Chai Spiced Biscotti with Cranberries and Almonds

Having two weeks off of work is pretty awesome. I've spent my Christmas break having lazy mornings of sipping coffee in bed and enjoying a good magazine. And of course with so much free time, I've been doing a bit of baking! 

I have recently become pretty obsessed with drinking Chai tea, so it became the inspiration for this Chai Biscotti. The texture is crisp and crunchy with spice from the ginger and a hint of sweetness from the cranberries.

This is my first attempt at making biscotti and it definitely will not be my last! It's super easy and the perfect little snack with a big cup of hot tea.

Chai Spiced Biscotti with Cranberries and Almonds

Recipe adapted from Katrina's Kitchen

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground chai tea leaves
1/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup slivered almonds

Directions:

• In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cardamom. Whisk in the 1 tsp of ground chai tea leaves. 
• In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Continue to beat in mixer for 3-4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
• Beat in all the dry ingredients. Stop the mixer and stir in the cranberries and almonds. The dough will be slightly stiff and sticky. Cover and chill dough for about an hour. 
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead 7 or 8 times. Divide dough in half. Roll each loaf into a log and then flatten into a mounded shape on the baking sheet. The logs should be roughly 1 1/2 inches wide and 10 inches long, and spaced a few inches apart on the baking sheet.
• Bake for 25 minutes, until lightly browned.
• Remove from oven and let cool 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
• With a sharp serrated knife, slice diagonally into ½ inch thick slices. Place cut side down on parchment paper and bake again for 12-15 minutes. Turn slices over and bake another 12-15 more minutes or until the slices are crisp around the edges and golden brown.

White Chocolate Gingerbread Truffles with Lemon Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting

If you're still looking for that perfect holiday treat, these are it. I've been on a gingerbread kick lately and let me tell you...these are amazing. Simple, bite-sized pieces of heaven that are perfect for holiday parties!

I've made cake pops/truffles a million times and what I love the most about them is that they are super versatile. You can basically use any flavor of cake and frosting. 

This combination has to be one of my favorites! I loooove the spicy and warm gingerbread with the slightly tart lemon and ginger cream cheese frosting. The perfect pairing. 

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! :)

White Chocolate Gingerbread Truffles with Lemon Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe adapted from the Cooking Channel 
Ingredients:

for the cake:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup molasses
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole milk
12 ounces white chocolate candy melts
1 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped

for the frosting:

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces and softened
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 by 8-inch baking dish. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

Using a hand mixer, cream the sugar and butter until light and creamy. Beat in the molasses and egg and continue beating until fully incorporated. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves and salt and mix well.

Alternating the dry ingredients with the milk, slowly add to the wet ingredients, while mixing on low, until fully incorporated. Add 1/2 of the milk to the creamed butter, then 1/2 of the flour mixture. Repeat this process and mix until fully combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake about 20 to 25 minutes. Allow the cake to cool.

Once the cake has cooled, crumble the cake using a fork and transfer to a large mixing bowl, making sure to break the cake apart really well. Add the Lemon Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting (see below) to a bowl and mix thoroughly. Using a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon, portion out the cake truffles and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Once all the balls have been formed, chill the cake truffles for an hour in the refrigerator.

After an hour, melt the white chocolate over a double boiler by placing it in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water. Making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl.

Once the chocolate is melted, dip the cake truffles into the chocolate and, using 2 forks, gently turn the cake in the chocolate. Place the chocolate covered cake truffles back on the wax paper and top with the chopped pecans. Return them to the fridge to set, about 20 minutes.

for the frosting:
Using a stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter together until light and creamy. Add cream cheese slowly, one piece at a time, fully incorporating it after each addition. Add the grated ginger, juice, zest and vanilla and beat until fluffy and fully combined.

Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies

Two cookies in one? Music to my ears! The recipe starts out as a basic chocolate chip cookie, but then you stir in crushed up Oreos...ummmm best. combo. ever. 

These cookies are super soft and so chewy...and packed with melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chips and yummy Oreos!

Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies
Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction
Ingredients:
2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup light brown sugar, loosely packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups crushed Oreos
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 
• In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt and cornstarch; set aside. 
• In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter and both brown and white sugars.
• Add in the eggs and vanilla and continue to whisk until combined. 
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a large spoon until just combined.
• Fold in the chocolate chips and Oreo pieces. Chill dough for at least one hour or overnight. 
• Use a cookie scoop to roll the dough into balls (about 3 tablespoons).
• Bake for 11-12 minutes and cool completely on a wire rack. 

Gingerbread Whoopie Pies

Whoopie pies are pretty much my favorite thing ever and I love this mini version!! It's like a little cupcake sandwich. :)

These little bites of yummy goodness have winter and Christmas written all over them. There is something about this time of year when I find myself craving anything with gingerbread. The warmth of flavors is just perfect for these cold days.

This whoopie pie is super moist and has a strong gingerbread flavor. The filling is a simple cream cheese frosting and is the perfect compliment. All in all, they are simply scrumptious! Make them. You won't be disappointed. 

Gingerbread Whoopie Pies
Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour
Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
3/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup buttermilk

for the filling:

4 ounces cream cheese
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer beat butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
• Mix in half of the dry ingredients, the molasses, the remaining dry ingredients, and then the buttermilk.
• Drop the batter onto baking sheets using a medium cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 tbsp.).
• Bake the cakes until puffed and set, about 9-12 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets until firm then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Make the filling by beating the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer.  Mix in vanilla, then beat in powdered sugar until smooth.  Place 1-2 tablespoons of filling in the center of a cake.  Top with a second cake and press together until the filling reaches the edges of the pies.  Makes about 15 sandwiches.

Pretzel M&M Cookies

If you haven't checked out Sally's Baking Addiction...I highly recommend you do! She is an amazing baker and has some of the most delicious recipes. I took her chewy chocolate chunk cookie recipe and added some colorful mini M&M’s. And since you know I'm obsessed with sweet and salty, I threw in some crushed pretzels too. They add the perfect amount of crunch and salt to the cookie.

People are always asking me, "what do you do with all those treats you bake?". Well, unless we're really in the mood for something sweet, most of the goodies end up gifts to my parents, in-laws, friends, neighbors, co-workers...anyone we can get them to! So needless to say, these were perfect for our Christmas lunch at work.

Pretzel M&M Cookies
Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction
Ingredients:
2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup light brown sugar, loosely packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup mini M&Ms

1 cup pretzels, broken in to pieces

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 
• In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt and cornstarch; set aside. 
• In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter and both brown and white sugars.
• Add in the eggs and vanilla and continue to whisk until combined. 
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a large spoon until just combined.
• Fold in the M&Ms and pretzel pieces. Chill dough for at least one hour or overnight. 
• Use a cookie scoop to roll the dough into balls (about 3 tablespoons).
• Bake for 11-12 minutes and cool completely on a wire rack. 

Mini Peanut Butter Rolo Cookies

This is a super quick and delicious cookie recipe. I made them a couple of weeks ago for a Christmas dinner party at our house...and they disappeared!

This cookie is as easy as dropping your favorite candy into lightly baked cookie batter. My favorite candy of choice...ROLOS :)

You just drop a little ball of peanut butter dough into a mini muffin pan and bake them until they're just barely done. Take them out of the oven and immediately press a mini Rolo into the center. Soft and chewy peanut butter cookie meets melty caramel and chocolate yumminess.

Cookie + candy perfection.

This is the perfect Christmas cookie recipe – super quick, easy, and you can make a ton in no time!

Mini Peanut Butter Rolo Cookies

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 pkg. Mini Rolos

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 35o degrees. Lightly grease a mini muffin pan with with cooking spray. 
• Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer combine butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until fluffy. 
• Add in peanut butter and continue to mix.
• Add in egg and vanilla until combined.
• Slowly add in flour mixture until the dough just comes together. 
• Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place in muffin pan.
• Bake for 6-8 minutes, until they are just barely done. 
• Take the warm cookies out of the oven, and place a mini Rolo into each cookie, pushing down slightly. The warmth of the cookie will slightly melt the chocolate.
• In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate in 20 second intervals until smooth.
• Drizzle white chocolate over each cookie.
• Cool for about 10 minutes and gently remove the cookies from the pan.