Is it kind of strange that the holidays are quickly approaching? I see Christmas decorations going up earlier and earlier each year but this year I did not have a problem watching them go up. I am very much looking forward celebrating thankfulness, Christ’s birth as well as the new year.
Now that I have been in the Philly area for a little more than a year we have started getting to know more people. I enjoy meeting new people and sharing a nice meal over good conversation or sometimes, nowadays, short conversation. This year, I get to host a cookie exchange party for the first time so I am looking forward having some moms come over for a little break in the week before the Christmas holidays happen.
I really enjoy baking so I am glad I will be able to share what I make with others while we have good conversation especially with no kids around. Something I miss and enjoyed doing when I was single was going out for brunch and having a good mimosa. We’re pretty good about having our own nice brunch at home but there is something about sitting out in a patio or a well-lighted area enjoying good brunch food over great drinks, away from home.
One of the foods I enjoy eating at a brunch are scones. They are not typically everyone’s favorite baked good but I think they are so versatile and they go great with hot drinks. My husband thinks they taste too much like a dry cookie but I think it just depends how they are baked and how big they are and what add-ins are placed in the batter. I have been on a chocolate kick lately and I do not know why but looking and creating recipes using chocolate is fun. I have heard any complaints in our home about too much chocolate so that is always a good sign. What about chocolate for breakfast? I think as long as a food item is not that sweet, I think it can pass for breakfast or brunch like the White Chocolate Drizzled Chocolate Scones.
White Chocolate Drizzled Chocolate Scones
by Noelle Kelly
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20-22 minutes
Ingredients (2 1/2 dozen)
2 3/4 cups spelt flour
2/3 cup Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, very cold and cut in cubes
1 cup Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup walnut pieces (optional)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup coconut milk
Glaze
Ghiradelli white melting wafers
Instructions
In a food processor combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt and baking powder. Pulse in the cold butter. Pulse process until this mixture resembles a coarse meal. It is very important that pea sized pieces of butter remain in this mixture.
Remove to a large bowl and toss in the chocolate chips.
Mix together the lemon juice, vanilla and coconut milk. Pour this over the surface of the dry mixture. Toss all together gently with a fork only enough to form a dough ball.
Place 1 1/2 Tablespoons of batter on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-22 minutes. Cool on racks.
Glaze
Melt 1/2 cup Ghirardelli white melting chocolate and place in a piping bag or a sandwich bag and cut a small slit to create zig zag on cookies.
These scone recipes are easy and quick to make especially the drizzle on top. Even though they come out a little different, I believe, because I use spelt flour but they tasted great! I did not pad out the dough on a floured surface but spooned out the dough on a cookie sheet and lightly flattened each portion. They came out nice especially when you add the drizzle. These are triple chocolate but not at all decadent to not have for breakfast!
Ghirardelli was generous to offer one my US readers a giveaway for a $25 Gift Card to purchase any Ghirardelli baking products, especially the NEW melting wafers, to get your holiday baking started. How about that? Enjoy!
This is a sponsored post with Yummly and Oreos and I was compensated to recreate this recipe.
The holidays are quickly approaching and there is nothing better than sharing America’s favorite cookie – except when that cookie is crushed and rolled up into the delicious, simple goodness of an OREO cookie ball, a bite-sized treat made with three easy ingredients.
I love baking for the holidays and when I look back with recipes I’ve shared with friends and family I always like seeing and tasting the fanciest looking cookie. My sister-in-law enjoys making OREO cookie balls for Christmas and I always think about how complicated it looks for the flavors I savor with each bite. I was real surprised how SIMPLE the recipe ended up being.
This was my first time making cookie balls because, after all there is a difference between a cookie and a cake ball. I very much prefer the cookie ball especially because they use OREOs. These are the perfect party food and you can always impress your guests especially if they are soaked in liqueur. 🙂 I loved having my husband giving me ideas and pointers but at the end of the night, when the recipe was completed, it was funny and confusing to hear him say that he had never had a cookie ball. He thought they were crunchy. He liked my version at the end which only brought me to tell him to make his version. I took my cookie balls to a Girl’s Night Out in Phoenixville where they do a BYOB and Painting session. It was lots of fun and I later learned that my cookie balls go well with red wine too.
Cherry Cordial Oreo Cookie Balls
by Noelle Kelly
Prep Time: 35-45 minutes
Ingredients (24 cookie balls)
o 1 pkg. (8 oz.) brick cream cheese, softened
o 36 OREO Cookies, finely crushed (about 3 cups)
o 22 pitted dark sweet cherries in heavy syrup
o 1/2 cup cherry liqueur
o 1/2 cup white chocolate melting wafers ( I used Ghirardelli)
o 1 cup dark chocolate melting wafers
Instructions
o Take cherries in a small bowl with 1/4 cup syrup and add the cherry liqueur. Let them soak overnight.
o MIX cream cheese and cookie crumbs until blended.
o Drain cherries and pat dry. Melt white chocolate wafers in microwave and coat each cherry in the white chocolate, placing each cherry on a cookie sheet. Freeze for 5 minutes.
o Take the OREO mixture and shape into 30 (1-inch) balls. Take each chocolate-covered cherry and wrap and shape the OREO mixture around the cherry. Place on a cookie sheet and freeze for 10 min.
o Melt the dark chocolate wafers and dip cookie balls in melted chocolate and sprinkle Christmas sprinkles on top; place in single layer in shallow waxed paper-lined pan.
I received a book at no charge from Quirk Books at no charge. All opinions are my own.
Winter Cocktailshas been intriguing me these last few weeks with it wonderful recipes especially since it has been SUPER hard trying to decide what drinks to prepare. My husband really liked this book and is looking forward trying more of these great drinks. This book was released YESTERDAY so everyone should get a peek at this beautifully photographed cookbook. Are you hosting a party in the upcoming weeks or in December? The party snacks, cocktails, punches and toddies and ciders are unique and tantalizing. A little about the author and photographer: MARÍA DEL MAR SACASAis a writer, food stylist, and recipe developer who has worked for Vogue, InStyle, Lucky, and Cook’s Country. Her styling work has appeared in numerous print publications, TV commercials, product packaging, and cookbooks. She lives in New York City and Los Angeles.
TARA STRIANO is a native New Yorker and graduate of NYU. Her photography has been featured in publications such as House Beautiful, O, The Oprah Magazine, Garnet Hill, and Elle Décor.
They both have a blog together recipes and photographs called Cookin’ and Shootin’.
The Brandy Alexander was the first drink we tried over budgeting one night and it was so delicious! Even though I took my time drinking it, my husband insisted I drink it a little faster. I felt nice and warm afterwards. HA! It reminded me of my Chilean Christmas cocktail I make.
The next drink we tried was the Old-Fashioned which can be made with either bourbon or whiskey. We made it with both in order to try the flavors and we enjoyed both. I like that these are all easy to prepare and ideal for parties.
One of my favorite drinks though was this last one we tried. It was the perfect way to end the night after a great dinner.
I received a stroller to review and am not being compensated for this post. All opinions are all my own.
We have been enjoying a new stroller by Joovy and it is pretty cool! Sometimes I wake up and realize, hey, I have two kids! It means it takes twice as long to get out of the house and it is probably one of my most frustrating tasks of the day. Everything seems easier than trying to get everyone out of the house.
During the days, we take advantage of going to various activity classes, like music class, craft class and so on. After that I take advantage of running errands like grocery shopping, post office, etc. Sometimes I carry the youngest but sometimes I just need break to get around a little easier. In comes the Black Caboose Too Ultralight Stand-On Tandem Stroller. The stroller is only 23 pounds and accommodates two children up to 90 pounds. Wow.
The front seat can fit baby from 3 months and on and up to 45 pounds. The rear seat has a full-size removable seat. The removable rear seat installs easily onto the existing rear bench seat and stroller frame. It can fit a child from 6 months and up or weight up to 45 lbs. The seat reclines and includes a 5-point harness.
If you have a baby, there is an option to for a car seat system and the compatibility list is HERE.
I totally think that the youngest loves the front seat better otherwise she ends up pulling the oldest sister’s hair. Not fun folks. My toddler LOVES standing which is the way we have kept it. It helps me get my grocery shopping done or any errand. It helps keep my toddler contained because she loves exploring but this way she has freedom to stand.
Cons? I wish it had the safety belt to hold the toddler while standing, or at least to remind them that hey, you will fall back if you let go. It is minimal but it would be a nice plus.
The nice plus about this stroller is that both seats DO recline. The front seat has a 3-position recline and the rear seat a 130 degree recline. I love the parent organizer because I can now easily put my water bottle at arms reach. 🙂
Don’t forget the over-sized canopy which covers both kids and the easy trigger-fold design. It is quick and stores well in my trunk. We look forward taking this stroller to DISNEYWORLD in January. Yay!
P.S. We like taking walks with this stroller as well but my phone died on me and my phone storage was not saved!
Check out Joovy and their store locator and their online store for more info on how to purchase this stroller.
Last week there was a live-stream cook-off and it was real informative watching pan-roasted cauliflower prepared and cooked on different cooktop surfaces: gas, electric and induction.
Doesn’t it look delicious?
I have only cooked on electric pretty much all my life but I have cooked on gas a hand-full of times and maybe once on induction and I have to say that induction cooking DOES cook way faster. I love that it is energy efficient because I am all about saving money.
I enjoyed watching all three ladies preparing the same dish and how quickly they were each prepared and cooked. While I still like how the food comes out on gas I definitely enjoyed watching the dish cooked on the induction cooktop and would really want to have one to cook in the future. It looks easy to clean too!
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