Holiday Recipes: 3 Different Recipes for 3 Different Cooking Levels

There is a fresh blanket of snow on the ground almost every morning. The houses are lit up with the soft glow of Christmas lights, and the smell of freshly cut pine fills the air. The holidays are upon us, bringing with them an abundance of delicious desserts and treats. Eating these delicacies, however, is only half the fun. The following are three of the most amazing recipes that are not only delightfully tasty, but also fun to prepare. Each is of a different level of difficulty, ranking easiest to hardest… after all not all of us are Martha Stewarts. Enjoy!

Peppermint Bark (Easy)

Peppermint Bark has been in my household for as long as I can remember, and to this day I have never grown tired of it. I think that that speaks to how good it is. Peppermint Bark is extremely fun to make and just as fun to eat. Set it out as a decorative centerpiece dessert, wrap it in cute bags for gifts, or simply eat it all yourself.

Ingredients:

• For dark chocolate Peppermint Bark, use 5 bars of Lindt 70% cocoa
• For milk chocolate Peppermint Bark, use 5 bars of Hershey’s king size milk chocolate
• 20 candy canes (any type will work, whatever your favorite is)

Procedure:

1. Unwrap all of the candy canes and crush them, leaving some medium sized pieces, a lot of small ones, and a fine powder.
2. Unwrap all of the chocolate bars and put them in a large non-stick pot.
3. Turn the burner onto medium heat, constantly stirring the chocolate until it is all melted and smooth.
4. Prepare a small pan or tin lined with tin foil and pour the melted chocolate in.
5. Sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top of the melted chocolate.
6. Put the tin in the freezer for 20 minutes.
7. Take the chocolate and candy canes out and break into small bits.

Tips: Do not use Nestle baking chocolate chips; they do not melt evenly and create a lumpy mixture. Also, it is good to pre-prepare the small pan or tin with tin foil before melting the chocolate so there is not time for the chocolate to begin to harden or clump together.

Homemade Walnut Banana Bread (Medium Difficulty)

Banana bread is arguably the best bread of all. It is perfect for breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and even desserts. This recipe is delicious for many reasons, but one of the best parts is the walnuts; they even out the smooth and moist texture of the bread and add a crunchy element. This dish is relatively easy to make and can easily feed a whole family or dinner party. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup of walnuts
• 2.5 cups mashed bananas (about 3 medium sized bananas)

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl mix together flour, baking soda and salt
3. In a separate large bowl mix together butter, brown sugar, bananas, and eggs
4. Mix together the ingredients of both bowls, and add in the walnuts
5. Pour the mixture into a buttered loaf pan, and bake it in the over for an hour or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean
6. Let cool for around 15 minutes

Tips: Melt the butter before mixing it in with the brown sugar, it makes the whole thing easier to stir. Also, make sure the loaf pan is large enough so there is excess room at the top for rising.

Peppermint Cupcakes (Difficult)

With each time of year, a new flavor comes into style. Recently replacing pumpkin, the new in flavor is peppermint. These peppermint cupcakes are perfect for satisfying a winter sweet tooth, and are also the perfect gift. Not only are they tasty, but they also come out looking beautiful. They take a bit of time, but in the end the light fluffiness of the cake and rich and creamy frosting is worth it.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
• red food coloring (optional)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk

Frosting:

• 1 package white chocolate chips
• 1 jar of marshmallow fluff
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon milk, or as needed

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
3. Beat white sugar and butter together in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Then, add eggs. Mix peppermint extract, almond extract, and food coloring.
4. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl.
5. Mix flour mixture, along with with 3/4 cup milk, into creamed butter mixture until batter is combined.
6. Pour batter into the prepared muffin cups.
7. Bake in the oven for around 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out cleanly when stuck into the middle of a cupcake.
8. Melt white chocolate chips in the microwave at 15-second intervals, stirring after each melting, for a total of 1 to 3 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
9. Mix marshmallow fluff and 1/2 cup butter together in a bowl until smooth. Stir melted white chocolate into marshmallow mixture. Add confectioners sugar to marshmallow mixture until fully incorporated. Add in desired amount of milk (I used 4 teaspoons).
10. Transfer frosting to plastic bag with a corner snipped and pipe frosting onto each cupcake.

Tips: These cupcakes turned out really, really well! The cake was extremely light and had the perfect amount of peppermint. The frosting, however, was a bit runny. I would suggest making the frosting and keeping it in the fridge until you are ready to serve the cupcakes, and frost them just before. To add the final touch, garnish the top of the cupcake with the leftover candy cane sprinkles from the peppermint bark!

Peppermint cupcakes and Banana Bread based off of recipes on allrecipes.com. Continue to the website for more holiday cooking fun!