If you love a soft cookie with a dusting of cinnamon and sugar, it’s pretty hard to compete with the classic Snickerdoodle. The traditional cookie is slightly crunchy on the outside and soft in the center. As if Snickerdoodles aren’t addicting enough, this variation makes them even more irresistible! The center in this recipe has a cheesecake filling that really puts them over the top. It’s not a large amount of filling, only a small dollop of a combination of cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. It’s just enough for you taste buds to say, “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” If you are a purist and just want a great traditional Snickerdoodle, this recipe is for you, minus the filling. On the other hand, I’m certain cheesecake lovers will appreciate the delicious surprise inside!
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Cheesecake Snickerdoodles
Cinnamon Walnut Rugelach
If you missed these delightful treats during Hanukah this past week, the great thing about Rugelach is that they are popular all throughout the year and especially for the holidays! Rolled out delicate dough filled with a variety of ingredients, Rugelach has grown in popularity from a Jewish specialty to an American favorite. It seems as though every country has its own version and name for Rugelach and there are hundreds of recipe variations for this bite-sized goody. For the dough, sour cream or cream cheese is added to the flour which makes for flavorful dough that’s extremely easy to work with. These one or two bite morsels are generally filled with ingredients like sugar, cinnamon, walnuts, raisins, chocolate, or preserves with a little cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top. Again, there are a number of ways to roll and cut Rugelach, but the classic shapes are crescents or slightly flattened squares. I know that Rugelach was baked up en masse for the Hanukkah celebration which ended yesterday, but there are plenty of chances in the days ahead to make, bake and deliver these delicious and delicate gifts from the kitchen for the holidays ahead!
Stocking Cookies
What makes this the most wonderful time of the year? Well, besides, glad tidings, family and the holiday spirit, it’s gotta be Christmas Cookies! Nothing puts a smile on faces like a big platter of goodies decked out and adorned with glitter and glaze! These tri-colored cookies are among my very favorite to bake up, decorate and give as gifts for the holidays. Why do I love these cookies so much? First of all, this basic stocking cookie recipe is just right. With its combination of butter and shortening, you get the great flavor of butter and the shortening makes the cookies soft but still great for decorating. Second, they are so colorful, and that color is achieved in such an easy way! All you do is make one batch of batter and color two parts with green and red! Now you have a pre-decorated cookie that just gets a glaze and a tiny bit of decorating sugar. No fuss. No muss. Just gorgeous and scrumptious cookies that are fa-la-la-la lovely to eat and to share!
Watch my How To Video for Christmas Cookies here!
Stocking Cookies
Rock Cornish Game Hens with Cranberry and Apricot Preserve Glaze
The meat department manager at the store knew right where they were.
“Aisle 6, third case down on the left, bottom row.” That’s because even though Rock Cornish Game Hens really only get attention during the holidays, they are generally always there in the frozen food case, just waiting for someone to find a great recipe and then gobble up these delectable little birds. This week I was spending a little time with Julia (Child), reading some of her fun television stories when I stumbled across her account of Unidentified Flying Objects—or small birds. “Eating this meal demands fingers and cooking it demands loving, last-minute attention. The right people to ask to this dinner party (serving Cornish Game Hens) are knowing, sensuous eaters whom you welcome backstage because they understand and enjoy what’s going on there. So dine in the kitchen if you have room.” Doesn’t that just sound like the women we loved to watch on television for decades? Her story made me hunt for one of my favorite recipes for these tasty little one-bird-per-person UFO’s. Cornish Game Hens are all white meat, but they are succulent and have a slight but distinct gamy flavor. This recipe for the roasted hens, served with a wild rice blend (found in most stores and often in the bulk bins) and a sweet and savory glaze, make a perfect weeknight dinner or a fantastic family Sunday supper.
As Julia Child once said, “The best way to execute (French) cooking is to get good and loaded and whack the hell out of a chicken. Bon appétit. ” Well, no need to do that with Rock Cornish Game Hens, but Bon appétit anyway!
Watch my How To Video For Cornish Game Hens here!
