Entries tagged as ‘Holiday recipes’
Here is a delicious sugar cookie recipe.
I don’t think the cookies needed 15 to 20 minutes. Check on them at 12 minutes. I decorated the cookies with red sugar and red and green M&Ms to make them festive!
Enjoy! Merry Christmas!
Classic Sugar Cookies
Food Network Magazine
- 2 sticks butter
- 1/2 granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat butter, granulated sugar and confectioners’ sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, vanilla extract, and orange zest. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt; stir into the butter mixture, then chill 30 minutes.
Roll tablespoonfuls into balls and flatten; sprinkle with coarse sugar and bake 15 to 20 minutes.
Categories: Cookies · Dessert
Tagged: Baking, Cooking, Dessert, Food, Food Network Magazine, Holiday recipes, Recipes
December 24, 2009 · 1 Comment
Merry Christmas to all the Weeknight Gourmet readers! I was baking this morning so I figured I would share a couple of last minute cookie recipes.
I made a couple of modifications to the thumbprint cookie recipe below. Instead of lemon juice and zest, I used orange juice and zest. I also substituted Grand Marnier for Chambord because that’s what I had. Lastly, I didn’t think the cookies needed a full 20 minutes. Check on them at 15 minutes.
So delicious!
Raspberry-Lemon Thumbprint Cookies
Emeril Lagasse
1/2 cup raspberry jam or jelly
1 tablespoon Chambord or kirsch
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter 2 large baking sheets.
In a small bowl, combine the jam and Chambord. Stir to combine.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk to blend.
In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in the egg yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Add the flour mixture in 2 additions and beat just until moist clumps form. Gather the dough together into a ball.
Pinch off the dough to form 1-inch balls. Place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing 1-inch apart. Use your floured index finger or 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon to create depressions in the center of each ball. Fill each indentation with nearly 1/2 teaspoon of the jam mixture. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Categories: Chocolate · Dessert
Tagged: Baking, Cooking, Dessert, Emeril Lagasse, Food, Holiday recipes, Recipes
Here is a delicious chocolaty cookie for the holidays! They are so chewy and rich! I had splurged and bought some Scharffen Berger Cocoa Powder which gave these cookies an amazing flavor.
Next time I might try rolling half in regular sugar and the other half in confectioners sugar.
Chocolate Crinkles
Real Simple
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch process)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
Heat oven to 350° F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
With an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated.
Form the dough into balls (each equal to 1 level tablespoon). Roll the balls in the confectioners’ sugar and place on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart.
Bake until the cookies are firm and the tops crack, 13 to 15 minutes.Cool slightly on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Makes 36 cookies.
Categories: Chocolate · Cookies · Dessert
Tagged: Recipes, Cooking, Real Simple Magazine, Baking, Dessert, Holiday recipes
Here’s a delicious Christmas cookie recipe that my friend Julia introduced me to — two cake-y chocolate cookies with peppermint flavored buttercream sandwiched between! DELISH! The filling gets its flavor from peppermint extract, which you can find in most gourmet grocery stores.
We brought the cookies to the two holiday parties — one Christmas party and one Hanukkah party — we attended over the weekend. I rolled half of the cookies in crushed candy canes and the other half in blue sugar crystals. Both looked very festive!
The only note I would make is that the recipe only produced about 10 to 11 sandwich cookies not 18 as the recipe states.
Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies
Bon Appetit
Cookies
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg
Filling
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 2 drops (or more) red food coloring
- 1/2 cup crushed red-and-white-striped candy canes or hard peppermint candies (about 4 ounces)
For cookies:
Whisk flour, cocoa, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended. Beat in egg. Add dry ingredients; beat until blended. Refrigerate dough 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out dough by level tablespoonfuls, then roll into smooth balls. Place balls on prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Using bottom of glass or hands, flatten each ball to 2-inch round (edges will crack). Bake until cookies no longer look wet and small indentation appears when tops of cookies are lightly touched with fingers, about 11 minutes (do not overbake or cookies will become too crisp). Cool on sheet 5 minutes. Transfer chocolate cookies to racks and cool completely.
For filling:
Using electric mixer, beat powdered sugar and butter in medium bowl until well blended. Add peppermint extract and 2 drops food coloring. Beat until light pink and well blended, adding more food coloring by dropfuls if darker pink color is desired. Spread 2 generous teaspoons filling evenly over flat side of 1 cookie to edges; top with another cookie, flat side down, pressing gently to adhere. Repeat with remaining cookies and peppermint filling.
Place crushed candy canes on plate. Roll edges of cookie sandwiches in crushed candies (candies will adhere to filling). (Cookie sandwiches can be made ahead. Store in single layer in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze up to 2 weeks.)
Categories: Cookies · Dessert
Tagged: Baking, Bon Appetit, Cooking, Dessert, Food, Holiday recipes, Recipes
December 6, 2009 · 1 Comment
I was planning to make pork tenderloin but when I went to Dickson’s Farmstand — the new butcher in Chelsea Market that sources from local farms — the butcher convinced me to buy a pork sirloin roast instead. The sirloin roast is the leaner end of the loin (the shoulder is the fattier end). It was a gorgeous piece of meat and now I had to figure out how to prepare it.
I found this recipe on the Food Network’s website and it received rave reviews! How could it not be delicious covered in bacon? The honey mustard sauce that coated the pork had a wonderful flavor. The meat was very moist and really delicious. I think this is a wonderful holiday roast recipe. Sadly I don’t have a photo because I was too busy entertaining.
Next time, I just need to make sure my meat thermometer works so I have an easier time figuring out when it is cooked through!
Honey-Mustard Pork Roast with Bacon
Giada de Laurentiis
Pork:
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard (recommended: Maille)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 (3 1/2-pound) center-cut, boneless, pork loin roast
- 12 slices bacon (about 1 pound)
Salad:
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 5 cups (5 ounces) baby arugula
Special equipment: kitchen twine
For the pork: Put an oven rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, add the Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, honey, garlic, and rosemary and mix together until smooth. Arrange the pork in a 9 by 13-inch baking pan and spread the mustard mixture evenly over the pork. Starting on 1 side, lay a piece of bacon, lengthwise, on the pork. Lay another slice of bacon on the pork making sure to slightly overlap the first piece. Continue with the remaining bacon, until the pork is fully covered in bacon. Using 3 pieces of kitchen twine, secure the bacon in place. Roast for 1 hour. Cover the pan, loosely, with foil and roast for another 10 to 20 minutes until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the pork registers 160 degrees F. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the roast to a cutting board. Cover the pan with foil and allow the pork to rest for 20 minutes. Remove the kitchen twine and slice the pork into 1/2-inch thick slices.
For the salad: In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and oil until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Put the arugula on a large platter and drizzle with the dressing. Arrange the pork slices on top and serve.
Categories: Pork
Tagged: Cooking, Food, Giada De Laurentiis, Holiday recipes, Recipes
December 6, 2009 · 1 Comment
I thought this would be a nice side dish for the pork (it can also serve as a standalone vegetarian entree). Because the pork had to cook at 350 degrees, I roasted the cauliflower, onion, caper combo earlier in the afternoon. I figured the cauliflower would get reheated once I mixed it with the hot pasta immediately before serving.
I thought this was a delicious side. The roasted veggies had a wonderful flavor enhanced by the lemon zest. I also added a touch of parmesan cheese. I will definitely be making this again.
Roasted Cauliflower with Pasta and Lemon Zest
Martha Stewart
- 1 large head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cut into small florets (about 7 cups)
- 1 red onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
- 1/4 cup salt-packed capers, rinsed
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- 8 ounces dried orecchiette (ear-shaped pasta)
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss together cauliflower, onion, capers, and 2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper. Spread vegetables in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
Roast, stirring halfway through, until cauliflower is tender and browned, about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain.
Toss hot pasta with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, the parsley, and lemon zest. Add cauliflower mixture, and season with salt and pepper. Gently toss to combine.
Categories: Pasta · Side dishes - vegetables · Vegetarian entree
Tagged: Cooking, Food, Holiday recipes, Martha Stewart, Recipes
December 6, 2009 · 1 Comment
I made this cake for Thanksgiving last year and really enjoyed it so I decided to make for last night.
The cake is incredibly moist — probably because of the milk in the batter — and the cranberry, cinnamon, allspice mixture provides a wonderful holiday flavor! Plus I think the cake is very pretty.
Cranberry Upside-Down Cake
Everyday Food
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1 3/4 cups cranberries
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center. Rub the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan with 2 tablespoons butter. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar with the cinnamon and allspice. Sprinkle mixture evenly over bottom of pan; arrange cranberries in a single layer on top.
With an electric mixer, cream remaining 6 tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until well combined. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk, until well combined.
Spoon batter over cranberries in pan, and smooth top. Place pan on a baking sheet; bake cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake; invert onto a rimmed platter.
Categories: Cake · Dessert · Fruit
Tagged: Baking, Cooking, Dessert, Everyday Food, Food, Holiday recipes, Martha Stewart, Recipes
December 6, 2009 · 1 Comment
For our dinner party last night, I put together a nice cheese plate with brie, goat cheese, and a mozzarella with sundried tomatoes and an platter with parmesan, salami, olives, and a feta spread. But I wanted to have a couple of other appetizers, so I turned to my mom for inspiration.
My mom always puts on an incredible spread when entertaining especially during the holidays. Everything is always elegant and bountiful! The number of hors d’oeuvres and desserts typically exceeds the number guests in attendance. Everyone loves the variety of tastes and usually leaves her house stuffed.
I made her classic cocktail hot dog recipe. I can hardly remember a party growing up without them! They are always a hit and so easy to make. The recipe is below.
I also made her little toasts with goat cheese, pesto, and roasted red pepper. They have the perfect colors for the season, look pretty on a platter, and are tasty little bites. There really isn’t a recipe for these. Just buy little cocktail toasts or a baguette. Spread some goat cheese on the toast, add some store-bought pesto, and top with a piece of roasted red pepper.
Hope you put these ideas to use during your holiday entertaining.
Cocktail Hot Dogs in Mustard Sauce
- 1 jar guava jelly
- 1 jar Gulden’s Mustard
- 1 package mini hot dogs
Heat guava jelly in a medium saucepan until liquified. Add mustard to the guava jelly and stir until well mixed.
Add cocktail hot dogs to mustard sauce and cook until heated through.
Serves 8-10.
Categories: Appetizers · Hors d'oeurvre
Tagged: Cooking, Entertaining, Food, Holiday recipes, Recipes
December 6, 2009 · 1 Comment
I was planning to make linzer cookies this weekend but on Friday I read an article in the Wall Street Journal Magazine about Martha Stewart and her daughter Alexis. At the end of the article, they included Alexis’s chocolate chip cookie recipe which Martha Stewart proclaimed as the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever. I just had to try it!
I halved the recipe since the recipe produces 50 cookies. Other than that, the only change I made was using a mix of semisweet and milk chocolate chips.
The cookies were DELICIOUS! Thin and crisp but soft inside. Everyone enjoyed them last night and I gave our guests a few to take home so Tim and I wouldn’t eat the rest!
Alexis’s Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies
As published in The Magazine from the Wall Street Journal
This recipe produces flat and crispy chocolate chip cookies
Ingredients
Makes fifty 4-inch cookies
- 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for baking sheets
- 3 cups packed light-brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups best-quality chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment; set aside. Cream butter until smooth; add sugars, and beat until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Into a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Slowly beat dry ingredients into wet mixture. Fold in chocolate chips.
Drop 2 to 3 tablespoons dough per cookie onto prepared baking sheets; space dough at least 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. Bake until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheets, and allow to cool on baking racks.
Categories: Cookies · Dessert
Tagged: Baking, Cooking, Dessert, Food, Holiday recipes, Martha Stewart, Recipes
