12/13/2023 0 Comments Caprese Christmas TreeA beautiful and colorfully festive Caprese Christmas Tree! Made from fresh soft mozzarella, flavorful herby basil, vibrant tomatoes and a sweet and tangy balsamic glaze. Easy Caprese Salad Christmas Tree AppetizerCaprese salad is one of the easiest, tastiest Italian side dishes to prepare. And it's natural colors just happen to be so perfectly Christmasy too so it only makes sense to bring the two things together for a deliciously festive dish making this cheery "Christmas tree". This tasty "tree" is party perfect, makes enough for a crowd, doesn't require any special kitchen skills, and it only needs a handful of ingredients. It's just a quick and simple, edible art project that will be the talk of the holiday gathering. It's also a fun thing to make together if you've got friends or family around to help. Someone can slice while the other person assembles. Even kids can help with the layering assembly. So many reasons to add this easy Christmas side dish to your holiday menu! via Cooking Classy Tag TrendCooks
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12/11/2023 0 Comments Cinnamon Roll CookiesCinnamon Roll Cookies - A deliciously buttery, super soft cream cheese sugar cookie, swirled with mesmerizing cinnamon sugar and finished with a sweet vanilla glaze! These delectable cookies taste just like a cinnamon roll! Soft Cake-Like Cinnamon Roll CookiesI made many batches of these cookies until I finally perfected them and achieved that true cinnamon roll flavor and a similar soft texture to what you get from a real cinnamon roll. The secret was to infuse cream cheese into the cookie dough (rather than making a thick sticky frosting that only covers the pretty design of the cookies). It added great flavor and improved overall texture. These super tender, melt-in-your-mouth cookies have a fluffy Lofthouse cookie style softness. And their flavor is light tangy, deeply cinnamony, richly buttery, and highlighted with vanilla. The cookie dough itself isn't very sweet but once you layer it with brown sugar and cinnamon and finish them with a sweet icing it has just the right level of sweetness you hope to get from a cookie. Just plan ahead with these cookies. You'll need some time for the dough to chill so it's not overly sticky to work with and time to allow the icing to set. They'll make a great weekend baking project. And fortunate tasters will be smitten with their reminiscent cinnamon roll flavor! via Cooking Classy Tag TrendCooks 12/8/2023 0 Comments Thumbprint CookiesThumbprint Cookies are tender, buttery cookies that are thumb pressed to create a well that's filled with sweet fruity jam before baking. These colorful, glistening cookies are a traditional holiday treat that people of all ages love! Easy Jam Thumbprint CookiesThumbprint cookies are a simple, richly buttery cookie much like shortbread cookies. They are however even more tender (like butter cookies) thanks to the egg yolks in the dough and also the jam which slightly soaks in and creates more softness. They have a unique texture differing from most other cookies because of this. You can use just about any flavor of jam. The most commonly used are raspberry jam, strawberry, apricot, or peach. You can't go wrong with blueberry, blackberry or fig either. I think you'll appreciate the fact that they use so few ingredients (only six plus salt) and they are fun and easy to make. Though a small and humble cookie they are also such a pretty cookie with a purely delicious taste! These are a delightful treat that can be adapted to include other flavors, other fillings and even can be rolled in various coatings before baking (see ideas below). A simple cookie that proves old fashioned favorites are often the best! via Cooking Classy Tag TrendCooks 12/3/2023 0 Comments Old Fashioned Iced Oatmeal CookiesIced Oatmeal Cookies - Warmly spiced, chewy, oaty cookies covered with a sweet icing to finish. They're an absolute treat and these nostalgic cookies will likely remind you of the old fashioned cookies from childhood. Tempting Oatmeal Cookies Cookies with IcingThese are a cookie people won't forget! Like Mother's Iced Oatmeal Cookies but a far better homemade version. They have a deliciously oaty flavor, a tempting texture, a fair amount of those inviting warm spices, and the crisp icing that finish over the top that makes a crowning highlight. The soft and chewy texture of these frosted oatmeal cookies comes from brown sugar and partially ground oats, it's key to these delectable, homestyle cookies. These iced oatmeal cookies can be baked up more chewy or more crisp, whichever you prefer. If you'd like them to be more soft and chewy, then bake them near the lesser amount of time, and for a crispier cookie bake them for the greater amount of time. via Cooking Classy Tag TrendCooks 11/30/2023 0 Comments Chocolate Shortbread CookiesChocolate Shortbread Cookies - They are crisp and tender, richly chocolatey and buttery, with the perfect balance of sweetness. And when dipped in a dark chocolate finish they become a sophisticated cookie with exceptional flavor! Easy Chocolate Shortbread CookiesChocolate shortbread is made from a simple cookie dough using minimal staple ingredients and it blends together quickly in a mixer. The dough is rolled into log shapes then chilled, after that it's just cut into slices and baked. It's an easy cookie with a decadent flavor upgrade to traditional shortbread. In other words if shortbread hasn't really been a cookie you care for these chocolate shortbread cookies will have you thinking again. There's nothing boring about them! And you can even add extra flavors to make things even more interesting. Chocolate and peppermint, for example, is a beautiful combo and perfect for the holidays. via Cooking Classy Tag TrendCooks Festive Peppermint Cookies! These soft and chewy cookies are studded with flecks of sweet peppermint candy cane and dotted with a generous amount of creamy white chocolate chips. The flavor pairing is an absolute dream, they are exceptionally delicious holiday cookie! Peppermint Christmas CookiesWe all love that chocolate peppermint combo, but have you tried the white chocolate peppermint combo? These cookies are just that, more of a vanilla meets peppermint cookie and they are completely irresistible in every way! They are easy to make, similar to a chocolate chip cookie but with the addition of crushing candy canes. And those crushed candy bits add a pretty speckles of red color to these bright and cheery cookies. You'll find they stay soft for days, thanks to those melted candy cane bits and a fair amount of butter. They pair beautifully with a cup of chocolatey hot cocoa or deeply flavored coffee. I think they will be a standout addition on a holiday cookie tray and may even become a new tradition on repeat each year. Put these fun cookies at the top of the baking list this holiday season, they are a must try treat especially if you love peppermint! via Cooking Classy Tag TrendCooks 11/22/2023 0 Comments Pumpkin Dump CakeEasy Pumpkin Dump Cake! This is like two delicious dessert flavors in one - creamy pumpkin pie paired with rich yellow cake. It's a delicious duo, made with shortcut ingredients, and it's very reminiscent of a rustic cobbler. Pumpkin Cobbler Style CakeThis homestyle, cozy autumn dessert is something that should be made a least once during the holiday season each year. It comes together in minutes, doesn't require making pie crust and you get the bonus of sweet cake atop. It's the perfect alternative treat for those who don't prefer pie and would be a welcome addition at a holiday feast. I've made it the traditional way with box cake mix to make it speedy, though you could try whipping up your own blend if you've got a little extra time (see note below). It's a no-fuss, minimal effort dessert that uses pantry staples and leaves you with a crowd pleasing old fashioned style, utterly delicious cake! via Cooking Classy Tag TrendCooks 11/19/2023 0 Comments Crockpot Turkey BreastCrockpot Turkey Breast is the easiest way to cook turkey! This foolproof slow cooker method frees up oven space and yields tender, juicy turkey breast. Perfect for a holiday feast yet it's simple enough for a weeknight dinner (plus leftovers make the best sandwiches). Slow Cooker Turkey BreastHere's a simplified version of holiday turkey, no oven required. You just need a decent size slow cooker (6 to 7 quart) and to plan a bit of extra time for that low and slow cooking. It's a no fuss method that yields a deliciously seasoned, butter infused turkey breast, plus plenty of drippings for turkey gravy to pour atop. It's final result of tender juicy turkey made with less hassle may have you turning to this method year over year. This is also a great option if your family only likes the white meat of turkey, no need to even start with and waste the dark meat. No turkey thighs here. Pair this turkey breast with some other simple sides to round out the holiday meal such as buttery slow cooker mashed potatoes, quick sauteed green beans, tender 1-hour dinner rolls, and finish with the easiest 5-ingredient pumpkin pie. A simplified feast with classic, comforting, homestyle flavor. via Cooking Classy Tag TrendCooks Vibrant Winter Fruit Salad made with fresh apples, mandarins, kiwi, bananas and pomegranate arils and it's all tossed with a refreshing lemon poppyseed dressing. It's always a party favorite and perfect way to use up the fruit in season! Like this Winter version? Also try my go-to classic fruit salad recipe filled with summer fruit. Winter Fruit Salad RecipeTypically we think of fruit salads as a summer side dish but there's still an abundance of fruit in season during winter so why not take advantage of that and make a healthy winter fruit salad? I first shared this recipe eight years ago and we've made it several times each year since. It's so good it almost passes as a tempting dessert! This is a great dish to add to a holiday menu because there are often lots of heavy sides served but this is a light, refreshing and nutritious option to help balance those out a bit. You'll find this inviting fruit salad is so easy to make and it adds so much festive natural color to your table. Just keep in mind the most important thing about a fruit salad is the quality of the fruit. You want the fruit to have a sweet ripe flavor and firm enough texture that it won't get mushy. From there the honey and lemon will just balance and highlight all of it's natural, fresh fruity goodness. via Cooking Classy Tag TrendCooks 11/11/2023 0 Comments Easy One-Hour Dinner RollsFast and easy Dinner Rolls that are perfectly soft and tender, beautifully fluffy and ready from start to finish in just 1 hour! No more waiting forever for dough to rise with this simple dinner side staple! The Fastest Soft Dinner Rolls Recipe!Who doesn't love a freshly baked homemade roll warm from the oven? It's amazing that something made up so few of the most basic ingredients, that's so reasonably easy to make can create something so supremely delicious! These dinner rolls have the best melt-in-your-mouth texture with a light chew, a rich buttery flavor and just a faint hint of background sweetness. They're the perfect side to homemade Vegetable Soup or Minestrone Soup! I've shared so many soup recipes so of course it only makes sense to have some delicious rolls to serve with them. These rolls also double as great base for sliders or sandwiches (pulled pork, holiday ham and turkey etc), or use leftovers the next day for a breakfast casserole (like French toast or a strata). These easy dinner rolls are the ultimate upgrade to a cozy, comforting meal especially when slathered with a fair layer of creamy whipped butter or homemade freezer jam. via Cooking Classy Tag TrendCooks |