Angie's Recipes . Taste Of Home

Browse » Home » Posts filed under Holiday Specials

Himmelsboten Heavenly Messengers

Thursday, November 21, 2024

These Himmelsboten are not only popular with the little ones. My husband is also completely addicted to these cookies. I used a simple and very basic 3-ingredient shortcrust pastry, but you can add some orange peels or vanilla extract. Cut it out and then decorate with sugar icing and chocolate lentils or almonds if you want a healthier alternative. They are a delicious creation for the Christmas season. There are only two other things to note. The prongs of the stars should be at least three centimetres long so that you can wrap the Smartie or almond well. And you need a star or snowflake cookie cutter with five prongs so that the celestial messengers look like a humab figure.

Read On 15 comments

Santa Cookies

Monday, November 18, 2024

Nothing announces the arrival of the holiday season like the smell of freshly baked cookies and there’s no better way to celebrate the festive season than by decorating Christmas cookies. These Santa cookies are easy to bake and are an eye-catcher on any cookie tray. They are fun, delicious and make heartwarming homemade gifts for friends and neighbours.
When the smell of freshly baked cookies wafts through the house and we decorate the cute little Santas, the Christmas spirit comes alive. These cookies are not only a treat for the palate, but also for the soul, as giving cookies a cute and festive makeover brings the joy and warmth of the season into our homes.

Read On 29 comments

Heinerle

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

‘Heinerle’ aka Heinerla, Heinerli, Schokoladina or Schokoladinchen, are melt-in-the-mouth and very chocolaty praline-like Christmas biscuits from Franken (in the north of the Bavaria Germany) that require no baking at all. However, the chilled layers of chocolate wafers are not exactly easy to cut, so it is a good idea to have a little patience and a little strength. A mixture is made from coconut fat, icing sugar, chocolate and eggs, then spread layer by layer on rectangular wafers. The origin of Heinerle probably lies in the use of baking wafers left over from making Lebkuchen, but nobody knows exactly where the ‘Heinerli’ come from. Nor when they were created.

Read On 25 comments

Chocolate Wreath Cookies

Saturday, November 09, 2024

These cookies are sure to take your festive celebrations to the next level: chocolate wreath cookies with freeze-dried raspberries, pistachios and eidble flowers. They look simply gorgeous on the tree and can also be eaten while decorating. So if you ever decide on edible Christmas decorations, these wreath cookies are a must. The possibilities for the toppings are endless--holiday sprinkles, edible glitters, or M&M chocolate.

Read On 29 comments

Cherry, Ginger and Macadamia Christmas Cake

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Good things take time, so start this recipe at least 1 day in advance to macerate the fruit and allow additional time for cooling. Traditional fruitcake is such a joy at Christmas time. Dense with brandy-soaked dried fruit and warming spices, this means a little goes a long way! This recipe adds a delicious yet modern twist on a classic fruitcake by using candied ginger, dried cherries, physalis, barberries, macadamias, coconut suguar and ginger shot to the batter. If you don't bake with alcohol, then replace it with apple or orange juice.

Read On 29 comments

Christstollen Traybake

Sunday, December 03, 2023

Loaded with dried cranberries, apricots and chunks of marzipan, this well spiced holiday traybake is quick and easy to make, perfect for sharing and gifting. Those stollen bites have all the wonderful festive flavours of German Christstollen without going to the effort of making the real thing. A festive and delightful treat that is sure to please and impress. I used less sugar than the original recipe calls for and used more orange juice, so the batter won't be too dry. You can also replace some sugar with applesauce.

Read On 39 comments

Maple Pecan Tart

Thursday, November 09, 2023

Wow your family and friends with this golden pecan tart with a blind-baked pastry case for a crisper finish for a dinner party dessert, teatime treat or holidays' celebration. Using coconut sugar and maple syrup to sweeten the filling enhances the caramel flavour and works beautifully with the texture of the nuts and buttery crust. It's perfect served with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.

Read On 34 comments

Classic Buttery Hamantaschen

Friday, September 15, 2023

Hamantaschen, triangular-shaped cookies stuffed with any of a variety of fillings, are a traditional treat often served during the Jewish holiday Purim. But you can always bake them any time when those cravings hit. They are most often filled with fruit preserves, chocolate, or poppy seed fillings.
The dough is easy to make and yields a rich, buttery, lemon-scented cookie that is full of flavour. It keeps the shape during the baking, as long as you don’t overfill your cookies and your filling has the proper thick texture. Another tip to keep hamantaschen in shape is to CHILL them overnight before baking. You can use any hamantaschen filling you like, poppy filling is our favourite.

Read On 34 comments

Fig and Walnut Hot Cross Buns

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

These popular Easter bakes are made sweet, juicy with dried figs and coconut milk, aromatic with cinnamon and nutmeg, crunchy with walnuts, and sticky with maple syrup. Top these beauties with lashings of butter for a satisfying treat that is perfect with a cuppa. Or you can follow the original recipe and serve them with cinnamon butter.

Read On 32 comments

Purple Sweet Potato Bites with Creamy Horseradish Sauce and Caviar

Friday, March 24, 2023

Striking colours and bold flavours packed into these small, delicious bites – the perfect starter for your holiday dinner party.
Purple sweet potatoes are fun to cook with and can be used in many of the same ways as the regular sweet potatoes. They add a fantastic pop of colour to food and are high in Vitamin C, potassium, fiber, flavanoids and anthocyanins, which are powerful antioxidants and have been linked to reducing dementia and maintaining brain health. The violet hue comes from anthocyanins, the same pigment that gives red wine, berries, purple carrots & cabbage, and other vegetables their colour.
Purple sweet potatoes have a rich, creamy texture. They are denser and more floury than regular sweet potatoes, which is why you need to cook them longer than you would a regular sweet potato (from 1 1/2 to 2 hours at 180C/350F). They are so easy to prepare, but not so easy to find and will cost a little more.

Read On 29 comments

Aspic Jelly Eggs with Ham, Sweetcorn and Sweet Pepper

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Aspic is a clear, savory jelly, traditionally made with a clarified meat / fish broth, sometimes with added gelatine, flavoured with spices, herbs, peppercorns and vegetables. It is rich in amino acids and minerals. This colourful, fun and make-ahead aspic jelly appetizer looks great on a festive holiday table at Easter, Christmas or any brunch buffet. These aspic jelly eggs are made of homemade beef broth, ham, bell peppers and sweetcorn and not only look appetizing, they also taste super delicious.

Read On 38 comments

Christmas Fruit Cake

Friday, December 02, 2022

A slice of moist, rich fruit cake is synonymous with the Christmas feast. Get the jump on your Christmas baking by making this festive whisky-soaked fruit cake now. Wrap it well and it will be perfect to serve, or give as a gift, during the Advent!
Orignal recipe calls for using a 22cmx7cm round cake pan and baked at 160C/320F for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I am using a 26cm springform pan and it took about 85 minutes for the cake to be done. For the fruit, I used a mixture of dried apricots, currants and golden raisins, but any blend of dried fruit (dried cranberries, glacé cherries, or dried figs) would work beautifully. I also decorate the cake with an extra layer of blanched almonds.

Read On 40 comments

Easy Puff Pastry Heart with Poppy and Hazelnuts

Monday, February 07, 2022

Nothing says true love like a homemade dessert :-))This pastry heart makes the best dessert for someone special. It's basically just some twisted puff pastry straws rearranged in a heart-shaped baking pan. Perfect for pre-dinner nibbles or as the dessert and for when you are short on time because it's so quick and easy to make. It's beautiful and amazing enough for a special occasion like Valentine's or a birthday party while simple enough for an easy weekend treat.

	To Garnish
1 package / 250 g Poppy paste ( I used Dr. Oetker) 80 g Chopped hazelnuts 1 Large egg, lightly beaten together (reserved 1 tbsp for the topping) 1 sheet / 275 g Fresh puff pastry	1/2 tsp Sesame seeds Pink peppercorns Rose petals Rosemary

In a medium bowl, mix together the poppy paste, all egg except 1 tablespoon for the topping and chopped hazelnuts. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Lightly grease a 24-cm heart-shaped baking pan or line with a baking paper.
Unfold the pastry sheet and spread the poppy mixture evenly on the pastry. From the short end fold over and cut the folded pastry into 1cm strips.
Twist the strips and arrange them, from inside to outside, into the prepared form. Brush with the reserved egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake in the middle of the hot oven for 20 minutes until golden brown. Let the pastry cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Garnish with pink peppercorns, rose petals and rosemary.