Tag: #Dessert

Posted in #Recipes

27 Traditional Holiday Cookies You’ll Want To Bake Every Year

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Traditional Christmas and Holiday Cookie Recipes

If you ask us, holiday baking season is the most wonderful time of the year. That’s when we get to break out the royal icing, sprinkles and colorful candy pieces—and give all our favorite holiday cookies an extra special touch. And, while we always make sure to include something new in our roundup, there’s nothing better than a freshly baked batch of the classics.

If you ask us, holiday baking season is the most wonderful time of the year. That’s when we get to break out the royal icing, sprinkles and colorful candy pieces—and give all our favorite holiday cookies an extra special touch. And, while we always make sure to include something new in our roundup, there’s nothing better than a freshly baked batch of the classics. We’re talking buttery shortbreads, all different types of sugar cookies and, of course, plenty of gingerbread. If looking for a handful of recipes that rely on classic flavors and tried-and-true techniques, these are the ones to add to your repertoire. You’ll find snowballs, thumbprints, biscotti and more. No matter which cookies you decide to bake, spritz are a holiday must. The green and white tie-dye effect gives these classic cookies a modern-retro look, and the red sprinkles add a bit more holiday cheer.

Food Network

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The 23 Best 5-Ingredient Holiday Treats (That Anyone Can Make!)

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Festive Treats With 5 Ingredients or Less

With ambitious holiday party planning comes the potential to spend the entire time cooking in the kitchen—while your guests wonder where you are. Let’s skip all that. Instead, take the quick-and-easy route: put together something festive and enjoy your limited time together, with treats that only require a handful of ingredients. Each clocks in at just five or fewer—and will fill everyone you love, including you, with holiday cheer. One of our favorites? This reimagined take on the Yule log. Using store-bought Swiss roll cakes ensures this version is a breeze—but still impressive enough to dazzle your family and friends.

Food Network

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Pecan Pralines

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

When traveling in the southern United States, you’ll find pecan pralines as easily as you will find a chocolate bar. Legend has it that this treat originated from nuts accidentally spilling into a vat of caramel. Regardless of how they came to be, they are irresistible and delicious. Pecan pralines offer buttery, sweet and rich flavors that melt in your mouth. It is nearly impossible to eat just one.

Pecan Praline Ingredients

  • Butter: The butter aids in creating a melt-in-your-mouth caramel that envelops the pecans in this recipe.
  • Sugar: We use granulated and brown sugar to prepare the caramel for these pecan pralines.
  • Half-and-half: The half-and-half is essential for creating this recipe’s creamy and rich caramel.
  • Condensed milk: We depend on condensed milk to provide these pecan pralines with a nostalgically sweet and comforting flavor.
  • Corn syrup: The corn syrup helps solidify these pecan pralines so they do not fall apart as soon as you pick them up.
  • Pecans: We mix pecans into the batter of these pralines because they give the confection a necessary crunch.
  • Vanilla extract: The vanilla helps deliver the warm flavor profiles in this pecan praline recipe.

Taste of Home

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25 Diabetic-Friendly Christmas Desserts

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Having diabetes can make the holiday season feel more frantic than festive, especially when searching for diabetic Christmas desserts that people actually want to eat. As a dietitian, let me let you in on a little secret: you can enjoy delicious, easy Christmas desserts and treats, even if you’re working hard to manage your blood sugars. While traditional desserts can lead to blood glucose spikes, these diabetic-friendly Christmas treats have all the flavor and fun you need, with a lot less sugar.

From apple desserts to peppermint cookies and eggnog mousse, these blood sugar-friendly sweets are the perfect sweet addition to your diabetic-friendly Christmas recipes. So you don’t have to sacrifice flavor for health, I’ve rounded up the best diabetic Christmas desserts that balance sweetness with nutrition, so you can feel good about your macros while joining in on the holiday fun.

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52 Christmas Candy Recipes for a Sweet Holiday

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Christmastime gives you loads to look forward to: decorating the tree, making snow angels, listening to your favorite holiday songs on repeat and breaking out those once-a-year Christmas candy recipes. While we love gooey cinnamon rolls before opening gifts and Christmas cookies with a mug of hot cocoa, there’s nothing like biting into a rich fudge square or snapping off a piece of crunchy, nutty brittle.

This roundup has festive candy treats for all skill levels, whether you have experience cooking sugar for chewy caramels or want a simpler melt-and-mix style candy. You’ll find the holiday flavors you crave around Christmas, like peppermint, cinnamon, eggnog and chocolate. You can also use this holiday season to iron out common chocolate truffle mistakes or teach yourself to make your favorite copycat candy bars for gifts.

Making these homemade Christmas sweets can be a fun activity to do with your friends and family. Spend time creating and decorating the treats together, and then set out supplies for these creative food gift wrapping ideas to package them into delicious and memorable presents!

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24 Christmas Cheesecake Recipes for the Nice List

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Christmas cheesecake recipes bring together everything that makes holiday dessert baking feel magical: decadently creamy textures, nostalgic flavors and festive twists that will shine on any table. This collection has all that and more, spanning from timeless classics like traditional cheesecake and chocolate swirl to more seasonal specialties like peppermint and bourbon pecan. These festive cheesecake recipes are top-tier in taste and visual appeal, so you can wow your guests all season long.

To make preparation simpler during the busy holiday season, many of these holiday cheesecake recipes provide guidance for make-ahead steps, freezing and long-lasting storage, ensuring each dessert stays creamy and fresh. Adaptations are easy to incorporate: Swap in gluten-free graham crackers or cookies for a gluten-free dessert, use a sugar alternative or change up the toppings to what you have on hand. These ingredient swaps work seamlessly with these recipes, so you can rest assured that you’ll be serving up a sweet slice that works for your family and friends. For a thoughtful finishing touch, try serving your seasonal cheesecake desserts with an espresso, a cup of tea or a festive holiday cocktail.

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34 Best Christmas Pie Recipes for a Sweet Holiday Season

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

On Christmas, after indulging in all the Christmas ham and side dishes that can fit on your plate, there’s always a bit more room for dessert. And while Christmas cookies, cakes and homemade candy tend to get all the glory, there’s nothing better than Christmas dessert pies.

These festive Christmas pie recipes include classics like chocolate cream and cranberry pie, plus new favorites like candy cane and eggnog. There’s plenty of variety, whether you’re choosing between an all-butter crust or a crumb crust, a no-bake ice cream pie or a double-crusted slab pie, or a fruit pie or a custard-filled one.

If you need to make any of these holiday pie recipes dietary-friendly, we have gluten-free pie crust and vegan pie crust recipes to help alter as needed. Of course, serve your hot pies with a scoop of the best vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream, and save salted caramel sauce or hot fudge for the cold pies. Go ahead and set up that second dessert table, you’re going to need it!

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Fried Sweet Potato Pies

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Next time you’re planning a party, hosting a game day or taking dessert to a potluck, make an impression (and some new friends) with fried sweet potato pies. These hand-held, personal pies with a creamy sweet potato filling wrapped in crispy fried pie crust and dusted with confectioners’ sugar are so surprisingly delicious that even the staunchest sweet potato critic will be back for seconds.

If you’re from the southern U.S., you’re probably no stranger to sweet potato pie. A Dixieland staple, sweet potato pie is a decadent dessert popular year-round, but especially around the holidays. It’s so indulgent that it may have first-timers asking, “Wait, this used to be a vegetable?” This portable fried version is packed with all that deliciousness, with no slicing or portioning required. Plus, it can even fit in a pocket.

Ingredients for Fried Sweet Potato Pies

  • Self-rising flour
  • Sugar
  • Shortening
  • Eggs
  • 2% milk

Filling:

  • Mashed sweet potatoes
  • Sugar
  • Egg
  • 2% milk
  • Melted butter
  • All-purpose flour
  • Vanilla extract
  • Oil for frying
  • Confectioners’ sugar (optional)

Taste of Home

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30 Easy Thanksgiving Desserts Everyone Will Enjoy

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Thanksgiving is a holiday all about comforting classics, including a perfectly seasoned roast turkey, creamy mashed potatoes, stuffing and green bean casserole with a crispy onion topping. But when the dishes have been cleared, it’s time to bring out the fall desserts everyone has been waiting for. These easy Thanksgiving desserts take away the need to fuss with intricate latticed pies or layered cakes, but still bring the flavors you expect.

This roundup includes pumpkin, apple and pecan pies, quick puddings, fudge and frozen desserts, including homemade ice cream recipes. Each one has 20 minutes or less of prep time, and then it can be baked and cooled or chilled until it’s time to serve. With plenty of no-bake Thanksgiving desserts and make-ahead choices, it’s easy to set up a dessert spread in no time.

These simple Thanksgiving dessert recipes adapt well to different dietary needs and preferences. Use a prepared gluten-free pie crust or coconut whipped topping instead of whipped cream, so there is something for everyone. Whether you make one dessert or five, these quick Thanksgiving treats deliver all the flavors of fall, with warm spices, tart cranberries, crunchy nuts and juicy apples, while still leaving time to enjoy the company around you.

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45 Apple Desserts for a Cozy Fall Season

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Shifting into autumn promises the return of our coveted fall desserts, and with the season’s prized fruit, apple desserts are the most anticipated. Their versatility is overwhelming, and toting home a bag of apples is giddying—what do you make?

We’ve rounded up our best apple desserts to help you decide. Want something classic? Our best apple pie, sugar-coated apple cider doughnuts and truly German apple strudel are textbook fall desserts. Looking for something a little more modern? That’ll be our caramel apple cheesecake, apple pear cake with cream cheese frosting or multi-layered apple crumb bars. How about something easy? Our apple cake, apple cobbler and apple crisp all have the word easy in their titles.

Our list includes all these recipes and so much more. As always, serve your apple dessert with vanilla ice cream, homemade whipped cream or salted caramel sauce. And if you’re an avid baker, I totally recommend playing around with other types of cinnamon, like Ceylon or Saigon, for more nuanced flavors.

Taste of Home