Ever since I was a little kid, I loved Christmas and this holiday season! I love the baking and its aroma uplifting our entire home; there is no greater scent in my books! However you celebrate this holiday season, the recipes I'm about to share with you will be fun and easy to make, and share, either as a gift or while you entertain your guests. They are also great to have handy for you and your family.
Hot Cocoa Mix for Two
2 tbsps cocoa powder
4 tbsps shaved baking chocolate-100% cacao
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp coconut sugar
Add mix to your choice of two cups of milk in a small pot, and stir often over medium high heat until it starts to bubble. Serve warm with sprinkle of shaved chocolate, a dash of cinnamon, or whipped cream, topped with mini marshmallows and crushed candy cane.
This hot cocoa can be enjoyed on its own, it's so rich, or with a side of your favourite cookies!
Salted Caramel Non-GMO Popcorn
4 tbsps non-gmo popcorn
1 tsp coconut butter
Pinch of salt
1 cup of turbinado sugar
Mix popcorn with butter and salt. Place in pan with a lid to pop over medium heat. Note that coconut butter requires lower heat than dairy butter so that it doesn't burn. So adjust your stove top's temperature setting accordingly. Once popcorn is popped remove from heat. In a separate non-stick pan melt turbinado sugar on medium heat, whisking often. Once sugar is melted, remove from heat and stir in popcorn quickly. Then spread caramelized popcorn on lined baking tray to cool. Be careful not to touch the hot caramelized sugar to avoid burning your hands.
The salted caramel pop-corn can also be used in the Festive Cocoa Bark below.
Cranberry Sauce with Orange Zest
8 oz of organic cranberries
2 tbsps of water or more
4 tbsps of freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tbsps of pure maple syrup
1 tsp of cinnamon
Half an organic orange’s zest
Add cranberries and two tbsps of water in a pot on medium high heat until boiling, then lower heat to medium low to simmer. Cranberries will begin to pop and sauce will begin to form. Simmer for about 15 - 20 minutes stirring often. Mid-way add orange juice, maple syrup, cinnamon, zest and additional water 2 tbsps at a time to get to your desired consistency.
Sauce will last up to 10 days in the fridge. You can also freeze some for later.
This cranberry sauce is so versatile! You can add it as a side to your turkey dinner, top your cheese on crackers with it, add it to your yoghurt parfait or icecream, your oatmeal breakfast, or your protein smoothie! When I make this, I make enough to last me the entire holiday season. Same with the apple sauce recipe below.
Apple Sauce
12 apples peeled and cut in 8 with core removed
1 lemon’s freshly squeezed juice
2/3 cup water
A little less than 1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Have a bowl filled with lemon juice to place apple chunks as you peel and cut the rest. Mix all the ingredients in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat stirring often for 25 minutes. Let cool. Puree with hand blender. Refrigerate some and freeze rest. Apple sauce can last up to 10 days in the fridge and up to six months in the freezer.
As with the cranberry sauce, this apple sauce is also so versatile. You can use as a side to your turkey dinner, top your cheese on crackers with it, add it to your yoghurt parfait or icecream, your oatmeal breakfast, or your protein smoothie!
Festive Cocoa Bark
2 bars of organic dark chocolate-85% cacao
1/4 bar of milk chocolate
1/4 bar of white chocolate
1/4 cup chopped nuts and dried cranberries
Handful of popcorn and chopped mini marshmallows
In a double broiler melt the dark chocolate. Once melted, spread on parchment lined tray into a thin layer, about 3mm thick. While the dark chocolate is still wet, sprinkle the chopped nuts, cranberries, popcorn, and marshmallows on top and let them sink in. In a cleaned double broiler, melt the milk chocolate and drizzle over the dark chocolate bark. Repeat with the white chocolate. Place tray in fridge for a couple hours to solidify. Then cut into triangles.
These present so beautifully when entertaining or wrapped as a gift! They make the perfect light dessert throughout the holiday season! They can also decorate the low sugar pannacotta desert below!
Low Sugar Espresso Pannacotta
Want an easy low sugar Italian desert to serve during the holidays? Welcome to pannacottas! They are so easy to make, take very little time to make, and can be decorated any way you like. My guests have really enjoyed their lightness and fun presentations!
Essentially, you will need:
2 small packs of organic gelatin
1 cup whole milk
1 cup whipping cream
2 - 3 tbsps of swerve
I use organic packs of gelatin with very little swerve sweetener (approx 1 tsp per serving) warmed up in a cup of whole milk and one cup whipping cream (you can use coconut milk and cream or other such combination) then add the soaked gelatin and mix it in with a whisk until it's well blended. I pour the warm pannacotta into vintage tea cups or desert bowls, let cool on the kitchen counter, cover and refrigerate. They last me a week in the fridge.
Here, I am pouring espresso on top of the pannacotta I removed from one of my vintage cup molds. I had to immerse the vintage cup, filled with the set pannacotta, in hot water half way up the cup for about a minute to jiggle it out onto a plate. Don’t leave it in hot water too long as it will liquify more and come out sloppy. Another option is to simply serve the pannacotta in the vintage cup and decorate it with the cranberry or apple sauce above, or with a small slice of festive cocoa bark. You can have the espresso on the side.
Let your creativity flow! Wishing you and all who matter to you, a light and bright holiday!
Comments