Winter Wonderland Cake

When most people think about Christmas desserts, they probably think of cookies. And while there are some amazing cookie recipes out there, I like to get creative for our Christmas desserts. This year, I wanted to do something peppermint-based, and this little vanilla peppermint cake turned out very well.

I found several recipes for pine tree/winter wonderland cakes online, but decided to make my own from recipes I’ve previously baked. To make the pine trees, I melted some vanilla candy coating (rather than using candy melts, as I don’t really like the way they taste) and tinted them green with candy coloring.  It’s important to use candy coloring, which is oil-based and available at cake shops, rather than liquid or gel-based food coloring. Oil-based coloring will blend into your melted coating very well, while liquid or gel-based coloring will make the coating clumpy.

Ingredients

Candy Pine Trees

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces vanilla candy coating*
  • Green candy coloring
  • 10 lollipop sticks
  • Nonpareils

*I use CandiQuik vanilla candy coating, available at Target.

Preparation

Line two baking sheets with waxed paper; set aside.

Chop candy coating into pieces, then place in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds to distribute the heat.

Add green candy coloring and stir well.

Dip the top of each lollipop stick into the melted coating, then place several inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Spoon candy coating into a zip-top bag; carefully snip off one corner and pipe coating onto lollipop sticks in tree shapes.

Sprinkle nonpareils on trees while they are still wet; allow to set completely, then carefully peel off waxed paper. Trim stick bottoms, leaving about 1 inch to insert into the cake.

Vanilla Cake

Ingredients

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • dash of salt
  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 6 tablespoons milk

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two 6-inch round cake pans, line each with a parchment circle, and lightly grease the parchment.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until very well-blended. Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat well to combine, scraping the sides of your bowl a few times.

Add flour and milk alternatively in two batches, beginning and ending with the flour and beating until completely combined.

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 18-22 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow cakes to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then carefully turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Peppermint Vanilla Buttercream

Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • About 2 tablespoons milk
  • White cupcake pearls, optional

Preparation

Place butter in a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed for 1 minute using a paddle attachment. Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until the sugar is fully incorporated; this will take several minutes. I cover my mixer with a kitchen towel to prevent a powdered sugar storm.

Scrape the sides of the bowl and add peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and 1 tablespoon milk. Beat until well combined, scraping sides of the bowl frequently; beat in additional milk and continue beating for 1-2 minutes for a smooth, even consistency.

To assemble the cake:

Place the bottom layer on your cake stand and frost the top, then top with remaining layer and frost the top and sides. Place remaining frosting in a zip-top bag; snip off one corner and set aside.

Press trees into cake top, starting at the back, and piping additional buttercream around the bottoms as you work toward the front of the cake. Sprinkle with cupcake pearls.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Fudge Bars with Peanut Butter Chips

As I’ve mentioned before, I love the recipes that come on packages. This recipe comes from a bag of Reese’s Peanut Butter baking chips, and can be baked either as cookies or bars.

I chose to bake mine as bars, and I have an important caveat for you, my fellow bakers. These definitely baked over the edges of my jelly roll pan, so the next time I make them, I’ll place some parchment beneath the pan to catch the overflow. Mike proclaimed these very fudgy, with a nice hint of peanut butter. They’re coming to work with me tomorrow for a video shoot, and I’m hoping they’ll be a hit.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 10-ounce package Reese’s Peanut Butter baking chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 15 x 10 x 1 baking pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda; set aside.

In a mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat to combine.

Add flour mixture in two batches, beating well and scraping the sides of the bowl between each addition. Stir in peanut butter chips.

Spread dough in prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes, until set. Allow to cool completely before cutting; use a bench knife to cut into bars. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.

Makes 36.

Peppermint Spiral Cookies

Peppermint is one of my favorite flavors, and this time of year is a great time for peppermint-themed baking. These peppermint spirals, which I found at Taste of Home, are delicious, even if they didn’t quite turn out how I was hoping.

As you can see in this photo, there are cracks and holes in the center of my cookies. How does this happen? Rolling spiral-style cookies is a delicate business; you’re usually working with two thin sheets of dough and trying to roll them together tightly enough without tearing them. My spirals definitely left something to be desired looks-wise, but they have a wonderful peppermint vanilla flavor and great texture. Maybe next time they’ll be pretty!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 12 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg yolk*
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon red liquid food coloring

Preparation

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla and beat to combine, then add flour mixture in two batches, beating on low speed, then on medium, until dough comes together.

Divide dough in half and add peppermint extract and red food coloring to one portion. Roll out each portion of dough between two sheets of waxed paper into a rectangle about 16 by 11 inches. Remove top sheet of waxed paper from each rectangle, then carefully flip the red rectangle on top of the plain rectangle and remove the waxed paper from the red. Roll up on the long side making as tight a log as possible; wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for 1 hour, until firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with foil or parchment.

Remove dough from freezer and unwrap, then cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices. Place about 2 inches apart on baking sheets and bake for 12-14 minutes, until set. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Makes 3-4 dozen, depending on the thickness of your slices.

Brown Sugar Crinkles

I’ve rarely met a cookie I didn’t like, but these brown sugar crinkles combine some of my favorite ingredients. Dark brown sugar, toasted pecans, and butterscotch extract combine to give these treats wonderful depth of flavor without being too rich. And the powdered sugar coating is absolutely genius. Not that I’m surprised – this recipe is adapted from one in the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion, and those bakers really know their stuff.

My adaptation of this recipe involves unsalted, toasted pecans rather than the salted version, and I also used 12 drops of butterscotch extract instead of vanilla extract or just a few drops of a strong butterscotch or butter rum flavoring. You could certainly use salted pecans if you like; before toasting, just spritz your pecans with water and sprinkle them with fine table salt. I don’t think you can go wrong either way.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
  • 8 tablespoons butter
  • 12 drops butterscotch extract*
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup chopped toasted pecans
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar

*I use a dropper for this (and for fiori di sicilia) so I have better control of how much flavoring actually goes into my dough.

Preparation

In a medium bowl, combine baking soda, salt, and flour; set aside.

In a mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the sugar, butter, and butterscotch extract until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the bowl.

Add flour mixture in two batches, beating to combine, then stir in the pecans. Cover the bowl and chill for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Place powdered sugar in a small bowl.

Break off generous tablespoon-sized chunks of dough and roll into balls, then toss in powdered sugar to coat. Place on baking sheets about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 11-12 minutes, until they’ve cracked on top but still look puffy between the cracks. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 2 1/2 dozen.

Gingerbread Biscotti

Gingerbread-themed baking continues with this gingerbread biscotti, which is adapted from Good Housekeeping’s basic ginger biscotti recipe. Although I think it still needs a bit more cloves, or perhaps nutmeg, this biscotti is easy to make and very tasty.

While biscotti can look fancy and might sound complicated to make, what with the baking, cooling, slicing, and re-baking, it’s actually quite easy. Biscotti also travels well, so it’s a nice idea for holiday gifts, or to send to faraway family and friends.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon ginger
  • 2 teaspoons allspice
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 3 eggs

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, ginger, allspice, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping your bowl between each. Add flour mixture in two batches, beating on low to combine and scraping your bowl well.

Sprinkle your counter top very lightly with flour and turn dough out, then knead one or two times to bring the dough together (it will be sturdy and easy to handle). Shape into a log, then transfer to your baking sheet and press it down evenly so your log becomes about 16 inches long.

Bake for 30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean from the center; remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.

Transfer the log to a cutting board and, using a serrated knife, cut log into 1-inch slices (you could make thinner slices, but I wanted nice, thick pieces). Return to the baking sheet, placing them upright on their bottoms, and bake for another 10 minutes; lay all of the pieces on their sides and bake 2 minutes more, then flip over and bake on the remaining side for another 2 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Makes 16.

Gingerbread Muffins

‘Tis the season for gingerbread. While you could certainly bake gingerbread any time, gingerbread-themed treats take over in December the way pumpkin does in October. Suddenly it’s everywhere, from coffee to pastries to, as I saw earlier this week, even cereal.

There are plenty of ideas for gingerbread treats, and I found this recipe for gingerbread muffins at Betty Crocker after an attempt at gingerbread cupcakes went awry. I adapted the recipe slightly to include a spice glaze, which pairs very well with the spicy notes in the muffin. A word of caution about baking time: I should have pulled them about two minutes before  I actually did, so they were drier than I intended. I reheated them in the microwave for about 20 seconds before having them once they’d cooled, and this really helped cut down on the dryness.

Ingredients

For the muffins

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil*
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 egg

For the glaze

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon allspice
  • About 1 tablespoon water

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, ginger, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.

In another large bowl, stir together brown sugar, molasses, vegetable oil, milk, and egg until well-blended. Add flour mixture and stir until just moistened, with no dry streaks remaining.

Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling about 2/3 to 3/4 full; I used a 2-inch cookie scoop, that that worked well.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven, then remove muffins from tin and place on a wire rack to cool.

Once muffins are cooled, make the glaze: combine powdered sugar and allspice in a small bowl and add water, about 1 teaspoon at a time, stirring to create a thick glaze. Drizzle over tops of muffins; store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat when serving.

Makes 12.

 

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Pumpkin whoopie pies? Yes. Pumpkin. Whoopie. Pies. Delicious, pumpkin spicy treats with cream cheese filling. What can I really say other than that?

This recipe is a hybrid, using the cookie recipe from King Arthur Flour and the filling recipe from Martha Stewart. I adapted the recipe only in the size of the cookies I scooped – rather than using a 1/4 cup scoop, I used a two-inch scoop to yield slightly smaller treats. Next time, I think I’ll use a one-inch scoop for mini treats.

Ingredients

For the cookies

  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 15 ounces canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons molasses

For the filling

  • 8 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups powdered sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.

In a mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, combine pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, vegetable oil, and molasses*. Beat until completely combined, then scrape down the bowl and add flour mixture in three batches, mixing well between each.

Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, drop scoops of batter onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until they feel firm to the touch; a slight indentation will remain when you press your finger in the middle. Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the filling, beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed for 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl, then add vanilla extract and 1 cup powdered sugar and beat to combine. Add remaining powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well between each addition.

Flip cookies over and drop a 1-inch scoop of filling onto half; spread with an offset spatula, then top with another cookie.

Store in an airtight container, individually wrapped in plastic, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

My batch made 19 whoopie pies and one extra cookie without a partner, which I topped with some filling.

Maple Cookies

Fall is a great time for maple-themed baking, especially when you’re able to use real maple syrup. To me, real maple syrup is absolutely worth the price – which can be a bit steep – from a flavor perspective. The good news is that maple syrup can last for up to a year in the refrigerator, so you can definitely get your money’s worth and use it in many recipes.

I found this recipe over at Genius Kitchen, after an extensive search for a basic maple cookie recipe. When baked, they resemble peanut butter cookies and have a nice subtle maple flavor and one of the best cookie textures I’ve ever found. They’re very soft and chewy without being fragile or crumbling to pieces, and they keep very well for a few days after baking. This recipe also makes a very large batch, at 5 dozen!

Ingredients

  • 4 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup real maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and brown sugar. Add egg, maple syrup, and vanilla extract and beat until very well combined.

Add flour mixture in three batches, mixing well and scraping the bowl between each addition, until completely combined.

Using a one-inch cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll into balls, then roll in sugar. Place on baking sheets about 2 inches apart and flatten with a fork.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are set; you don’t want the cookies to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Makes 5 dozen.

Creature Cookies

Here’s another great cake mix-based recipe for busy bakers. I found this recipe on several other blogs, so it’s difficult to give credit to whoever came up with it – I imagine it was an inventive test kitchen baker at a cake mix company.

I chose to add princess cake and cookie flavor to the dough, an amazing product available at King Arthur Flour that promises – and delivers – that classic “from the bakery” flavor. It’s kind of similar to the flavor of an animal cookie and makes a subtle yet wonderful addition to this dough. If you don’t have it, you can substitute vanilla extract if you like, or just leave the dough as-is.

Just a few notes about handling the dough: it’s incredibly sticky, so when you stir in your food coloring, you’ll want to use a mixer. I started out with three separate colors, then realized after some orange dough got into the green dough from my cookie scoop that mixing the colors would also be fun. Lastly, I used two different methods for placing the eyeballs; on the first two batches, I baked the cookies first, then pressed in the eyes when they came out of the oven (resulting in the look of the orange and purple cookies above). On the last batch, I pressed them into the dough before baking, and you can see the difference in the green/orange cookie above. Either method would be fine – you’ll just end up with a slightly different look based on what you choose.

Ingredients

  • 1 box white cake mix
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon princess cake & cookie flavor
  • Purple, orange, green, and yellow food coloring
  • Candy eyeballs

Preparation

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, vegetable oil, eggs, and flavoring; stir very well to completely combine. Divide dough into three portions. Tint one purple, one orange, and one green (I found that using both green and yellow yields a Frankenstein-like color, which is what I wanted); I used my stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, to really work the food coloring into the dough. Chill dough for 30-60 minutes, until easier to handle; it will remain quite sticky, but the chilling process does help.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment.

Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, scoop portions of dough, then divide each portion in half – you want your portions to be about the size of a gumball. Roll into balls, combining colors if you like.

Place balls on parchment-lined baking sheets and press in candy eyeballs if you like, or wait until after baking and press eyeballs in then, whatever you prefer.

Bake for 9-11 minutes, until cookies are set. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Makes 40.

 

Annabelle’s Honey Cake

For years, loaf-style honey cake eluded me. I tried tons of recipes, but always ended up with loaves that were burnt on the outside and raw in the middle. A few weeks ago, a colleague mentioned a wonderful recipe that her mom, Annabelle, uses each year to make honey cake.

This is that recipe, and it gave me a very important reminder about how the type of pan you use will affect your outcome. The loaf on the right in this photo baked in my King Arthur Flour loaf pan and yielded a nearly perfect loaf, with a bottom and sides that are just slightly darker than my personal preference. The loaf on the left, however, baked in a darker pan from another maker and yielded a bottom and sides that are certainly too dark to serve. Next time, I’ll pull the darker pan much earlier and will cut down the baking time in my King Arthur Flour pan by about 3 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup strong black tea

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray two 9 x 5 loaf pans with cooking spray and line each with parchment.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites with a fork to combine. Add sugar, vegetable oil, honey, and tea; stir to combine. Add flour mixture in several small batches, stirring with a wooden spoon to combine.

Divide batter evenly between pans; I used a 1/2 cup measuring cup and scooped portions into each pan to try to get as even a division as possible.

Bake for 40-55 minutes*, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pans for a few minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

Makes two 9 x 5 loaves.

*The original recipe called for baking for 45-55 minutes, but this was too long for my oven. For a dark pan, I’d recommend baking for about 38-40 minutes, and for a lighter pan, for about 40-45 minutes, to prevent sides and bottoms that are too dark.