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A Cake Fit For a King… Galette des Rois
The French are smart. After Christmas, once the endless Bûche de Noëls and truffles au chocolat are devoured and forgotten till next year, the French fill the newly formed dessert void with a brilliant confection, Galette des Rois. In Paris, bakeries reopen on January 2nd with their shelves full of these much-awaited cakes. Traditionally eaten only to celebrate the day of Epiphany on January 6, when the Three Kings came to Bethlehem, Galette des Rois is so popular that pâtissiers usually serve this scrumptious cake the entire month of January.
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Chocolate Crackle Cookies
Ever since I saw pictures of Martha Stewart’s scrumptious Chocolate Crackle Cookies, I had to make them. As any chocolate-lover would agree, the flaky texture and beautiful cracked tops, oozing with light-as-air powdered sugar, is irresistible. This recipe uses high quality bittersweet chocolate, melted over a double boiler, in addition to dutch cocoa powder to create a rich, chocolate flavor in the form of light, flaky cookies. Dutch Cocoa powder is different than regular unsweetened cocoa powder. You can find it in many gourmet shops or high-end supermarkets such as Whole Foods. I used Whole Foods’ luxurious Valrhona cocoa powder, imported from France. Valrhona is actually the name of a manufacturer based in the small town of Tain-l’Hermitage in Hermitage, a region near Lyon, France, that produces arguably the finest chocolate in the world. Chocolate Crackles make for a delicious chocolate treat during the Holidays or anytime of year!
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Saltine Toffee
One of my favorite holidays treats is homemade Saltine Toffee. This recipe uses Saltine crackers as a base to make a delicious and easy candy that’s crunchy, salty, sweet and full of rich chocolate. You can be as creative or gourmet as you wish by adding chopped nuts, crushed candy canes, colored sprinkles, dried fruit or drizzled white chocolate to decorate and embellish your toffee. Saltine toffee makes for an impressive holiday gift that any candy lover is sure to enjoy.
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Butterballs
This delicious recipe for butterballs is another fantastic Christmas classic. Sometimes called “Snowballs,” these rich, crumbly butter cookies are rolled and covered in a generous layer of powdered sugar. The cookies are made of butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, flour and finely ground walnuts. The walnuts give the cookies their subtle, signature crunch. Butterballs are very crumbly, so be sure to be really careful when rolling the cookies in powdered sugar. I hope you enjoy this classic and scrumptious recipe!
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Peanut Butter Balls
My Mom’s recipe for Peanut Butter Balls is huge hit every Christmas. Of all of the desserts and candies baked for the holidays, these delicious creamy Peanut Butter Balls really stand out for their exceptional flavor and fun, bite-sized shape. The filling is made of butter, peanut butter, confectioner’s sugar and Rice Krispies for crunch. Once rolled and chilled, the balls are dipped in an irresistible combination of melted dark and milk chocolate, creating a silky and glossy chocolate finish. These Peanut Butter Balls taste like a homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup — but better. I highly recommend this recipe for all the peanut butter-lovers in your life. Enjoy!
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Christmas Cutout Sugar Cookies
To kick off my Christmas baking, I set out to make the very best Christmas Cutout Sugar Cookies. Everyone loves a rolled sugar cookie — a light, crispy and buttery treat that can be decorated in dozens of creative ways. After hearing rave reviews, I started out by using Alton Brown’s revered Sugar Cookies recipe and modified it a bit with a few tips I’ve learned. Alton’s recipe has the perfect texture of dough and is not overly sweet.
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Chocolate Cream Pie
If you are looking for the perfect chocolate pie to bake this holiday season, look no further than my Chocolate Cream Pie. A family-favorite, this deliciously creamy and chocolately pie is a guaranteed hit. Start out by baking a homemade pie crust made with Wondra for a more tender, flakier crust than regular flour. Then, prepare 3 boxes of cook & serve chocolate pudding for the pie filling. Top with fluffy homemade whipped cream and you have a delicious, beautiful and easy pie. A Chocolate Cream Pie is a welcome treat during the holidays when tables are usually full of the traditional pumpkin and pecan pies. Enjoy!
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Apple Flognarde… A Light French Clafoutis Dessert
Apple Flognarde is a delicious traditional French specialty hailing from the Limousin and Auvergne region in the southwest of France. A flognarde, similar to a Clafoutis which is made with cherries, is essentially a puffed “soufflé” baked with fresh fruit. Although you can make it with blackberries, peaches, figs, or blueberries, just to name a few, an apple version is perfectly appropriate for the fall, when you can find delicious native apples at your local orchards. The Apple Flognarde resembles a light-as-air pancake and puffs up when baked. It is slightly sweet and boasts a delicious vanilla flavor, similar to a crepe. The flognarde eventually deflates after cooling, leaving a light and crispy golden “custard” surrounding the baked apples. Served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, this is the perfect light dessert to end a heavy meal.
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Low Fat Fudgy Ghost Cupcakes
If you are looking for a spooky, fun dessert for Halloween, look no further than my Low Fat Fudgy Ghost Cupcakes. With low-fat cake batter (recipe courtesy of Skinny Taste), made with Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix, canned pumpkin and water (that’s it!) and my very own recipe for homemade whipped vanilla meringue frosting, these cupcakes are a festive way to celebrate Halloween. The cupcakes come out so moist and fudgy that they taste like a just-out-of-the-oven dark chocolate brownie. I finish them off with a traditional vanilla meringue frosting, generously piped into the shape of tall, fluffy white ghosts on the top of each cupcake. The shiny, airy white meringue shapes up a perfect ghost and 2 mini chocolate chip eyes finish off these spooky treats. Enjoy!
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Carla Hall’s Lemon Pudding Cake with Orange Liqueur
ABC’s new daytime show, The Chew, has been killing it with to-die-for recipes rolling out every day. If you are a Top Chef watcher, you will remember Carla and her scrumptious and hearty comfort-food-style cooking. A true lover of sweets (she owns Alchemy cookies after all) it is no surprise this mouthwatering lemon pudding cake recipe comes to us courtesy of Carla Hall. My grandmother set out to make these mini-cakes and they came out truly delicious! Baked in ramekins, these pudding cakes make for a perfect individual dessert treat. With egg whites to puff up the cake, a healthy dose of butter, sugar, milk, fresh lemon juice and a kick of orange liqueur, you will find these pudding cakes irresistible. Once baked, the pudding forms a golden-brown cake on top and leaves soft pudding on the bottom, s
