Food Mamma

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Christmas

candy cane bark and the sweet holiday blog hop

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Today I’m teaming up with some amazing Calgary bloggers for a Sweet Holiday Blog Hop. We are all sharing something sweet for the holiday season.

This has been shared before but this candy cane bark is definitely worth mentioning again. The two layers of chocolate topped with crushed candy canes is always a hit. It’s super easy to make and is definitely a fan favourite. Click here for the recipe.

Are you ready for some more tasty treats? Follow along on our blog hop! Simply click on each of the links below and check out everyone’s delicious creations. Have fun and pin away!

Bakers Beans (Orange Gingerbread Cookies)
Because I Like Chocolate (Vegan Nanaimo Bars)
Dinner with Julie (Sticky Toffee Pudding)
Dish N The Kitchen (Salted Pistachio Sablés)
Heather’s Eats (Butter Tarts)
Merry About Town (Nutella, Pretzel and Cranberry No-Bake Cookies)
Miss Foodie’s Gourmet Adventures (Hazelnut Shortbread)
Scrumptiously Fit Food (Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies)

christmas crack

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Last year, one of the favourites found in my Christmas baking boxes was Christmas Crack. I was intrigued when I saw it on Julie’s blog and once I made it, I knew I was in trouble. Who knew that crackers with butter, sugar and chocolate could make something so amazing….and addictive!

I did a little holiday baking today for neighbours and friends and whipped up a batch of these. If you have a little self control and don’t eat them all, these are perfect for gifting.

For step by step instructions with pictures, check out Dinner with Julie.

Christmas Crack
From Dinner with Julie 

1 1/2 sleeves salted saltine crackers
1 1/4 cups butter
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips  

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment, foil or a silicone mat to prevent clean-up after (and to make it easier to get the crack out); line with saltine crackers, placing them right together.  

In a medium saucepan, bring the butter and brown sugar to a boil over medium-high heat. Let it bubble for 3 minutes, then remove from the heat and pour it evenly over the crackers. Spread it with a knife to fill any gaps. 

Place in the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until deep golden.  

Remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes and then scatter chocolate chips overtop while the caramel is still hot. Let sit for a few minutes, then spread with a knife until smooth. 

Cool completely before breaking into pieces.

cookies for the holidays!

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It’s December! That means it’s time to get baking for all those cookie exchanges, holiday parties and homemade gifts for family and friends. Here’s a round up of some cookies perfect for the occasion!

Cherry Jam Palmiers
One of the easiest cookies to make, these palmiers are fast with only a handful of ingredients.

 

Peppercorn Shorbread
An odd combination, but these buttery peppery cookies are delicious!

Hazelnut Nutella Cookies
Soft and chunky, these are the perfect cookies to leave for the big man!

Lavender Shortbread
A little bit of lavender goes a long way in these buttery morsels.

Mint Chocolate Cookies
Mint and chocolate are a match made in heaven. These cookies are soft and rich and pair perfectly with a glass of cold milk.

Chocolate and Almond Whipped Shortbread
These are one of my favourites and always a fun one for the kids to decorate. They are whipped for ten minutes and are buttery and delicious!

Heart Sugar Cookies
Made with love, the glaze on these babies is so delicious!

Chocolate Dipped Walnut Shortbread
The humble shortbread is elevated by the addition of walnuts and dipped in chocolate.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Everyone is happy for a classic at a cookie exchange. These chocolate chip cookies are decadent and delicious.

sticky toffee pudding cake

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I’m excited to be participating once again in The Great Cream Challenge! This month, we were asked to come up with a Holiday Classic Dessert. I decided to go with the Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake. The rich date cake is soaked with a sweet and buttery toffee sauce and topped with cool whipped cream. So good, it is a hit with both adults and kids!

To get the recipe, click here. While you’re there, I would love your vote! You will be entered to win a stainless-steel cookware set! Thanks for your support.

pecan butter tarts

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With Christmas just a few weeks away, I can’t help but to think of all the baking that’s in store. Butter tarts, while perfect for any occasion, are always more prevalent during this festive season.

A while back, there was a discussion about whether butter tarts should be filled with raisins and nuts or not. My favourite kind of tarts are filled with raisins and pecans.

The raisins have to be the dark plump variety. The yellow Sultana ones don’t have a place in these tarts. The filling is ooey gooey and and the pecans add the perfect contrast. I do cheat and use store bought unbaked tart shells. With this shortcut, these tarts are ready in less than 30 minutes! Makes it a little too easy to satisfy a craving.

Pecan Butter Tarts

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg
2 TB milk
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup dark raisins
3/4 cup pecans
12 – 15 unbaked tart shells

Combine the butter, sugar, egg, milk and vanilla until well combined. Add the raisins and pecans and mix well. Fill the tart shells with the mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the shells are golden. Enjoy!

mint chocolate cookies

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I am excited to participate in this year’s Food Blogger Cookie Swap. What a fun way to bring together food bloggers from around the world!  You’ll see a post on December 12th as to what I made, and sent to three fellow bloggers.  There was some testing along the way and this is one test that was pretty tasty.

Chocolate and mint just go so well together, so when I saw this recipe on Foodess, I knew I had to try it.  The cookies turned out so good!  The only reason I didn’t use them for the cookie swap was that they were on the soft side and I didn’t think they would be great for shipping.

These cookies were so yummy!  They were soft and quite rich, so they paired perfectly with a cold glass of milk. The taste combination is perfect for those wanting to do some Christmas baking. They are definitely on my list of things to make this year.

Mint Chocolate Cookies
From Foodess

1 cup butter, softened
1¾ cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp peppermint extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Beat in eggs and peppermint extract. Gradually add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt and beat until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Form dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Flatten balls slightly. 

Bake cookies until edges begin to firm but center still appears soft, about 9 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks and cool completely.

cherry jam palmiers

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One of the easiest cookies to make with minimal ingredients is a palmier.  I decided to change up my usual 2-ingredient version by adding some jam.  I had made some cherry jam over the summer and thought it would go great with the crisp layers of puff pastry.  The sweet jam added so much flavour and the resulting cookies were quite addictive.  I made the mistake of only using one puff pastry sheet, meaning not many left over to share!

Cherry Jam Palmiers

1 roll of puff pastry
3 TB jam of your choice
Sugar

Unroll one sheet of puff pastry. Spread the jam evenly on the pastry.  If making mini palmiers, cut the sheet in half.  Roll the pastry from the horizontal ends into the middle. Refrigerate for 10 minutes and then cut the roll into pieces.  Sprinkle each piece with sugar and place on parchment paper.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.

christmas…and candy cane bark

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It was a wonderful Christmas.  My sister who had been stuck in Europe because of all the flight cancellations finally made it here with her fiance.  Although time with them will be short, we are so lucky to be spending the next few days with them. 

Around here, a fave of ours during the holidays is candy cane bark.  With two layers of chocolate topped with crunchy candy canes, it’s a winning combination. 

Hope everyone’s Christmas was as sweet as ours!

Candy Cane Bark

1 cup dark chocolate
1 cup white chocolate
5 candy canes, crushed

Melt the dark chocolate and spread a layer on parchment placed on a cookie sheet.  Refrigerate until cooled.  Melt the white chocolate and place on top of the dark chocolate.  While still warm, sprinkle with crushed candy canes.  Once hardened, break into pieces.

sinful chocolate squares

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When we were younger, my sister and I loved it when my mom made desserts with condensed milk.  We couldn’t wait to get our share of the sweet liquid.  Sometimes we would open up a can and eat it like pudding.  One of my favorite things to do with condensed milk is to make these squares.  Very similar to Eagle Brand’s Magic Cookie Bars, these are even more sinful with a chocolate crust.

Sinful Chocolate Squares

1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
1/2 cup margarine, melted
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk (plus a little more for licking!)
1 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup almonds

Combine the crumbs and margarine and and press into the bottom of an 8″ x 8″ dish.  Pour the condensed milk over the crumbs followed by the chocolate, coconut and almonds.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

whipped shortbread

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Baking continues with one of my favorites, whipped shortbread cookies. I’ve been making this recipe for years and can’t remember where it comes from.  It’s a simple recipe with only 3 ingredients!  Whipping the dough for 10 minutes makes it light and fluffy and the buttery cookies just melt in your mouth.  These cookies went fast and I know we’ll be making a couple more batches before the year is done.

Whipped Shortbread

1 cup butter
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 1/2 cup flour

Cream the butter and icing sugar together.  Add the flour and beat for 10 minutes.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.  Makes 3 dozen small cookies.