Tag Archives: Christmas

3-Ingredient Sugar Cookies

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Makes 24

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, room temperature
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 cups All-purpose flour

Optional

  • 1 ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • Festive Sprinkles

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with barking parchment or a silicone baking mat
  2. Add your butter with sugar into a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk for a few minutes until combines and fluffy. (If you’re using vanilla extract add at this point)
  3. Add in your flour and beat again until combined. The dough will be crumblier that typical cookie dough
  4. Break off/ scoop walnut sizes pieces and roll in your hands*
  5. Place the cookies balls onto the prepared tray and using a flat-bottomed glass press down to flatten to ¼ to ½ inch thickness. You can press some sprinkles into the tops at this point
  6. Bake in your preheated oven for between 14-16 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden-brown
  7. Cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then move to a rack to cool completely

*You can roll them in some additional granulated sugar at this point if you like

Stop Here Santa Cookie

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Makes 1 large (8″) diameter cookie

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons packed light or dark brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons beaten egg
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 Tablespoons whole rolled oats
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup M&Ms
  • 2 Tablespoons coarsely crushed peppermint candy can
  • Additional M&Ms to decorate, optional
  • Additional mini-chocolate chips, optional

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper #
  2. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together in a large bowl on medium-high speed until combined and creamy
  3. Add beaten egg, vanilla extract, then beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed
  4. Beat in the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt on low speed, then, with a spoon or spatula, fold in the M&Ms and crushed candy cane pieces until combined. (The dough will be sticky. If it’s too sticky to handle, chill in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes)
  5. Shape into a mound in the center of the lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-30 minutes until edges and top are lightly browned. The center will look soft, but it will set as the cookie cools
  6. Cool the cookie on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before eating. As it cools, press a few additional M&Ms and chocolate chips into the top, if desired, for garnish

Buttered Rum Cheesecake

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feat. Tre Stelle Natural Cream Cheese

Makes 9” cheesecake, serving 10-12

Ingredients

Crumb Base

  • 6oz Gingersnap cookies (apx 10-12)
  • ½ cup pecans
  • 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • Pinch salt

Cheesecake Filling

  • 5 packs Tre Stelle® Natural Cream Cheese, original, room temperature
  • 1 1/3 and 1/3 cup sugar, divided
  • ¼ cup cornstrach
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Rum extract
  • ¾ cup whipping, or heavy, cream
  • 1 cup Butterscotch flavour chips
  • 1 Tablespoon All-purpose flour

Ganache Topping

  • 200g Blonde chocolate, chopped into small pieces
  • 65ml whipping, or heavy, cream
  • 1 Tablespoon rum (light or dark- to your preference)

To decorate (optional)

  • Whipped cream
  • Edible glitter
  • Edible glitter stars

Method

Crumb Base

  1. Reheat oven to 350 degrees F
  2. Wrap the external of a 9” springform pan tightly with aluminium foil
  3. Lightly grease or spray the sides of a spring form pan
  4. In food processor, combine the gingersnap cookies and pecans and process to a crumb. Transfer to a bowl
  5. Add in them melted butter, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and salt. Stir until well combined
  6. Tip into your prepared springform pan and using a spoon spread the crumb mixture to give an even layer to the bottom of the pan
  7. Bake in your preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool fully.  Leave your oven running while you prepare the cheesecake filling

Cheesecake Filling

  1. In a medium bowl, toss together the butterscotch chips and the All-purpose flour until the chisp are well coated. Set aside until needed later
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine 2 packs of Tre Stelle® Natural Cream Cheese, 1/3 cup sugar and the cornstarch. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes until well combined
  3. Add in the remaining packs of Tre Stelle® Natural Cream Cheese and beat until combined
  4. Add in the remaining sugar and rum extract and beat on medium-high speed until well combined
  5. Add in the eggs and the egg yolk one by one, beating well between each addition until fully incorporated
  6. Finally, add in to whipping (heavy) cream, mixing on slow until just combined
  7. Fold in your prepared butterscotch chips and gently pour the cheesecake mixture on to the crumb base in the springform pan
  8. Place the cheesecake-filled springform pan into a larger, high-sided dish (a casserole or roasting pan works well) and fill to a height of 1” up the sides of the springform pan with water. Carefully transfer the filled pan to your preheated oven, taking care not to spill, or get any of the water into the cheesecake pan
  9. Bake for between 70-80 minutes, until the cheesecake top is lightly browned and slightly jiggles in the centre
  10. Turn the oven off but do not remove the cheesecake. Leave to cool fully in the oven. (I use a wooden spoon to keep the oven door slightly ajar to help the cooking process)
  11. Once fully cooled to room temperature, cover the top of the cheesecake with clingwrap and chill overnight in the refrigerator

Ganache Topping

  1. Place your blonde chocolate pieces into a medium bowl
  2. Heat the cream in a small pan over a medium heat until just simmering (you’ll see small bubbles forming at the edge with the pan
  3. Remove and carefully pour the warmed cream over the chocolate pieces, then add the tablespoon of rum
  4. Set aside for 5 minutes to melt
  5. After this time, slowly stir to emulsify the mixture. If there are some larger pieces of chocolate which are not melting, a quick blast in the microwave (10 seconds, no more) will help you out
  6. Continue stirring util the mixture is fully combined, smooth and shiny
  7. Leave to cool for 5 minutes then spread on top of your cheesecake to form a finishing layer

Decorate (Optional)

  1. If you choose to decorate the cheesecake, you can finish it with some whipped cream and dust with edible glitter and stars for that perfect seasonal touch!
  2. Slice and enjoy!

Lebkuchen Hearts

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Makes 20-30 hearts (dependent on cookie cutter size)

Ingredients

Cookies

  • ½ cup runny honey
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar
  • 4 ½ Tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup All Purpose flour
  • 1 cup rye flour
  • 2/3 cup ground almonds
  • 1 egg
  • 2 ½ teaspoon Lebkuchen spice *see below
  • ½ Tablespoon cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 oz candies mixed peel (optional)
  • Zest ½ lemon
  • Pinch Kosher salt

To Decorate

  • 1 egg white, lightly whisked
  • Blanched almond halves (optional)
  • Glace cherry halves (optional)

Method

  1. Combine the honey brown sugar, butter in a small pan and heat over a low heat until melted. Stir occasionally until fully blended. Remove from heat and set aside until needed
  2. Place the remaining ingredients into a large bowl and whisk together to combine
  3. Pour over the melted honey mixture and stir together with a wooden spoon to form a sticky dough. Cover with a clean dish cloth and set aside for an hour. By this time the dough should become more workable
  4. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two baking/ cookie trays with baking parchment
  5. Lightly flour a counter-surface and roll out the dough to  1/8inch thickness. Using a heart shaped cookie cutter, punch out hearts and place them on your prepared baking cheets, spacing ¾ inch apart. Re-roll any dough scraps to form additional cookies and repeat
  6. Brush the top of each cookie with the whisked egg white and place an almond or cherry half in the centre of each cookie
  7. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and just firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking tray for a few minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely
  8. Cookies can be kept in an airtight container for month or more. They will soften over time

*Lebkuchen Spice Mix

  • 5 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 Tablespoon ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground anise
  • ½ teaspoon ground mace
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  1. Combine all the ingredients and whisk to thoroughly combine. Transfer to an airtight storage jar and store for up to a year

Grinchy Christmas Wreathes

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Makes 18

Ingredients

  • 8 Tablespoon butter
  • 3 cups (30) large marshmallows
  • A few drops of green food coloring gel
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 cups cornflakes
  • Red candy coated chocolates (M&Ms)

Method

  1. Line a large baking/ cookie tray with baking parchment and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside
  2. Add butter to a large pan and melt over a low heat
  3. Add in the marshmallows and cook, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth
  4. Remove pan from the heat, adding in the food coloring and vanilla extract, whisking until evenly blended
  5. Add the cornflakes and stir gently until well coated
  6. Working quickly to avoid the mixture hardening, use two small spoons (or your lightly oiled fingers) to drop small amounts- roughly 2 tablespoons, of mixture onto your prepared cookie sheet. Using  your fingers shape these mounds into wreath shapes with open centres
  7. While the wreath cookies are still sticky. Add the red candy coated chocolates for berries
  8. Set the finished wreath cookies aside to dry for several hours until they are fil and hold their shape
  9. The finished cookies can be kept for 1 month in an airtight container at room temperature