Heather Baird's Blog, page 58

Gift This! Chocolate Hazelnut Snowballs

Consider these the chocolate-hazelnut cousin of bourbon balls. The two candies have similar virtues, such as they are both made with very few ingredients and they both improve upon standing. They make a great holiday gift - and bonus - they ship well! I love sending these to my out-of-state friends because I know they'll survive the journey and taste even better after two days in transit. This 'snowball' version is covered in powdered sugar and I just love the wintry look it gives them.
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Gift This! DIY Instant Hot Cocoa Mix

Whenever I make hot cocoa for dinner guests or visiting friends, I make it the old fashioned way with whole milk and heavy cream blended with high quality chopped chocolate. It simmers on the stove-top until steamy and then it's poured into extra-large mugs. An obscene amount of whipped cream is usually the finishing touch.

Without guests to serve, I'm more likely to make myself a cup of instant hot cocoa. I'm the only one in the house who drinks it regularly, and I find it's more convenient to make (and there's no pot to clean!). I've developed a powdered formula that can be poured into a mug and roused into a satisfying treat with just the addition of hot water or hot milk.
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Gift This! Speedy Turtle Candies

Hello and welcome to my favorite candy of all time! It's true. Chocolate turtles have everything I need in life- toasty pecans, chewy caramel and rich chocolate. A sprinkle of sea salt on top makes these turtles absolutely irresistible. They are dangerously simple to make and take about 8 minutes in the oven. This crowd-pleasing treat disappears quickly on a candy tray so two batches may be in order!
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Gift This! Split Second Red Jam Cookies

There's something about these cookies that feels delightfully old fashioned. Maybe it's the unfussy way the dough is patted out into long batons and cut on the bias, or maybe it's that they taste like buttery shortbread which is indeed a very old type of cookie.

The recipe is simple, though it takes a little longer than their 'split second' name implies. I think the moniker refers to how much time it takes to cut the dough into cookies - or maybe how long it takes to eat them!
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Gift This! Lucky Peppermint Pig Cookies

Have you ever heard of The Famous Peppermint Pig ?  It's a Victorian holiday tradition in the form of hard candy molded to look like a pig. The candy is accompanied by a little pouch and hammer so it can be broken it into pieces and shared with friends and family. This tradition has come to symbolize good health, happiness and prosperity. Even though the hard candy pigs are still in production today, I thought a cookie version would be cute, too!
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Gift This! Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Fudge

Much as I love to dive into a lengthy baking project (and oh, do I ever!) sometimes simple is best. There's no better example of this than our long-standing holiday favorite - fudge. This recipe uses just four ingredients and it's super quick to make. I always use my microwave to make this candy, but if you don't have one then a stove top will work just fine, too.
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Gift This! Christmas Cookies For Dogs

One of my biggest joys of the holiday season is making my dogs Christmas cookies. They know exactly what I'm making when I get a special bag of flour out of the pantry - PUPPY TREATS! They immediately start turning circles and barking. Even though they totally boss me around for 30 minutes while I'm making the cookies, I don't mind because I'm hard pressed to find anyone more appreciative of a homemade treat.
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Gift This! Mint Buttercream Truffles

These pastel peppermint truffles will add festive color and flavor to your holiday candy tray, and as far as candy-making goes they are some of the easiest! The minty centers are made with the usual buttercream frosting ingredients - butter and powdered sugar - but a helping of cream cheese gives the truffles a delectable tang.
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Gift This! Spirograph Sugar Cookies

Hello December!

Today begins the advent of treats that I've been planning for all year! Some of you may remember that I did this last year, and the response was pretty awesome so I decided to do it again this year. That means you'll have a new recipe to enjoy each day until December 25th. This year the recipes will range from easy and accessible to creative and unique. Above all, these treats make great gifts! I've always felt that homemade gifts are the best gifts, so I hope you can use these recipes to spread some holiday cheer.

We're kicking things off with these fun and creative Spirograph cookies! Did you ever have a Spirograph as a kid? I did and I loved it! After finding these fine-tipped FooDoodler food color markers, I just knew they'd be fun to use with a spiral drawing tool.
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Buttermilk Pie with Bourbon Whipped Cream

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is the first day of December and I'm so excited because it begins my month-long posting of Christmas advent treats! Each day until the 25th I'll have a new tasty holiday treat for you to enjoy. The first one is really unique and creative, so be sure to check it out tomorrow.

Now. This pie!

This pie is my family's evergreen favorite. The only good excuse we need to make it is to satisfy a craving - although it shows up at almost every holiday gathering and family function. It's been gifted as an expression of appreciation, but also in times of celebration and bereavement. It is almost our family's currency of love.
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