DANIELLE AT HOME

Snacks

Peppermint Chocolate Cookies

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Week three in my Christmas cookie series has arrived! If you missed the last two weeks find those posts here, and here.

This weeks cookie is so so delicious. These cookies are so delicious and rich, there are the perfect chocolate cookie for your Christmas spread. I actually have to make a few more batches of these since we can’t stop eating them!

I love the combination of a chewy brownie like double chocolate cookie, cooling peppermint and rich white chocolate. It truly is perfection. These are also great warmed up and eaten with a fork like a warm brownie. YUM!

Now when it comes to decorating these cookies with white chocolate the world is your oyster. Light drizzle, heavy drizzle. Half dunk, full dunk. Go ahead and do whatever you love. Just remember to work fast so your crushed candy canes will stick! Also did you know you can buy crushed candy canes? I found that out shortly after making this recipe and am so annoyed I wasn’t informed earlier. Crushing candy canes is such a pain. Oh well I guess I can buy pre crushed for next year!

Make sure to come back next week for the final Christmas cookie in this series…. I can’t believe we’re already there!

Peppermint Chocolate Cookies

Yields: 24 cookies 

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 1/2 Cup White Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract 
  • 1 Teaspoon Peppermint Extract
  • 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda 
  • 1/8 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips
  • 8 Ounces White Chocolate
  • 3 Candy Canes, crushed

Directions:

Using your stand mixer beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the sugars and beat on medium high speed until fluffy and combined. Mix in the egg, vanilla and peppermint on high speed. 

In a medium bowl whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together until combined. On low speed add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined. Beat in the chocolate chips. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight. 

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out dough and roll into balls. Place on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. Then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Melt the white chocolate in the microwave, string in 30 second intervals. Drizzle or dip each cooled cookie in the white chocolate. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Repeat for all the cookies. Place in the refrigerator to set completely.

Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction.

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Sugar Cookie Snowflakes
Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Sugar Cookie Snowflakes

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It’s week two in my Christmas Cookie series, to see last weeks click here.

Sugar cookies like shortbread are a controversial cookie. People either love them or hate them. Personally I’ve always been a fan. But I know a lot of people only like them for the icing. This recipe for sugar cookies is perfect. What makes them so good is that they are thick and soft. These cookies also have white chocolate icing. Personally I don’t enjoy royal icing and buying meringue powder annoys me. I hate having to go to specialty stores for ingredients. And buying something that will go bad before I need to use it again.

These cookies are topped with pure tempered white chocolate, sprinkles and a sugar pearl.  And I’ll let you in on a secret I decorated them in about 5 minutes using a Ziploc bag! Yep easy peasy. I don’t even own a pipping bag. I feel like I’ve broke some blogger rule by admitting that but lets get real I’m not a cake decorator so I don’t need one.

Of course today I’m sharing snowflakes with you but you could absolutely use you favourite cookie cutter and make whatever shape you love. You can also follow the same tempering method used for the white chocolate icing with milk or dark chocolate. If you want colour you could dye the white chocolate with gel food colouring (water based will cause you chocolate to separate), or even candy melts if thats your thing. The chocolate world really is your oyster! The chocolate will harden if you allow them an hour or so to set up. I like to make my cookies in advance and pop them in the freezer to store until Christmas. It’s not necessary but it will absolutely make sure that chocolate is super firm.

I really hope you enjoy these cookies, sugar cookies have always been my favourite!

Sugar Cookie Snowflakes

Yields: 18-24 cookies depending on the size of your cookies

Ingredients:

Cookies:

  • 2 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
  • 3/4 Cup Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 3/4 Cup White Sugar
  • 1 Egg
  • 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Icing:

  • 6 ounces White Bakers Chocolate, chopped
  • Optional: sprinkles, sanding sugar and sugar pearls

In a medium bowl whisk flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer cream softened butter until pale and fluffy. Add sugar and beat until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla to the bowl. Beat on high until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients on low speed until just combined.

Divide the dough in half, form dough into two disks Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for at least an hour.

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

Roll out you first disk of dough the 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Using a snowflake cookie cutter cut your dough into shapes. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Re roll the remaining dough until it is all used. Repeat with the second disk.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until they are set and the edges are just starting to brown. My oven has hot spots so I rotate my cookies half way through to prevent over browning. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to fully cool.

Melt 4 ounces of chopped chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals. Once completely melted stir in the remaining 2 ounces of chopped chocolate to melt. Pour chocolate into a Ziploc bag. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before snipping on corner of the bag to act as a pipping bag. Decorate your cookies with the pipped white icing in the designs of your choosing. Finish your cookies with sanding sugar and sugar pearls if desired.

Cookies recipes adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction, icing recipe from Danielle at Home.

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Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

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Happy December 1st! It is officially the Christmas season and that means this blog is going to be full of lots of holiday content and bonus posts from now until Christmas. Technically I kicked off the schedule a little early by coming out with 4 posts this week, and that will be continuing until Christmas. So in addition to my regularly schedules 2 recipes per week you will also see gift guides and edible gift posts on Wednesdays and a brand new Christmas cookie series on Saturdays. Yes that’s right weekend posts!

So every Saturday until Christmas you will see a new Christmas cookie recipe hit the blog! I am so excited about this cookie series as you have already been told I love cookies they are my favourite dessert, so this post is near and dear to my heart. Also Christmas cookies and Christmas baking in general brings me so much nostalgia and happiness. My mom has never been a big Christmas baker, but both my Grandma’s were. So baking at Christmas makes me think of making minced meat tarts with my mom’s mom and sitting at the kitchen table scarfing down cherry shortbread with my Dad’s mom.

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Today’s recipe is one I have made many variations of over the years. These are a thick and chewy oatmeal cookie jammed packed with dried cranberries and white chocolate chips. I would love to say that this batch of cookies is still in my freezer waiting to be pulled out for Christmas, but these are long gone and are probably the most beloved Christmas cookie that I make. This weekend I’ll be making a double batch and immediately putting them into the freezer…. hopefully this batch makes it until Christmas (finger crossed!).

I love this recipe because it’s so easy… I love a drop cookie. They are my preferred type of cookie because I simple am busy (and LAZY!). I’d much rather scoop and bake then roll out dough and cut out shapes. So many Christmas cookies are cut outs and it’s nice to have a few Christmas cookies that are quick and easy! Also the flavours of cranberry and white chocolate scream Christmas to me. I think these are a great cookie to include on your cookie tray!

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Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Yields: 36 cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 3 cups Rolled Oats
  • 1 cup Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 1 cup Brown Sugar
  • 1/4 cup White Sugar
  • 2 Eggs
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
  • 1/2 cup White Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Whisk flour, baking soda and salt together, set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer cream butter on high until pale yellow and fluffy. Add sugars and cream on medium speed to combine. Add vanilla and mix until combined. Add the flour mixture and the oats to the bowl mix on low until just combined.

Add cranberries and white chocolate mixing on low speed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chip in the fridge for  3 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll out dough into balls and place 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. The centres will look slightly under baked (that’s what makes then chewy!). Allow to cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction.

 

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Salted Caramel Cookies

Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake

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Today we are talking all things Christmas morning breakfast. Growing up my Christmas mornings were very different then most kids. We would travel to visit my Dad’s family for Christmas Eve. And then on Christmas morning we would wake up in my Grandma’s house and would drive home to our house. We wouldn’t get home to open our presents until 2pm! That’s right my Christmas morning was more like a Christmas afternoon. I still have yet to wake up in my own bed on Christmas Day. Yes we still travel on Christmas Day. When my husband and I started dating he claimed he would never travel on Christmas, but here he is with 4 travelling Christmas’ under his belt (he skipped the first year).

Christmas morning is a big deal for my husband’s family. His whole family goes to his parents house to open presents and eat brunch. Now when I say whole family I mean aunts, uncles, grandparents… the works. There is no Christmas dinner on the 25th, his family saves that for boxing day. So Christmas morning is the big event. Finding a way for me to still visit my family while make it home in time for his families brunch has been tricky we have managed to make it work. It means a very early morning for us and a long drive after a late night with my family. But this year is the last year we will be going away at Christmas… I’m sad about it, but I know it’s time for us to make new traditions now that we are our own little family of two.

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Since I’ve done my fair share of travelling at Christmas I know a thing or two about making things in advance and travelling with food. So today I am sharing the perfect treat for Christmas morning that can be made well in advance. It would also be a great hostess gift. Cranberry orange Coffee Cake. I’m actually planing to make this for my in-laws Christmas brunch this year. My plan is to bake the cake far in advance and give it to my mother-in-law a few days before Christmas. It can defrost while were out of town for Christmas Eve.

I think that this cake would be perfect to put out with some coffee and hot chocolate on Christmas morning. Every one can nibble at it while they open presents. I know it’s how I’d like to start my morning.

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Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake

Serves: 16

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

  • 4 Eggs
  • 1 Cup Vegetable oil
  • 1/2 Cup Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
  • Zest and Juice of 1 Orange
  • 1/2 Cup Water
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1 2/3 Cups All Purpose Flour
  • 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 Cups Fresh or Frozen Cranberries

For the Crumb Topping:

  • 1/2 Cup Flour
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 2 Tablespoons Sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1/4 Cup Butter, melted
  • 1/3 Cup Pecans, chopped

For the Glaze:

  • 1 Cup Confectioners Sugar
  • 4 Tablespoons Milk (adjust for consistency)
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Directions:

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a springform pan (or a high sided cake pan), set aside.

In a large bowl whisk to combine eggs, oil, sugar, orange zest and juice, water and vanilla. Set aside. In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir dry ingredients into wet until just combined. Fold in cranberries. Pour batter into prepared cake pan.

Topping:

In a small bowl whisk flour, baking soda, salt, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter and whisk with a fork until a crumb forms. Add chopped pecans. Sprinkle crumb topping into cake, gently pressing the topping into the batter.

Bake the cake for 50-75 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool for 20-30 minutes.

Glaze:

In a small bowl whisk together confectioner sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and milk. Glaze should be thick but pourable. Drizzle glaze over the cake. Allow to set for a few minutes before serving.

Adapted from Entertaining with Beth.

Baked Brie Braid – 2 Ways!

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It’s officially the holiday season, so you know what that means. Lots of holiday entertaining! Today I’ll be sharing a super quick and easy appetizer idea for your next party.

Baked Brie Braids are the perfect way to impress your guests without a lot of effort. It looks fancier then your standard cheese wheel, but it really doesn’t take much effort. I’ll admit it’s barely a recipe.

The two flavours of Bakes Brie Braids I’m sharing today are a classic fig jam and a savoury sun-dried tomato pesto. This couldn’t be easier since all you have to do is assemble and bake… like I said barely a recipe.

Even though it’s crazy easy it’s also crazy delicious and is a really show stopper at any party! Put it alongside some roasted cashews and you’re ready for cocktails!

Baked Brie Braid – 2 Ways

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients:

  • 2 Sheets Puff Pastry
  • 6-8 Slices of Brie Cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons Fig Jam
  • 2 Tablespoons Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
  • 1 Egg, beaten
  • Optional: Pine Nuts or Walnuts for garnish 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 °F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Gently mark your puff pasty with a knife to section off the pastry into thirds vertically. Do not cut through the pastry.

Spread fig jam down the center of the puff pastry. Top with 3-4 slices of brie. Using a small knife cut the outer sections of the puff pastry into 1 inch strips. Fold the strips into the centre to cover the cheese and jam, alternating sides to form a braid. Brush the braid with egg wash.

Repeat the steps with the sun-dried tomato pesto.

Place the two braids on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and top with nuts if desired. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Adapted from Entertaining With Beth.

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Warm Sweet & Salty Cashews

Warm Sweet & Salty Rosemary Cashews

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Ok guys the holidays are coming! As I write this we are less then 7 weeks away from Christmas! That’s so crazy! Coming over the next 7 weeks will be lots of Christmas and Thanksgiving recipes. Canadian Thanksgiving may be over, but I know American Thanksgiving is right around the corner and there is some great sides a desserts coming for all my American friends. I also have some bonus posts coming up and even a new series coming in December! The next 7 weeks are going to be jam packed with Holiday content!

Today I’m kicking off my holiday content with a perfect holiday appetizer. These Warm Sweet and Salty Rosemary Cashews are so simple, but make a big impact. I’m all about impressing guests with as little effort as possible. The Holidays are so busy we really don’t need any fussy appetizers. With all the food that gets served on Thanksgiving and Christmas I like to keep things pretty simple. I also love that these can be made in advance and just warmed for a few minutes in the oven on the day of your party!

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This recipe can be customized to your tastes. Don’t like cashews? Swap in some almonds. Hate the taste of rosemary? Throw a little chili powder in with the butter, sugar and honey mixture. You can really make it your own. I think I may even make a trio of nuts for my next party to go along with a super simple cheese board. How delicious would that be? The possibilities really are endless. Also the possibilities are really delicious and addicting… just saying!

I hope this helps jump start your holiday menu planning!

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Warm Sweet & Salty Rosemary Cashews

Yields: 8 Servings

  • 1 Pound Raw Unsalted Cashews
  • 2 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
  • 1 Tablespoon Honey
  • 2 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
  • 2 Tablespoon Fresh Rosemary, finely minced
  • Flakey Sea Salt, to taste

Directions:

Preheat the over to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

In a saucepan melt butter, honey and brown sugar over medium-low heat. Once combined remove from heat. Add cashews and stir to coat.

Transfer cashews to the lined baking sheet and spread out into an even layer.Bake cashews for 10 minutes tossing the cashews half way through the cooking time.

Remove from the oven. Add chopped rosemary and sprinkle with sea salt. Toss to combine. Allow to cool for 5 minute before transferring to a serving dish.

Store in an airtight container for up to a week. To re warm the cashews bake in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes.

Adapted from Entertaining with Beth.