A Plea For The New Year

 

If only life were like living in a fairy tale with gingerbread houses and spun sugar gifts. The year past has been just awful to restaurants, diners, bistros and cafes worldwide. We need to order more from our local mom and pop eateries as much as we can. If they're offering outdoor dining , then have a meal in the fresh air if the weather is good  - or just bundle up. Try to eat out even twice a month. If you feel this is too much, then order from them at least every week. Make it a fun weekend treat.

 2020 taught us to not only protect ourselves but protect each other. This year, in 2021, we need to protect the worldwide restaurant industry. They need us as much as we need them.

Bake Elaborate This Holiday Season

 The Christmas and Hannukkah parties are cancelled. Kwanzaa and tree trimming parties are a thing of a past. What to do? Bake like a contestant from The Great British Baking Show. You have the time to create something wildly elaborate. Go for it. The result is not only a following on Pinterest and Instagram but also a yummy treat afterwards.

One of the most complex yet fun creations to make is the gingerbread house.If you're a beginner , you can always buy the kits which has everything from the actual gingerbread pieces to the icing and decorative candies. There are a lot of styles to choose from. However you can easily build your own. You do need to download or draw templates. It usually is the four walls and two squares for the roof.  If you're especially creative you can also add a chimney and movable front door.  As for the actual building materials, you can use a packaged cookie mix or make your own, the last having a richer and more robust taste. Keep in mind that your dough should have a smaller amount of baking soda for less puff  and less butter so that the pieces keep their shape. Also decrease the molasses for a less sticky dough and  add more water for a smoother one. As for the icing , use royal. This is a mix of egg whites and confectioners sugar however a safer version is using chickpea brine or aquafaba instead. Keep in mind that royal icing is also perfect for icing cookies too. Decorate with Starlight peppermints and gumdrops for a more traditional look or add fun candies like KitKat  Bars and M&M's for a hipper vibe.  Ambitious bakers may try baking a whole village plus people, pets and cars.

Another labor intensive treat is sufganiyot, the Israeli jelly doughnut eaten at Hanukkah. The dough is a mix of the usual doughnut dough, spiked with cinnamon and enriched with butter or pareve  or kosher margarine. Apricot, raspberry or strawberry preserves are placed in the middle and then the dough balls are fried in vegetable oil for two minutes. They can then be dredged in granulated sugar or confectioner's. If you want to fancy them up a bit , think about filling them with dulce de leche or thick caramel sauce. For  really lush doughnuts, fill them with  a rich dark cocoa filling that's more like a pudding. Kwanzaa also comes with a variety of delicious desserts like banana cake. This is fine on its own but think about serving it with a homemade side of homemade Bananas Foster ice cream  for extra indulgence. One of the best holiday desserts for any holiday is the Spanisches Windtorte, This was featured on  The Great British Baking Show  and it is a decadent Austrian meringue cake with a decadent filling of whipped cream laced with brandy and cognac along with confectioner's sugar for body. Each layer is then topped of with fruit. You can use strawberries but for more bite use blackberries or raspberries. It's then finished off with more whipped cream and fruit followed by a dusting of shaved dark chocolate.

Bake big.  Bake  elaborate this holiday. Create something amazing and complicated  - not just for your family but for yourself. It;s the best give you can give.

The Allergy Free Christmas Cookie

It's the start of the holiday baking season and with that comes a plethora of cookies. However it can also be a dodgy pick and choose game for those with various allergies. what to do? Create bites that are not only tasty and worry free. The end result is still a large buffet of sweet treats.

All baked goods start with flour and that's where the first problem is. Many have gluten which can be lethal to those with celiac disease. A simple spritz cookie can bring on everything from intestinal  distress to vomiting. Instead of forgoing a sweet nibble, incorporate gluten free flours into the holiday baking routine. Many companies like Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur do sell gluten free versions of their regular flours at supermarkets. There are other flours you can use such  almond flour which is perfect for making macarons or light , fluffy cakes.it's would also be good for low carb brownies and holiday breakfast waffles too. Its' coarser cousin, almond meal can be used for quick breads and such cookies as citrussy snowballs, fun thumb prints or almond chocolate chip cookies. Another route is making traditionally flourless treats.  Aquafaba meringues are simply chickpea water, sugar,cream of tartar and vanilla. Make them really festive by adding natural red and green dyes. Rice Krispy treats can be molded into cookie like rounds for fun decorating and eating. Rice Krispy treats can even be molded and cut into larger pieces to create a variation of a gingerbread house.

Holiday cookies are filled with all sorts of goodies, such as nuts and chocolates. Yet they can be sheer horror for those with severe allergies. Substitution is the key here. Don't deprive  family of those peanut butter cookies. Sub in sunflower butter instead. This is sunflower seeds crushed and mashed into a type of  spread that can be a great  fill in for anything that uses  peanut butter. The flavor is a bit milder, tasting like  - what else - sunflower seeds. Yet it's perfect for baking. Unfortunately those with peanut allergies are usually allergy to other nut such as almonds and walnuts. These figure heavily in holiday baking. If you still want crunch, then think seeds. Try the crunchy and delicate Southern treat benne cookies. These are buttery wafers made with sesame seeds, brown sugar, eggs, and a cup and a half of butter. Have these and they're sure to be a holiday classic. Chocolate is another cookie ingredient  that can cause problems for those allergic to it. Switch to carob which is the perfect stand in. Surprise the family with carob chip cookies. They won't know the difference  between them and the real thing. There's also a carob cookie recipe with powdered espresso in it for a mocha latte flavor.

Allergy sufferers and those who bake for them, don;t despair this holiday season. The key is subbing in ingredients that are still tasty but harmless. You can still make your cookies and eat them too,

Sweet Homemade Treats

One of the best gifts any home baker or candy maker can give is one or more of their on creations. Everyone loves basket filled with homemade cookies or a tin of freshly made peanut brittle or fudge. Even better is a gingerbread house that's not only a fun nibble but a beautiful decoration.The best part is that treat making is relatively easy and not that labor intensive.

If you  have no time but still want to give a yummy gift then go to your local Walgreen's. They are selling Savor The Season Gingerbread House Kits.

It has everything, including already filled frosting tubes along with candy beads and Smarties along with peppermint discs for decoration. The house itself is a "prefab" already baked and cut out.It can be created in six easy steps. Walgreen's also sells gingerbread villages that are also easy to construct. It's three small homes along with a church. You can also create your own by using a mix.Cookies are another big treat . Make a few different kinds like the classic chocolate chip and shortbread along with decorated sugar cookies.Customize them with the recipient's name and even a cookie portrait. Sprinkle holiday candies like Hershey's mint Kisses or M&Ms for an added fancy treat.

Candy also is a treat. Homemade is even better..Many home chefs balk at the idea of making candy , afraid of either getting bad results or burned. Acquiring a candy thermometer helps.It can tell you exactly what temperature the mixture is . As for bad results, look for a clear, crisp day with no humidity. Moisture in the air has a definite and negative effect on candy's texture, creating a very soft texture when hard is desired. Simple candy recipes like fudge

is a great and yummy gift.For a quicker cook, use the microwave. A simple one calls for chocolate chips, and condensed milk. Add nuts such as walnuts and pecans  for texture or mint or brandy for an added boost of flavor.Peanut brittle is one of the simplest and most delicious to make.It's just sugar, butter,baking soda, and nuts cooked together to form a rich syrup. Vary it by subbing in other nuts such as walnuts or Macadamia nuts.Omit the nuts and you have toffee.

Homemade sweet treats are the best gifts in the world. It shows your love as well as your love of baking and candy making. Make a basket of any of these goodies for a wonderful Christmas memory.

Healthy Holiday Cookies

Many think it's as rare as actually seeing Santa Claus or even an elf? What is it? A batch of healthy holiday cookies.Is there such a thing? More importantly what would they taste like?Well, there is such a thing and healthy good for you cookies actually are flavorful.

Many home bakers and cookie affectionadoes blanch at the very notion of a healthy holiday treat. After all Christmas is supposed to be a time for indulgences with buttery rich shortbreads and icing laden gingerbread men. Yet you don't have to give up flavor for a tasty plate of goodness.One of the most popular to bake during this season is the sugar cookie. One sub in white flour with spelt. along with coconut or evaporated cane sugar.Home bakers could sub in the healthier brown sugar, however this makes for a very chewy sugar cookie. Most holidays ones have a snap and crunch to them.Use a butter type spread such as Earth Balance sticks. They are non dairy yet have a buttery taste.Unfortunately the icing does have to have confectioner's sugar to create a smooth paste, however you can add skim milk or make an icing using macadamia nuts and shredded coconut.Peanut butter cookies are another holiday fave. You can sub in maple syrup for refined white sugar Applesauce can be added too along with organic peanut butter. Chocolate chip, that holiday cookie platter must have can be remade into something healthier.One, you can sub in carob chips for chocolate ones. Another sub in  -oatmeal flour  or whole heat for an extra chewy bite.Again use coconut and sucanat -which is whole cane sugar that hasn't been refined.

Of course it wouldn't be Christmas without the classic snickerdoodle. This time they can be a good for you indulgence, with the addition of organic sucanat and using Earth Balance  faux butter .sticks. Use a  lot of cinnamon when making these because the spice can help in lowering blood pressure as wekll as aiding in combating stomach flu. Oatmeal cookies are a must have. These can be made as healthy as possible., with whole wheat flour and honey along with brown sugar. An egg is used as a binder although there recipes that do use applesauce as a binder instead. Raisins are the preferred extra but you can also add dried cranberries for color and more flavor, along with dark chocolate chips. What would Christmas be without the classic gingerbread men and house?. You can still bake these  but with a better for you spin.. Use whole wheat pastry flour instead of white, coconut oil for butter and the oil dark molasses for white sugar.The last is high in potassium, iron,Vitamin B calcium and magnesium.You could use royal icing to decorate or a glaze. As for the gingerbread house, sub in healthy decorations rather than candy. Have an almond decorated roof along with Craisins around the windows and doors.Shredded coconut can be sprinkled on top to simulate snow. Another fun idea with the molasses is using it to make classic molasses snaps, using whole wheat flour and egg whites.

Yes, Virginia, there is such a thing as a healthy Christmas cookie that is delicious. You can make a whole slew of them, including the classic gingerbread house. They're a treat that's good for you.