Vanilla Kipferl

I fell in love with these cookies while spending Christmas in Austria as a missionary. The dough was awkward for me to work with at first, but the result is absolutely worth it!

Also known as Vanillekipferl or Vanilla Crescents.

1 vanilla bean
2/3 cup blanched almonds
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 large pinch of salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter, cut into slivers
2 egg yolks
vanilla sugar (see below) or powdered sugar

Cut open the vanilla bean and scrape out the pith. Grind the amonds very fine. With a large knife, blend together the almonds with the flour sugar, salt, vanilla pith, and butter, using a chopping motion, on a work board. Add the egg yolk and knead to form a dough. Chill, wrapped in plastic. Shape the dough into a roll and cut into 50 equal pieces. Preheat the oven to 375F. Form the pieces into small rolls with pointy tapering ends; bend these into crescents and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake in the center of the oven until light brown, about 12 minutes. Dredge the crescents while still warm in vanilla sugar or powdered sugar. Reapply sugar after they cool (sift over the top inside their storage container).

To make vanilla sugar: Keep caster sugar and a vanilla bean in an air tight jar, after a few weeks the sugar will taste of vanilla.

Apple Streusal Muffins

I found this recipe in a great cookbook I have and decided to try it out. It turned out great and they were a big hit!

2 C all-purpose flour
1 C sugar
1 T baking powder
1-1/4 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
2 large eggs, beaten
1 C dairy sour cream
1/4 C butter, melted
1 C finely diced apples, unpeeled

STREUSEL TOPPING
1/4 C sugar
3 T all-purpose flour
1/4 t cinnamon
2 T butter

In large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda; set aside. In small bowl, beat eggs, sour cream, and butter. Add all at once to dry ingredients along with apples. Stir just until moistened. Fill well-greased muffin tins two-thirds full. Combine topping ingredients (I left the butter soft but not melted); sprinkle on top of muffins. Bake at 400* for 20-25 minutes. (It may just be my oven, but my first batch was severely burned at about 18 minutes. I cut the time down and started checking them around 12 minutes) Yield: 18 muffins.

Chocolate Mousse Parfait

I got this from another one of my favorite blogs to read Emily's Experiments. One of the things I love about her blog, is she doesn't just give you the recipe, she tells you how to make things, like a compote, her culinary education shines through. This recipe looked and sounded so decadent, how could I resist this? I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

Chocolate mousse (you can use a mix, or your favorite recipe)
frozen berries
sugar
cinnamon
vanilla
nuts, toasted (You can toast your own by placing them on a baking sheet and baking at 350 degree for 10 minutes or so.)

Make a berry compote by placing frozen berries, and a sprinkling of sugar and cinnamon (to taste) in a sauce pan. Bring to simmer and let cook until slightly thickened and sugar is dissolved maybe about 10 minutes. Add vanilla and let cool completely. Let chill in the fridge. You can use this compote for so many things-pancakes, toast, scones, with cheesecake, etc.

Layer fresh whipped cream, toasted nuts, chocolate mousse, and berries. It you want to make it pretty and clean, use a pastry bag filled with each component to layer them. Then they go right where you want them to, instead of getting all over the sides of the glasses. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.

Cheese Ball

This is not a picture of my cheese ball, but I love the concept and am going to make mine this way for a holiday party we are attending this month. With a few peppercorns and a baby carrot this cheese ball has some real character. We enjoy this cheese ball recipe below every year over the holidays, it's a tried and true favorite.

Ingredients:

1 Package Philidelphia Cream Cheese

1 Jar Kraft Roca Cheese Spread

1 1/2 Cups Finely Shredded Cheddar Cheese

2 Green Onion Finely Diced

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder

Directions:

Bring cream cheese to room temperature. With mixer combine all ingredients (reserving 1/2 cup grated cheese). Spread remaining cheese on a piece of saran wrap. Form cream cheese mixture into a ball and roll in remaining cheese to form a coating around the ball. Refrigerate for at least an hour, allowing the cheese ball to get firm. Serve with crackers and fresh veggies.

Psychedelic Lollipops

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
2/3 cup corn syrup
2/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
Few drops food coloring (yellow, blue, red)

Directions
On a parchment lined baking tray, lay out lollipop sticks in rows, leaving 2 inches of space between them for fun free-form lollipops.

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a clean, dry, small saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer, bring to a boil over high heat. Without stirring, cook until the mixture reaches 305 degrees F or "hard crack" stage on the candy thermometer. (While the syrup is cooking, occasionally wash down the sides of the pan with a clean brush dipped in water, to prevent crystallization.) Set up an ice bath in a sink.

When the mixture is done, remove the pot from the heat and dip it into the ice bath for 15 seconds to stop the cooking. Remove the pot of syrup from the ice bath and stir in 1/2 teaspoon orange extract. Divide the sugar mixture between 2 heat-safe measuring cups. Color 1 measuring cup with yellow food coloring and the other with blue food coloring, stirring very gently so that the color is evenly distributed. To avoid air bubbles in the finished lollipops, stir the mixture gently in both directions, but be careful not to over mix.

Pour or carefully spoon a little of the syrup around each lollipop stick, creating freeform designs covering at least a 1/4-inch of the end of each lollipop stick. Then add blue coloring to the yellow measuring cup to make green and add red food coloring to the blue measuring cup to make purple, and pour more syrup onto the pops.

Re-warm the syrups in the microwave a few seconds at a time if they are cooling too much and setting up. Cool the lollipops for at least 20 minutes, until hard. Lift off the pan and store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Hershey's Best Brownies

I grew up loving these simple, yet tasty brownies. They are my husband's favorite, so naturally I make them often. I especially love them with frosting. We also usually half the recipe and use a 9x9 pan.

Hershey's Best Brownies

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa or Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
  

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

Melt butter. Stir in sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with spoon after each addition. Add cocoa; beat until well blended. Add flour, baking powder and salt; beat well. Stir in nuts, if desired. Pour batter into pan.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Frost if desired. Cut into bars. About 36 brownies.

Creamy Brownie Frosting

3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
3 tablespoons HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1 tablespoon light corn syrup or honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract1 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Beat butter, cocoa, corn syrup and vanilla in small bowl until blended. Add powdered sugar and milk; beat to spreading consistency. About 1 cup frosting.

Roasted Red Potatoes

I love roasted Red Potatoes, and when I found this recipe on the Olive Gardens website, I knew that I couldn't go wrong, and I wasn't disappointed. Hope you enjoy this simple recipe!

2 lbs red bliss baby potatoes
6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8 garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 450ºF. Wash and dry potatoes. Cut into wedges and place in a large mixing bowl. Toss potatoes in oil, melted butter, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Transfer seasoned potatoes onto sheet tray. Roast for 25-30 minutes. Shake pan occasionally for even roasting. Serve Immediately.

Baked Ham & Cheese Coissants

These are fabulous. A family tradition on my husbands side. Because you bake them they are flaky and have a slight crispness to them that is so die for. You can make them a day or two in advance of your Brunch and they keep for a few days after. These are on the menu at our house Christmas Morning.

1 dozen Croissants
1/2 pound thinly sliced ham
1/2 pound thinly sliced Monterey Jack cheese
1 package Philadelphia cream cheese
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

Purchase your croissants at Costco or Sams Club, the big soft flaky ones. Get a nice honey ham or equivalent type sliced paper thin. Tell them you want to be able to read a newspaper through it. Get Monterey Jack Cheese also sliced thin. Soften your cream cheese to room temperature then mix in a Tablespoon of Dijon Mustard. Taste it to make sure you like the flavor, you can always add more if you love mustard.

Slice the croissants in half. Spread a layer of the cream cheese mixture on both sides of the croissant. Put ham and cheese on the croissant, just enough to cover the croissant. Place on a baking sheet in a 350 oven and bake for 15 mintues until slightly crispy. Eat them warm, right as they come out of the oven. Make sure to make extras, you'll want to warm them up the next day, and the next.

Pumpkin Roll

What would the holidays be without a pumpkin roll, this is another one of my favorite treats for the holidays! Hope you enjoy this delicious treat I know I will!

3 eggs
1 cup white sugar
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
confectioners' sugar for dusting

Filling
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 15x10x1 inch baking pan and line with parchment paper. Grease and flour the paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs on high for five minutes. Gradually add white sugar and pumpkin. Add flour, cinnamon, and baking soda. Spread batter evenly in pan. Sprinkle walnuts evenly on top.
3. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Immediately turn out onto a linen towel dusted with confectioners sugar. Peel off paper and roll cake up in the towel, starting with the short end. Cool.
4. To Make Filling: Mix confectioners sugar, vanilla, butter or margarine, and cream cheese together till smooth.
5. Carefully unroll the cake. Spread filling over cake to within 1 inch of edges. Roll up again. Cover and chill until serving. Dust with additional confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Pecan Pie

My husbands grandma always makes Pecan Pie for Thanksgiving, and I love it! I have always thought it was amazing, so I decided to add an easy recipe for Pecan Pie. There are much harder recipes out there but this one is easy and oh so yummy!

3 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups shelled pecans
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place pie shell in a 9 inch pie pan.
In a medium bowl, gently beat eggs. Stir in sugar and flour, then the syrup, butter and vanilla. Fold in pecans. Pour mixture into pie shell. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes; knife inserted in center of pie should come out clean.