Let it Snow

Russian Tea Cakes

Also called snowball cookies, this recipe has been in my family for several generations and has always been a part of my Christmas cookie baking.  These cookies also happen to be my husband’s favorite.  They are quick and easy to make.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• ½ cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 ¼ cup flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ cup walnuts, finely chopped
• Confectioner’s sugar (for rolling after baking)

Directions:

• In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly combine butter, confectioner’s sugar, and vanilla.  Set aside.
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt.
• Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir until combined.
• Stir in the nuts
• Cover and chill dough for at least 1 hour
• Preheat oven to 400 F
• Roll dough into 1” balls and place about 1” apart on ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake 8-9 minutes (they will not rise)
• While still warm, roll in confectioner’s sugar. Let cool

• Roll in confectioner’s sugar again

Holly Jolly Christmas

No Baking Necessary

Every year, I do quite a bit of Christmas cookie baking (though not all of it is baked and I don’t only make cookies). Since I managed to pull my hamstring, baking has been out of the question due to not being able to bend down and put things in the oven. Fortunately, two of my favorite recipes don’t use the oven at all, and they are quick to make. I made both recipes in under 45 minutes. Though these recipes are simple, they do require attention throughout the process, so be sure to read through the entire recipe before starting.

I’ll start off with my fudge recipe. This is the only way I have ever made fudge, and my mom has made fudge this way for as long as I can remember. It’s only 2 ingredients, and easy to augment with other flavors. When making this fudge, be sure that everything you use is perfectly dry. Any amount of water will ruin it.

2 Ingredient Fudge

Yields: about 30 1” pieces

Ingredients:

• 1 bag (12 oz) of semi-sweet chocolate morsels 
• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

• Line a 9 X 9 inch pan with a piece of parchment paper
• Combine ingredients in a small saucepan
• Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth
• Once smooth, immediately remove from heat and pour into prepared pan lined with parchment paper

• Cool in refrigerator and allow to set overnight
• Cut into pieces and enjoy

Note: This fudge is very rich, and usually a 1” piece is enough for your average sweet tooth.

Variations:

• Add in about ½ cup of peanut butter for chocolate peanut butter fudge
• Use peanut butter morsels instead of semi-sweet chocolate for peanut butter fudge
• Use chocolate mint morsels for a minty fudge
• You can use just about any sort of flavoring, but be sure it’s not water-based as that will ruin the fudge

My next recipe is a family favorite: no bake oatmeal cookies. As the name suggests, there is absolutely no baking involved.

No Bake Oatmeal Cookies

Yield: about 4 dozen cookies, depending on the size

Ingredients:

• ½ cup butter
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup milk
• 4 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ cup peanut butter, smooth
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 ½ cups dry oats

Directions:

• In a medium saucepan, combine butter, sugar, milk, and cocoa powder. Bring to a rolling boil

• Boil 1 minute and remove from heat

• Add peanut butter and stir until melted
• Add vanilla and oats. Mix well

• Drop by the teaspoon onto parchment paper

• Let cool until set, usually 30-45 minutes

Candy Cane Christmas

Peppermint Bark

I love peppermint, and I love easy-to-make snacks.  Peppermint bark falls into both of those categories.  It also makes a perfect topper for my (soon-to-be-available) peppermint hot chocolate cupcakes.  This snack is also great with vanilla ice cream or just by itself.

Note: When making this, make sure that everything you use is very, very dry.  Water will ruin the melted bark.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz almond bark
• 1 - 1 ½ cups peppermint candies

Directions:

• Place the candies in a ziplock bag, and using a rolling pin or meat mallet (or other heavy item) crush candies.
• Line a cookie sheet or baking pan with a piece of parchment paper.
• Place almond bark in a medium microwave-safe bowl.  Be sure the bowl is dry.
• Melt almond bark in microwave 1 minute at a time on medium power.  Stir well in between.

• Pour crushed candies into melted bark and mix well.

• Pour the candy and melted bark into the pan lined the parchment paper and spread evenly.

• Allow to set for several hours.
• Once set, break into small pieces.

• Enjoy.

Apple Pie Recipe

Apple Pie

My favorite pie is apple pie, and my dad and I make this every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We used to make the pie crusts from scratch (and by we I mean my dad would make the crust and I would help lattice and eat the extras).  I cheat and use store bought crusts because for some reason I haven’t mastered pie crusts yet (one of these days I will).  This is the recipe I like best.  It uses brown sugar instead of granulated sugar, and I love the flavor of it.  I hope you enjoy as well.

Yields: 1 9” apple pie

Ingredients:

• 2 pie crusts
• 6-7 cups of apples, sliced
• ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon, ground
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 F
• Lay one pie crust in a 9” pie pan.  Poke holes with a fork to prevent air bubbles.
• In a large bowl, combine apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  Mix well.

• Pour apple mixture into pie pan.  Dot with butter.
• Top with second pie crust (I lattice mine)

• (Optional) Brush top crust with an egg wash (egg white mixed with 1 Tbsp of water)
• Shield pie with aluminum foil
• Bake for 50-60 minutes, until apples are cooked.

How To Lattice a Pie Crust

Pie Latticing

I love to bake pies, especially apple pie.  Since apple pie is a 2 crust pie, I also like to get a little fancy with it.  My favorite way to do the top crust of a 2 crust pie is to lattice it.  It looks like it would be complicated, but it’s really not that bad. There are multiple approaches to this, and I’ve outlined below the method I usually use with descriptions and pictures If you follow along, you’ll be latticing your own pies in no time.  Happy pie season!

Materials Needed:

• Pie crust (from scratch or store bought is fine)
• Pizza cutter (can use sharp cutting knife)
• Sharp cutting knife

Directions:

• Lay out your pie crust in a circle the same diameter as your pie pan

• Using the pizza cutter, cut relatively even strips about ¼” - ½” in width along the entire length of your crust. (Since it’s a circle it doesn’t matter which direction you cut it)

• Pick up every other strip and lay across the top of the already filled pie as evenly as you can

• One at a time, use the remaining strips to lattice:
• Start at one end and lift the end of every other strip on the pie

• Lay your new strip so that it goes across all the remaining strips on the pie

• Lay down the previously lifted strip ends

• Lift the strips that you did not lift last time; these are the strips lying under the last strip you just laid down (lift from the inside of the previously laid strip)

• Lay your next strip so that it goes across all the remaining strips on the pie

• Lay down the previously lifted strip ends

• Continue in this pattern as evenly as you can until all the strips are used

• Using your sharp cutting knife, carefully cut any pieces of crust that fall over the edge of the pie pan

• Brush with an egg wash (optional, though this does give it a nice golden-brown finish)
• To make an egg wash, mix 1 egg yolk with 1 Tbsp of water
• Brush over the pie crust using a pastry brush

Bean Pie

Bean Pie

This is a vegetarian recipe that some friends of ours introduced us to a while back, and we fell in love with it.  It is a hearty dish that is so easy to make.  Usually, I assemble the pie early (the day before or the morning of) and refrigerate it until I’m ready to pop it in the oven.  Let me know what you think if you make this dish.

Yields: 1 pie (8 pieces)
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Refrigeration Time: 1 hour minimum
Baking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 2 pie crusts (I do store bought but can be homemade)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 can black beans, drained
• ⅓ cup salsa
• ¾ tsp chili powder
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ⅛-¼ tsp red cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1-1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

• In a medium pan, heat the oil, then saute the peppers and onion over medium heat until softened.
• Add in the remaining ingredients except the crusts and cheese.  Stir and heat through.  About 15 minutes
• While the pie filling is heating on the stove, line a 9” pie pan with the 1st crust.  Be sure to poke with a fork to prevent bubbles.
• Once the filling is heated through, scoop half of it into the pie pan
• Top with half of the cheddar cheese
• Scoop the remaining half of the filling into the pie pan and top with the other half of the cheese.
• Put the second pie crust on top and cut holes to allow for ventilation

• Refrigerate for at least an hour prior to baking
• Preheat oven to 325 F and bake for 1 hour
• Let cool 5-10 minutes

S'more Cupcakes (Lady Yennefer)

S’more Cupcakes

Fall is the season for  corn mazes, hayrides, and bonfires.  No bonfire is complete without s’mores.  They’re fun, gooey, and oh so yummy.  I felt that this needed to be captured in a cupcake, so I made my own s’mores cupcake.  I hope you enjoy.

Yields: 24-30 cupcakes, depending on how full you make them

Graham Cracker Base Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup graham cracker crumbs
• 5 Tbsp butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar

Cupcake Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ cups flour
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• ¾ cups cocoa, unsweetened
• ½ cups brown sugar, packed
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs (room temperature)
• 1 ½ cup coffee
• ¾ cups vegetable oil
• ½-1 cup mini chocolate chips
• 24-48 mini marshmallows

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F
• Line 2 cupcake pans with cupcake liners
• To make the graham cracker base, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar
• Place 1 Tbsp of base in each cupcake liner, pressing down gently

• In a medium mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients
• Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well
• Fill lined cupcake pans until ½ to ⅔ full
• Add ½-1 tsp of mini chocolate chips to each cupcake.  Don’t mix in.
• Press down the chocolate chips slightly with 1-2 mini marshmallows, pushing down so that about half the marshmallow is in the cupcake

• Bake in preheated oven for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean

Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup marshmallow cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 2-3 Tbsp heavy whipping cream, to desired consistency (may not be needed)

Directions:

• Cream butter and marshmallow cream until light and fluffy
• Add vanilla extract. Mix until well combined
• Add confectioner’s sugar a little at a time.  Mix until well combined
• Add heavy whipping cream, if needed and mix until light and fluffy

Scoop frosting into a decorating bag and pipe onto cupcakes.  Garnish with mini chocolate chips, if desired.