Christmas Gift

I made this rainbow scarf for my 8 year old niece this year. She loves everything rainbows and so I think she will like it. My knitting skills still leave a lot to be desired but I am working on it. I am a much better spinner than I am a knitter.

Cheesecake!

(Anything this good deserves an exclamation point)





I made a batch of gluten free mini cheesecakes for Christmas. It all started with the graham crackers. I had to make gluten free graham crackers, which didn't turn out too bad but sadly I did not get a picture of them. I borrowed a food processor from a friend (yay for communal sharing) and made the crackers into crumbs. I will post the graham cracker recipe after this post.

Cheesecake


3 cups of graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp of soft butter

Mix in a large bowl. Line mini cupcake pans with paper liners, not using the liners will result in the cakes sticking to the sides. Spoon a bit of graham crumbs into the bottoms and press down to make it flat.



In a mixing bowl, soften;

two 250gr packages of plain cream cheese

Add:

1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix and then add:

2 eggs

Mix until smooth. This is when I divided the mixture into three separate bowls and added food colouring. Spoon into lined cupcake pan. These do not expand much so no need to worry about them overflowing while baking.

Bake in a 350F oven for 20 minutes, for mini cakes, 40 minutes for a whole pie-sized cheesecake.



Refrigerated for minimum 3 hours before serving. You can add a berry sauce on top before serving or keep them plain like I do for easy entertaining.

Snowballs- Gluten Free Naturally

Snowballs

2.5 cups white chocolate chips
2/3 cups of whipping cream

Place in a bowl over boiling water (or double boiler) and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of almond pieces. Stir until combined.

Pour in a greased 8x8 pan and place in the fridge for an hour.


Here's a homemade Christmas chocolate recipe that is always a hit.


Once cooled, and somewhat solid, scoop out with a spoon and roll into a ball with your hands. Roll the ball in coconut and set on wax paper. Once all the balls are completed place in fridge or freezer. These chocolates are so good when frozen but you could leave them on a tray for guests and they will be a hit.

imPRESSive Chocolate Christmas Cookies

Do you have a cookie press? Up until a few years ago I had no idea such a thing even existed. I volunteered with the local resource centre to create and promote a fundraising Craft Show which ended up raising about $3,000 a year for the centre's programs. The show featured over 80 local craft vendors but the Centre also ran a table of our own creations. One of the recipes we used that first year was for Whipped Shortbread. Those cookies were divine. They practically melted in our mouths.

While volunteering I met a dear friend, who remains so today, and bless her she was the one with the Whipped Shortbread recipe. That Christmas she gifted me with a cookie press, the same kind we used for the craft show. Many Christmases have passed and each year I try to replicate her recipe but always fall short. I suppose I could just call her up and ask, but really, what's the fun in that?

In my search for the perfect pressed cookie recipe I created this one. They are not as divine as the whipped shortbread but they are pretty dang awesome if I do say so myself.



Pressed Chocolate Cookies

3/4 cup shortening
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp milk
2 cup flour
6 tbsp cocoa
1/2 tsp salt

Add one ingredient at a time and keep mixing. The just fill your cookie press and go to town. Bake at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes. They freeze well too. Enjoy!