Christmas

Eggnog Cookie Logs

Leah Short — Wed, 09 Jan 2019 17:20:42 +0000

Oh, hi! (waves) Yep, I know it’s January and we’re all thinking about eating healthier, but I want to talk about cookies! As most of you know, my mom and I bake several batches of cookie each year known as Cookie Baking Day. It’s a super fun tradition and this year we got fancy with matching aprons and Christmas pins. We’re adorkable. So, enjoy your celery sticks, but bookmark these Eggnog Cookie Logs for next year. I’m not a huge fan of drinking eggnog, but anything flavored eggnog is fair game. We first made these cookies years ago, long before I had a blog, and they were the one cookie for which I had recipe requests.

They can be a bit tedious to make since you have to roll out the dough, but once you get going, it’s not such a big deal. The cookies are barely sweet, which I love because that makes the frosting perfectly suited for them. They taste great without it, but that bump of sweet frosting really gives it a nice flavor. Plus it’s double nutmeg with some in the cookie and some sprinkled on top. If you didn’t want to bother with the log shape, you could definitely use a cookie scoop and bake them in rounds. Perfect for the holidays with a big cup of cocoa!

Other goodies from Cookie Baking Day 2018:
Cream Cheese Spritz
Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Walnut-Topped Ginger Drops (stay tuned!)
Double Chocolate Coconut Cookies (stay tuned!)
Chocolate Guinness Cookies (stay tuned!)

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Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Leah Short — Sun, 24 Dec 2017 14:58:36 +0000

My coworker Katherine made these Pumpkin Snickerdoodles several times this year and from the first bite I knew they’d make the Cookie Baking Day list! People rave about these cookies and I can taste why. It’s the best of the classic snickerdoodle, plus pumpkin and more spice. They are so moist and almost cake-like. Perfect for this time of year with a big glass of milk!

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Tropical Chewies

Leah Short — Fri, 22 Dec 2017 15:00:09 +0000

New to Cookie Baking Day were these Tropical Chewies. We usually bake only two of the same type of cookies from year to year, so it’s always fun to have something new on the menu. These cookies are full of goodies: white chocolate chips, almonds, macadamia nuts, and coconut. If you’re a white chocolate macadamia cookie fan, you’ll love these!

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Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

Leah Short — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 15:34:41 +0000

It’s hard to believe after so many years of Cookie Baking Day, that we rarely bake peanut butter cookies. I think it’s because I thought they’d be too time consuming with the rolling and fork-squishing (ha!). This year I was feeling nostalgic for all those classic favorites and guess what? Making Classic Peanut Butter Cookies was easy! Especially if you tag team like my mom and I do. I’m the scooper and roller, she’s the fork-squisher.

I love these cookies! I’ve never tried them with crunchy peanut butter, but I’d bet they’d work just as well. These are soft, but you can bake them a minute or two longer and they’ll be crispy. Whatever your cookie texture preference, these are for you!

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Sugar Plums

Leah Short — Sun, 12 Nov 2017 15:18:02 +0000

I have been itching to get in the kitchen and make candy, so yesterday my friend Laura came over to make Sugar Plums (and other goodies)! There are several sugar plum recipes out there, some include figs and other spices, but I was sold on this one because of the orange zest.

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Holiday Layer Bars

Leah Short — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 15:29:30 +0000

Merry Christmas! Today’s the big day! I hope you’re enjoying a wonderful holiday with family and friends. These Holiday Layer Bars are perfect for today. A gingersnap crust sprinkled with white chocolate, cranberries, candied orange peel, pistachios, and coconut. This is probably the easiest bar on the planet to make. You don’t even have to stir the butter and gingersnaps to make the crust!

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Gingerbread Cake

Leah Short — Mon, 23 Dec 2013 13:54:40 +0000

Two more days until Christmas! Can you believe it? I have so many recipes I wanted to bake, but ran out of time. I’ll just have to bookmark those goodies for next year. Thankfully I squeezed in this Gingerbread Cake to share with you this year! It’s perfect for the holidays with its traditional flavor and it’s super easy to make. So if you’re looking for a last minute, quick holiday dessert, this is it!

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Balsamic Braised Pot Roast

Leah Short — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:40:08 +0000

Ok, let’s get the fact that this picture is horrible out of the way first. Meat is not photogenic, at least not when the camera is in my hands. Plus, this was actually our Thanksgiving dinner main course, so I didn’t have a lot of time to fuss over the photo. So don’t let the photo turn you off of this Balsamic Braised Pot Roast. It is phenomenal and insanely easy to make. It takes traditional pot roast and spins it on its heels. I like that it cooks for a few hours so it leaves you plenty of time to prep other dishes you may be serving.

So, how’s it taste?

I thought it was fantastic. It’s not going to win any beauty awards, but it surely would in the flavor department. The vegetables end up being all one color, so serving this main course with a side of something green works best. (Try my Dill & Chive Peas!) This was my first time cooking with turnips and I loved them. Such a unique flavor that was only enhanced by the balsamic. The carrots and sweet potatoes were a nice sweet to the turnips. Now on to the beef. Holy cow was it delicious! The balsamic, the red wine, the beef broth, all those vegetables and herbs…it was perfection. The balsamic really adds a special touch. Almost sweet, a tad bit tangy, it was awesome. The meat was so incredibly tender. Sliced with such ease, too. The gravy that it makes is highly addicting. I poured it over my beef slices and sopped it up with bread. All manners went out the window with this dish!

Balsamic Braised Pot Roast

Taste of Home, October/November 2012
makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 boneless beef chuck roast (3 to 4 lbs.)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
3 medium turnips, peeled and quartered
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dry red wine or beef broth
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) beef broth
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 bunch fresh thyme sprigs
4 fresh sage leaves
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water

Directions:

1. Sprinkle roast with salt and pepper. In an ovenproof Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Brown roast on all sides. Remove from pan.

2. Add the carrots and onion to the same pan; cook and stir until tender. Add the turnips, sweet potato, and garlic; cook 1 minute longer.

3. Add wine, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Stir in the broth, vinegar, and herbs. Return roast to pan; bring to a boil. Cover and bake at 325° for 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until meat is tender.

4. Remove beef and vegetables; keep warm. Discard herbs from cooking liquid; skim fat. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into cooking liquid. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with pot roast and vegetables.

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Baked Eggnog Donuts

Leah Short — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 13:44:48 +0000

I told you I wasn’t finished with eggnog! First I brought you Mini Eggnog Donut Muffins. Now I’m sharing Baked Eggnog Donuts. Yes, baked! I got this donut pan for Christmas two years ago and I love it. I won’t turn my nose up at a fried donut, but they’re not much fun to make at home. Baked donuts are…and since they’re baked, they’re pretty much health food right?

So, how’s it taste?

They were great. The donut isn’t too sweet, so it’s perfect with the sugary glaze. I will caution you to be careful with the donut pan. It’s very easy to overfill and my first batch made huge donuts that didn’t even have a hole because they overflowed so much. It’s tempting to fill the entire cavity, but you want to do about half instead. Excuse my wrinkly donuts in the picture. I took them the next day after baking and the glaze wasn’t so smooth anymore. However, the donuts were still delicious. Since they’re baked, it’s like eating cake…and that’s never a bad thing, with or without wrinkles.

Baked Eggnog Donuts

by Shugary Sweets
makes about 10 donuts

Ingredients:

Donuts
2 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 egg
3/4 cup eggnog
1/4 cup applesauce

Glaze
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp. eggnog
1 tsp. rum flavoring

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Using a mixer, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Beat in egg, eggnog, and applesauce.

2. Lightly spray a donut pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spoon batter into a large plastic bag that zips. Snip the corner and squeeze batter into the donut pan evenly. Fill about half full as the donuts will rise.

3. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until donut springs back when lightly pressed. Remove from pan immediately and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

4. For the glaze, combine powdered sugar with eggnog and rum flavoring for about 2-3 minutes in a mixer. Dip tops of each donut into glaze. You may want to dip twice for thicker consistency.

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Mini Eggnog Donut Muffins

Leah Short — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 17:13:21 +0000

You know those houses you drive by this time of year and they’ve still got their Christmas decorations up? Well, I’m the blogger equivalent to that. It’s mid-January and most folks are looking for healthy recipes and don’t want anything to do with holiday goodies, especially eggnog. I can’t help it. Life happens when you’re planning and my little blog has suffered a bit in the update area, but I’m back in the swing of things! And we’re going to talk about eggnog. I actually made these Mini Eggnog Donut Muffins right after Christmas…in 2011. I held them for a year because I felt silly posting them so late, but here we are and I’m bending the rules!

So, how’s it taste?

I had so much leftover eggnog that I went crazy making eggnog recipes so it wouldn’t go to waste. Yep, there’s more to come. Think of it as getting an early start on Christmas 2013! I thought these muffins were so cute. I like sipping on eggnog, but I can’t drink a full glass of it. That’s why I love goodies that are flavored with eggnog. These muffins are perfect. You can really taste the eggnog and get the warmth from the nutmeg. They’re so tiny, they’re dangerous though. I was constantly popping these in my mouth thinking “oh I’ll just have one more.” You can see from my picture that I was too lazy to sift the confectioners’ sugar, hence the lumps. They still tasted great despite their appearance. The glaze was much thinner than I expected, but you could dip them a few times if you want it to be thicker and show up more. Bookmark this recipe for December 2013!

Mini Eggnog Donut Muffins

by Two Peas & Their Pod
makes 48 mini muffins

Ingredients:

Muffins
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup eggnog

Glaze
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 cup eggnog
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350Â°F. Lightly spray your mini muffin pans with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Using a mixer, cream together the butter, oil, and both sugars until smooth. Add eggs until combined.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla.

4. Add dry ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture, alternating with the eggnog and beginning and ending with the flour. Make sure all ingredients are thoroughly combined.

5. Spoon the batter into the prepared pans. Bake the muffins for 10-12 minutes, or until they're a pale golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove pans from the oven and let cool for five minutes.

6. For the glaze, combine butter, sugar, eggnog, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Dip the tops of the muffins into the glaze and place on a wire rack until set. You may want to dip the muffins a second time.

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