Day #1- Christmas Spice Cake

Merry Christmas Eve! Its hard to believe that tomorrow is Christmas, which means that this is our last countdown recipe. Christmas Spice Cake is a yummy tradition in our family and is a great dessert after all our ham! I used a cake out of a box when making this, but you can make your own cake if desired. Its super easy, so enjoy

Ingredients:

*1 package of white cake mix

*1 (16oz) container of sour cream

*1/4 cup of melted butter

*2 large eggs

*2 teaspoons of apple pie spice

*1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

*1 teaspoon of nutmeg

*1 teaspoon of cinnamon

*1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves

*1 (8oz) container of cream cheese (for frosting)

*1 cup of softened butter (for frosting)

*2 (16oz) packages of powdered sugar (for frosting)

*1 tablespoon of whole milk (for frosting)

*1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (for frosting)

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

2. Beat together cake mix, sour cream, butter, eggs, spices, and extract until creamy.

3. Pour batter into 2 9-inch circle pans that are greased with non-stick spray and sprinkled with flour.

4. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, then let cakes cool for one hour.

5. If you do not want to frost the cake right away, you can put it in the freezer for up to a month.

6.  For the frosting, beat cream cheese and butter into a medium sized bowl. Then, gradually add in powdered sugar, milk, and extract. Mix together until smooth

7. Apply frosting to all areas of the cake and stack them on top of each other. Then coat both of the two cakes until no yellow is showing.

8. Feel free to add whatever you want to the top. ( Raspberries, walnuts, rosemary, sprinkles, etc.)

9. Enjoy your beautiful and delicious Christmas cake!

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Day #2- Peanut Butter Blossoms

Hey guys  theirs 2 days left until Christmas, and we hope you've enjoyed this countdown so far.  Today I'm going to share with you one of my favorite Holiday traditions my family has.  Every year we love to make peanut butter blossoms, their so delicious and they always put me in the holiday spirit.  I hope you enjoy this delicious recipe and share them with you families this holiday.

When you make these cookies, it is best to get all you ingredients ready and pulled out.  By doing this it makes it easier for you to putt he Hershey kiss's on as soon as you pull out the cookies.  This is crucial that it happens immediately otherwise the kisses won't stick in the cookies and get the right look, and taste.  For this recipe it makes about 4 dozen but it may vary,

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of softened butter
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp of almond milk
• 1 tsp  vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp extra sugar
• 48 Hershey kisses

Directions:
1) Pr-Heat the oven to 375 °F
2) Remove the wrappers from the chocolates

3) Beat together the butter and Peanut Butter in a large bowl
4) Add in the sugar, and brown sugar and beat well
5) The add in the vanilla, egg, and milk, and beat together
6) In a separate bowl  mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt
7) Gradually beat the the flour mixture, into the peanut butter mixture
8) Shape the dough into 1in balls then roll in the extra sugar

9) Place onto an un-greased baking sheet and place into the oven for 8-10 min or until lightly brown
10) Upon pulling out immediately  place the kiss in the center

11) Let cool completely and enjoy!

-Megan

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Day #3- Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread cookies are a 'must-have' treat this holiday season. If you haven't made them yet, it's not too late! They are really simple and a great hit for whatever family gathering or christmas party you go to this year. These cookies are also super fun to decorate (my sister and I had loads of fun decorating these ones!) Well, I hope you enjoy eating and making these classic Christmas cookies!

Ingredients:

* 3 cups of all-purpose flour

*3/4 teaspoon baking soda

*1 tablespoon of ground ginger

*1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

* 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves

*1 1/2 cups of butter

*1 cup of dark brown sugar

*1 large egg

*1/2 cup of molasses

*2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

*1 cup of powdered sugar (for icing)

*1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream (for icing)

*1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (for icing)

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.

2. In another bowl, mix together softened butter, brown sugar, the egg, vanilla and molasses.

3. Gradually add in the flour mixture and stir until dough is firm and dough-like. Feel free to use your hands!

4. Enclose dough with plastic wrap and leave in fridge for at least 1 hour.

5. Once dough has been chilled, roll it out evenly among sprinkled four. 

6. Use cookie cutters of any shape and size to cut the dough.

7. Place the shapes on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for about 12 minutes at 350 degrees F.

8. Combine powdered sugar, vanilla and whipping cream into a small bowl, then apply icing into a parchment triangle with a metal tip of your choice.

You can also
put icing into a plastic bag and snip a corner off if you do not have parchment triangles.

9. Now decorate your cookies however you like! Remember to let the cookies cool before putting icing on them though.

  

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Day #4 Snickerdoodle cookies

Over the holidays one of my favorite things to do is bake cookies so I decided to bake some cookies.  Going along with the holiday season one of the best things to do is to give back to others.  After baking these tasty cookies I gave them to the Oakland Family Services to be distributed to the people there.  I found this was super great and I'm so glad I was able to do a little bit for others over the holidays.

When making these cookies their is usually an assortment of different ways you can form the cookies.  Well making I decided to test the different methods to see what worked best. When making these cookies they will spread out and flatten a lot so remember to keep that in mind before putting them in the oven.   When  you begin you will start with balls and you can leave them like that but I found the cookies still flattened but the tops where not as smooth.  You can also use a fork and criss-cross it if you'd like to have the texture on top. Lastly their is the method where you use the bottom of a glass cup and press it down into the cookie.  Overall I thought the glass method worked the best and allowed the cookies to get the perfect shape without expanding to big or to small and still having a good even texture.  Lastly just as a reminder do not double up on the methods that you flatten or your cookies will end up huge and flat. I hope you enjoy these delicious cookies I made from the Joy of Cooking and this inspires you over the holidays!!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1) Pre-heat your oven to 350°F
2)Sift together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt

3) In a separate bowl  beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy

4) Add the eggs to the sugar mixture until combined

5) Mix in the flour mixture until combined, so it forms a dough texture

6) In a small bowl mix together the 1/4 cup of sugar and cinnamon

7) Take the dough and roll into 1in balls then coat in the cinnamon sugar mixture until evenly coated then place on a greased cookie sheet
8) Once the cookies are on the sheet flatten with the bottom of a glass so they form little flat discs

9) Place the cookies into the heated oven for 8-11 min or until the edges are browned

10) This recipe will make about 4 dozen cookies, but make sure your pan is cooled before putting the batter on otherwise the cookies will cook unevenly.

Hope you enjoy and Happy Holidays!

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Day #5- Cranberry Sauce

Only 5 more days until christmas and we're back with another holiday recipe! Today I'm going to share with you how I make classic cranberry sauce. This sauce goes great with meats, vegetables, or even sandwiches. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

*12oz bag of cranberries

*1 cup of sugar

*1/3 cup of water

*1 teaspoon of lemon juice

Directions:

1. Empty cranberries into a saucepan, but set aside 1 cup of them for later use.

2. Add in the sugar, lemon juice, and water and cook at medium heat.

3. Stir constantly and until cranberries are mushed up. If necessary, add more sugar or water.

4. Once you have a gooey substance, add the 1 cup of cranberries that was set off to the side.

5. Stir at low heat for about 2-3 minutes.

6. Take off the stove and feel free to add cranberry sauce on turkey or any other meat you eat this holiday season!

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Day #6 - Healthy Frozen Peppermint Bark

As always peppermints, and candy canes are an iconic food for the holiday seasons.  One of my personal favorites is peppermint bark, although that isn't always the healthiest option.  Today I'm going to share a delicious healthier version of frozen peppermint bark.  One of the amazing things about this dish is its flexibility to personal preferences.  If  you'd like to add anything in or take something out feel free.  Some recommendations would be strawberries, or other favorite fruits, as well as substituting for you favorite yogurt.  When I made this recipe for the first time I wanted to see how mint extract would taste, but it made the recipe very bitter and didn't go well with the vanilla yogurt, so I would recommend to stay away from that.  Other than that I highly encourage everyone to try this delicious dessert.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 cups of Greek vanilla yogurt
• 2 crushed candy canes
• raspberries
• chocolate chip

Directions:
1. Begin by taking your candy canes and crushing them, you can do this by placing them in a plastic bag and hitting them or placing them in a dish.

2.Once crushed mix the candy canes in with your yogurt.
3. Take a glass dish and lay wax paper over top.  Then put you yogurt with mints, in a smooth out so its in a thin layer.
4.From here you can let you imagination go a little bit, but I just placed some raspberries and chocolate chips into the yogurt.

5. Take your dish once ready and place into the freezer for about 5 hours or until frozen.
6. Take out when frozen and break the pieces so they look like peppermint bark.  Serve and enjoy!!

-Megan

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Day #7- Jam Filled Butter Cookies

Hey guys its a week until Christmas! Today i'm going to teach you how to make these super simple and yummy cookies. They only take 15 minutes to bake and my whole family adored them. So, if you're looking for a simple and delicious Christmas treat this year, these jam filled butter cookies are for you!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of butter softened

1/2 cup of sugar

2 egg yolks

1 3/4 cups of flour

1/2 cup of fruit preserves

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Beat butter, sugar, and egg yolks together until creamy, then add vanilla extract.

2. Gradually blend in flour, salt, and baking powder.

3. Cover dough and refrigerate for an hour

4. After refrigerated, roll dough into one-inch balls and place one-inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet

5. With a spoon or a thumb indent the dough balls and fill with fruit preservative 

6. Bake for 14-18 minutes at 350 F 

7. Wait to cool and enjoy!

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Day #8- Hot Chocolate

Hey guys its day 8, and you know what that means... a new recipe.  Today I'm here to share with you two delicious hot chocolate recipes you can make this winter. These are so fun to make, and is way better than the store bought packets.  Not only is this a delicious drink, but its perfect for those cold winter days where you want something to drink.  Hope you enjoy and remember you can put in your favorite type of milk product or whatever you have at home.

Hints: Make sure you don't boil the milk, because it will cause issues.

Peppermint White Hot Chocolate:

• 3 cups of almond milk (I used the Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla one)
• 3/8 cup of white chocolate chips 
• 1 candy cane

To make this recipe put your milk, chocolate, and candy cane in a pot and simmer over the stove-top.  Make sure to stir consistently so the chocolate chips don't stick to the bottom. Make sure to taste the hot chocolate to see if it has enough of the candy cane flavor.  If it does you can just scoop out the little bits left.  Keep it on the stove until everything is melted and warm, serve and enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa:

• 1 1/2 cups of 1% milk
• 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips
• 1/8 tsp of cocoa powder

To make this you put the ingredients into a pot on the stove and simmer.  Make sure to stir constantly to make sure the chocolate melts.  Once everything is mixed together and hot, pour into a cup and enjoy!

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Day #9- Perogies

Perogies are a polish, holiday tradition that has been in my family for many years. They can be stuffed with either a potato filling or sauerkraut. They are a great meal for Christmas parties or if you're just cooking at home for the holidays. I hope you enjoy!

Dough Ingredients:

*4.5 cups of flour

*2 tsp of salt

*2 tbsp of melted butter

*2 cups of sour cream

*2 eggs

*1 egg yolk

*2 tbsp of vegetable oil

Dough Directions:

1. Stir together flour and salt

2. Whisk together butter, sour cream, eggs, egg yolk, and oil

3. Make an indentation in the flour, pour wet mixture into it

4. Knead together until well blended

5. Knead for 5-10 minutes until dough is smooth

Potato Filling Directions:

*2 tbsp of butter

*2 medium onions, chopped

*1/2 lb of feta cheese (can substitute for farmers cheese)

*2 cups of potatoes, cooked and mashed

* Optional: 1 pound of crumbled, cooked bacon

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl

Sauerkraut Filling Ingredients:

*1 27oz can of sauerkraut

*1 large onion, finely chopped

*1/2 cup of mushrooms, fresh and chopped

*4 tbsp of butter

*2 tsp of salt

*1 cup of water

Sauerkraut Filling Directions:

1. Drain and rinse sauerkraut

2. Saute onion in butter

3. Place sauerkraut in pot with water and salt

4. Bring to a boil and add onion

5. Simmer until liquid cooks out

Perogie Stuffing Instructions:

1. Roll dough out on a lightly flour coated surface

2. Cut small circles, using a small round container

3. Place a spoonful of either potato filling or sauerkraut onto center of dough circle

4. Fold the dough over and pick the end to secure it

5. Boil a pot of water and salt, then add the perogies

6. Boil for about 4-5 minutes or until they float

7. Once done, you can fry them up in a pan to eat, or save them in the freezer for later!

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Day #10 Choclate Pretzels

Hey guys so it's 10 days until Christmas and I'm here to share a perfect snack for you to have.  You can bring these pretzels to a party, share them with friends, give as a gift, or you can eat them yourself.   These pretzels not only taste amazing but are super fun to decorate and personalize to you liking's for the holidays.  For this recipe feel free to use your favorite chocolates, sprinkles, nuts, or other toppings.

Ingredients:

• Pretzel Rods
• Chocolate Chips
• Decorations
• crushed candy canes
• sprinkles
• chocolate drizzle

Directions:
1) Put your chocolate in a melting crock pot if its small, or put into a mason jar and put into a crock pot filled half way with water.

 
2) Make sure to add milk or almond milk to your chocolate chips and make sure to stir constantly
3) The chocolate will take about 30min to melt, so just keep stirring until smooth. (If the chocolate is to chunky add some more milk so it is more of a liquid.)

4) Take your pretzel rods and layer in the chocolate until its completely coated.
5) Decorate the coated pretzels and set on wax paper to dry and harden.

Decoration options:

• White chocolate covered in crushed mints
• milk chocolate with white chocolate drizzle
• white chocolate with milk chocolate drizzle
• milk chocolate with sprinkles
• Milk chocolate and white chocolate dipped

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Day #11- Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

 Need something sweet to snack on this holiday season? This recipe is for you! Although these sugary almonds aren't the healthiest treat, they are definitely yummy. My family said they taste just like the ones you can purchase from concerts or fairs, but now you can make them at home!

Ingredients: 

*1 egg white

*1 teaspoon of cold water

*2 cups of whole unshelled almonds

*1/2 cup of sugar

*1/4 teaspoon of salt

*1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Heat a non-greased pan to a medium temperature.

2. Combine egg whites, water, sugar, salt, and cinnamon together in the pan.

3. Once this substance is at a boil, add the almonds.

4. Stir constantly until the almonds are fully coated or for about 5 minutes.

5. Spread almonds onto a baking sheet with wax paper. (Separate almonds with fork if necessary)

6. Let almonds cool and harden, then enjoy!

I recommend using unshelled almonds because I used shelled and it took an hour to shell them.

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