It’s hard to believe that Hanukkah has arrived, and Christmas is right around the corner. With all the hustle and bustle surrounding the holidays, wouldn’t it be nice to finally take a step back and soak it all in with a fireside cocktail and sweet treats?
Here are two of our favorite festive recipes. So put down the wrapping paper, crank up the tunes (may we suggest 18 Plays: Winter 2011?), and indulge.
Mapletini
Recipe courtesy of Food Network
Ingredients
-2 shots Irish cream liqueur
-1 shot brandy
-1/2 shot cinnamon schnapps
-Ice
-Cinnamon stick
Directions
Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with cinnamon stick.
Hidden Candy Cane Kisses
Adapted from Recipe Girl
Ingredients
-1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
-1/2 a large egg (whisk one egg in a small bowl, then divide equally in half, and only use one half)
-3/4 cup icing sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1 to 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
-1/4 teaspoon baking powder
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/4 cup finely chopped Candy Cane Hershey's Kisses (about 10 Kisses)
-2 tablespoons granulated sugar
-About 30 additional, unwrapped Candy Cane Kisses
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine icing sugar, butter, vanilla, and egg. Beat at medium speed, scraping the bowl often, until creamy (about 2-3 minutes).
3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the electric mixture in two additions, mixing well after each addition, until well blended. Stir in chopped Kisses.
4. Scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough and press a Candy Cane Kiss into the middle of the ball of dough, molding the dough around the Kiss so that it's completely covered by the dough. Try to smooth out any lumps, because nobody likes a lumpy cooking. Repeat with the remaining dough, you should end up with about 30 cookies.
5. Pour granulated sugar into a shallow bowl and gently roll each cookie in the sugar to coat. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake at 350˚F for 10-12 minutes, then cool.
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