gingerbread caramel milkshakes

this milkshake is everything. it is loaded with gingerbread flavour! a gingerbread milkshake drizzled with gingerbread caramel sauce & topped with the cutest gingerbread man cookie. because i wanted to get SUPER festive with this milkshake, i used eggnog instead of milk. but don't worry, you don't have to get as holiday crazy as me. if eggnog isn't your jam, just substitue it for whole milk! i like my milkshakes thick, so this recipe will yield just that. if you prefer them a little more liquidy, add an extra splash of egg nog (errr milk). the most important part here is to include the homemade gingerbread caramel sauce! to get the gingerbread flavour into the vanilla ice cream base, i baked fresh gingerbread cookies (see recipe here) and blended them into the shake. the vitamix is amazing & really blends up that cookie so the drink is silky smooth! use the left over cookies to put on anything you can think of over the holidays. i am going to fill little mason jars full & hand them out to the neighbourhood as a little edible gift. maybe a jar of gingerbread caramel too.

ingredients

for the milkshake

• 6 scoops vanilla bean ice cream
• 3/4 cup egg nog (substitue equal parts whole milk)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons gingerbread caramel, plus more for drizzling
• 1/2 cup gingerbread men, roughly chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• whipped cream, for topping

for the gingerbread caramel

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 tablespoon molasses
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 pinch sea salt

directions

• for the milkshake: in the vitamix add the ice cream, egg nog, vanilla, caramel, gingerbread cookies, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. blend until smooth.drizzle gingerbread caramel sauce inside desired serving glass. transfer milkshake to glass. top with whipped cream & additional caramel sauce. garnish with an additional cookie if desired.

• for the gingerbread caramel sauce: in a saucepot over medium heat add the sugar and water. bring to a boil while wiping down the crystals that form on the sides of the pan using a pastry brush (do not stir, i repeat, do NOT stir). continue to boil until the mixture turns to a deep amber colour, approximately 5 minutes. be sure not to burn the caramel! it will go from a deep amber to burnt sugar VERY quickly. remove from heat and immediately whisk in the cream, butter, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg & salt.

this post was created in partnership with vitamix! xo

winter spiced mulled wine

you may not love winter as much as i do, but i think we can all agree mulled wine on a cold winter night is pretty much the best thing ever. it is easy to make & quick to heat up! i like a little apple cider in my mulled wine because it adds a natural sweetness, plus i also love mulled cider so this is the best of both worlds. this recipe features vitamix's winter spice mix. the winter spice mix is a blend of freshly ground holiday flavours like cinnamon, ginger, oranges & cloves. it works for both sweet and savoury recipes. a little change i made to the vitamix recipe was to eliminate the salt in the mix itself. this allows me to add the salt as i go because not all dishes requrie the same amount of salt. mulled wine aside, the spice mix makes for a nice edible gift to give over the holiday season.

cheers to the first snow fall! xo

ingredients

winter spice mix

• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 2 tablespoons crystalized ginger
• ¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon pink peppercorns
• 1½ teaspoon whole cloves
• ½ cup (50 g) dried orange peel
• ½ cup (110 g) brown sugar, packed

mulled wine

• 3 cups red wine
• 2 cups pure apple cider
• 2 tablespoons winter spice mix
• 1 orange, thinly sliced
• cinnamon sticks, for garnish

directions

• winter spice mix: place all ingredients into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid. select variable 1. start the machine, slowly and increase it to the highest speed. blend for 60 seconds or until desired consistency is reached.

• mulled wine: place the wine and cider in a large pot over medium heat. add the two tablespoons of winter spice mix in a tea strainer. place this in the pot and add the orange slices. simmer for ten minutes. pour into mugs & garnish with cinnamon stick.

matcha gingerbread men cookies

every holiday season i make christmas sugar cookies & gingerbread men. it is a tradition that started many years ago with my family. this year i wanted to do something a little different with my usual gingerbread recipe: matcha. the ginger works so well with aiya's matcha powder. i absolutely loved how these turned out.

i like to make both little & big gingerbread men cookies. the little guys are perfect for snacking on, similar to ginger snaps. the big guys are the ones i attempt (key word: attempt) to frost with royal icing. while my piping skills have gotten a little better over the years, i still need to work on my royal icing! please send ALL the advice. wait till you see my gingerbread house craftsman ship.. haha

anyways, get the recipe below for matcha gingerbread men cookies! the not so classic christmas cookie recipe to bring to your next cookie exchange!

xo

ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup raw honey
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 tablespoon aiya's cooking grade matcha powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• royal icing, for decorating

directions

• in the bowl of a standmixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter & brown sugar.
• add honey, egg, vanilla & matcha powder. beat until ingredients are well blended.
• in a separate mixing bowl sift baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt & flour.
• add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. beat until the dough comes together.
• turn out onto a floured surface & shape into a disk. wrap in plastic wrap & refrigerate for two hours or overnight.
• roll out dough to approximately a 1/4 inch thick. cut into desired size gingerbread men.
• bake at 350 degrees until the gingerbread begin to puff & the edges very slightly brown. let cool before frosting.
• frost as desired with royal icing. desired using a ziplock bag or frosting tip!

this post was created in partnership with aiya matcha! thank you for supporting the brands that support this blog. xo