Bree here, from Home Zone Furniture.
During the month of December, I can most likely be found in the kitchen. From stir-crazy kids to prepping for holiday parties, I’ll be whipping up cookies, candies and treats of all kinds to keep everyone happy and sugar buzzed. This Christmas, forge traditions of creativity, fun and togetherness with these delicious—and beautiful—treat recipes!
COOKING WITH KIDS
Kids love anything having to do with Christmas treats. These goodies are the answer to dessert at the company Christmas party and as a thank-you to Santa when he stops by. While some kids might be participating just to lick the batter off the spoon, others will have fun decorating their sweet creations.
Gingerbread House
Ingredients
Gingerbread: 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, 1/4 cup light molasses, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 tablespoon ground ginger, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons water
Royal icing: 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar, 2 large egg whites, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Decorations: gumdrops, licorice, peppermint, chocolate chips, candy-coated chocolates
Directions
Mix together the butter, brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and baking soda in a large mixing bowl until it is a smooth consistency. Blend the flour into the mix and chill it for 30 minutes until firm. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough out on a cookie sheet and cut out the shapes of the house with a knife. Bake the shapes for 15 minutes until firm. When you take the cookie sheet out of the oven, retrace your shapes with a sharp knife while they’re still somewhat soft. Let the cookies continue cooling while you make the royal icing, the “glue” that will hold the house together.
To make the royal icing, you’ll simply mix all of the ingredients together with an electric mixer. The consistency should be smooth and thin enough to pass through a pastry bag. If the icing is too thick, add more lemon juice and mix again.
When the icing is finished and the gingerbread cookies are completely cool, start putting the house together. Begin with the walls of the house and then add the roof on at the end. With each addition, make sure the icing is completely dry before adding a new piece. After the corners of the house are dry and stable, you can begin decorating it. Once again, you’ll be using the royal icing as your glue to attach whatever edible decorations you please!
P.S. You can use this same recipe to make classic gingerbread men. Instead of cutting out a house template from your rolled-out dough, you’ll cut out gingerbread men using a cookie cutter!
Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 beaten egg, 1 tablespoon milk, icing, sprinkles, other edible decorations
Directions:
To make the dough, begin by combining the flour, baking powder and salt. Next, beat together the butter, sugar, egg and milk. Gradually add the flour mixture. Wrap the dough in wax paper and refrigerate it for two hours. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. After the dough has chilled, roll it out with a rolling pin. You can sprinkle the rolling pin with powdered sugar so the dough doesn’t stick to it. Cut the dough into your desired shapes and place them one inch apart from each other on a baking sheet. Bake the cookies for seven to nine minutes until they begin to brown around the edges. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool, first on the baking sheet and then on a wire rack. Once the cookies are cool, decorate them with various Christmas motifs using icing, sprinkles and other edible decorations.
GOODIES TO GIVE
The following recipes are a little more demanding, but the results make wonderful gifts. Place these treats in a small tin, mason jar, cellophane baggie or decorated takeout box to give them to your nearest and dearest. Give the treats to co-workers and your kids’ teachers, or present them as a hostess gifts or party favors!
Fleur de Sels Caramels
Ingredients
Vegetable oil, 1 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup light corn syrup, 1 cup heavy cream, 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon fleur de sel, 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
Begin by lining an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper and brushing the paper lightly with oil. First, you’ll combine the sugar, corn syrup and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan. Boil the mixture until it is a golden brown. In another small pot, simmer the cream, butter and fleur de sel over medium heat. Once the sugar mix has turned golden brown, add in the cream mixture slowly. Stir in the vanilla and cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Next, pour the caramel into the parchment paper-lined pan.
Refrigerate it for a few hours until the mixture is firm. When the caramel is cold, remove it from the pan and put it on the cutting board. Cut the caramel into small, bite-size squares and sprinkle them with additional fleur de sel. Wrap each candy individually using parchment paper and either store them in the refrigerator for yourself or package them and gift them to others!
Peppermint Bark
Ingredients
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chopped into small 1/2-inch pieces, 1 pound white chocolate chopped into 1/2-inch pieces, 1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract, three crushed candy canes
Directions
First, line a baking dish with aluminum foil, shiny side is up. Next, heat 1 inch of water in a saucepan over low until it steams. Separate out 3/4 cup of semisweet chocolate and put the rest in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over the pan of steaming water and stir until it’s partly melted. Gradually stir in the remaining 3/4 cup of semisweet chocolate until all of it’s melted. Once melted, remove the bowl from the steam and wipe off the bowl. Stir 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract into the chocolate and the pour the chocolate into the baking dish. Let the semisweet chocolate set for 10 minutes.
While the semisweet chocolate cools, perform the same melting process with the white chocolate. Once the white chocolate is completely melted, stir in 3/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract and pour it over the semi-sweet chocolate layer evenly. Lastly, you’ll sprinkle the white chocolate layer with crushed candy canes and let cool at room temperature for an hour. Once dry, break the bark out of the baking dish and store it in a decorative Christmas tin for all to enjoy!
Merry Christmas from my family to yours!
Bree
