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Merry Christmas

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One of my adult daughters came by last night and commented that many of her co-workers wanted to take “Christmas Class” next year. They envision a class, taught by Roxanne and I, where we will share every taste, treat and tradition of the season. They asked if it might be taught in September so they would have plenty of time to get ready for the holidays.

They were dreaming, but what a  fun class it would be– yet let me share a secret. The Electrified Cooks really don’t have a corner on all things Christmas—we just love it. Every part of the season is something to embrace and cherish. From the decorating and first candle of Advent, through the wrapping and baking, to the final toast of the season—it is all magical and it is packed with love. Each activity can become a favorite family tradition.

When planning a recipe to share today, my mind was filled with all things Christmas. Should it be gingerbread cookies, or that great glaze for the ham, or candy or what? Then I realized that you, like me, plan and dream in the fall—then crazy days of last-minute scrambling take over. There is just not time to add another new recipe to the plate. So next year maybe we will teach that Christmas class and we will certainly share more holiday recipes here, in our blog, but for now, let’s just share the magic and love of the season.

Most of all, let us take this time to share the warmest of wishes to each and every one of you. We are so grateful for the opportunity to have you stop by and hope you will come often. We love to share our favorite recipes with you and always have a story or tip to share. We are always eager to learn what you cooked or would be happy to answer your cooking questions.

We are blessed to be the best of friends and are thankful to include you in our circle of friendship.

Have a very Merry Christmas.

Apricot Cookies

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This is such a special time of year. The weekends are jam packed with activities, festivities and lots of great food. On Saturday, we had a wonderful lunch at The Webster House followed by a performance of The Nutcracker at the Kauffman Center. What a magical afternoon. We celebrated my husband’s birthday with our annual Cinderella carriage ride on the Country Club Plaza and we enjoyed the sights, sounds and smells of the most joyous time of year. Sunday was a beautiful advent service at church followed by an annual mother daughter tea that a special friend hosts each year.

The tea brings me to this recipe, Apricot Glazed Cookies, which are perfect to accompany a Christmas cup of tea. This is very easy to mix together and the kids will have fun glazing the rich butter tea cookies. No pressure to decorate, just bake and enjoy.

It is our wish that each of you will take time to create food memories and traditions this holiday.

Apricot Glazed Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all purpose flour

Glaze:
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 to 2 tablespoons half and half
1 teaspoon light corn syrup

Toasted almond slices

Combine 1 cup butter, sugar, brown sugar and almond extract in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour. Beat until well mixed.

Divide mixture into fourths and form 4 logs about 4 1/2 inches each. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375º F. Cut logs into 1/4 inch slices with sharp knife. Place 1-inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Cool completely.

Combine all glaze ingredients in small bowl. Beat at low speed until creamy and smooth. Frost cooled cookies. Garnish with toasted almond slices.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies

Bourbon Barbecued Beef

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Making a list—checking it twice. I make countless “to-do” lists every day. This time of year, the lists become way too long to get done 24 hours. Are you like me and race to handle what seems to be the most pressing—and then discover that some important things, like dinner, get cut off or get replaced with a cold sandwich, or worse yet, a drive through? Put a home-cooked dinner back on your list with this easy recipe.

Roxanne announced last week that our newest cookbook, 175 Best Babycakes Cake Pop Maker Recipes will be out next spring. It is exciting, but needless to say, we have been very busy. Now with the holidays upon us, everyone has a long “to-do” list. There’s shopping, wrapping, decorating, caroling, parties, baking, cards, shipping. . . whoa! Time for dinner just doesn’t fit. Yet, low and behold, it comes around every day—just about the same time.

This is one of my “go-to” favorites. I make it for just my family and we love it—and I made it often with my daughters were of an age that meant I had youth groups, troops and teams stopping by for casual dinners. So, get out that slow cooker and let it do the work.

I like to brown the meat before putting it in the slow cooker as I like the caramelized, deeper flavor it creates. Yet, I often just omit that step and plop the meat into the slow cooker. I often fill the slow cooker the night before, set the filled crock into the refrigerator so the next morning all I have to do is put it in the base and turn it on. The meat also is great to freeze, so I make a larger roast than I might need, and freeze some in small freezer containers so I can thaw and reheat them when the nights get really crazy.

So, here it is. A hot, barbecued beef sandwich—just right to put on your “to-do” list—because with it will come good eating and a few minutes to sit down, relax and enjoy a juicy, finger-licking-good dinner with your family. [Read more…]

Cake Pop Cookbook

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‘ Tis the season to be jolly! What fun it is to think of gifts for special friends and family. Shhh! These are going to be teacher gifts at my daughter’s school this year. I plan to attach a gift card to their favorite coffee or lunch spot and share sweet treats too! We had such fun dipping and decorating cake pops from the Babycakes Cake Pop Maker.

Kathy and I have had so much fun working with this product. We tested and tasted and wrote the instruction book that is packed in the product.  In fact, we had so much fun that we have a BIG announcement. Our second cookbook is being printed now and will be arriving very soon.  175 Best Babycakes Cake Pops Recipes was such fun to write. We can hardly wait for you’all to see the results of testing, testing and more testing–and, oh yea, tasting. The book is available for preorder on Amazon now and very soon you can order it at www.thebabycakesshop.com or purchase it from a retailer. These wonderful, tasty little morsels of cake bake in just 4 to 6 minutes–and are perfect for dipping, glazing and decorating. Whether it is a treat for yourself, for your child’s teacher like we just baked, or for an elegant dinner party, these are pure fun and taste wonderful. Plus the cookbook is packed with mouth-watering appetizers, doughnuts, ebelskivers, muffins, biscuits and more.

We will be sharing more news about the cookbook and our new 175 Best Babycakes Cake Pops Recipes cookbook in the future, be we just couldn’t keep quiet any longer!

Red Velvet Cheesecakes

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Holidays and baking go together. In my world, you just can’t have one without the other. I was actually preparing all of the food for Thanksgiving, when it suddenly hit me that tiny Red Velvet Cheesecakes would be absolutely scrumptious for the holidays. So, even though red didn’t go with the Thanksgiving theme, I had to try it. I loved them so much I ended up serving them—and much to my delight, my guests didn’t seem to care that they were not traditional Thanksgiving fare—they were loving them and choosing them right along with the pumpkin, pecan and apple pies. I can honestly tell you that I will be making these again and again throughout the holidays. They are that cute—and that easy!

Cheesecake sounds very special—and they are special to eat and serve, but they are easy to make. Yes, they are made in the Babycakes Cupcake Maker and that makes them quick and perfectly sized– just two yummy bites, so there is no reason for guilt when you enjoy them.

A little know fact is that cheesecake freezes beautifully. You could actually make these now, seal them tightly in a freezer container and freeze them for the busy evenings and events just ahead. Freeze them before you add the white chocolate glaze. Thaw by placing in the refrigerator for about 8 to 12 hours, and glaze before serving.

I love serving these tiny treats—and they would be gorgeous on any holiday buffet table. You might even borrow a trendy trick from area restaurants and serve a dessert trio, including these little cheesecakes, a cupcake and the pecan pies Roxanne shared last week—fantastic! (At least we think so—please let us know if you serve these alone, or as a trio. We would love to hear from you.) [Read more…]