There's something about the holidays that makes us all want to bring out our inner Cake Boss. Baking is great for one of those lazy Sundays. And no matter how much I love baking the basics, it's always good to bake something different for a change. Here are five different and new recipes that you can try out this winter break.
Gingerbread Hot Chocolate
This recipe is for hot chocolate lovers that want something a little different.
Ingredients:
Whole milk
Chocolate bars
Whipped cream
Cinnamon
Ginger
Nutmeg
Cloves
Allspice
Vanilla extract
A mini gingerbread man
To make the hot chocolate, pour whole milk into a pot over medium-low heat. Make sure to keep an eye on it, because you don't want to let it burn. In another pot, boil water. You'll also need another glass bowl (bigger than the pot). Melt the chocolate, but don't let it burn. After it's melted, pour it a little bit at a time into the milk. Whisk them together. Make sure the boiling water isn’t touching the glass bowl. Just keep stirring the chocolate until melted.
For each spice, use equal parts. If it's one cup of hot chocolate, use 1/4 teaspoon of spices and vanilla extract. Put all of the spices and vanilla extract into the mixture and whisk together. Pour into mugs, and top off with the whipped cream and a gingerbread man.
Hot Cocoa Cookies
Sticking to the hot chocolate theme…
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/4 cups flour
4 packages instant cocoa (don’t use sugar free)
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup mini marshmallows
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In one bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and vanilla, and stir until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, hot cocoa mix, baking soda, and baking powder. Slowly add the flour mixture into the butter mixture until combined. Fold in the mini marshmallows and chocolate chips. Refrigerate the dough for an hour. Measure out the chilled dough in tablespoons and a half, and line them up on a parchment sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes until browned on the edges. Let cool and enjoy!
Candy Cane Oreo Balls
This is for the people who want something a little bit easier to make.
Ingredients:
1 package Oreo cookies, crushed
1-8 oz. package cream cheese
2 cups Andes peppermint crunch pieces, divided (Andes mint baking chips)
10 oz. white melting chocolate (CandiQuik)
holiday sprinkles
In a one bowl, mix the cream cheese and the crushed Oreos until combined into a dough. Stir in the peppermint crunch pieces, and then roll into balls and put into the fridge for 30 minutes to chill. Next, melt the white chocolate until creamy, and then dip the Oreo balls. Set on parchment to chill and enjoy!
Reindeer Cookies
This is for the inner child in all of us.
Ingredients:
Betty Crocker peanut butter cookie mix
Chocolate-covered mini pretzels
Mini brown M&Ms
Regular-sized red M&Ms
Make the cookie mix by following the instructions on the package. Once the cookies are done, use the chocolate-covered mini pretzels as antlers, the brown mini M&Ms for eyes, and the regular-sized red M&Ms for noses. Place these on right after the cookies come out of the oven. Let them cool, and enjoy.
Chocolate-filled Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Icing
These are my personal favorite, because you can't go wrong.
Ingredients:
Duncan Hines decadent triple chocolate cake mix
Follow the directions to make the batter. Then, butter the cupcake pan and bake them at 350 degrees, following the cooking times. Let them cool before moving on to frosting.
Frosting Ingredients:
3 3/4 cups of confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, softened
3 to 4 tablespoons of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
In a large bowl, combine sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes until creamy. If desired, add more milk until frosting is spreading consistency.
Frost cupcakes and enjoy!
