Heather Baird's Blog, page 68

Gift This! 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Marshmallow Candy

Say hello to my new favorite candy. I can't believe it took me so long to try it - and talk about easy! I'm not even sure it qualifies as a recipe. Peanut butter and chocolate are melted together, and then mini marshmallows are folded in to the mix. It's a little like rocky road, but softer and without the rocky part (no nuts!). It's smooth and creamy and the marshmallows give it a bouncy quality that makes it totally addictive.
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Gift This! Cranberry Orange Quick Bread

When I attempted this bread recipe for the first time I made a happy little mistake. The instructions called for chopped cranberries, and I just threw them in the batter whole. Well, those cranberries did what cranberries do - they bobbed to the top of the batter and floated on the surface.

I thought I'd really messed things up, but I baked the loaves anyway. They turned out tasting absolutely fantastic, and the burst red berries on top made the bread vibrant and beautiful. I ended up making this recipe twice more. It's dense and sweet and so citrusy. Every bite is packed with something to savor; tart cranberries, walnuts, and candied orange peel.
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Spiked Hot Chocolate on a Stick

I've made 'hot chocolate on a stick' for seven consecutive years at Christmastime. Winter just isn't the same without it now! I usually start making batches in December. One or two batches are assigned for stocking stuffers and other batches aren't for giveaway at all. They're made for our enjoyment throughout chilly winter months.

There have been many iterations of this treat over the years. I made a spicy batch the time ModCloth invited me to guest post on their blog. Another time I created a strawberry version for Betty Crocker. I think this spiked version may be the best yet!
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Mulled Wine Stump de Noël Cake and a Ridge Runner Wood Works Giveaway!

Hello, friends! This blog post is extra, extra special. Not only do I have a delicious mulled wine chocolate cake recipe for you (all fancied up Bûche de Noël style with black cherry buttercream filling -swoon) , I also have a really fun, unique giveaway.
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Gift This! Five Minute Cranberry Pistachio Fudge

As you may know, I wrote a book about giving sweets the loving touch of a little salt. But if there was just one candy in the entire world that I could bestow this virtue upon it would have to be fudge. Usually fudge is too one note. It's only sweet. A quick fix for this problem is to add roasted salted nuts and some zingy dried berries. Therefore you will have a symphony of sweet, salt, and tart, and many interesting textures; creamy, crunchy and chewy.

Did I mention this recipe takes only minutes to prepare?
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Cocktail Party Gingerbread Folk

Tis the season to RSVP, don your favorite sequin dress or sharp suit, and toast the holiday season - just like these funny gingerbread folk!

I got the idea for these after taste-testing a few Anthon Berg spirit-filled chocolates. I love all kinds of things in miniature and I found the teensy foil-wrapped bottles amusing. I began planning a cocktail party in miniature. All I needed were some guests, so I whipped up a batch of chocolate gingerbread cookies and my favorite meringue icing.
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Gift This! Santa's Candy Bark

Hello and welcome to Santa Land! Population: As many chocolate foil-wrapped santas as you can fit on a pound of white chocolate bark.

Christmas always needs as little kitsch, if you ask me, and these curious looking foil wrapped Santas really made me giggle. Some are holding lanterns and wreaths, and others are giving me some major side-eye! What's up Santa? Are you judging me? (I almost forgot - that's his job!)
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Gift This! Kransekake

I've been completely smitten with the towering kransekake ever since I laid eyes on it years ago. Some people know it as Norwegian Wedding Cake, or Wreath Cake. It's made in Scandinavian countries for weddings, Christmas, and other important celebrations.

Take a look inside my first book on page 128 and my fandom is evident. I included a recipe for 'Viking Wedding Cake' - a tall kransekake with zig-zag piping and two fair weather viking flags on top. I'm not sure what I love more, the concentric circles, the cookie-like texture of the 'cake', or the fact that the hollow interior can hold a bottle of your favorite bubbly. One thing is for sure, it's a great party centerpiece and a good conversation-starter, too.
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Gift This! Marbled Peppermint Sugar Cookies

Most of the time I'm more enthusiastic about eating cookies than baking them. My brain doesn't like too much repetition, and I've been known to exile half batches of cookie dough to the freezer just because I'm too bored to finish the job. Having said that, there is one type of cookie that delights me to the very end: Slice and bake. 
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Lofthouse Style Soft Sugar Cookies

I can't tell you how long I've had Lofthouse style sugar cookies on my 'must bake' list. Too long, really. Whenever I see them in grocery stores I can't help but smile. They are always decorated with sprinkles (yes!) and they are often seasonally themed; heart sprinkles for Valentine's Day, red, white and blue sprinkles for July 4th and - you guessed it! My favorite version is Christmas themed with red and green sprinkles.
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