Chocolate Dipped Candied Ginger

This is a great recipe for all you ginger lovers out there! It is very quick to make and easy to enjoy.  I hope the batch I made lasts until Christmas because I am hoping to use it as part of the dessert.

Chocolate Dipped Candied Ginger

24 pieces candied ginger

1/2 cup belgian chocolate

1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl in a hot water bath.  Once the chocolate begins to melt remove from the water and stir the chocolate until it has all melted.  If you need to, return it to the hot water bath.
2. Dipp the candied ginger into the chocolate and let it harden on a parchment lined cookie sheet for about an hour.

Gingerbread

For me, it is just not quite Christmas without making gingerbread.  I love the years when my husband have time to make our own gingerbread house but unfortunately this is not one of those years.  This recipe has never failed in the past for gingerbread houses, much better than the store bought kits.  It also works well for making Christmas tree ornaments, especially if you double up on the spices.
If you happen to have any leftover cuttings from making a gingerbread house or scrap dough bake it, I will post a great Maple Gingerbread Ice Cream my husband makes.

Gingerbread

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp gingerbread spice

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup molasses

1. Sift together the first 4 ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Cream together the butter and the sugar until they are light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg and molasses.
3. Add the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture and mix until well-combined.
4. Form the dough into two balls and flatten into discs.  Chill for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 350.
6. Roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut into desired shapes if you are making cookies.  For a gingerbread house roll it out onto a pan.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes.  For a house, cut the gingerbread while it is still hot into your desired shapes for the house.
8. Decorate and enjoy.

Royal Icing

2 egg whites

5 cups icing sugar

1. In a large bowl, lightly whisk egg whites.
2. Gradually beat in the icing sugar.  The icing should be smooth and stand in firm peaks.

*Be careful not to over whip your icing because it will crack when it dries.

Snowballs

What a treat!  These little guys are a huge hit with my family.  Unfortunately my Grandmother has forbid me from bringing them to any family function she is attending for she lacks the will power to have just one!  When making them try to keep them to the size of a cherry tomato because they are on the sweet side.

Snowballs

1/2 cup icing sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup coconut flakes, for rolling

Glaze

2 1/4 cups icing sugar

3 tbsp hot water

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Cream together the butter, shortening, icing sugar and vanilla.
3. Add flour and salt.  Mix to form a smooth dough.
4. Roll into cherry tomato size balls and place on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.
5. Cool, coat with glaze, and roll in coconut.  Let the glaze dry thoroughly before storing in an air tight container.

Chocolate Cookie Cut-outs

Wow, these cookies are sweet chocolatie goodness!  Nothing beats home made cookies fresh out of the oven and these are no exception.  I love raw cookie dough and this is one that takes great so you have to be very disciplined or double the recipe if you want to have any cookies by the time you are done.  If you like you can even make your own 'oreo' cookies by putting some icing between the cookies.

Chocolate Cookie Cut-outs

2 3/4 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 1/12 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

3/4 cup butter (room temperature)

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tbsp milk

1. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time and mix until smooth.  Stir the milk.
4. Add the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture and beat together until it is smooth.
5. Refrigerate the dough for about an hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
7. On a floured surface roll out the dough and cut it into your desired shapes.
8. Bake for 15 minutes and let them cool before you decorate.

Gingerbread Crackle Cookies

Every year I like to try at least one new cookie recipe at Christmas time and this is the first new one I have tried this year.  These turned out spectacular!  I love how they made my house smell like Christmas while I was baking them.  I like how you don't have to wait for the dough to chill before baking them.  All you have to do is roll the balls up, roll them in sugar and then stick them in the oven.  Very simple and straight forward.  I had someone working on replacing the carpet when I made them and he couldn't resist.  He said that he approved them.

Gingerbread Crackle Cookies

• 2 cups (500 ml) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp (10 ml) baking soda
• 2 tsp (10 ml) gingerbread spices
• 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) salt
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) shortening
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) firmly packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) white sugar, divided (reserve 1/4 cup (60 ml) for rolling)
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp (45 ml) molasses
• 2 tsp (10 ml) Vanilla
• 1. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).
  2. Whisk first 4 ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside.
  3. In a second bowl, cream shortening with brown sugar and 1/2 cup (125 ml) white sugar.
  4. Stir in egg, molasses and Vanilla Extract.
  5. Gradually add dry ingredients, beating well after each addition.
  6. Place remaining white sugar in a shallow bowl. Form cookies by rolling into 1” (2.5 cm) balls; roll in sugar and place 2” (5 cm) apart on  a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
  7. Bake for 10 minutes, or until cookies ‘crackle’ on top. Cool before storing.

Drunken Chorizo Sausage

This is another family favourite at Christmas time.  This is a great tasting impressive appetizer that doesn't require much as far as ingredients and preparation goes but vanishes quickly when it is put out.  I like that it is one that I can make in advance and keep it warm in the oven for when guests arrive.

Drunken Chorizo Sausage

1 Chorizo or Garlic Sausage

1 bottle of red wine

3 or 4 minced garlic cloves

toothpicks for serving

1. Cut the sausage into into 1/2 inch slices.
2. In a frying pan, put the sausage, garlic and wine and allow it to simmer over medium heat.  As the wine is absorbed, add more until you achieve the flavour you desire.
3. Serve on toothpicks hot.  You can keep them in a dish in the oven if you make them ahead of time.

Rum Balls

One of my favourite treats during the holidays is home made rum balls.  I am not sure why, they were not a staple in my families house when it came to holiday baking and I think we only ever got them if they were a gift from a family friend or a client of my dad's.  At least to my recollection and I could be completely wrong but I belief an old family friend, who taught with my Grandma a long time ago, would give them to my family.  Regardless of where they came from, I remember taking a bite and closing my eyes, savouring the flavour while it melted in my mouth.  To me this is the only way to truly enjoy a rum ball.
Another reason I enjoy rum balls is that you can make a big batch early in the season and keep them in the freezer to pull out as you need them.
I am sure there are better recipes out there but this is the one I have used for the past couple of years and I find the end product quite enjoyable.  I know the first time I made them I was surprised at how straight forward they were to make.
Remember when you are making these that the quality of the rum will be reflected in the taste of the rum ball.  If you use a cheap rum with not the greatest flavour don't wonder why they rum balls are missing the true rum flavour.

Rum Balls

1/2 cup dark belgian chocolate

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 dark rum

1/4 cup corn syrup

2 1/2 chocolate cookie crumbs (ex oreo cookie crumbs)

2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup finely chopped nuts

powder or sprinkles of your choice for rolling (ex cocoa powder, icing sugar, chocolate sprinkles)

1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl placed in a hot water bath.
2. Mix in the sugar, rum and corn syrup.
3. In a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients so they are blended well.  Then stir them into the chocolate mixture. Continue stirring until the mixture has a uniform consistency.
4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover and refrigerate until it is firm.
5. Form into small balls, no bigger than a walnut shell, and roll in your coating(s) of choice.
6. Layer between parchment paper in an air tight container and store them in the freezer for up to a month.