Holiday Almanac December 21: Creamy Cider Caramels

For more information on the Holiday Almanac, go here. Or to see what I've been up to on past Holiday Almanac days, check out this page.

Well, here we have another difficult one (I thought). I was dreading Caramel Making Day for most of December, which is why I didn't actually get around to it until yesterday (knowing that I couldn't today). Since I couldn't buy the frosting mix that the Almanac recommended for making the candy, I used this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, my very favourite food blogger.

I had always been kind of on the fence about fruit with caramel, and then this summer at a friend's wedding, I tried an apricot caramel that changed my life. I've had dreams about it since July, wondering if there was ever a way I could make it myself, or if I would simply be doomed to make yearly trips to Saratoga, California, to stock up on their white-chocolate truffles filled with it.

Luckily, these turned out just as good, and just as easy, and now I want to make them all the time.

Cinnamon and Flaky Sea salt.

Seriously, I don't have a candy thermometer (which is probably the main reason I hate making candy), but even without one, these are a cinch. The apple flavour shines through in a way I didn't think would be possible, and the texture is soft, creamy, and rich without being sticky or cloying. I'm taking them to work when I go back on Wednesday because the recipe makes 64 and I can't be trusted around these any longer than necessary.

I won't kid myself and think that you'll have time to make these caramels before Christmas (or even before New Year's Eve), but if you're going to attempt one Holiday Almanac recipe, this is a good one to try on a cold and rainy January night. It'll fill your house with the smell of apples and butter, and you're friends will be so impressed with you that you might start considering candy-making as your own higher calling and quit your job to open up a candy shop. If you do, promise you'll send me some?

The verdict:

5 spoons out of five. (It's a Smitten Kitchen recipe, so of course it's amazing). These were super easy and super delicious, and the almanac recommends making them as part of an 'old-fashioned candy-making party,' which sounds like something I wish I would be invited to.

Holiday Almanac December 20: Cream Cheese Nut Bread

For more information on the Holiday Almanac, go here. Or to see what I've been up to on past Holiday Almanac days, check out this page.

Today's task was supposed to be to make a batch of 'gumdrop nut bread,' which is exactly what it sounds like: a lovely loaf of warm brown breakfast bread, studded through with toasted pecans and... gumdrops?

Eww, right? Even though the directions include a specific step to 'remove black gumdrops,' this still sounded really really gross to me. I was willing to make it anyway, though, but then I went to the supermarket and discovered that they don't have gumdrops in the UK... or at least not at my Tesco, and just like that, this recipe became a Cream-Cheese Pecan Bread, and everyone in my house breathed a sigh of relief.

Anything I can eat for breakfast that involves cream cheese filling and pecans is getting an A+ in my book, and this cake, still warm from the oven, is no different.

The verdict:

4 spoons out of five. This cake is delicious, moist, and cosy-- the perfect breakfast for the week leading up to Christmas. However, the orange zest in it makes it incredibly citrus-y, and while that appeals to me on a very base level, some people may not like it as much.

The recipe:

Cream Cheese Nut Bread

the directions:
filling:

Make the filling by combining all filling ingredients in a small bowl, then mixing until smooth.
Set aside.

 

Bread:

Grease and flour a 9-inch loaf pan, and preheat the oven to 160C/325F.
Combine honey and milk in a large mixing bowl.
Add flour, sugar, soda, salt, shortening, and egg.
Mix until smooth.
Fold in nuts gently until uniformly distributed.
Pour half of batter into prepared loaf pan, then pour filling over batter.
Scoop remaining batter on top of filling as gently as possible, and try to spread the batter to the edges of the pan as much as you can.
Bake 40-60 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted into the centre comes out slightly sticky.

the ingredients:
the filling:

6 oz cream cheese, softened
1 egg
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp orange peel, grated
¾ c sugar

the bread:

2/3 c honey
2/3 c milk
2 ½ c flour
1/3 c sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
½ c shortening
1 egg
1 c chopped pecans

Holiday Almanac December 19: Meltaway Cookies & Hot Cider

For more information on the Holiday Almanac, go here. Or to see what I've been up to on past Holiday Almanac days, check out this page.

These meltaway cookies went fast in this house-- so fast I didn't even have time to take them to work with me as planned! They're basically a dressed-up shortbread with a few extra ingredients and some powdered sugar dusted on top... come to think of it, they're not so different from these kourabiedes I made back in February!

And, similar to the kourabiedes, Judson was so excited about these he nearly ate the entire batch the very day I made them.

The almanac recommends serving these with hot cider 'from a glass punch bowl decorated with holiday seals.' I may not know what a holiday seal is, and I may not own a glass punch bowl, but served with warm cider out of a stoneware mug, these did the job just fine.

The verdict:

4 spoons out of five. They're delicious, but they're best the day you make them, so not ideal for this season where you often need to make things in advance... but, luckily, these are so tasty you're unlikely to have any that make it past the first day.

The recipe:

Meltaway Cookies

the directions:

Heat oven to 200C/400F.
Mix thoroughly butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla.
Add flour and salt, stir well to combine.
Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet.
Bake 6-8 minutes until set but not brown.
Remove from oven and while still warm, sift additional powdered sugar over them.

Makes 40-60 small cookies.

the ingredients:

1 c butter, softened
½ c powdered sugar, sifted + more for sifting
1 tsp vanilla
2 ¼ c cake flour, sifted
¼ tsp salt