Holiday Recipies

If you are up to your ears in holiday parties, buying gifts and wrapping gifts, all while trying to keep the house clean…The last thing you have time for is researching new and fun recipes on multiple websites. To help you out, our holiday blog is filled with fun and easy recipes from our Centurion family that are sure to impress your guests!

ALAN

Forgotten Cookies: tastes like biting into a cup of Hot Chocolate topped with Whipped Cream! I recommend making these the night before you need them as they’ll need to be “forgotten” in the oven until morning.

Ingredients:

4 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

3/4-1 c. sugar (according to preference)

3/4-1 c. mini chocolate chips (according to preference)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F

2. Add vanilla to egg whites and beat with electric hand mixer on high until just foamy.

3. Add cream of tartar and beat on high until soft peaks form.

4. Slowly add in sugar while continuing to beat until all sugar is added and tall stiff peaks have formed. Add chocolate chips

5. Portion onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper 

6. Place all cookies into oven at once and immediately shut oven off.

7. Wake up to a delicious treat!

MARSHA

Simple Shortbread:

Ingredients:

¾ cups of butter

1 cup all purpose flour

½ cup icing sugar

½ cup cornstarch

Instructions: 

Preheat oven at 300 F. Blend first with a pastry knife or fork until granular. Mix with spoon, I prefer hands until a smooth dough. Cut dough into 30 equal portions, approx. 13.5 grams. Roll into balls and press with a floured fork. Can be rolled and cut with cookie cutters as well. Bake for 12 minutes. 

Turnip Puff:

Ingredients:

6 cups of cubed turnips – frozen works well

2 Tbsp. butter

2 eggs, beaten

3 Tbsp. flour

1 Tbs. brown sugar

1 Tsp. baking powder

Salt and pepper to taste, pinch of nutmeg

½ Cup fine bread crumbs

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Instructions:

Cook turnips until tender. Drain and mash. Add butter and eggs. Beat well. This much can be done the day ahead. 

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir into turnips. Butter a casserole dish and put in turnip mixture. Combine bread crumbs and butter. Sprinkle on top and bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until light brown on top.  

KAYDE

Brownie Christmas Trees

Ingredients:

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

3/4 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Miniature candy canes (2 inch), unwrapped

1 cup green candy melts

Red and green candy sprinkles, gold nonpareils, and other sugar decors

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch-by-8-inch baking pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil, making sure the foil is tucked into all the corners and there is at least 1 inch overhanging the top of the pan on all sides.

2. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine unsweetened chocolate, chocolate chips, and butter. Microwave on high until chocolate is almost melted. Whisk until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk together the eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl until pale, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the chocolate mixture and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake the brownies until they are just set and a few moist crumbs stick to a toothpick inserted into the center, 25 to 30 minutes. Let them cool completely on a wire rack.

5. Grasping the overhanging foil on either side of the pan, lift out the brownies and place them on a cutting board. Place the board in the freezer for 10 minutes, to allow the brownies to firm up. Cut brownies into 3 rows. Cut each row into 6 triangles. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Reserve ends for snacking.

6. Break off the curved ends of candy canes. Insert straight piece into bottoms of triangles to make tree trunks. Place candy melts in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high until halfway melted. Whisk until smooth. Dip a fork into the bowl and then wave over brownies to create garlands. Sprinkle with decors.

7. Let stand until candy melt mixture is set. (Can be made ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, in single layers separated by parchment or waxed paper, up to two days.) Makes 18 brownies

JORDAN

Classic Banoffee Pie

Ingredients

For the base:

100g butter, melted and 250g digestive biscuits, crushed

OR, if you’re lazy…buy the premade Graham pie crusts in the tin from stores.

For the caramel:

100g butter, 100g dark brown soft sugar, 1 can (250-300mL size) of Sweetened Condensed Milk

For the top:

4 small bananas, 300ml carton whipping cream, lightly whipped (OR, the aerosol cans…for the lazy ones), and grated chocolate

You will also need…

20cm loose-bottomed cake tin, greased (OR the one from the pre-made store graham crust that you bought)

1. Put the biscuit crumbs in your bowl, then tip in the melted butter and mix it all together. Spoon this into the base and press against the bottom and sides – this is the base of the banoffee pie recipe. Chill it for ten minutes.
2. Melt the butter and sugar into a non-stick saucepan over a low heat, stirring all the time until the sugar has dissolved. Add the condensed milk and bring to a rapid boil for about a minute, stirring all the time for a thick golden caramel. Spread the caramel over the base, cool and then chill for about 1 hour, until firm or until ready to serve.
3. Carefully lift the pie from the tin and place on a serving plate. Slice the bananas; fold half of them into the softly whipped cream and spoon over the base. Decorate with the remaining bananas and finish with the grated chocolate.
4. To get the most out of our banoffee pie recipe, make sure that you really boil the filling for at least 1 minute to be sure it sets to a fantastically tasty squidgy caramel.

KIM

Scottish Shortbread:

Ingredients:

1 cup of melted butter

1 cup of brown sugar

2 cups of rolled oats

1 dash of salt

1 cup of flour 

Instructions:

Mix flour and oats together, then add melted butter and mix all together. Spread in a pan about ½ inch thick. Bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees. Cut into squares while warm. Do not remove from pan until cool.

Shortbread:

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup of brown sugar 

1 lb of butter

4 cups of flour

Instructions:

Mix and roll out with cookie cutter (or wine glass!) about 3/8 inches thick. Decorate with whatever you prefer then put in oven for ½ hour in 350 degree oven.

BREANNA

Christmas Crack

Ingredients

50 saltine crackers 

1 cup salted butter (2 sticks, cubed)

1 cup soft light brown sugar 

2 cups chocolate chips

½ – 1 cup of holiday M&M’s (or whatever topping you want ex: Skor bits, sea salt, caramel, crush candy canes)

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 325°F. Line a large pan with aluminum foil. Spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray and then line the pan with saltine crackers.

2. Place the butter and sugar in a medium sized pot over low heat. Stir until the butter is melted. Once melted, bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Stir constantly.

3. Once it’s changed to a caramel color, remove pan from heat and pour over crackers. 

4. Place pan in oven and bake for 7-9 minutes. 

5. Remove pan from oven, melt the chocolate in microwave and then pour over the top with a spatula. Sprinkle holiday M&M’s (or any other toppings) and place in the freezer for 15 minutes. After cooling, break off into pieces and enjoy!

TODD

Super soft super easy Gingerbread cookies 

Ingredients

¾ cup unsalted butter softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

¼ cup molasses

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ginger

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

First, mix together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 2-3 minutes with an electric mixer.

Next, add egg and molasses and mix well.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger, stirring to combine.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until well combined.

Form or scoop balls of dough that are slightly smaller than a golf ball. 

Finally, bake for 10-12 minutes, remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on baking for approximately ten minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

We hope these recipes help you through the holiday season as a one-stop shop for fresh and delicious ideas. 

From our family to yours, Happy Holidays! 

Centurion Center