Archives for December 2009

Easy Peasy Cheesy New Year’s Appetizer

December 31, 2009 By Anne Simpson

I am pretty sure my family is not the only one whose New Year’s Eve repast consists mostly of hors doeuvres and finger foods. When you’re staying up until midnight to usher in the New Year, you need to snack on something, right? And it’s better (or so one thinks) to nibble here and there all night long than to fill yourself up on a big meal and then nibble some more on top of that.

My offering for the New Year’s nibbling-fest is neither exciting nor new: it is a simple humble cheese ball. I have admired and enjoyed others’ cheese balls through the years, but I never attempted one myself until I brought one to a Christmas party a couple weeks ago. Since it was more or less a success, and I still had 2 packages of cream cheese in the refrigerator, I decided to make another for my contribution to the New Years’ selection of appetizers.

The vast majority of cheese balls (or logs, if you prefer) are rolled in nuts, but since I was out of nuts and my DH can’t eat them anyway, I had to scratch my brain for a few minutes to come up with an alternative: seasoned bread crumbs! It’s so simple, but it’s so delicious; in fact, I think I prefer the bread crumbs to chopped nuts, because they blend in better both in texture and in taste. Unfortunately, removing the nuts also removes some of the health value of this appetizer, but one must make trade-offs somewhere, especially when it comes to diets limited for health reasons.

There are at least a million varieties of cheese ball recipes (as you will discover if you google cheese ball recipe), but almost all of them have one thing in common: they’re based on 2 8oz bricks of softened cream cheese. As long as you have those items and a few seasonings and spices in your cupboard, you are good to go. I sort of made mine up as I went a long, and here’s what I ended up with:

Easy Peasy Cheesy Ball
2 8oz bricks cream cheese, softened
2 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Place all ingredients, except the bread crumbs, in a medium bowl and stir together until well blended (if the cream cheese is soft enough, you can do this with a wooden spoon). Spoon the mixture onto a large sheet of wax paper:

Use the wax paper to help you shape it into a ball:

Pour the bread crumbs onto the other end of the wax paper:

Roll the cheese ball in the bread crumbs until it is completely covered and no cheese is showing through. You can also continue shaping as you go so that you have a nice round ball. The bread crumbs will help you shape it up firmly.

This is what it should look like:

Refrigerate for a couple hours or until ready to serve. Serve with crackers, crudites, squares of toast, pita bread triangles, etc.

This is a very QUICK recipe, perfect for a busy or even a lazy day. It does need to chill for an hour or two, but the actual mixing and shaping takes very little time.

It is certainly EASY, no doubt about that! You don’t even have to pull out the mixer for this one.

CHEAP depends on how much you pay for the cream cheese and the crackers (or whatever you serve with it). I never pay more than $1.00 for cream cheese: I watch for it to go on sale and I use coupons. I often buy the store brand, which works just as well as the famous Kraft Philadelphia kind. As for crackers, I usually never buy them, but this time around, I pretty much got them for free: my grocery store was having a special midweek sale where certain crackers were only $0.99. On top of that, I had a $1.00 coupon, so I ended up paying nothing for them! Using bread crumbs instead of nuts also greatly reduces the cost.

HEALTHY is relative… Many recipes I saw for cheese balls called for products like processed cheese food (why they tack food on the end of that I don’t know - a misnomer if there ever was one!), or powdered dressing mixes, both of which I consider to be very UNhealthy. I purposely made mine without those ingredients, so it’s healthier in that sense. I also didn’t add any Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce, which would greatly increase the amount of sodium. On the other hand, I don’t think that cream cheese is the healthiest dairy product available, being one of the more processed cheeses. And as I mentioned before, removing the nuts removes a lot of nutritional value: healthy fat, protein and fiber, to name a few. I did use homemade bread crumbs from homemade bread, so at least they’re healthy bread crumbs! To sum up, it is a slightly healthier version of less-than-healthy appetizer. I am hoping someone else brings a vegetable tray I can load up on to make the difference!

More appetizing appetizers at:

Check out Life as Mom for more New Year’s Munchies ideas!

Find more dips at Katherine Martinelli.

2 Comments Filed Under: Celebrations, On The Table, Snacks Tagged With: New Years Eve

The Twelve Treats of Christmas: Recap

December 26, 2009 By Anne Simpson

I hope you’ve enjoyed the Twelve Treats of Christmas series. I know I enjoyed baking up a storm and blogging about it! Just for reference, here’s a list of links to each entry in the series:

1. Sugar Spiced Pecans
2. Milk Chocolate Nut Bark
3. Cinnamon Logs
4. Simmering Cider Stars
5. Cinnamon Pinwheels
6. Holiday BonBons
7. English Toffee
8. Ginger-Pecan Snowballs
9. Church Windows
10. Chocolate Buche de Noel
11. Gingerbread Bears
12. Eggnog Latte

Not enough for you? Check out these additional treat ideas at my other blog, When Food is Dangerous.

Chocolate Peppermint Fudge

Chocolate Snowballs

Find more Christmas gift treat recipes at:

4 Comments Filed Under: Celebrations, Dessert, Home, On The Table

The Twelve Treats of Christmas: Eggnog Latte

December 24, 2009 By Anne Simpson

Last but not least… I’m sure you’re either too busy to think about baking anymore, or too wrapped up in Christmas dinner plans, or maybe you’re actually just relaxing and enjoying the holiday. Perhaps, like me, you’re rushing off to a Christmas Eve service. In any case, here’s a really easy, really simple treat to enjoy on Christmas Day with a late breakfast (after all the presents are open, of course!).

Eggnog Latte
2/3 cup strong brewed coffee
dash of cinnamon
dash of freshly grated nutmeg
1/4-1/3 cup eggnog (to your taste)
1/4 cup whipped cream

Brew your coffee grinds together with the cinnamon and nutmeg. In a microwave-safe mug (a Christmas one, naturally), heat the eggnog for about 30 seconds on High in the microwave. Pour the coffee into the eggnog and stir. Top with whipped cream and another dash of cinnamon.

Almost as QUICK as pouring a cup of coffee!

Nearly as EASY.

CHEAP if you have eggnog on hand (or have homemade). Eggnog is on the expensive side to buy just for this… but I confess: that’s the only reason I buy eggnog anyway!

Fairly HEALTHY, depending on what ingredients are in your eggnog. High fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated fats, not so much. All natural ingredients? You’re good to go!

Have a VERY MERRY (quick, easy, cheap and healthy) CHRISTMAS!

1 Comment Filed Under: Beverages, Celebrations, On The Table Tagged With: Christmas, coffee

The Twelve Treats of Christmas: Gingerbread Bears

December 23, 2009 By Anne Simpson

I brought these little cuties to the annual Christmas Cookie Exchange hosted by the ladies group at my church. They are so much fun to make and even more fun to eat! They are also very versatile. I usually decorate them simply with currants: the tiny currants are so cute, and they don’t compete with the flavor of the cookie itself, which is delicious. I have used chocolate chips before, which is how my DH likes them. I’ve never frosted them, but they certainly can be frosted. You can use your imagination to decorate them however and with whatever you wish! Obviously, you don’t even need to make bears with the dough, but I started using bears years ago, and now I can’t do it any other way. They’re just too cute!
Gingerbread Bears
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins or currants, optional

Cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Stir in molasses and egg yolk. Whisk dry ingredients together (excluding raisins/currants) and blend into molasses mixture until smooth. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350F. On lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4″ thickness. Cut with teddy bear or gingerbread man shaped cookie cutters. Push raisins or currants into dough for the eyes and buttons. Bake 8-10 minutes on ungreased cookie sheets, or until firm. Remove from pan to cool on wire rack.

It’s not real QUICK, because you really have to refrigerate the dough for a good hour before rolling it out, otherwise it will be too sticky. Even at that, it’s occasionally on the sticky side. Also, there’s all the rolling and cutting, and decorating that take up some time.

For the same reasons, it’s not exactly EASY, either.

Whether or not it is CHEAP depends on if you keep molasses and the various spices on hand or not. They are not expensive in and of themselves, but if you have to buy them just for this recipe, then it’s not exactly cheap. I usually try to keep molasses on hand, even though I only use it for a few random recipes on a rare occasion, and I always have those spices, so for me it’s not a problem. I did buy the currants specifically for this recipe, but they are actually cheaper than raisins and they last a long time, so it’s money well spent!

I actually made something semi-HEALTHY for Christmas, whaddyaknow?! Molasses is a relatively healthy sweetener, and there’s very little sugar in this recipe. And did you see the whole wheat in the ingredients list? And of course, decorating with currants instead of frosting is a very healthy choice. Yes, a Christmas cookie you don’t have to be ashamed of!

1 Comment Filed Under: Celebrations, Dessert, On The Table Tagged With: Christmas, cookies

The Twelve Treats of Christmas: Chocolate Buche de Noel

December 22, 2009 By Anne Simpson

Every now and then, I like to pull out all the stops and make a really elegant, really delicious, really impressive dessert. What better time than Christmas? Last year, I made this traditional Christmas cake for the first time, and while it was complicated, time-consuming, and expensive, it was worth every bit. We had guests over this past Sunday, which was the perfect excuse for me to take the time and effort to bake this gorgeous cake again.

Not only is it a beauty, it tastes so good. The cake itself is light and airy, the filling is creamy, and the frosting just melts in your mouth. The main flavor is chocolate, but there are also hints of orange. If you’re having guests for Christmas dinner, that would be the perfect opportunity to create this Buche de Noel.

The original recipe was in the December 2008 edition of All You magazine, and you can find it here. I didn’t really change anything, so I will leave the recipe at that, but here is a pictoral guide to go along with the directions:

The recipe calls for sifting together the cocoa and flour, which means you need to measure first and then sift. (If the recipe had called for 1/2 cup sifted flour, you would have to measure after sifting. Just in case you were ever confused about the whole sifting thing, like I used to be.)
Beat the egg whites until they’re fluffy, like this:

Then, add the sugar and beat them until they’re stiff and glossy, like this:

First, fold in just a portion of the egg whites with the beaten egg yolk mixture. Be very gentle, so as not to destroy all the hard work of beating those egg whites!

Gently fold in remaining ingredients, being very careful not to overmix. You’ll have a nice fluffy, light brown batter:

The recipe suggests using parchment paper on the baking sheet, but if you don’t have it, you can use wax paper instead. It’s very important, though, to grease both the pan and the surface of the wax paper liberally so the cake will not stick.

While the cake is baking, prep an old towel (you won’t be able to use it once we’re done with it here, so make sure it’s not a dear and near one) by sifting cocoa liberally all over it:

When the cake is finished baking, flip it over onto the powdered towel, and carefully (very carefully) remove the parchment paper or waxed paper backing. Starting on the long side of the towel, roll the cake and the towel up together. This step is important because it allows the cake to cool in a spiral position so it will maintain that position when you assemble the cake. Also, using a towel allows it to breathe so moisture does not collect and make it damp and gummy.

After letting the cake set for a while, remove the towel, and spread the filling all over the surface of the cake. Roll it back up (this time without the towel!) and place seam-side down on your serving platter. You may want to slide some pieces of wax paper under the edges of the cake so you don’t mess up your platter (I forgot to do that this time, and I regretted it.).

Cut about 3 inches off each end of the log and attach it to opposite of the log with some of the filling:

Here’s a close-up:

Cover the whole log with the frosting. Use a fork to create the look of bark:

On the ends, use a circular motion with the fork to imitate the rings:

This is what it should look like, more or less:

Keep it in the refrigerator, but be sure to remove it at least an hour before serving. I like to sprinkle mine with powdered sugar to resemble a dusting of snow.

This recipe is not QUICK.

This recipe is not EASY.

This recipes is not CHEAP.

This recipe is not HEALTHY.

Just so we’re all clear on that.

2 Comments Filed Under: Celebrations, Dessert, On The Table Tagged With: cake, Christmas

The Twelve Treats of Christmas: Church Windows

December 20, 2009 By Anne Simpson

We made these every year at Christmas when I was growing up, but I’ve met very few people who know what they are, let alone have made or eaten them before. On the other hand, I’ve seen the recipe floating around the internet, so I know we aren’t the only ones to have made them. Just one of the few, I guess.

It’s actually kind of surprising to me that this recipe is not more common than it is, because it’s so simple, but it’s so yummy: it kind of tastes like marshmallow fudge. Yum, right? And in spite of its simplicity, the colored marshmallows make it look so pretty and difficult to make. I guess that may be one reason why more people haven’t discovered it: colored miniature marshmallows can be difficult to find. Not all grocery stores carry them, except sometimes as a special baking ingredient this time of year. I happened to come across them at the Walmart Supercenter when I was doing my Christmas baking shopping: I don’t know if they carry them year round or only at Christmas, but I was happy to have discovered them!

I think once you have tried these, you will be hooked! I know for sure, if you have kids, they will love them. Gooey, chocolatey and marshmallow-y - what’s not to love?

Church Windows
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp almond extract
2 beaten eggs
2 cups powdered sugar
1 packaged colored miniature marshmallows
1 cup finely chopped nuts or coconut

Melt the chocolate chips and butter, with the almond extract, over medium heat, stirring all the while. Add the beaten eggs and powdered sugar and stir until thoroughly combined. Remove from heat and add the marshmallows.

Lay 2 sheets of wax paper on the counter (or in a cookie sheet) and cover each with the finely chopped nuts or coconut:

Spoon half the chocolate mixture on top of each:

Shape gently with your hands into a log shape (it cools quickly, so you should be able to touch it safely):

Use the wax paper to help you cover the log with the chopped nuts:

This is what the logs should look like:

Wrap the logs up tightly in the wax paper and then in a layer of foil. Freeze until firm. Once they’re firm enough, slice to serve:

These can be stored in the freezer or in the refrigerator. Unless I’m serving these to guests, I just keep the entire log, unsliced, in the freezer, and slice off a piece when I feel like having some. I think it stays fresher for longer that way. (although you don’t really have to worry about that: they don’t stick around for long!)

If you prefer, you can certainly make them without the nuts or coconut. I always make half the batch nut-free/coconut-free for my DH because he can’t have either one of those. Just pile the fudgy mixture onto the wax paper and shape into a log and proceed as before.

This is a super QUICK recipe, and yet it looks like it takes a lot of time and effort. I love recipes like that!

It’s very EASY, too, although sometimes I have to admit the mixture is too much on the sticky side and can be difficult to shape. Usually, though, it’s a piece of cake to make.

Using up an entire bag of chocolate chips, plus the hard-to-find bag of colored marshmallows doesn’t exactly allow it to fit in the CHEAP category. Hence, I usually make it only at Christmastime! It does make a lot, though.

HEALTHY? Not… exactly…. Yikes. I don’t seem to have many healthy Christmas treats, do I?

This post is part of the Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life As Mom. Check it out for lots more Christmas food traditions.

5 Comments Filed Under: Celebrations, Dessert, On The Table Tagged With: candy, Christmas

The Twelve Treats of Christmas: Ginger-Pecan Snowballs

December 19, 2009 By Anne Simpson

Since that was the view from my balcony this morning, I thought perhaps today would be the appropriate time to mention another treat of Christmas: Ginger-Pecan Snowballs. No snow is involved, though, so even if you don’t live in a winter wonderland, you can still enjoy these delicious little cookies.

They remind me a lot of my dad’s favorite Christmas cookie, Crescent Cookies, which we made every year growing up. My dad didn’t (and doesn’t) eat a lot of cookies, but this was one he really enjoyed, so we always made sure it was part of the Christmas cookie collection. This version is slightly different, with confectioner’s sugar, rather than regular sugar, in the batter itself. It’s also made contemporary with the addition of crystallized ginger, a popular item among foodies these days. A little extra flavor and bite is added with the blend of spices in the dough. I bet my dad wouldn’t be impressed with the changes, but I personally liked these snowballs more than the traditional crescents. I was never a huge fan of those, being rather dry for my taste, but with the extra kick provided by the ginger and spices, the flavor is delicious, and I love how the cookies just melt in your mouth.

I was not the creative one who changed up the recipe, by the way. I found it in my Cooking Club magazine (which I was suckered into!), and it is supposed to be on the website, but I couldn’t get the link to work. So here is how I made them, with just a few small changes:

Updated Crescent Cookies, aka, Ginger-Pecan Snowballs
2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 2/3 cup powdered sugar, divided
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

Whisk flour, spices and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Cream butter, and at low speed, add in 2/3 cup of powdered sugar. Beat until smooth; add vanilla. Beat in flour mixture just until blended, then stir in pecans and ginger. Cover and chill for about 30 minutes.
Roll dough into 1″ balls and place on lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375F for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are golden brown on the bottom and slightly firm to the touch. Place on a wire rack, and while cookies are still warm, roll in the remaining powdered sugar. Finish cooling the cookies on the wire rack, and then roll in the powdered sugar one more time.

I thought I would be smart and chop the nuts and ginger in my food processor. The nuts did fine, but the ginger… not so much! Maybe I have a dumb food processor, but I’m guessing the best way to go about chopping the ginger is, unfortunately, to do it the old fashioned way with a sharp knife and a cutting board.

I would say this recipe takes approximately 2 hours from start to finish, so you can decide if that’s QUICK enough for you. I don’t normally like to make cookies that require refrigeration time, but at Christmas, I don’t mind as much. I guess I’m more in a baking mood then!

It’s not as EASY as a drop cookie recipe, since you have to shape the cookies and then roll them (twice!) in the powdered sugar, but it doesn’t have any tricky parts like the English Toffee did.

With the addition of the crystallized ginger, it’s not as CHEAP as your basic cookie recipe. I personally don’t keep crystallized ginger on hand as a staple, so I have to purposely buy it when I find a recipe that calls for it. I’ve found two fairly inexpensive ways to purchase it: Trader Joe’s dried fruit and nuts are very inexpensive, and the package of ginger they sell will last for several batches (at least) of this recipe. The Thai Kitchen brand occasionally has coupons, and if your store doubles (or occasionally triples) coupons, their little box of crystallized ginger is free or very close to it.

Pecans are HEALTHY. Ginger is HEALTHY. Spices are HEALTHY. Butter is HEALTHY. Powdered sugar? White flour? Ummm, sorry, no. Not healthy. Oh well, it’s Christmas time!

1 Comment Filed Under: Celebrations, Dessert, On The Table Tagged With: Christmas, cookies

The Twelve Treats of Christmas: English Toffee

December 17, 2009 By Anne Simpson

This is a family recipe, at least in the sense that my grandmother made it often and had perfected it to… well, perfection, something her grandchildren have yet to achieve. I’ve made it quite a few times as an adult, maybe once or twice to my satisfaction, but never as good as Grandma’s.

But don’t let that scare you off: just like brownies, even if it’s not quite as good as Grandma’s, it’s still good! You can google English toffee and find a million variations of the same recipe, and several pages with step by step instructions and pictures (even one for engineers!). The recipe, though, is pretty basic, and not that difficult.

I’ve actually halved my grandma’s recipe, just because I hate using a whole pound of butter in one fell swoop like that. Also, it might possibly be easier to work with, at least I’ve found that to be true for me.

Grandma’s English Toffee
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 TBSP water
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts

Prepare a cookie sheet by covering it with parchment or wax paper. Set aside.

Just melted butter and sugar. Keep stirring.

Then it will start to bubble a little, and then more and then more. Keep stirring. It will start to thicken with big heavy bubbles. Keep stirring:

Then it will get very heavy and thick with slow fat bubbles. You’re looking for a slightly deeper shade of brown (but not too much, because then it’s burnt!). It’s hard to tell the color in the picture, but here’s what the mixture will look like (approximately):

Now it’s ready. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour into prepared pan, spreading until you have a nice smooth layer (it won’t go all the way to the edges because this is half the recipe). See the nice deep shade of brown?

While it’s still hot, sprinkle the chocolate chips (my grandmother always used 3 Hershey’s bars, actually) on the surface and allow them to melt for a few minutes.

Once they’ve melted, spread them around until you have a smooth chocolate layer:

Sprinkle the chopped nuts onto the chocolate, pressing them in slightly so they stay. I’ve left a portion of my toffee without nuts because my DH can’t have them, so if you can’t have/don’t want nuts, feel free to leave them off like I did:

Allow the toffee to set and the chocolate to harden, then peel off the wax or parchment paper and break into pieces. Store in refrigerator. (Nothing bad will happen to it at room temperature, but it’s better for the chocolate to be in the fridge.)

That’s it! All done!

Grandma’s English Toffee
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 TBSP water
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts

Prepare a cookie sheet by covering it with parchment or wax paper. Set aside.

Place butter, sugar and water in heavy saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly. Once the butter is melted and mixture is blended, continue stirring constantly, watching carefully. It will get very heavy and thick with slow fat bubbles. You’re looking for a deeper shade of brown (but not too much, because then it’s burnt!). Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour into prepared pan, spreading until you have a nice smooth layer (it won’t go all the way to the edges because this is half the recipe). While it’s still hot, sprinkle the chocolate chips on the surface and allow them to melt for a few minutes. Once they’ve melted, spread them around until you have a smooth chocolate layer. Sprinkle the chopped nuts onto the chocolate, pressing them in slightly so they stay. Allow the toffee to set and the chocolate to harden, then peel off the wax or parchment paper and break into pieces. Store in refrigerator.

When all is said and done, it’s definitely a QUICK recipe. It does need to set and the chocolate takes a little time to harden up again, but other than that, it’s about 15 minutes or so.

EASY is definitely debatable. A candy thermometer would take the guesswork out of the timing, because all you have to do is get the butter-sugar mixture to 300F. For some reason, I’ve never invested in a candy thermometer, even though they’re inexpensive and I’ve always wanted one. However, it is possible to make this candy without the thermometer because to my knowledge, no one in my family has ever made it with a thermometer.

Since I’ve halved the recipe, it’s CHEAP-er than it used to be! I feel like I’m getting more out of it when I use half the ingredients but the same size pan. The toffee layer is obviously not as thick as in the original recipe, but personally, I don’t mind that. Less sugar, you know!

Should we just skip the last one? Here, let’s just say it real quick and fast and quiet:
It’s not healthy.

Whew. OK. Done with that. Moving on!

Don’t they look delicious? They are! Try them yourself and see!

Find more family Christmas favorites at:

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The Twelve Treats of Christmas: Holiday BonBons

December 16, 2009 By Anne Simpson

This one’s an oldie but goodie, pulled from the archives of the family cookbook, and my memory. Holiday BonBons were one of the Christmas cookies we made every year growing up, although we made them a little differently then. For one thing, we often used maraschino cherries (definitely still an option if you happen to like maraschino cherries… and all that red food coloring!). We would also often dye the frosting red and green, which was very festive, but also full of … food coloring (I’m sensing a theme here).

To be honest, the food coloring isn’t what keeps me from making these cookies the same way now. I just like the simple elegance of the white frosting, and the subtle flavor of the spices. Also, I love chocolate, but you already know that.

Food-Coloring-Free Holiday BonBons
1 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1 TBSP grated orange peel
2 1/2 cups flour
1 bag of Hershey’s kisses, unwrapped (or 1 jar of maraschino cherries, each cherry cut in half)
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Frosting:
2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP eggnog
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar

Cream butter and add sugar. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Add flour and orange peel and mix. Your dough will be pretty stiff:

Pinch off a small portion of dough and roll it into a ball:

Press the Hershey’s kiss, point down, into the ball of dough:

Wrap the remaining dough around the bottom of the Hershey’s kiss:

Roll the dough again back into the ball shape:

Place the balls of dough 1.5 inches apart on greased baking sheets and bake 10-12 minutes or until the bottoms are golden. Just like the Cinnamon Pinwheels, the tops will probably not look quite done, but if the bottoms are golden, they are done.

Cool the cookies on a wire rack. Frost the cookies when they are completely cooled. Sprinkle the tops with freshly grated nutmeg.

To make the frosting, beat together all the ingredients until smooth. If you want you can even add a few drops of food coloring!

Besides switching the kisses for maraschino cherries, you can also make some other changes. I don’t always have orange peel on hand, but I do have a jar of powdered lemon peel that I use in a pinch. It adds the touch of citrus flavor this recipe needs. Obviously, you can substitute any citrus peel you have for a similar effect. Also, you can substitute plain milk or cream for the eggnog in the frosting recipe, which is in fact what the original recipe calls for. Or, in keeping with the citrus idea, you could use orange juice.

Not the QUICKest recipe in my repertoire, that’s for sure. The dough is nice and stiff so it doesn’t need to be chilled, which does make it quicker than other similar recipes.

There is a lot of rolling and shaping and frosting, so I guess EASY wouldn’t be the best way to describe it! However, the dough is very reliable, so anyone can easily make it.

The dough is CHEAP, but the Hershey’s kisses are not. I was reminded why I never buy Hershey’s candy (or other packaged candy): that stuff’s expensive! It does go on sale, though, and coupons are available, so you can get it cheaper than the regular price.

HEALTHY? Not exactly. The dough doesn’t have a lot of sugar, but that is made up for in the frosting, not to mention the chocolate. Remember to eat them in small quantities!

2 Comments Filed Under: Celebrations, Dessert, On The Table Tagged With: Christmas, cookies

The Twelve Treats of Christmas: Cinnamon Pinwheels

December 15, 2009 By Anne Simpson

For the past few years, I’ve enjoyed making Chocolate Pinwheels at Christmas time, and I haven’t played with the recipe much (shocking, I know!). This year, however, I wanted to try something different, so instead of Chocolate Pinwheels, I made Cinnamon Pinwheels. It was something of a gamble: I wasn’t sure exactly how much cinnamon to add. I wanted enough to change the color of the dough significantly, but I didn’t want so much as to be overpowering. I think I did it on the first try: I was pleased on both accounts. The final effect is essentially the cookie version of a cinnamon bun.

I use turbinado sugar in a lot of my baking, but if you don’t have it, you may want to invest in it for this recipe. Because the crystals don’t blend in quite as much as refined sugar, it adds an extra crunch and visual interest that goes perfectly with the cinnamon bun idea.

No-Longer-Chocolate Pinwheels
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup turbinado
2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP cinnamon
1 TBSP of milk

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together; set aside. Cream butter; add in sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Beat in egg. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture and stir well. Remove one half of dough from mixer and set aside. Add cinnamon to remaining half and mix until well blended. On waxed paper or a silicone mat, roll out each half of dough to a 12×10 rectangle. Brush the white dough with milk (you probably wont’ need the entire tablespoon; that’s OK). Place the cinnamon layer on top, and roll them up together like a jelly roll. Chill thoroughly, about 30 minutes or so. Slice thinly and bake 8-10 minutes at 375F.

Eight minutes was pretty much the most the cookies needed to bake in my oven. Your oven may be different, but a definite indication they’re done is if the bottom is turning golden. The tops will still look soft and slightly under-cooked, which will result in a perfectly baked cookie: slightly soft and chewy, but not hard and crispy. On the other hand, if you like crispy cookies, bake them for another minute or so.

This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies.

For a rolled/shaped cookie, this is pretty QUICK, mostly because it doesn’t need to refrigerate long, and you’re only rolling out once. Okay, twice. And once it’s rolled up, all you have to do is slice. Also, the baking time is minimal.

When it comes to EASY, it’s probably middle-of-the-road. Sometimes the dough can be sticky, which makes it difficult to roll. And it’s not exactly as easy as dropping cookie dough onto a sheet.

For Christmas cookies, it’s pretty CHEAP because it only uses basic baking staples you probably already have in your cupboard. And the minimal amounts of the ingredients combine to make quite a few cookies, so it’s a pretty frugal recipe over all. (Hint: great for gifts!)

And when compared to other Christmas cookies, they’re actually not too bad on the HEALTHY scale either. Yes, there’s sugar and white flour, so they’re definitely still an indulgence, but they’re not as bad as some. (There’s a reason we only make these kind of indulgences once a year!)