Twenty-Four Days of Baking Madness....A Sweet a Day til Christmas!!

With the passing of Thanksgiving, the holiday season is in full swing.  There was barely time for a second helping of turkey and pumpkin pie before the frenzy of activity and festivity began.  It's only November 30, and any number of homes in my 'hood are already outfitted with twinkle lights, Christmas wreaths and bobbing reindeer, and the tv, newspapers and internet are crammed with ads for "great deals" just about everywhere on just about everything. 

Some people get into the spirit of the season by decorating.  Some get into the spirit of the season by shopping.  And some people, like me, prefer to get into the spirit of the season by baking.  A lot.  So while my friends and neighbors were wrestling with Christmas lights and untangling yards of garland, or making lists of toys and stocking stuffers, I was ticking off my own list of essentials - ten pounds of flour and sugar?  Check.  Nine pounds of butter?  Check.  (Which, by the way, was recently $1.50 a pound at both Publix and Walmart - woo woo!!).  Shortening, chocolate chips, walnuts, pecans, cranberries, coconut, brown sugar, confectioners sugar, sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream?  Check, check, checkity check!

Every year I jokingly say that my unofficial personal motto during the holiday season is "a cookie a day til Christmas".  Most years (okay, every year to date) I lose my mojo a few weeks into December, mostly because I start the month fueled by a little too much holiday cheer, whipping out 3 or 4 different cookies a day, then burning out when my supplies or my sugar rush run out.  This year, however, will be different.  This year I have a well-stocked pantry.  This year I have a plan.  And it's a good one.  I'm going make one and only one cookie a day (it actually will be more like a sweet a day, because it really wouldn't be fair to ignore some of the fabulous recipes for cakes and other confections that are out there) til Christmas.  So, for those of you who are following, that's 24 different treats in 24 days.  And to make it a little more difficult, I'm not going to fall back on some of my favorite holiday recipes that I've already posted (like ginger cookies, fudge, and peanut butter incredibles), and I'm going to blog about it every day until Christmas.

For those of you who are wondering what I have in mind, here's my list...

1. Rum Balls
2. Laird's Larder Millionaire Shortbread
3. Pretzel-Rolo-Pecan "Turtles"
4. Popcorn Brittle
5. Chinese Chews
6. Angel Wings
7. Coconut Sandwich Cookies
8. Gingerbread White Chocolate Blondies
9. Surprise Cookies
10. Pecan Tartlets
11. Peppermint Bark
12. Shortbread
13. Sour Cream Pound Cake
14. Cookie Dough Truffles
15. 7 Layer Bars
16. Rugelach
17. Chocolate Thumbprints
18. Peanut Butter Bon Bons
19. Spritz
20. Oreo Truffles
21. Almond Crescents
22. Nutella Sandwiches
23. Linzer Cookies
24. Buche de Noel

 Let the baking commence!

Holiday Baking - Two Sweet Treats

Whoo hoo – it's official - it’s holiday time! And who doesn’t love the holidays?! They’re a virtual whirlwind of food and fun, what with presents, decorations, and festivities with friends and family.  But if visions of sugar plums dancing in your head are interrupted by flashes of work, kids and lines at the mall, you aren’t alone. If the thought of baking (on top of all that) makes you want to shout “BAH HUMBUG”, run for the rum balls and hide until the New Year, don’t despair.  Because there are some really great recipes out there that are big on taste and short on preparation for anyone who is strapped for time, patience or both...

Following are two of my favorites.  I hadn't made them in a long time, and then when I did, I realized just how easy they were - I made both together in less than an hour, and didn't even have to use the oven.  Both of them can be easily doubled if you're feeding the masses.

Candy Shop Fudge
Makes 36 pieces

Below is the original recipe for the fudge, as can be found in the Good Housekeeping 2001 Holiday Best magazine.  In an effort to make the fudge as quickly and easily as possible, I always use chocolate chips so I don't have to chop the chocolate.  I also use the microwave to melt the chocolate and sweetened condensed milk - just remember to melt it using relatively low power so the chocolate doesn't burn.

16 ounces semi sweet or milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 14ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt

Line 8 x 8 metal pan with plastic wrap (smooth out wrinkles). In heavy 2 quart saucepan, heat chocolate and condensed milk over medium low heat until chocolate melts, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in walnuts, vanilla and salt (do not overmix). Spoon chocolate mixture into pan; spread evenly. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm. Remove fudge from pan. Cut into 6 strips, then cut crosswise into 6 pieces. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

Peanut Butter Incredibles
Makes 36 bars

This recipe, reminiscent of a Reese's peanut butter cup, came from a Betty Groff cookbook of my mom's - which one, I can't remember.  Again, I used the microwave to melt the butter/peanut butter and the chocolate chips, and used boxed graham cracker crumbs so I didn't have to deal with the mess of crumbing graham crackers myself.  All in all the whole process took me about 15 minutes, the majority of which was trying to prettily spread the chocolate on top!  In retrospect, I probably would line my pan with plastic wrap (like we did with the fudge) - then when the bars have set you can lift the entire contents out of the pan and cut with relative ease.

2/3 cup butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cup confectioners sugar
1 ½ cup fine graham cracker crumbs
12 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

Melt butter and add peanut butter. Stir until smooth. Add sugar and cracker crumbs. Stir with a wooden spoon until well blended. Press crumbs into buttered 9 x 13 baking pan.

In microwave or top of double boiler, melt chocolate chips. Pour over the crumb mixture. Refrigerate until chocolate is set. Remove and cut into bars. Do not store in refrigerator, or white spots will develop on the chocolate. These bars freeze, but should be eaten as soon as they thaw, to prevent spotting.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust

Mr. Jack-o-Lantern, be forewarned.  Your days just might be numbered.  Because while you sit smiling innocently on my doorstep, visions of pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies and pumpkin cheesecake dance through my head.  May I be so bold as to say you are looking quite delicious today?

Gentle readers (hee hee - I don't know who came up with that expression, but I love it!), do not be horrified by the above confession.  If you've read any of my prior posts, you will remember that ease of execution trumps tediousness any day.  So the thought of peeling, cutting, and cooking was enough to deter me from getting my "Grim Reaper" on with the neighborhood pumpkin posse.  At least for now. 

Below is a recipe for a Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust that I remember hearing about several Thanksgivings ago, no doubt from friends who were looking for an alternative to traditional pumpkin pie.  The recipe comes from Bon Appetit, and can be found on the Epicurious website. 

I will be the first to say that the idea of marshmallows and sour cream together was less than appealing,  and I originally planned to omit the topping, opting for a dollop of whipped cream instead.  But, as they say, even the best laid plans go awry.  It turns out the marshmallow-sour cream topping was needed...not for additional flavor, but to camouflage the seemingly cavernous cracks that appeared in the top of the cheesecake while it was cooking. 

Suffice it to say, prior to making the cheesecake, I should have read some of the comments that other readers had posted to the Epicurious website.  Following is a Cliffs Notes version of the ones I found most helpful:

1.  To prevent cracking, use a water bath -- wrap the bottom of the springform pan with tin foil, then place the whole thing in a shallow pan of water to bake. 
2.  The recipe calls for a 9-inch springform pan, but it makes more than enough filling for a 10-inch pan.
3.  If you don't want the extra filling (I put mine in a small casserole and baked it like a custard), one reader suggests modifying the recipe slightly, using 20 ounces of cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar and 3 eggs (leaving all other ingredients/amounts in the recipe the same).

And now for my own personal recommendations:

1.  I used homemade ginger snaps for the crust (I made the ginger cookie recipe from a previous post and left the cookies in a few minutes longer until nice and "snappy").
2.  Maybe it was due to the fact that I used homemade ginger cookies, but I didn't find that the crystallized ginger or the pecans added anything to the crust.  The next time I make this I will omit both and just use 3 cups of ginger snaps instead.
3.  The marshmallow-sour cream topping doesn't end up tasting like marshmallow, but I still don't think it enhances the cheesecake.  If all goes smoothly next time, I'll just garnish slices of the cheesecake with whipped cream.

Bon Appetit, November 2008
Serves 12

For the Crust:
Nonstick vegetable spray
2 cups gingersnap crumbs (about 9 ounces)
1 cup pecans
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Grind cookie crumbs, pecans, brown sugar, and ginger in processor until nuts are finely ground. Add butter; using on/off turns, process to blend. Transfer mixture to prepared pan; press onto bottom and 2 inches up sides of pan. Bake crust until set and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.

For the Filling:
4 8 ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 15 ounce can pure pumpkin
5 large eggs
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in pumpkin. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating on low speed to incorporate each addition. Add flour, spices, and salt; beat just to blend. Beat in vanilla. Transfer filling to cooled crust. Bake until filling is just set in center and edges begin to crack (filling will move slightly when pan is gently shaken), about 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool 1 hour. Run knife around sides of pan to release crust. Chill cheesecake uncovered in pan overnight.

For the Topping:
2 cups mini marshmallows or large marshmallows cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream

Stir marshmallows and milk in medium saucepan over low heat until marshmallows are melted. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt. Cool marshmallow mixture to room temperature, stirring occasionally.  Add sour cream to marshmallow mixture; fold gently just to blend. Pour topping over cheesecake and spread evenly, leaving 1/2 inch uncovered around edges. Chill to set topping, at least 1 hour.