Holiday Sweet Treats

COOKIES COOKIES COOKIES!

I adore Christmas cookies.  Growing up, my mother had these magical tins that only appeared in December and when you opened them they contained sweet goodness.  The sheer number of the different kinds of cookies she would make was amazing and we all had our favorites.  Personally, I preferred the giuggiulena, spritz, and pecan cups.

Giuggiulena

The giuggiulena are a bit of a beast to make.  You boil sugar and honey together then add sesame seeds and blanched almonds.  The mixture needs to be worked while it's still warm, otherwise you'd break your arms trying to roll it out and then cut it into pieces.  Of course, working with it warm has its downside.  It's still sticky so the board, rolling pin, and knife all have to remain wet to prevent the giuggiulena from sticking to it.  When all is said and done though, you have these rock hard sweet toffee treats.  They are the kind that you have to bite into with your back teeth and no holiday cookie dish is complete without them (in my never humble opinion).

My brother's favorite is the almond paste...no argument here, they are pretty fantastic as well.  Over the years we've added a few new ones to our baking repertoire.  The latest addition, which has also found its way to my favorites list, is the Mounds cookies (the ones in the center of the dish pictured at the top).

The newspaper my mother clipped the recipe from called them Chocolate Dipped Peter Pan Mounds. I've seen other versions, usually named Peter Paul Mounds bars, floating around the internet.  I think the version my mother uses is way better, so I thought I would share.

Chocolate Dipped Peter Pan Mounds

Ingredients:

3/4 c. mashed potatoes (my mother makes the mashed potatoes the way she would make any regular mashed potatoes, with milk and butter.  My suggestion is to do the same.)

4 c. powdered sugar

4 c. coconut flakes

12 oz. chocolate chips

1/2 bar paraffin wax (please make sure it is food grade!)

Directions:

Make the mashed potatoes and set aside to cool.  Once they have cooled completely, mix with the powdered sugar and coconut.  Chill for 30 minutes.

Form into bite-sized balls.  My preference is to shape them like Mounds.  Chill for an hour.

In a double-boiler over medium heat, melt paraffin wax.  Add chocolate chips and stir.  Keep over warm to keep chocolate thin.

Remove the as yet to be dipped Mounds from the refrigerator.  Dip each one using a fork into the chocolate.  The newspaper directions also suggest using a toothpick, but I am not confident a standard toothpick can handle the weight of these bad boys.  Use the fork to stay on the safe side.

Place on wax or parchment paper and let set in cool room or put back into the refrigerator for an hour.

Store in a covered container in the refrigerator (if they even last that long). 

Party Bites

For the last few years, summer always means an afternoon or two spent watching a polo match.  I have friends who will purchase a tailgating plot at two or three matches each season.  They invite 10 to 15 of us to get together, we all bring food to share, play some lawn games before the main event, and just enjoy each other's company.  I enjoy the matches not only for the food everyone brings but also for the fact that "chukka" becomes a normal part of the day's conversations.  Chukka is the proper term for each period of play that makes up the polo match.  You can just add this to the list of weird things I like.  Now, getting back to the food.

The best types of offerings at a gathering like this one are foods that can be easily picked at over time: salsa and chips, any food that comes on a stick, all things bite sized.  This time around I went with cheesecake cups and tortellini and fruit bites.  I went a little fancy for the cheesecake cups because I wanted to try something a bit different.  Instead of using sour cream I chose to use creme fraiche, which I made myself.  The phyllo cups I also made myself out of phyllo sheets.  The recipe for each follows in a bit.

The tortellini and fruit bites were an idea inspired by Pinterest.  I had pinned some "salad on a stick" ideas but I still wanted something a bit more original than just salad.  As I continued to hunt for ideas I came across a pin for a tortellini and fruit salad...on went the light bulb.  The kebabs contain cantaloupe, tortellini, pineapple, tortellini, ending with watermelon.  The dressing is 1 individual container of plain Greek yogurt mixed with 1 Tbsp of honey.

Phyllo cups

Ingredients:

Phyllo dough sheets - thawed
1 stick butter - melted
sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F and grease a cupcake tin.

Brush a sheet of phyllo dough with melted butter and then sprinkle on some sugar.  Put another sheet of phyllo dough on top and repeat until it is 5 sheets thick.

Using a pizza cutter, cut into 8 squares and then place into the cupcake tray.  Bake for 8 or 9 minutes, being careful not to burn them.  Once they begin to brown, they'll brown up fast so pay attention.

Remove from tray and store in an air tight container in the refrigerator, or wrap and put in freezer, until ready to use.

Creme Fraiche

Ingredients:

1 c. heavy cream
2 Tbsp buttermilk

Directions:

Combine cream and buttermilk in glass jar.  Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 12 hours or until very thick.  Stir, recover, and store in the refrigerator.

No-Bake Cheesecake Bites

Will make 20 of "my version" small phyllo cups

Ingredients:

1 pkg cream cheese - softened
1/2 c. crème fraiche
1/2 c. confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

In a large bowl, using an electric beater, cream the softened cream cheese until smooth. Continue to beat, adding the confectioners sugar a little at a time. Once thoroughly combined add the crème fraiche and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Transfer to a large zip lock or pastry bag then chill for 1 or 2 hours. When ready, fill phyllo cups, and then put back in fridge or freeze until ready to serve.

These cheesecake cups come out nice and creamy with just a slight tang from the crème fraiche.  You can top them with fresh berries and they become a wonderful addition to any party.

Easter Creations

While my last post had a bit more originality, this post features the results of dessert ideas I snaked, in their entirety, from the wonderful world that is Pinterest.

A few years ago I decided I wanted to make a dessert for Easter dinner.  Now, this was actually a pretty big deal for me.  When it is holiday time I still head to my mom's for multiple days.  So, in my mind, this relieves me from the responsibility of bringing my own dish - I am arriving with my mom, therefore whatever she makes counts for me as well.  This is a total copout.  I'm 34 years old perfectly capable of bringing something even if I am staying at my mother's the night before.  However, no one in the family has called me out so I just go with it.  The last few Easters have been the sole deviation.

The first Easter was a Bunny Butt Cake.

It definitely took hours to prepare but, it was too cute to resist.  Plus, I liked doing something crafty and cooking with my mom.

The second years we did Lemon Meringue Nests.

Why on earth I selected this I will never know.  I hate meringue.  We used to have lemon meringue pie at Poppy's every once in a while.  I would push the meringue right off the pie.  I remember being yelled at for being wasteful.  I did not care.  I refused to eat it.  I do however, remember fully enjoying these nests.  What was really helpful was tracing out the circles for the nests.  Free handing that would have just been ugly.  We used green colored sugar paper as our grass to complete the look.

Last year was cupcakes.

So simple, yet still so fantastic.  I dyed some shredded coconut to make a nest for the jelly beans. For the cupcakes with the peeps, I spread a thin layer of frosting to hold the peep in place and then piped more frosting around it to create the next look.