Holiday Recipe Spectacular - Desserts - Pecan Pie Tarts

Yes, Trina's pecan pie recipe is a winner!  But I wanted to propose an alternate option.  No longer will your guests feel the need to take on a whole slice of pecan pie.  Let's be real, this will allow everyone to say they only want one...then feel free to indulge in another by popping one in their mouth while nobody is watching.  These individual mini pecan pies are decadent and easy to bake!

Pecan Pie Tarts


1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie (or Pillsbury pie crust)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
5 tablespoons dark corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
cool whip

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease 8 3-inch tart tins.
2. Roll out pastry and cut 8 5-inch circles (I use a shot glass for perfect circles). Fit pastry circles into greased tart tins.
3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, butter or margarine, corn syrup, and vanilla extract. Mix well, then stir in pecans. Pour an equal amount of mixture into each pastry-lined tart tin.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes until pastry is golden brown and filling is set.  Top with cool whip.

Original Recipe
Photo Credit

Holiday Recipe Spectacular - Christmas Swirl Chocolate Bars 12/16/11

How gorgeous are these?  Great for a party, family get together, to take to co-workers...whatever!

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 14 ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
• Pinch salt
• 10 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 4 ounces white chocolate, melted
• Red and green food coloring
• Red and green mini M&M candies
• Red and green fruit leather

Directions

1. Make crust: Heat oven to 350 degrees F; place rack in center. Line a 13-by-9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing paper to extend on two sides.

2. In a mixer bowl, beat together butter and confectioners' sugar on medium speed until light, about 2 minutes. Beat in extract, then flour and salt until combined well. Press along bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of prepared pan. Bake until just golden brown around edges, 12 to 18 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool completely.

3. Make filling: Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, milk and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened and a deep caramel color, about 15 minutes. Pour over crust and spread evenly; refrigerate until completely cool, about 1 hour.

4. Melt semisweet chocolate; let cool slightly. Using a spatula, evenly spread over filling (for swirled top, see below). Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. Using a knife, score chocolate layer into 1-12-inch squares.

5. For swirled top: Divide white chocolate into three parts. Tint one part red and one part green. Leave remaining part white. Dollop red, green and white chocolates over semisweet layer. Using a toothpick, gently swirl together colors.

6. For decoration: Using white chocolate, adhere candies to squares, making holly or wreaths. Using a small, clean paintbrush, make a snowman out of white chocolate; decorate with candy.Let stand until set, about 20 minutes.

7. Run a sharp knife under hot water; dry. Following score marks, cut into squares. Wipe knife after each cut (run under hot water and dry as needed). (Can be made ahead. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 1 week.)

Holiday Recipe Spectacular - Desserts - Leah's Favorite Cookies

Oh yeah, that's the new name of this cookie!  My all-time favorite Christmas cookie.  I beg my mom to make dozens every year and I just started baking them myself.  I'm obsessed with anything that has almond extract or flavoring.  Amaretto too...you know it!  These cookies are fun because the kiddos can get involved and use a variety of sprinkles and colored icing (beware of icing on your carpet...not fun).  Festive and yummy cookies-enjoy!

Leah's Favorite Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 2/3 cup flour

Beat butter with sugar and extract in large bowl with electric mixer.  Stir in flour until dough forms.  Refrigerate 1 hour.  Roll out on floured surface and use your fun Christmas cookie cutters.  Place cut-out cookies on cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Icing

3 cups confectioners sugar
5 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
food coloring
sprinkles

Mix sugar, milk and extract together until smooth.  Divide and add color.  Enjoy!!

Warning:  Those commercials you see on TV where the mom and her young kids are happily rolling out dough and cutting out cookies are an act!  Don't believe it can be this clean and orderly (unless your kids are

naturally always this way)!  In my home, I had two boys attacking my Christmas tree cutouts with their snowmen cutters...flour all over the house...icing on the carpet...mess and all, the cookies turned out delicious and we had the time of our life!

Holiday Recipe Spectacular - Desserts - Brownie Christmas Trees

Another yummy, fun treat to bake with the kids and family for the Christmas holiday!  Plus, I always love baking something that my daughter can take with her to school :)

Ingredients:

1 box brownie mix (with chocolate syrup pouch) (Betty Crocker Supreme mix is suggested)
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on brownie mix box
2 or 3 drops green food color
1 cup Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting (from 1-lb container)
Decorating Decors red and green candy sprinkles or miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits
Miniature candy canes (2 inch), unwrapped

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 13x9-inch pan with foil so foil extends about 2 inches over short sides of pan. Grease bottom only of foil with cooking spray or shortening.

2. Make and bake brownie mix as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan, using water, oil and eggs. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Remove brownie from pan by lifting foil; peel foil away. To cut brownie into triangles, cut lengthwise into 3 rows. Cut each row into 7 triangles, see diagram. Save smaller pieces for snacking.

3. Stir food color into frosting. Spoon frosting into small resealable food-storage plastic bag; partially seal bag. Cut off tiny bottom corner of bag. Squeeze bag to pipe frosting over brownies. Sprinkle with decors.

4. Break off curved end of candy cane; insert straight piece into bottoms of triangles to make tree trunks.

Holiday Recipe Spectacular - Dessert - Choco-Cherries

The combination of chocolate and cherries in this holiday treat will send you carolling through your neighborhood you'll be so cheery...get it?  Cheery!

Choco-Cherries

2 cups flour
1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
1 c sugar
1 t vanilla
¼ cup cherry juice
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ c chopped nuts
½ c drained, chopped maraschino cherries

Directions
Preheat oven to 375◦. Mix together flour, salt & baking soda. Set aside. In large bowl, combine butter and sugar. Beat until creamy. Blend in vanilla and cherry juice. Blend in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips, cherries and nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375◦ for 10-12 minutes. Makes 7 dozen.

 

Holiday Recipe Spectacular ~ Peppermint Bark

What a yummy recipe & fun activity for you and the kiddos to do together.  Of course, I LOVE peppermint so it's a no-brainer.

• 2 2/3 cups bittersweet chocolate bar, chopped into coarse pieces
• 3 to 5 drops peppermint oil (baking aisle)
• 2 cups white chocolate bar, chopped into coarse pieces
• ¼ cup peppermint crunch or finely chopped hard peppermint candies

directions

1) Gently melt the dark chocolate, heating it on very low heat or over hot water until it barely melts

2) Stir in the peppermint oil, then spread it into an 8" x 12" oval on parchment paper or foil.

3) Allow the chocolate to set, but not harden completely.

4) Melt the white chocolate the same way, and mix it with about half the peppermint crunch.

5) Spread the white chocolate over the dark chocolate.

6) Sprinkle the rest of the peppermint crunch on top, pressing it in gently.

7) Allow the candy to cool until hardened, then break or cut it into chunks.

8) Store airtight at room temperature for up to a week; freeze for longer storage.

Yield: about 2 dozen pieces.

Holiday Recipe Spectacular - Dessert - Angel Cherry Pie

For as long as I can remember, this has been my dad’s favorite dessert.  My mom, an amazing baker, has always perfected the  meringue (click here for more of her recipes).  Though I have done well with the coloring of the meringue, I cannot make it look as pretty as her work of art along the rim. 

Meringue Shell

• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 t cream of tartar
• 3/4 c sugar

Heat oven to 275 degrees. Click here for more info on making the perfect meringue. Beat egg whites until quite stiff. Gradually add cream of tartar and sugar, beating until stiff and satiny. Spread about 2/3 of meringue over bottom and sides of well-greased 8" pie plate. Drop remaining meringue in mounds along rim of plate. Bake 1 hour or until shell is light brown and crisp. Cool on rack.

Cream Cheese Filling

• 1 3oz. package cream cheese
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1/ 2 t vanilla
• 1 c Cool Whip
• 1 c mini-marshmallows
• 1 can cherry filling

Beat softened cheese, egg, sugar and vanilla. Fold in Cool Whip and marshmallows. Spread cherry filling on top. Refrigerate until serving.

Holiday Recipe Spectacular - Cookies - Colorful Swirl Christmas Sugar Cookies

I love baking!!! Love it, love it, love it.  And the best part about the holidays are being able to have an excuse to make yummy cookies, cakes, and desserts in general.  I got this off Pinterest via http://ouritaliankitchen.blogspot.com/2010/12/colorful-swirl-cookies.html, how adorable are these cookies, I mean, really!?  Practice makes perfect, so try a batch early, say...right after thanksgiving and right before the next round of dieting begins.

2- Cups of Flour, plus 1 tbl Flour
1/2-tsp baking powder
1/4-tsp salt
2/3-cup unsifted powdered sugar
1/4-cup granulated sugar
2.5-sticks unsalted butter - cut into chunks
1-tsp vanilla
 1/2-tsp food coloring of your choice
1 1/2 cup holiday sprinkles

                                                     
In a stand mixer, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugars with paddle on medium until well blended.

Add butter in, gradually and continue mixing. Add in vanilla extract. At this point, your dough will form a ball on the paddle.



Remove all dough and divide into two equal parts.  Return one portion back into the mixer and add the food coloring.  If using liquid food coloring, add a few more tbl of flour so the dough doesn't become too wet.  Mix until color is spread evenly.

Roll each portion of your dough, between two sheets of wax paper until it reaches about 11x9 inches and is 1/4 inch thick. Slide both onto a cookie sheet and chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
When firm, remove top sheets of wax paper from both.  Brush the uncolored dough lightly with with water using a pastry brush.  Then flip the colored dough onto the vanilla uncolored dough so they are stacked atop each other and even.  Press the edges lightly with your fingertips to seal them together.  Using a small paring knife, trim the edges to make the dough straight, even lines.

Pour out sprinkles onto a large platter and set aside.  Be sure your dough is still cold, but flexible.  Once it's ready, being rolling the long side of the dough into a swirl, jelly-roll style.  Now, don't get nervous if the outer layer of the uncolored dough tears a bit, it's okay.  Just pinch and pat...and keep rolling.

Now gently lift the log onto the sprinkles and roll away.  Cover the log completely with your sprinkles.  Wrap in plastic twice, and put in the fridge for 3-4 hours or freeze up to two months (SEE YOU CAN PLAN AHEAD!)

Slice your dough in 1/4 or 1/8 inch slices and bake on parchment lined baking sheets at 350 for 15 to 17 minutes.  Let them cool for five minutes.

A lot of work?  Sure!  But how else do you imagine a fun filled Christmas Eve, standing in the kitchen cooking and baking...surrounded by family and great friends.