Holidays 2015: Peppermint Bark

Alright! I am back for my last holiday post of the year! And probably my last post of 2015! I figured since it's so close to Christmas, I'd post something really simple with just a few ingredients. I hope everyone loves peppermint and candy canes as much as I do. I know my husband doesn't, but he doesn't count. ;)

I will get straight to it, I have cookies in the oven, so I'll keep this short and sweet!

Try it out and let me know what you think :)


____Peppermint Bark____

2 cups semi sweet chocolate
2 cups white chocolate
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
2 tbsp of crisco (or butter), seperated into 1 tbsp and 1 tbsp
4-6 crushed candy canes

In a microwave safe bowl, melt semi sweet chocolate in microwave for 30 seconds, then 15 second intervals until almost smooth. Then, add 1 tbsp of crisco (or butter) and stir until incorporated. If needed, microwave another 10 to 15 seconds, making sure not to burn the chocolate.

On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, pour the chocolate out, and spread into an even layer. Remember not to leave it too thick, because once it's set, we will be adding a second kind of chocolate over the top.

Allow the chocolate to set in the refridgerator for 20 minutes.

Once the 20 minutes have passed, begin melting the white chocolate just like the other chocolate. Add the crisco/butter, stir until smooth. Once the white chocolate is fully melted and completely smooth, add peppermint extract. I only added 1/2 tsp to mine, but if you would like your bark to have a stronger peppermint taste, feel free to add as much as your tastebuds can handle! Stir in 1/4 of the crushed candy canes.

Then pour the white chocolate out over the semi-sweet chocolate that has already set. Spread it evenly over the top.

(Some areas of my chocolate were not as set as I thought they were, which is why there was a bit of streaking throughout my chocolate, but no worries, it was still perfectly tasty!) Once the white chocolate is evenly spread, sprinkle the remaining candy cane bits over the top, and allow to set in the refridgerator for atleast 20 mintues.

Once the bark is completely set, use your hands, or the back of a spoon to break the bark into chunks to serve and or eat! YUMM-O! so so good!

Holidays 2015: Soft Gingerbread Cookies

I am a huge fan of anything gingery or cinnamon flavored. So these cookies were totally for me. I don't particularly care for the crunchy cracker like gingerbread cookies, so I used a recipe that claimed to make softer cookies. They definitely did! These cookies were so soft and tasty, everyone loved them!!

I didn't write this recipe myself, or even change anything about it. The cookie recipe from Blossomtostem.net is what I used, I just didn't use her glaze recipe, since I wanted to decorate these with Bennett.

I still (at the time we made the cookies) didn't have a memory card for the camera, so, again, bare with me. I used my phone again for the pictures, but if you follow the link below, she uses a much more detailed approach, with much better pictures!!

http://www.blossomtostem.net/2014/12/16/soft-gingerbread-cookies


----Soft Gingerbread Cookies----
(courtesy of blossomtostem.net)

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-processed is fine)
4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup molasses (not blackstrap)
2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Make the dough a day ahead of time, and chill in the fridge. 

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl, and set aside. 

Add the butter to your mixing bowl, and beat on medium speed for about one minute. With the mixer on medium, slowly add the sugar and mix until smooth, pale, and fluffy. Add the egg and mix until incorporated. Add the molasses and corn syrup and beat on medium speed until well combined. Be sure to scrape down the sides of your bowl.

Add the dry ingredients in three seperate batches, and mix until all the dry bits are incorporated.

The dough will be very soft. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap, dump your dough out, and form a big round/rectangular disc, about 1.5 inches thick. Wrap it tightly and securely, and place in the fridge until it's time to make cookies!

About 20 minutes before you want to bake the cookies, remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to soften about 15 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350F.

Once it's soft enough to roll out, roll your dough out on a clean, floured surface. I rolled mine out to about a 1/3 inch thick, then I placed my cut outs on parchment lined baking trays. (continue to ball up and roll out left over dough until it's all used!) Bake for 7-15 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies.

I baked mine for 10 mintues and they were soft and perfect!

Allow cookies to fully cool before you decide to decorate. (To poke holes for faces/buttons, I used the blunt end of a wooden skewer before I baked the cookies!)

For my icing, I mixed pasturized egg whites, with a splash of vanilla, and lots of powdered sugar. No measurments, just until the consistency was thick enough to pipe out of a baggie, BUT not so thin that it would run off the cookie. I used food coloring to color the icing. I ran out of red, so I used pink ;)

** Above, I showed you how I outline, and fill in my cookies! I just used a toothpick to drag the icing around and fill in all the little spaces, then I sprinkled little pearl sprinkles over the top before the icing set, so it would stick! **

Decorate and ENJOY! The cookie icing takes about 10 mins to fully dry, then they are ready to eat! :)

The BEST scratch brownie recipe! (decorated as Christmas trees)

These posts are just too fun! Although it's a bit stressful to bake with Bennett as my little helper, it's getting easier the older he gets. He likes measuring out ingredients, and mixing things together. He ALWAYS has to be sitting up on the counter so he can look into the bowl of the mixer while its on. He is so funny! He has the biggest personality for a 2 year old.

This recipe is by far my favorite brownie recipe I've been able to find! I've been searching for one for almost 3 years and I found this one a couple months ago. I've made these 5 times in the last 2 months, and that says a lot for me, with the pregnancy and being so exhausted.

My FAVORITE way to eat these, is waiting about 5 mins after they come out of the oven, cutting a big ol' brownie out of the pan, and topping it with vanilla ice cream. SO SO SO GOOD Y'ALL! I'm obsessed with these! You don't HAVE to decorate these like trees... OBVIOUSLY, but i figured this was a fun way to turn a simple recipe into something more Christmas-y :)

I hope yall atleast try the brownie recipe, if not the decorating as well... because these babies are the BOMB.COM! haha ;)


---- The BEST brownies, Ever!----

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use dark chocolate, but you don't have to!)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
*can totally add 1/2 cup chopped nuts, if you'd like!

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Spray 9x9 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In mixing bowl, mix together oil, sugar, and vanilla until well combined. Add eggs, combine.

Add dry ingredients, mix on medium speed for a minute. Scrape down sides of the mixer, and turn back on for an additional 15-20 seconds, until well combined.

Pour batter into pan, and bake for 20-25 minutes. I like my brownies still a bit soft in the middle, and I find that 21 minutes is perfect for that! (For the christmas tree brownies, I baked for 24 minutes so they would be easier to handle)

Once they're done, let them fully cool before cutting into them!

Decorating

I made a standard buttercream recipe, split it into 3 bowls, and colored them with food coloring. I didn't have red, so I used pink. I put the buttercream into small sandwich bags, and cut off a tiny tip. I also had sprinkles, cinnamon candies, and small candy pearls to decorate these with. It was so fun! Bennett had a blast and it didn't hurt that they were super tasty ;)

Holidays 2015: Marshmallow Corn Flake Wreaths

I'm back! I have been so antsy and excited to get posts up ever since my last one. I love that my family and friends always tag me in the cutest holiday baking ideas. So many cute ideas, so little time!

So Bennett and I made a trip to the grocery store this morning to grab a box of corn flakes and some cinnamon candies for the 'berries' on the wreaths. He was so excited to help, as you will see in the pictures.

I have always loved these little treats, they remind me of my aunt Mandi. I remember sitting in my grandma's kitchen making these with her for Christmas when I was younger. Good memories! I've truly always loved cooking/baking, so I'm glad that Bennett loves to help me and likes to see what I'm up to when I'm in the kitchen.

We listened to Christmas songs on Pandora while we made these, and it was just so fun!

Well, I'll keep it short and sweet since this recipe is just that, short and sweet! Enjoy!

(((I TOTALLY apologize in advance for using my phone to take the pictures for this post, my memory card in my camera is full and I haven't had a chance to get a new card!)))

----Marshmallow Corn Flake Wreaths----
Makes 10-12 wreath treats

4 1/2 cups corn flakes
6 tbsp butter
4 cups marshmallows
green food coloring
candies to decorate * optional
--------------------------------------

Melt butter in a pan on medium heat.

Measure out your cornflakes into a large mixing bowl. I sprayed my bowl with cooking spray, to get as little marshmallow sticking to the sides as possible.

Add your marshmallows into the melted butter, and put in as much green food coloring in as you'd like. I added a bit more than what I show in the picture, because it was still too pale green for me!

Mix the butter and marshmallow mixture around until all the tiny lumps are melted away. Pour over the corn flakes and mix really well until all the cornflakes are evenly coated.

*Wait a few minutes for the hot marshmallow mixture to cool before handling*

On a pan, or just some parchment paper, make wreath shapes with the cornflakes. I just put down a mound of the corn flakes then used my fingers to spread a hole in the center. *If you're worried about how sticky this is, I would spray your hands with some cooking spray, it will make it easier to handle the cornflakes*

Once you have made all your wreaths, decorate them as you wish. That's all! we only made 10 wreaths, because my little helper was helping himself to some snacks along the way ;) hehe

Let the wreaths cool before you attemp to eat them, otherwise they will be a melty gooey mess! :)