates
• 1 c. dried cherries
• 1/3 c. shredded coconut
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/8 tsp. salt

In a food processor I blended all the ingredients together, until the almond pieces were the size of the peanut bits you would find in chunky peanut butter. The mixture stuck together but it was not homogeneous. I used a measuring tablespoon much like a melon baller to divide the mixture into balls. I then rolled the balls between my palms to make them even sphericaller.

I put an additional 1/4 c. shredded coconut into a bowl and rolled the balls in it until there were coated. And that's it! Next time I will omit the coconut in the recipe, so that the mixture is it stickier and coconut adheres better to the outside.

Chocolate Truffles

Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

Another baked good I'm mailing to my Grandpa are these macaroons. I used this recipe and it's completely foolproof. So, use it.

Spiced Dark Fruitcake with Brandy

Fruitcake #2, the near flawless result of trial and error.

Even better, the inside of the fruitcake.

So, I made fruitcake. But! It is the best fruitcake that ever was. It was so nice to come inside on the first snowfall of winter to the smell of brandy, blackstrap molasses and orange. I used a recipe for Spiced Dark Fruitcake With Brandy from about.com's Southern Cooking section, but obv. I made some adaptions, so many in fact that I will post the recipe here. It's so not my recipe, but no green cherries necessary. I used 12 different types of fruit (bulk section-induced madness), and 1/2 cup of brandy in the recipe plus more poured over the cake to keep it moist. This will also preserve it which is good because half of it will be mailed to my Grandpa in Ontario.

Spiced Dark Fruitcake with Brandy

In a bowl mix together:
-1 c. sultana raisins
-1 c. dates
-1/2 c. golden raisins
-1/2 c. dried figs
-1/2 c. dried cranberries
-1/2 c. dried pineapple
-1/2 c. dried cherries
-1/2 c. dried blueberries
-1/2 c. dried apricots
-1/2 c. dried currents
-1/2 c. dried papaya
-1/2 c. candied ginger
(NOTE: Ratios here not important as long as you have 7 c. dried fruit.)
-1/2 c. pecans
-1/2 c. sliced almonds
-zest of 2 oranges

Pour over fruit and nuts:
-1/2 c. orange juice
-1/2 c. brandy

Leave this to marinate for at least 2 hours.

In a large bowl, sift together:
-3.5 c. flour
-1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
-1 tsp. nutmeg
-1 tsp. baking powder
-1/2 tsp. salt
and this is your dry mixture.

In a separate large bowl, cream together:
-1 c. butter
-2 c. packed brown sugar

Then add:
-5 egg yolks (save the whites for later)

Now slowly add in you dry mixture, preferably using an electric mixer, food processor, or group of strong-armed children. Nextly add:
-1/2 c. blackstrap molasses

Then add in your fruit and nut mixture along with all the juice and brandy.

In a separate bowl take your:
-5 egg whites
and beat them until the stiff peak stage. Fold into batter.

Pour the mixture into your lavishly buttered bundt cake pan. Keep in mind the mixture is going to rise about an inch, so make sure that the cake will not extend past the shape of your bundt pan. If there is excess batter, make mini fruitcakes in muffin tins, but DO NOT say to yourself "Oh well, pretty close. I might as well add all the batter." or else it will not be pretty.

Bake fruitcake at 250° for 1.5 hours, then cover it with parchment paper or brown paper and continue baking for another 1.5 hours, 3 hours baking in total. You'll know it's down when you can insert a toothpick into the cake and have it come out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely on a wire rack. After turning out the pan, pour a capful of brandy over the cake. Keep the cake wrapped in a cloth and pour a bit of brandy over it every few days to keep it moist, if for some weird reason you haven't eaten it.

Lemon Shortbread

I'm here with another baked good, lemon shortbread. My family and many of my friends will never be able to go back to regular shortbread after this.

Lemon Shortbread Stars
-1 1/4 c. unbleached flour
-1/2 c. butter
-1/4 c. sugar
-1 tsp. vanilla
-zest of one lemon

Preheat oven to 350. Cream together butter and sugar. Nextly, add the vanilla and lemon and then slowly add in the flour. Work the mixture together using your hands. Once homogeneous, transfer the mixture to a 9x9 square pan. Cook until slightly golden at the edges (about 15-20 minutes). Cut into squares straight out of the oven then allow to cool.

Gingersnaps

This is an amalgamation of several recipes I've found, combined in such a way that 1)it will fail less b)all the ingredients will be in my house.

Gingersnap!
makes 24 cookies

Preheat oven to 350.
Whisk together:
-1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
-1 1/2 tbsp. grated ginger
-1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
-1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
-1/2 tsp. baking soda
-1/2 tsp. salt

In a separate bowl, cream together:
-1/2 c. butter
-1/2 c. brown sugar
-1/2 c. molasses

Add in dry mixture until just combined.

Have a bowl with:
-1/4 c. brown sugar, for rolling

Make each cookie using a heaping tablespoon of batter. Roll it into a ball and then coat the ball by rolling it in the brown sugar. Place on a cookie tray lined with aluminum foil. Bake for 14 minutes.

Local December Salad

I made this using Vancouver Island mixed greens (which is good because that is the island I am currently on), swiss chard, red pepper, orange pepper, pea shoots, field cucumber, radish and celery.

Plus there were local hazelnuts which I hammered out of their shells manually. I want to grow hazelnuts.