melted snowman cookies

 

oh my gosh, how cute are these snowman cookies?! i like to call them the "this is fine" snowman cookies as they slowly melt away. this recipe is beyond easy to make & is actually a cake base instead of a cookie base. what do i mean? well, besides biting into a delicious light & fluffy "cookie", it also means you don't have to roll anything out. so step aside sugar cookies, there is a new holiday cookie in town this season!

it features bob's red mill's all purpose flour, which is a high quality base to ALL your holiday baking creations! for the snowman face you can use your favourite candies & colours, but just a quick note that for the nose i cut peach gummies into little triangle shapes. like building a real snowman, get as creative as you'd like!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 cups bob's red mill all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • white royal icing, for decorating
  • white coarse sparkling sugar, for decorating
  • 24 candy eyes
  • 12 orange gummies, for decorating
  • 12 chocolate peanut butter cups, halved
  • 72 red or green sprinkles, for decorating

directions

  • in a large mixing bowl whisk together the butter, sugar, eggs & vanilla.
  • sift in the flour, baking powder & salt. slowly stir together as you add the milk. continue stirring until a smooth batter is formed.
  • refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the batter to firm up. preheat oven to 350(f) degrees. line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • using a small ice cream scoop for evenly sized cookies, scoop 10 to 12 rounds onto each cookie sheet. bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are golden. let cool before decorating.
  • when ready to decorate add a spoonful of royal icing & let it slowly drip down the edges to form the "melted" snow look. sprinkle generously with sparkling sugar.
  • finish with one chocolate hat, two candy eyes, one gummy nose & three sprinkle buttons. allow royal icing to harden & enjoy!

spanish antipasto skewers

 

it really isn't a holiday party without SOME type of antipasto, am i right? this is a simplified hand held twist on a traditional antipasto platter. perfect for a holiday cocktail or new years eve party, plus they can be made a day in advance & seasoned just before serving. always a bonus.

my spanish inspired version features spanish cured meats (use your favourites), cubes of manchego cheese & european olives. i like to use a mix of manzanilla olives (a classic) + hojiblanca olives for both the colour & flavour variation. you can also never have too many olives. 1 out of every 2 olives eaten in canada is spanish, so this recipe pays homeage to canadians favourite olives & the versatility they bring to any dish!

ingredients

  • 16 manzanilla olives
  • 16 dark hojiblanca olives
  • 16 cherry tomatoes
  • 16 slices of serrano ham, thinly sliced
  • 16 slices of salchichón, thinly sliced
  • 16 cubes of manchego cheese
  • fresh basil
  • salt & pepper, for serving
  • extra virgin olive oil, for serving

directions

  • thread items onto 6-inch wooden skewers alternating colours & ingredients. i like to start & end with olives.
  • cover & refrigerate until ready to serve (ideally within 24 hours). just before serving sprinkle with salt, pepper & a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

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salted pretzel walnut tart

 

pretzels in a dessert? hell yes! this recipe was inspired by last seasons dark chocolate + pecan pie (a thanksgiving & christmas staple) & then became something entirely different! good different though, always. it features a tart shell base made with bob's red mill's all-purpose flour & shortening for extreme flakiness.

this recipe yields two 6-inch tarts (as pictured here) OR one standard 9-inch tart. instead of pecans i used toasted walnut halves which gives the tart a whole new flavour, mini salted pretzels & a big splash of coffee liqueur! you should know by now how much i favour a sweet & salty dessert. this tart is an amazing make ahead dessert too as it stays fresh longer than cookies or cake (a must during the busiest hosting season).

note: my biggest tip is to make sure you don't overbake it! remove it from the oven when the edges are firm but the center has a little jiggle. you don't want to overbake this filling as the texture will be off.

happy start to the holiday season! get out those flour covered aprons & make this salted pretzel walnut tart :)

ingredients

for the dough

  • 1 1/2 cups bob’s red mill all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 cup shortening, cold
  • 2 tablespoons ice water
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

for the filling

  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup light or golden corn syrup
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 1/2 cups walnut halves, lightly toasted
  • 3/4 cup mini pretzels
  • smoked flaked salt, garnish
  • vanilla ice cream, for serving

directions

for the dough

  • in a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, sugar & salt. add the shortening & work into the flour until a crumbly mixed is formed. add the water & shape into a disc. cover in plastic wrap & let chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.
  • roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick. if using two 6-inch tart shells, divide dough into two before rolling out. if using one 9-inch tart shell, roll dough out as one. transfer to a tart shell with a removeable bottom & shape to form crust. chill until ready to use.

for the filling

  • preheat oven to 350(f) degrees. chill prepared tart shells.
  • in a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, coffee liqueur, vanilla & salt until well blended. gently fold in the walnuts & pecans.
  • transfer mixture to prepared tart shell(s) & bake for 30ish minutes (6-inch) to 45 minutes (9-inch), until the edges have set & the center has a slight jiggle.
  • let cool to room temperature & refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. slice & serve with vanilla ice cream!