Category Archives: Holiday

Apple Pumpkin Oatmeal

30 Friday Oct 2015

Posted by in Breakfast, Fruit, Healthy, Holiday, Quick and Easy, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Apple Pumpkin Oatmeal

It’s rare that I create a recipe and post it within a few hours  That sort of VIP treatment is reserved exclusively for recipes that I absolutely love and want to share with you immediately.  That’s exactly what we have in this Apple Pumpkin Oatmeal!  Inspired by my favorite candle of the moment, Yankee’s Apple Pumpkin, this recipe would make the perfect breakfast tomorrow for all those amped up kiddos out there getting super excited to go trick or treating!  It’s a breakfast you can feel good about feeding your kids on a day otherwise overloaded with sugar.  Not only does it just taste like autumn, this oatmeal is also healthy and will fill them up so they don’t overindulge on Kit Kats, Skittles, M&Ms, candy corn and all their other favorite Halloween treats!  …Heck, who are we kidding?  They’re going to stuff themselves silly on candy anyhow!  But that’s what being a kid is all about.

Apple Pumpkin Oatmeal
Yield:  4 servings
Time:  15 minutes

1 cup apple cider (or apple juice)
1¼ cups water
1½ cups oats (I always use Old Fashioned instead of Quick Oats)
1 apple, cored and diced
¼ cup pumpkin puree
¼ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. brown sugar
¾ tsp. vanilla extract

Optional:
maple syrup
milk

  1. Combine the apple cider and water in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Once boiling, stir in the oats and turn the heat down to medium-low.
  2. Stir in the diced apple, pumpkin puree, ginger, cinnamon, brown sugar and vanilla.  Continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for five minutes.

I like to drizzle my oatmeal with maple syrup and skim milk before serving.  You could also try apple cider instead of milk (which would keep it vegan).  Enjoy!

PDF to Print Recipe for Apple Pumpkin Oatmeal

 

 

Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes

05 Friday Dec 2014

Posted by in Chocolate, Dessert, Holiday

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Peppermint Mocha CupcakesIt seems that every year the Christmas music starts playing earlier and the decorations are put up sooner.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas, but I think Thanksgiving deserves its own glory too.  I always wait until well after my turkey coma has worn off before moving onto Christmas.  Now that we’re almost a week into December, it’s time to think about getting my tree and decking the halls with Nat King Cole singing The Christmas Song in the background!

…But in the spirit of doing Christmas-y things super early, today I share with you a recipe that would be a welcome addition to any holiday dessert table.  I created these Starbucks-inspired cupcakes last year for a friend’s party.  Since his birthday is around Christmas and he’s a huge fan of anything coffee flavored, I thought peppermint and mocha would be the perfect combination!  I can’t wait to celebrate the season with him and his wife again in a few weeks, on our first trip back up to Boston since we moved!

Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes
Yield:  12 cupcakes
Time:  25 minutes hands-on;  20 minutes baking;  45 minutes total

Cupcakes:
1 and 1/3 cup cake flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup whole milk
½ cup strong coffee
1½ tsp. ground instant espresso powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup butter, softened
1 egg
½ cup sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar

Frosting:
½ cup butter, softened
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
¼ cup whole milk
¾ tsp. peppermint extract
6 candy canes, crushed (I use the food processor, but a mallet or rolling pin would work fine too!)
1.  Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.

2.  Cream together the butter and both sugars.  Add the egg and vanilla, mixing well to blend.

3.  In a separate bowl, dissolve the espresso powder into the coffee.  Add the milk.  Gently stir into the butter/sugar mixture.

4.  In separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in several additions, whisking to combine.

5.  Fill 12 cupcake wells, each approximately ¾ full.  Bake at 350°F for about 15-20 minutes, until the tops spring back when gently pressed on, or a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely.

6.  Pour the crushed candy canes into a shallow bowl and set aside.  To make frosting, beat the butter until light and fluffy.  Add in confectioner’s sugar, milk, and peppermint extract.  Beat until well mixed, and the frosting is fluffy.  Frost a cupcake, then turn the cupcake upside down and gently press it into the crushed candy canes.  Repeat with all cupcakes.

Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

15 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by in Chocolate, Dessert, Holiday

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe was a mistake.  I never should have attempted to make these cookies because now all I ever want to do is bake them and eat them.  And repeat.  Over and over again until you rescue me by coming and forcefully rolling me out of my kitchen.

Bake them at your own risk for this year’s Halloween party.  Because they’ll vanish so quickly, they’re sort of a trick and a treat all wrapped up in one.

 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yield:  5 dozen cookies
Time:  minutes prep; 12 minutes baking per batch

1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 cups flour
1½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1½ tsp. cinnamon
¾ tsp. ground ginger
2½ cups chocolate chips

1.  Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Grease two cookie sheets and set aside.

2.  Place the sugar, brown sugar, and butter into a large mixing bowl.  Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into both sugars.  Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract.  Fold in the pumpkin.

3.  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger.  Beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips.

4.  Drop heaping teaspoons of batter onto the prepared cookie sheets.  Bake for 9-12 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack and allow to fully cool.  Be sure to sample one while they’re warm!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

PDF to Print Recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Blueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies

29 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by in Dessert, Fruit, Holiday

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Blueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies

In honor of the 4th of July–one of my favorite holidays–I give to you this recipe for Blueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies!  A plate of these mini cakes will look very festive for the 4th of July picnic you’re heading to in just a few days (especially when adorned with mini American flags!), and the lemon zest in the filling keeps the flavors light enough for a mid-summer dessert!  I wish you a happy July 4th, filled with lots of smiles, laughter with friends and family, and an incredible fireworks show!

Blueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies
Yield:  32 mini whoopee pies
Time:  60 minutes total

For the pies:
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2/3 cup whole milk
2 cups fresh blueberries

For the filling:
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
3-4 cups confectioner’s sugar
zest of one lemon
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

1.  Using a pastry blender or two knives, cream together the butter and both sugars.  Stir in the eggs and vanilla.

2.  In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Stir half of this dry mixture into the butter/sugar mixture.  Pour in 1/3 cup of the milk.  Stir in the remaining dry ingredients, followed by the remaining milk, mixing throughout.  Gently stir in the blueberries.

3.  If you have mini whoopie pie pans, lightly grease each well and drop a rounded teaspoon’s worth of batter in each well.  If you do not have a whoopie pie pan, simply drop rounded teaspoons of batter onto a greased cookie sheet.  Lightly pat down the top of each mound so there are no peaks.  Bake at 375ºF for 8-12 minutes, until the tops spring back when pressed gently.  Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool entirely.

4.  To make the filling, beat together the butter and cream cheese until fluffy.  Pour in 2 cups of the confectioner’s sugar and beat until incorporated.  Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla.  Slowly add the remaining 1-2 cups of confectioner’s sugar until the desired consistency is achieved.

5.  To assemble the whoopie pies, spread or pipe a heaping tablespoon of filling on the top of one cake, then gently press another mini cake into the frosting to create a sandwich.  Repeat with remaining cakes.  Store in the refrigerator until serving.

Blueberry Lemon Whoopie PiesBlueberry Lemon Whoopie Pies

 

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Mint Julep Cupcakes

30 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by in Boozy, Dessert, Holiday

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Mint Julep Cupcake

In honor of the upcoming Kentucky Derby, I bring you this festive recipe for Mint Julep Cupcakes!!  I had never really celebrated the Derby prior to last year when my husband and I attended a party hosted by our friends.  The party was a benefit for Boston Cares, complete with door prizes (a trip to Aruba and tickets to a Red Sox game to name a few), tons of great silent auction items to bid on, and of course placing fast-paced bets on the horses as an auctioneer announced the celebrities of the day!  We had an absolute blast celebrating in our seersucker and huge fancy hats…all the while sipping on mint juleps.  With the event approaching this year, I pulled out my craft supplies and began decorating my oversized, floppy white beach hat with ribbons, bows, feathers, and glitter.  And then I got thirsty for a mint julep…cupcake!  I devised this recipe and boy is it a winner!  The cake is super moist and has a fabulous hint of honey thanks to the Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey.  You may want to make a batch of these to celebrate the Kentucky Derby this weekend.  Enjoy one as you cheer on the winning horse!

Mint Julep Cupcakes
Yield:  about 12 cupcakes (or 40 mini cupcakes)
Time:  40 minutes active;  60 minutes total

Bourbon Cupcakes:
1½ cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened to room temperature
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey (or Wild Turkey American Honey)
1½ cups skim milk
1 large sprig of fresh mint (roughly 15-20 leaves), rinsed thoroughly

Mint-Bourbon Frosting:
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened to room temperature
4 to 4½ cups confectioner’s sugar
½ tsp. vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
2-3 drops of pure mint extract
2 tbsp. Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey (or Wild Turkey American Honey)
¼ cup of mint-infused milk (see step 1 of cupcake recipe)
fresh mint leaves, for garnishing

1.  Place the milk and mint sprig into a medium sized saucepan.  Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  This will infuse the milk with the flavor of the mint.  Set aside and allow to cool.  (Note:  This step can be done a day or two in advance.  Store the mint-infused milk in the refrigerator.)  [You will need use 1/3 of a cup of this infused milk for the cupcakes and another ¼ cup for the frosting.  Enjoy any leftovers!  It’s a great base for hot chocolate!]

2.  Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Line cupcake pans with liners (12 wells for regular sized cupcakes or roughly 40 wells for mini cupcakes).

3.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

4.  In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars.  Add the vanilla and eggs.  Slowly drizzle in the bourbon.  Whisk together.  Add 1/3 of a cup of the mint-infused milk.  Mix thoroughly to combine all wet ingredients.

5.  Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients.  Whisk to break up any lumps.

6.  Fill prepared cupcake wells ¾ full with batter.  Lightly tap the pans to release any trapped air bubbles.  Bake at 350°F for 11-12 minutes for mini cupcakes or 17-18 minutes for regular sized cupcakes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.  Cool completely before frosting.

7.  To make the frosting, beat the butter until light and fluffy.  Add 3 cups of confectioner’s sugar, vanilla, mint extract, and bourbon.  Slowly drizzle in mint-infused milk.  Slowly add 1 cup of additional confectioner’s sugar.  Beat together.  Add up to ½ cup more of confectioner’s sugar until desired consistency is achieved.  Frost cupcakes and garnish with fresh mint leaves!

PDF to Print Recipe for Mint Julep Cupcakes

Mint Julep Cupcake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If this gets you in the mood to drink a classic mint julep, go right ahead!  For your convenience, here’s the recipe for the classic Kentucky Derby cocktail:

Classic Mint Julep
yield:  1 cocktail

6-8 mint leaves (plus a few more for garnish)
½ oz. simple syrup
2½ oz. bourbon
4 ice cubes

Muddle together the mint leaves and simple syrup in a double old-fashioned glass.  (Muddle well to release the oils and aroma from the mint.)  Top with bourbon.  Gently stir.  Drop in ice cubes and garnish with a few fresh mint leaves.