Cakes, Cookies, and Candy: A Christmas Round-Up

December 21, 2012 3 Comments

Earlier tonight I was out in the country celebrating Christmas with my family before heading our separate ways for the holiday. The evening was rich with old traditions of soup and sweet tea, cookies and gifts, and matching pajamas for the little ones. My two and a half year old nieces displayed their excitement by chasing each other around the house and eagerly trying to tear into all the gifts. Meanwhile Eden sat quietly observing and learning the oddities of her family and the richness of the holiday.

My very favorite gift I return home with was this picture, blown up and framed, of my beautiful daughter:

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All I need for Christmas is that smile.

I will be taking the next few days off to enjoy time with my in-laws, but don’t worry I am not leaving you empty handed. I have compiled a Christmas cake, cookie, and candy Round-up for all that last minute baking. I hope you all have a very wonderful Christmas with friends and family and I’ll be back before the end of the year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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Filed Under: sweets, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Eggnog Cheesecake Thumbprints

December 10, 2012 10 Comments

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Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had wonderful and festive weekends.

I spent the weekend continuing my search for the perfect Christmas cookie. I also stayed the night at a beautiful lodge in the Columbia River Gorge with my mom and sisters, enjoying spa treatments and my first night away from Eden. But what’s that compared to a Christmas Cookie?

I’m kidding, of course. It was a fantastic weekend getaway where I hardly thought about baking and blogging at all. Eden, however, I thought about a lot.

But now, back to work. Today I offer my Eggnog Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies. These little cookies pack in so much holiday flavor, they may just become essential for the Christmas season. With hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and eggnog, you could bite into these anytime of year and with your eyes closed you might just believe it’s Christmas time.

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Eggnog Cheesecake Thumbprints

Makes about 30

Spiced Cookie

2 sticks (1 cup) non-hydrogenated vegan buter (I use Earth Balance)
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp applesauce
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger

Eggnog Cheesecake Filling

6 ounces vegan cream cheese (I use Tofutti)
1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup soy nog
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg + more for sprinkling on top

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In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed. Add powdered sugar and spices and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. With mixer running, slowly pour in soy nog. Beat until smooth. Transfer to small bowl and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line to baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Set aside.

Cream together vegan butter and granulated sugar in the electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add applesauce and beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture in three batches, scraping down the sides in between. Mix until all flour is hydrated and the dough is uniform.

Using a level tablespoon, scoop cookies and roll them into balls. Make a teaspoon-sized indentation in the center with your thumb. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and make indentations again. Bake for another 7-9 minutes, until edges turn slightly golden and are firm to the touch. Transfer to wire racks and allow cookies to cool completely.

Fill the center of each cookie with 1 rounded teaspoon of cream cheese filling so that it’s slightly mounded Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cheesecake filling has firmed. Remove from oven, transfer cookies back to wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Store in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Eating in Season, sweets, Winter Tagged With: , , , , ,

Hazelnut Sandies: The Ultimate Christmas Cookie

December 7, 2012 13 Comments

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By now my freezer is starting to get pretty full of crinkle cookies, truffles, brittle, pound cake, and more. Oh Sweet Christmas, it really is a delicious time of year. But a freezer full of cookies would be nothing without at least one batch of these Hazelnut Sandies.

I grew up with these cookies every year. My mom would make a big batch early in December and freeze them so that we could enjoy them slowly throughout the Christmas Season. Mom, I guess it’s time to tell you I snuck a lot of those cookies from the freezers over the years. A lot of chocolate peanut butter fudge too, but we’ll get to that later.

So this year, as an adult with a child, it was my time to make these Hazelnut Sandies and stick them in my freezer for the season. For as Eden’s first Christmas approaches I am excited to begin similar traditions around the holidays. And a Christmas without these buttery, melt-in-your-mouth treats would just be wrong.

And for the sake of tradition I am still sneaking Sandies out of the freezer. What can I say? Christmas Tradition. But these cookies are so incredibly fast and easy to make that if we end up eating all the cookies before Christmas Day, no big deal. I could just toss together another batch.

And that’s what I tell myself as I sneak another one.

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Hazelnut Sandies (aka Mexican Wedding Cookies) 
makes about 3 dozen

1 cup non-hydrogenated vegan butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 cup dry roasted hazelnuts, finely chopped

1 – 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a stand up mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream vegan butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the flour and mix until combined. Mix in the finely chopped hazelnuts. You may need to finish folding the hazelnuts in by hand as some of the nuts get stuck in the bottom of the bowl.

Roll dough in balls about 1 heaping tbsp big.  Place on baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes. Check for doneness by cutting one in half to ensure that it’s cooked all the way through. Transfer cookies onto a wire rack and allow to cool.

Place powdered sugar in a small bowl and toss cookies generously to coat.

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

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What is your all time favorite Christmas Cookie?

I would have to say this one. I love chocolate. I love peanut butter. And all things peppermint. But there is something about this simple cookie that I just absolutely adore.

I think it’s time to go sneak down to that freezer again…

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Filed Under: Eating in Season, sweets, Winter Tagged With: , , , , ,

Sugar-Free Chocolate Pumpkin Fudge

November 23, 2012 12 Comments

Thanksgiving is over. Right now all the stores are switching from Thanksgiving to Christmas decorations overnight and we will wake up with belly’s still full of tofurkey to the celebration of Christmas time. But wait, what about all those Thanksgiving leftovers? I would like to savor this holiday just a few days longer while munching on lentil loaves with mushroom gravy for lunch the next few days.  And if you are anything like me and aren’t quite ready to say goodbye to the pumpkin, I have just the thing for you.

Before I dive into chocolate peppermint bark and salted caramel truffles, I have one last recipe to celebrate the fall harvest: Chocolate Pumpkin Fudge

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Sugar-Free Chocolate Pumpkin Fudge
makes 24

Pumpkin Layer

1 cup pumpkin puree
5 medjool dates, pitted
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp cloves
pinch of salt

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

Chocolate Layer 

1 large banana, very ripe
3 medjool dates, pitted
6 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp coffee, finely ground
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

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Lightly spray a mini muffin pan and set aside.

In a food processor combine all the ingredients for the pumpkin layer other than the coconut oil. Blend until very smooth. With motor running, slowly add coconut oil. Process until combined.

Fill a piping bag or ziplock bag with the pumpkin fudge and pipe it into the mini muffin tins, filling up half way. Place in freezer while mixing the chocolate fudge. 

Prepare choocolate layer in the same way you prepared the pumpkin. Note: the coffee in the recipe does not add a coffee flavor, it just makes the chocolate darker and richer. Pipe the chocolate on top of the chilled pumpkin layer, filling to the top. Return to freezer for 1 hour or until hard.

When ready to remove, run a sharp knife around the edge. Using the knife as a lever, pop the fudge out from the bottom. Let thaw 15-20 minutes before eating. Store in refrigerator for 5 days or freezer for up to a month.

Enjoy!

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I hope everyone had a thankful Thanksgiving! What was the best thing you ate yesterday?

I had a tie. Between my mom’s sweet potatoes with toasted hazelnuts and my chocolate pumpkin mousse cake, I just couldn’t decide.

 

Filed Under: gluten-free desserts, Raw/Mostly Raw, sweets Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Raw Chocolate Orange Truffles

October 30, 2012 7 Comments

With Halloween Eve upon us, my mind is on the candy. Last week, in preparation for this sweet holiday, I shared a Halloween Candy Round-up with some truly amazing candy recipes from around the blogosphere and refurbished my Salted Caramel Corn post from many months ago. But yesterday I was motivated to make a healthy Halloween candy to be enjoyed without risking cavities and stomach aches. These raw truffles are so delicious AND healthy that I feel okay about sharing little bits with Eden as she experiences her first Halloween.

Raw Chocolate Orange Truffles
makes about 24

1 cup pitted dates
1 cup walnuts
up to 2 tbsp water, if necessary
3 tbsp raw cocoa powder (plus more for dusting)
1 tbsp agave nectar
1/2 tsp orange extract
pinch of salt

In a medium bowl soak dates and walnuts for at least 30 minutes.  Drain and transfer to a food processor. Blend until mostly smooth. Depending on the strength of your food processor/blender, you may need to add water at this point to blend fully. Add slowly and do not exceed 2 tbsp.

Add remaining ingredients and blend again until well combined. Transfer to a small bowl, cover, and place in refrigerator for 1 hour until truffle “dough” has hardened enough to mold.

Roll into rounded teaspoons. Toss in extra cocoa powder and return to refrigerator to harden for at least 1 hour.

Store in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Happy Halloween everyone! What are your sweet and scary plans?

Filed Under: gluten-free desserts, sweets Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Chewy Molasses Cookies

October 8, 2012 18 Comments

Chewy molasses cookies…need I say more?

Well if you really want to know, here’s the truth: I made a whole batch of these and Jason and I ate them all. In one sitting. Moderation and discipline disappeared once we bit into these chewy, sweet, and spicy pieces of pure joy. And the stomach ache was well worth it.

Oh, the risks I face as a food blogger.

So when you make these, beware. They are highly addictive. You may find yourself licking the remnants off the baking sheet, searching for your self-control.

Chewy Molasses Cookies
makes about a dozen
*this recipe was inspired by Martha Stewart’s Molasses Spice Cookies  

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) vegan butter (I use Earth Balance)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp molasses

1/4 cup sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a small bowl combine flour, baking soda and powder, spices, and salt. In a separate bowl or stand up mixer beat vegan butter and and sugar until light and fluffy. Add oil and molasses and mix to combine. In several batches add the dry ingredients until a dough begins to form. Don’t overmix.

Place rolling sugar in a small bowl. Pinch off about 1 tbsp of dough and roll into a ball. Coat with sugar. Repeat with remaining dough. Place on baking sheet about two inches apart and bake for 10-13 minutes until the edges begin to firm. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack and allow to cookies to cool completely.

Enjoy!
(I dare you to save some for tomorrow)

Keep your eye on The Sweet Life this week because in honor of my 6-month blogoversary (that’s right, I’m turning 1/2 year old) I am having a very exciting giveaway. 

Filed Under: sweets, sweets, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,
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