Festive Muffins for Eating and Sharing

I promised you all another eggnog recipe, and here it is! Only this one uses real eggnog and is enhanced with rum extract and nutmeg to heighten the eggnog flavor throughout the muffins. And nothing says its the holidays more than eggnog and cranberries nestled together in a spicy crumb topped  muffin. There's freshly ground nutmeg in the muffin, as well as cinnamon and more nutmeg in the topping. They're warm and spicy, then you get a tart little bite of the bright cranberry. They're moist and tender, then crumbly and crunchy. Delicious and perfect when eaten with an eggnog spiced hot coffee. 

I've made these a couple of times now, tweaking along the way until I was happy with them and now I'm sharing with you...and the neighbors. I made a fresh batch yesterday morning to take to the neighbors on either side of us. They usually bring over my favorite pecan butter balls and tins of still-warm-from-the-oven gingerbread. I love eating homemade baked goods, that I didn't have to labor over, don't you? So whether you choose to make these for yourself on Christmas morning or as gifts, keep in mind that this recipe only makes 9 muffins, which might be a good thing, if you can't seem to put down the cookies and need portion control (like me). 

Cranberry Eggnog Crumb Muffins from Monica h

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For the crumb topping:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 Tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

For the muffins:

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup eggnog
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon rum extract
• 1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cranberries

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Line 9 muffin cups with paper liners.  

To make the crumb topping: In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg; stir to combine. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until a coarse, sandy mixture forms. Refrigerate the mixture, while you make the muffin batter. 

To make the muffins: In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, melted butter, egg, eggnog, vanilla and rum extract. Stir until well combined.  

Add flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg to the wet ingredients and stir just until incorporated.  The batter may appear thick and dry, once you add the cranberries, it will loosen up a bit. Fold the chopped cranberries into the batter, but do not overmix. 

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin liners, filling them about two thirds of the way full.

Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly on top of the muffin batter.

  

Bake for about 18-20 minutes, or a until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  

Makes 9 muffins. 

I have one more festive recipe for you, so I'll be back in a couple days. Happy Wednesday! 

Cranberry Raisinets and A Shabby Apple Giveaway (CLOSED)

December has flown by and Christmas is quickly sneaking up on me. Stop the time- I'm not ready! I need another 4 weeks to get ready, decorate the house, wraps gifts, send out cards and do my holiday baking. Surprisingly (or not) I haven't made a single cookie this month. Heck, my Christmas tree just got decorated yesterday! True story. Usually by this time of year, I have a stash of baked goods already in the freezer ready to be placed into cookie boxes. This year my freezer holds nothing but cartons of half eaten ice cream, frozen meals and a backstock of breastmilk. haha!

I did, however, make these cookie bars last week to take to my in-laws house for dinner. I discovered that Raisinets now makes a cranberry version and I couldn't wait to bake them into something. Instead of raisins covered in milk chocolate, they're dried cranberries in milk chocolate and they were really good. Very similar to the original, but a little more tart.

I bought a couple bags (found in the candy aisle) and incorporated them into some chewy buttery oatmeal bars. I added a handful of vibrant dried cranberries to the batter for color and added flavor. To say I liked them was an understatement. This entire pan was gone in 2 days. Just looking at the pictures makes me want to make them again. I bet they'd be good warmed slightly with a scoop of vanilla on top too. Good thing, I have some in the freezer. I'll just have to make another batch of these bars!

And the winner of Sugar, Sugar: Every Recipe Has A Story is #45 Jeanette of The Whimsical Cupcake. Congratulations Jeanette! I enjoyed your story about your meatball mishap and hope you enjoy this book. Please email me with your address and this book will be shipped out to you. For another giveaway, head down below.

Chocolate Cranberry Oat Bars adapted from Quaker and Monica h

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• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups Quaker Oats (old fashioned, uncooked)
• 1 cup Cranberry Raisinets
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Heat oven to 350°F.

In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.

Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats, Cranberry Raisinets and dried cranberries; mix well.

Press dough onto bottom of an ungreased 9x13-inch baking pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

Cut into bars. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

The generous folks at Shabby Apple would like to offer one of the readers here at Lick The Bowl Good one of their beautiful aprons! How cool is that?! Shabby Apple is an online boutique of women's dresses, aprons and accessories. They have such beautiful things and I could truly spend all day adding things to my cart on their site. But today we're talking aprons so let's get on with the giveaway. Their vintage-inspired cheery aprons are a part of the Boysenberry Pie Collection and each apron comes complete with a recipe for its namesake dessert. Click HERE to see their beautiful aprons. I am partial to the Wildberry Pie apron- so pretty!

In order to enter this giveaway, there are a few things you must do.

1. You must "Like" Shabby Apple on Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shabby-Apple/56291792791
2. Go to ShabbyApple.com and pick your favorite apron, then come back here and leave me a comment on this post telling me you "liked" them on Facebook and which apron you would like to have.

Winner must have a USA shipping address to be eligible for entry. Winner will be chosen in a few days. Best of luck!

Cranberry Orange Bliss: A Two-fer

I hope you all had a peaceful holiday full of family, friends, fun and food! There was a lot of cooking and preparing on my end, but once the festivities began, I was able to relax a bit. I hope the same was for you. We had family over (a total of 17) for Christmas Brunch over at my mom's house. It's the first time we've ever done brunch for this holiday and I have to say, it was a nice change to the usual turkey and ham- though I love that too.

Since I was so pressed for time this year, I wasn't able to make the dozens of cookies that I am known to make. I was a little bummed about it because I had such grand plans conjured up in my head, but all I was able to crank out of my kitchen for gifts was this bread. But it's a fabulous bread, so that's okay. This recipe comes straight from the Cranberry people themselves- Ocean Spray. That just goes to show that the recipes on the back of the bag deserve to be made- they're there for a reason. I tripled this recipe and made 2 loaves for my neighbors and I froze one to share with the family at Christmas brunch. This recipe also makes really great and addictive muffins. The fresh orange flavor really shines through and it's low in fat. Shhhh....I won't tell if you don't.

I bought this stoneware wreath mold from Williams-Sonoma last December at their after Christmas sale. I got it on clearance for about $9, but I never used it until this past Thanksgiving when I made the classic molded cranberry sauce from their website. It really was delicious, but my family kept calling it "fancy Jello", which irked me a bit 'cause it took a lot longer to make than Jello. I could have just made the boxed stuff for ease, but this was SO much better! Eh, I'll get over it :-) If you don't have a mold, you can just use a bowl or a small bundt pan, but do make it. Also excellent on leftover turkey sandwiches.

P.S. If you're interested, I did a guest post on Maranda's blog, Jolts & Jollies. If you haven't been over there before, you need to check her out, because she has a lot to offer! Go HERE.

Cranberry Orange Bread from Ocean Spray

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• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 1 egg, well beaten
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in orange juice, orange peel, shortening and egg. Mix until well blended.

Stir in cranberries and nuts, if using. Spread evenly in loaf pan.

Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely. Wrap and store overnight.

Makes 1 loaf (16 slices)

Molded Cranberry Orange Sauce from Williams-Sonoma

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• 1 lb. fresh cranberries
• 1 cup plus 2 Tbs. sugar
• Zest of 2 oranges
• 2/3 cup fresh orange juice
• Pinch of salt
• 2/3 cup plus 2 Tbs. cold water
• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin

Lightly coat the inside of a ceramic cranberry mold with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the cranberries, sugar, orange zest, orange juice, salt and the 2/3 cup water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the cranberries have burst, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour the 2 Tbs. water into a small bowl and sprinkle with the gelatin. Let stand until the gelatin softens and swells, 5 to 10 minutes.

Spoon 1/2 cup of the juices from the cranberries into the gelatin and stir until the gelatin has dissolved. Pour the gelatin mixture into the cranberry mixture and stir to combine.

Pour the cranberry mixture into the prepared mold and let cool to room temperature. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to overnight.

To unmold, dip the mold into a large bowl of warm water so the water reaches almost to the rim of the mold. Remove from the water and run a small paring knife or spatula around the inside of the mold to loosen it. Place a serving platter upside down on top of the mold, invert the platter and mold together and shake gently. Then lift off the mold.

Serves 12 to 16.

NOTE: I pureed, then strained the cranberry mixture before adding it to the gelatin, for a smoother texture.

On a side note, this is my most favorite gift that I received this year from my hubby. Actually, it was my favorite gift from anyone. It's special to me, because he made them with his own two talented hands. They're made with black walnut, cherry and maple woods. Ahhh, LOVE.

Hope you have a safe weekend. Happy New Year!

Sweet and Tart

Last Sunday, my in-laws celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary. That's just amazing to me! We invited them over for dinner, dessert and Christmas tree decorating. Dinner was roast chicken, mashed potatoes and glazed carrots and dessert was this delicious cranberry cake from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman. This cake was also baked by all the other Cake Slice Bakers and judging by their comments, it's an all around winner. Pretty darn perfect for the holidays too.

I decided to make this cake for their anniversary, because it was far less fussy than the one I made last year and because it's loaded with cranberries (an entire bag), which I know my MIL loves. That night, we carefully placed hundreds (yes, hundreds!) of ornaments on the tree, placed the embroidered tree skirt around the base then sat down to have a nice slice of cake. Afterwards, Mr. H and I presented them with a photo of themselves, framed in aubergine velvet and a silver border. A friend of mine took this photo of them and I think it's just beautiful (thanks Lori!) It's also special because they don't have any formal photos of themselves, and now they do.

Back to the cake, I did have a minor issue, but nothing that would keep me from making it again. The recipe says to bake it for 60-70 minutes at 300 degrees F, but after an hour and 30 minutes it still wasn't done. So I upped the temp to 325 F and baked it for an additional 15 minutes and it was finally done. Of course, it delayed my dinner plans, but it was well worth it. Just keep this in mind if you decide to make it. This cake stayed moist and tender for days- the cranberries were tart and the almond streusel was sweet and crunchy. Light enough to eat for breakfast and sinful enough to have for dessert.

Cranberry Almond Cake from Cake Keeper Cakes

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For the streusel:

• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar, packed

For the cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 bag (12 oz.) fresh cranberries

Make the streusel: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch round springform pan.

Combine the almonds, butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Work the mixture between your fingers to form large crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the cake: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Combine the eggs and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on a medium high speed until the mixture is lightened and increased in volume, about 5 minutes.

With the mixture on low, add the butter in a slow stream. Turn the mixture to medium speed and beat for another 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla.

Gently but thoroughly fold in the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time. Stir in the cranberries.

Scrape the batter into a prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Sprinkle the streusel over the batter. Bake the cake until it is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes (mine took over 1 hour and 30 minutes).

Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Release the sides of the pan and use a large spatula to slide the cake from the pan bottom to a wire rack. Cool completely, cut into wedges and serve.

Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.

To see more cakes, head on over to The Cake Slice Bakers!

(cran)berry good bars

I just returned from visiting my great grandmother in faraway Small Town, Texas. She's been sick and age is taking a toll on her body, so my mother, aunt, brother and I went to see her. It was hard to see her body, frail and weak, but her mind is mostly still there. She still has a sense of humor and is eating well, so that is a good thing. Of course, she still has her bad days and fortunately, I didn't witness any of those this weekend, but I know they exist and they're real for her.

My grandparents and my great aunt have been caring for her full time and that is taking a toll on them. They do it because they want to, but it is strenuous, to say the least. It was nice to catch up with the family though, since we don't see them nearly as much as we want to. We had great conversations, lots of laughter, a few tears, and comforting food. We all stayed at my grandparents house, where they have lived for over 40 years. There was 7 of us sleeping under one roof, and I never realized how tiny that house is. I love it though and it reminds me of when I was a kid, except back then, it seemed huge to me!

These cranberry bars have nothing to do with my roadtrip or visiting family, except for the fact that I made them right before leaving town. I cut the recipe in half and made a 9x13-inch pan of cookie bars. For the full recipe, visit Michelle of One Ordinary Day. She made hers with blueberries, which I love, but I wanted to use something seasonal, so I chose cranberries. I didn't want them to be too tart, so I added a sprinkling of coarse sugar to the tops before baking. They were not only pretty, but they were delicious. They tasted like a good soft sugar cookie speckled with festive berries. I gave my mother-in-law half the bars and they were gone in no time!

Cranberry Cookie Bars adapted from One Ordinary Day

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• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 Tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups berries (cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries- fresh or frozen, don’t thaw them)
• 2 teaspoons coarse sanding sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 350ºF and spray a 9x13-inch pan with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, cream together canola oil, butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.

Add the flours and baking soda and stir just until the batter comes together.

Spread 2/3 of the batter in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with berries, then drop the remaining dough in spoonfuls over the fruit – it will spread as it bakes, and you don’t need to cover it all.

Sprinkle the top of the cookie batter evenly with coarse sugar.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch.

PUMPed Up Pancakes

Whew! It has been a "whirlwind" weekend, as my father-in-law likes to say. I am worn out from Thanksgiving weekend. It's been nice to have some time off from work, but I've been a full time wife, cook and Christmas light decorator. I'm sure many of you can relate. It seems you cook and bake for 2 days straight, and it's all eaten up in 15 minutes, then you have and endless stack of dishes to wash! Luckily everyone helped out in that department.

Did any of you brave the crowds this weekend and go shopping? I did not, unless you count going to three different Home Depot stores to exchange malfunctioning lit trees holiday shopping. ha ha! I was feeling a little under the weather this weekend so most of my time was spent at home. That also meant that I didn't do much cooking this weekend after Thanksgiving day. We're still eating leftover pie and sweet potato casserole and I'm not complaining about that. yum!

I made these pancakes a few weekends ago, but I forgot to share them with you all. shame on me. It's still November and pumpkin season, so consider this an early Christmas gift :-) I adapted these pumpkin pancakes from the ones I made last year with sweet potatoes. They're both equally delicious, it just depends on what you have on had or what you like. For added texture and holiday flair, I threw a handful of dried cranberries onto the batter as they were cooking. They're tender and moist and covered in cinnamon syrup. What could be better?

Pumpkin-Cranberry Pancakes adapted from HERE

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• 1 and 1/2 cup flour
• 3 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 and 1/2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/4-1/2 cup dried cranberries (as much or as little as you like)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted (optional)
• cinnamon syrup (optional)

In a small pan toast the pecans over medium heat until they release a nutty aroma. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla and butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Add in the pumpkin puree and the sugars, stirring until combined.

Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the upside of the pancake batter with dried cranberries, cook until the underside is golden brown. Carefully flip the pancake and cook til golden.

Serve with butter, warm cinnamon syrup and toasted nuts.

Makes about 15 pancakes.

Cinnamon Syrup from Monica H

(serves 3-4)

• 1/2 cup pancake or maple syrup
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp. butter

In a small bowl or measuring cup, heat syrup in the microwave. Add cinnamon, stir til fully combined. Add butter and allow to melt. Stir. Serve. Syrup will thicken as it cools.

NOTE: We use pancake syrup because Mr. H doesn't like maple syrup. But use what you like.

Turkey: Take 2

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Mr. H and I went to his parents house for dinner. It was very low-key and quiet, but it was nice. I was itching to get in the kitchen and make something but my MIL wouldn't let me make much. Just so happens that when we got to their house for lunch at 3pm nothing was ready and she hadn't showered. So I was able to help out after all- yeah! Then we had dinner around 5:30 by candlelight.

And I didn't have to wash a single dish- score! Mr. H and his Dad did most of the clean up. They're quite handy in that department, so I think we'll keep them around :-) They also packed up the leftovers for us to bring home. Ah, leftovers are my favorite. Let me rephrase that, leftover turkey sandwiches are my favorite.

Which brings me to this sandwich. Mr. H makes the best sandwiches and he's been making this one for me since we first started dating over 10 years ago. At first I thought he was weird and I deemed it a "white" thing that he would eat cranberry sauce on his sandwiches, but now I love 'em too. The only rule with this sandwich is that you have to use Miracle Whip. I don't generally like MW, as I prefer Hellman's Mayonnaise but in this sandwich it works because it's slightly sweet and tangy and compliments the jellied cranberry sauce. I've tried real mayo here and it's just not that great. But you use what you like just be sure to pile on the goods.

Turkey & Cranberry Sauce Sandwiches

1. Toast (top)
2. Miracle Whip
3. Jellied Cranberry Sauce
4. Fresh Leftover Turkey
5. Miracle Whip
6. Toast (bottom)

Turkey Day is also the day we got Autumn, our Turkey Dog. We're so thankful to have her in our lives. In this picture (right after I stepped in poop!) she was looking for squirrels in the bushes. I love you sweet girl!

Anyone go shopping today? What did ya get? How was your Thanksgiving? I wanna know!

Red Jewel Bliss and My Thanksgiving Menu

As promised, here's the recipe for Apple Cranberry Sauce. I found it in the November 2009 issue of Food & Wine and it caught my eye almost immediately because the original title of this recipe was Jellied Cranberry Sauce. I love jellied cranberry sauce- even the canned sauce. And my husband loves it too because he can slice it and put it in his leftover turkey sandwiches. Stop cringing.

So this was the recipe I was going to make this year and I did. The recipe was supposed to gel up because of all the natural pectin in the apple which I thought was great because it didn't contain gelatin. Notice I said "supposed" to gel. That's because it didn't really turn out the way it was supposed to. The recipe called for A Fuji apple but I used a Granny Smith because that's what I had on hand. Perhaps Fuji apples contain more pectin than Granny Smith???

The cranberry sauce did firm up a bit more than traditional sauces but it was by no means "jellied". The pictures I took here are on my crystal cranberry dish but I think I'll serve it in a compote dish instead. Does anyone else have one of these? The cranberry dish I have comes with a silver spoon and is supposed to be a serving piece for canned jellied cranberry sauce. This came from Mr. H's late grandmother and is at least 30 years old. I think it's so retro.

Regardless of the cranberry sauce not being as jellied as I expected it was still really good. It was tart and tangy and not too sweet. The apples added a nice texture though their flavor was subtle. It was thick and chunky very much like a jam and would make a nice filling in cake!

(Not So) Jellied Apple Cranberry Sauce from Food & Wine

• One 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries
• 1 large Fuji apple, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup water

Line an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap and spray the plastic wrap with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries with the apple, sugar and water. Bring to a boil and cook over moderately high heat, stirring frequently until the cranberries are completely broken down and the sauce is very thick, about 15 minutes.

Scrape the cranberry sauce into the prepared pan and refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours.

Invert the jelly onto a serving plate and remove the plastic wrap. Garnish with fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs. Slice with a serrated knife before serving.

NOTE: The cranberry sauce can be covered in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. Serve chilled.

Mr. H and I are spending Thanksgiving with his parents. My MIL insists on cooking everything herself because (and I quote) "Thanksgiving dinner is the easiest meal to make" but I had to put my foot down when she said she was picking up store bought pies! Does she not know me?

Here is our Thanksgiving Menu:

• Roasted Turkey
• Cornbread Dressing
• Green Bean Casserole
• Glazed Carrots
• Mashed Potatoes
• Egg Gravy (A can of cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, chicken broth to thin, 4 boiled and chopped eggs and a teaspoon or two of dried basil- delish!)
• Apple Cranberry Sauce
• Chocolate Chip Pecan Pies
• Cranberry Orange Muffins
• Cherry Cream Cheese Pie
• Cranberry Freeze
• Sid's Slush (A combination of mashed bananas, crushed pineapple and ginger ale- frozen til slushie)

What's on your Turkey Day menu? Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!