Recipe: Bourbon Whipped Cream
- BASIC-EASY
- FAST
- VEGETARIAN
- 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
- 1 tablespoon bourbon
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Using an electric mixer, beat all of the ingredients together in a large bowl until the cream is softly whipped. Serve.
Recipe: Black Widow Goat Cheese Log
- MAKE-AHEAD
- VEGETARIAN
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 very large shallots, thinly sliced (2 cups)
- 10 ounces fresh goat cheese, softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 6 ounces Greek feta cheese, at room temperature
- Black sesame seeds and 1 piquillo pepper, for garnish
- Six 6-inch painted twigs, for spider legs
- Crackers, flat breads and bread sticks, for serving
- Crackers, flat breads and bread sticks
- In a medium skillet, melt the butter. Add the shallots and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Scrape the shallots into a food processor and let cool. Add the goat cheese, cream cheese and feta and puree until smooth. Scrape the cheese into a bowl and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
- Shape one third of the cheese mixture into a ball and roll in black sesame seeds to coat; shape the remaining two-thirds into a larger ball and coat with black sesame seeds. On a serving board, press the balls together to form the head and body of a spider. Cut the piquillo pepper into 2 small triangles and place them on the body in an hourglass shape. Serve with crackers, flat breads or bread sticks.
Make Ahead The unformed cheese mixture can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Recipe: Candy-Corn-and-Chocolate-Chip Cookies
- MAKE-AHEAD
- VEGETARIAN
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Cornflake Crunch
- 2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1 cup candy corn (about 7 ounces)
- In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter and sugars at medium- high speed until light and fluffy, 4 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla. At low speed, beat in the dry ingredients, then beat in the Cornflake Crunch, chocolate chips and candy corn. Mound 1/4-cup scoops of dough 4 inches apart on 4 parchment–lined baking sheets. Flatten the cookies slightly and refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375° and position a rack in the center. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 15 minutes, until browned around the edges but still a bit pale in the center. Let cool completely on the tray, then serve.
Recipe: Chocolate Mice
- MAKE-AHEAD
- STAFF-FAVORITE
- VEGETARIAN
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 3 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
- Two 9-inch round baked chocolate cake layers, warmed
- 4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
- 7 ounces extra-bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
- About 1 dozen black licorice whips, cut into 3-inch lengths
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with the butter, 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar and the melted chocolate. Crumble 1 1/2 of the warm cake layers into the bowl and beat at low speed until incorporated. Roll level tablespoons of the mixture into 3 dozen ovals, tapering one end to shape the nose. Arrange the mice on a wax paper–lined baking sheet; press a toothpick into the tail end of each. Refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 275°. Crumble the remaining 1/2 cake layer and spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until almost dry. Very finely crush the crumbs.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the white and extra-bittersweet chocolate together on high power until three-quarters melted. Stir the chocolates until completely melted and cooled to 90° on an instant-read thermometer. Working quickly, and using the toothpick as a handle, dip the mice into the chocolate to coat; let any excess drip back into the bowl. Roll the mice in the cake crumbs and press 2 pumpkin seeds into the heads of each mouse to make ears. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.
- In a bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar with water to make a stiff glaze. Transfer to a small plastic bag and snip off a tiny corner from one end. Pipe eyes on the mouse. Remove the toothpicks and insert a licorice whip into each indentation for the tails.
Make Ahead The chocolate mice can be refrigerated for 4 days.
Recipe: Halloween Whoopie Pies
- MAKE-AHEAD
- VEGETARIAN
Cakes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (see Note), sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
Filling
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
- One 7.5 ounce jar
- Marshmallow Fluff Orange nonpareils or sanding sugar
- MAKE THE CAKES Preheat the oven to 350° and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter with the brown sugar at medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla. At low speed, beat in the dry ingredients and buttermilk in 3 alternating additions; scrape down the side and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
- Using a 3-tablespoon ice cream scoop, scoop 12 level mounds onto each baking sheet, about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake the cakes in the lower and upper thirds of the oven for about 16 minutes, until risen and firm; shift the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Transfer the sheets to racks and let the cakes cool completely.
- MEANWHILE, MAKE THE FILLING In a large bowl, beat the butter with the confectioners' sugar and vanilla seeds until fluffy. Beat in the Marshmallow Fluff. Scrape the filling into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip.
- Pipe the filling onto the flat sides of 12 of the cakes and close the whoopee pies, pressing to evenly distribute the filling to the edges. Roll the edges in orange nonpareils and serve.
Make Ahead The assembled whoopie pies can be refrigerated in an airtight container between sheets of wax paper for up to 3 days. Notes For ultra-dark, super chocolaty whoopie pies, substitute 2 tablespoons of black cocoa powder (available from kingarthurflour.com) for 2 tablespoons of the regular unsweetened cocoa powder called for here.
Recipe: Scallop-and-Olive Eyeball Canapés
- 1 pound sea scallops
- 2 large egg whites
- Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups pitted green olives or pimento-stuffed olives
- 1 garlic clove, mashed
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 10 slices of packaged white bread
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons black olives, diced
- In a food processor, combine the scallops, egg whites, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper and process until smooth. With the machine on, add the cream in a thin stream. Scrape the puree into a bowl and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
- Tear four 12-inch sheets of plastic wrap. Spoon one fourth of the puree onto each sheet in a 6-inch square. Slide the green olives lengthwise onto four 6-inch bamboo skewers. Lay one skewer down in the center of each square. Roll the puree around the olives skewers and tightly roll up the plastic wrap to form cylinders; twist the ends and secure with twist ties. Wrap each cylinder in another sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
- Bring a large, deep skillet of water to a simmer. Add the cylinders, cover with an inverted heatproof plate to keep them submerged and poach over moderately low heat until firm, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool, then refrigerate until completely chilled.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mash the garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt. Whisk in the mayonnaise, paprika and lemon juice, then whisk in the olive oil in a thin stream.
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Brush the bread on both sides with the melted butter. Using a 2-inch round cutter, stamp out as many rounds as possible from the bread. Transfer the rounds to a baking sheet and toast until golden, about 15 minutes.
- Unwrap the cylinders and remove the skewers. Using a sharp knife, cut the cylinders into slices about inch thick. Place a piece of black olive in the center of each green olive. If desired, use a slightly smaller round cutter to stamp the mousse slices into perfect rounds. Spoon the sauce onto the toasts, top with the mousse rounds and serve.
Make Ahead The recipe can be prepared through Step 4 one day ahead. Refrigerate the mousse cylinders and the sauce separately.
Recipe: Snack Mix
- FAST
- MAKE-AHEAD
- STAFF-FAVORITE
- VEGETARIAN
- 2 cups coarsely broken mini pretzels
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup dry milk powder
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 12 ounces mini chocolate candy bars, such as Reese's, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- Preheat the oven to 275°. In a bowl, combine the pretzels with the sugars, milk powder and butter. Spread the mixture on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned. Let cool completely. Transfer to a bowl and mix with the candy.
Recipe: Dark Chocolate Bark with Roasted Almonds and Seeds
- FAST
- HEALTHY
- MAKE-AHEAD
- VEGETARIAN
- 1 pound dark chocolate (60 to 70 percent cacao)
- 1 1/4 cups roasted whole almonds
- 3/4 cup salted roasted pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, finely chop the chocolate. In a bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, heat the chopped chocolate, stirring occasionally, until it is about two-thirds melted; do not let the bowl touch the water. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and stir the chocolate until it is completely melted and the temperature registers 90° on a candy thermometer. If the chocolate has not melted completely and is still too cool, set it over the saucepan for 1 or 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly; do not overheat.
- Stir the almonds and seeds into the chocolate and spread onto the prepared baking sheet in a 1/2-inch-thick layer, making sure the nuts and seeds are completely covered in chocolate. Refrigerate the bark for about 10 minutes, until hardened. Invert the bark onto a work surface. Remove the parchment paper, break into 25 pieces and store or serve.
Make Ahead The broken bark can be stored in an airtight bag or container at cool room temperature for up to 10 days. Notes One Serving 150 cal, 12 gm fat, 4.7 gm sat fat, 12 gm carb, 1.5 gm fiber, 3 gm protein.
Here is a good list of more Holiday foods!
