Easy baking for the holidays

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Here are two simple recipes to help make this holiday season just a little bit tastier for you and yours.

This first recipe is simple and delicious.

Nothing says the holidays quite like a spiced pumpkin cookie.

PHOTO BY JESSICA BLANKE

FROSTED PUFFY PUMPKIN COOKIES
Recipe from picky-palate.com

INGREDIENTS

COOKIES
½ Cup butter (Soften a bit)
1 Cup sugar
½ Cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 small can pumpkin
2 ½ Cups flour
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

FROSTING
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
6 Tablespoons butter, softened
2 ¼ Cups powdered sugar
Cinnamon to sprinkle on top

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter and sugars in a stand or electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and pumpkin, mixing until well combined.

2. Place flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add to wet mixture on low speed until just combined. With a cookie scoop, drop onto a lined baking sheet and bake for 11-13 minutes. Let cookies cool completely.

3. Whisk cream cheese and butters in a medium-sized bowl. Stir in powdered sugar until smooth. Frost cooled cookies and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.

PHOTO BY JESSICA BLANKE

PEPPERMINT BARK
Recipe by Jessica Blanke

INGREDIENTS

2 regular bags of white chocolate or vanilla baking chips
1 box candy canes

DIRECTIONS
1. Break and crush about six candy canes into small pieces I recommend putting them into a plastic sandwich bag and crushing them with a mallet or the bottom of a pan.
2. Melt the baking chips. If no double-boiler is available, the baking chips can be melted in a regular pan by adding 2 tablespoons of canola oil.
3. Mix the candy cane bits into the hot baking chips and pour the mixture evenly onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet.
4. Let mixture set in the fridge for an hour and break into bite sized pieces to serve.