Holiday Baking Recipes

Everyone loves Gingerbread cookies during the holidays. Yes, Christmas season is upon us and it usually has us baking sweet recipes. We thought it would be a good idea to provide you with some Christmas recipes that are sure to please everyone. Here is what we found.

Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing

Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee, 2007

Prep Time:

10 min

Inactive Prep Time:

1 hr 0 min

Cook Time:

8 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

12 to 15 cookies, depending upon your cookie cutters

Ingredients

Gingerbread cookies:

• 1 package sugar cookie mix
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 cup dark molasses
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Royal Icing
• 2 large egg whites or 5 tablespoons meringue powder
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• Food coloring, if desired

For Gingerbread Cookies:

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, blend all ingredients together and chill for up to 1 hour. Roll dough out on floured board about 1/8-inch thick. Cut desired shapes with cookie cutters and place onto sheet pan. Bake for 8 minutes in preheated oven.

For Royal Icing:

With a hand mixer, beat the egg whites with the lemon juice or extract until frothy. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined, smooth, and shiny. Turn to high and beat approximately 5 minutes till stiff and glossy. Add food coloring, if desired, and transfer to a pasty bag to pipe onto cookies.

Peppermint Bark

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Prep Time:

5 min

Inactive Prep Time:

45 min

Cook Time:

10 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

about 2 pounds of candy

Ingredients

• Crushed candy canes, to yield 1 cup
• 2 pounds white chocolate
• Peppermint flavorings, optional

Directions

Place candy canes in a plastic bag and hammer into 1/4-inch chunks or smaller. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Combine candy cane chunks with chocolate (add peppermint flavoring at this point if desired.) Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet layered with parchment or waxed paper and place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or until firm. Remove from cookie sheet and break into pieces (like peanut brittle.)

 

Fabulous Red Velvet Cake

Recipe courtesy Gale Gand

Prep Time:

20 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

1 hr 10 min

Level:

--

Serves:

--

Ingredients

• 1 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 2 ounces red food coloring
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• White frosting, recipe follows

White Frosting:

• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream together the shortening, eggs and sugar. In a separate small bowl, mix together the cocoa and food coloring. Add the paste to the shortening mixture. Sift the flour and salt together over parchment. Add to the batter alternately with the buttermilk in 3 additions. Add the vanilla extract. Fold in the baking soda and vinegar. Pour the batter into 2 greased 9-inch cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until an inserted cake tester comes out clean. Let cool on a cooling rack. Invert the cakes from the pans.

Frosting: Over medium heat, cook the flour and milk until thickened. Let cool. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in the flour mixture.

Frost the top of the first layer with frosting and set the second layer on top. Frost the entire cake with remaining frosting.

 

Mama's Divinity

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Prep Time:

10 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

30 min

Level:

Intermediate

Serves:

8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

• 4 cups sugar
• 1 cup white corn syrup
• 3/4 cup cold water
• 3 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
• 2 cups chopped pecans

Directions

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stir together the sugar, corn syrup, and water. Stir only until sugar has dissolved. Do not stir after this point. Cook syrup mixture until it reaches 250 degrees F on a candy thermometer, bringing it to a hard ball stage.

While the syrup is cooking, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Once the sugar mixture reaches 250 degrees F, carefully pour a slow steady stream of syrup into the stiffly beaten egg whites, beating constantly at high speed. Add the vanilla and continue to beat until mixture holds its shape, approximately 5 minutes. Stir in pecans.

Using 2 spoons, drop the divinity onto waxed paper, using 1 spoon to push the candy off the other. This may take a little practice because the technique is to twirl the pushing spoon, making the candy look like the top of a soft serve ice cream. If the candy becomes too stiff, add a few drops of hot water. You will need to work fast when making this type of candy. After you spoon the cooked sugar and nuts onto the waxed paper, you're done. Cool the candies on racks completely. You can store them in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Fruit Cake

Recipe courtesy Gale Gand

Prep Time:

20 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

2 hr 45 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

10 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup lard
• 1 heaping cup brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups "wholemeal" (whole wheat) flour
• 1 1/4 cups self-rising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 2 pounds mixed candied fruit
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 orange, zested and juiced
• 1/4 cup sherry
• 1 tablespoon brandy
• 1 tablespoon milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, with a paddle attachment cream the butter and lard together. Add the sugar and continue creaming. Add the eggs gradually and mix until well incorporated.

Then, add each ingredient one at a time and blend in. Turn batter out into a loaf pan (best for doorstops) lined with parchment paper. Bake 1 hour and 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300 degrees F and bake an additional 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Let cool in the pan. Wrap in plastic and let mature a few days. If you like, you can dip it or baste it with brandy, wrap it in cheesecloth, and store in a cool place for months (maybe even decades).

 

Well these are some wonderful recipes to enjoy during the holiday season. A big thanks goes out to Food Network and their chefs with sharing these tasty recipes for us to use. If you would like to contact us with any questions or feedback, you can reach us by email.

Thank you for visiting !

Joseph A. Jones & The WellLife Team