Christmas Cream Puffs

This Christmas cream Puff recipe is so easy with such elegant results, sure to impress family and friends. Cream puffs are an iconic and well loved pastry that can be found in French and Italian bakeries, but they are surprisingly easy to make at home.

They require simple, inexpensive ingredients, about 1 hour of your time and basic kitchen tools, a medium pot, a wooden spoon, or a hand mixture and a pastry bag if you want to pipe the filling into the Cream puff shells, that’s all you need to make a decant restaurant quality dessert.

Three Tips When Making Christmas Cream Puffs

This Christmas Cream Puff recipe is easy. But to ensure success there are a few things to remember. First, to prevent the Cream puff shells from becoming soggy leave them in the oven with the door slightly ajar and the oven off for 1 hour.

Second be sure to cool the puffs completely before filling, or even better fill them just before serving.

And third you can make the cream puff shells ahead of the time and freeze them filling them when you plan on serving them.

If you make this Christmas Cream puff recipe please be sure to leave me a comment, and please don’t forget to tag me on Instagram with your creations. I love hearing from you, It’s my favorite part!!!

Ingredients

1 stick of butter
1 cup water
1 cup flour
3 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 3.5oz. vanilla instant pudding mix
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter

Instructions

Mix together the vanilla pudding mix cream and milk cover and refrigerate to set
Preheat oven to 400
In a large pot bring the water, vanilla and butter to a rolling boil
Mix flour with the sugar slowly mix into the water and butter mixture, stirring continually until the mixture forms a ball
Using a mixer beat in the eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition
Drop by Tablespoons on ungreased cookie sheet bake 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown
Turn the oven off open the door and leave the cream puffs in the oven with it off for one hour
Cool completely split them in half and fill them with the pudding mixture
Shape them into a Christmas tree drizzle with chocolate and sprinkle with powered sugar
keep refrigerated until ready to serve

Italian Pizzelle Cookies

No Italian Holiday is without these crisp, thin, buttery Italian Pizzelle Cookies.

Delicate, thin, wafer like this recognizable Italian cookies aren’t baked in the oven, they get their shape by pressing the batter between the hot Pizzella Iron .

This easy, quick cookie can be flavored with vanilla, anise, almond extracts and even chocolate.

These cookies are easy, quick, delicious and use few ingredients, the only thing you need is a pizzella iron.

Things To know When Making Italian Pizzelle Cookies

The first thing to know when making these Italian Pizzelle Cookies is to be sure the pizzella iron is well oiled and hot.

Another thing is the amount of butter and how tightly you press the iron will determine the texture and thickness. I like mine thin and crispy, so I add a little less flour, and 2 tablespoons more of butter.

You can use margarine or canola oil in place of the butter, I like the flavor of real butter in cookies. As for the flavoring my favorite is that of my childhood, vanilla and anise.

Sometimes I use almond extract and mix finely ground almonds in the mix. These cookies are easy, quick, delicious and use few ingredients, the only thing you need is a pizzella iron.

And while still hot , you have a few seconds to shape them into different curvy shapes, these Italian Pizzelle cookies made great waffle cones for ice cream too!!!

These classic Italian Pizzelle cookies don’t need much more than a dusting of powered sugar.

If you need a company’s coming quick dessert top them with vanilla ice cream, and drizzle some chocolate sauce over the top, sprinkle with chopped almonds for a decant flare.

You will want to make these quick, versatile cookies more often than for the holidays, when you make them, please leave me a comment, that’s my favorite part…..

Ingredients

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons each vanilla and anise
1/2 cup melted butter
Instruction
Heat pizzelle iron
Beat eggs with sugar, until light
Add melted butter, vanilla and anise extract
Combine baking powder with flour
Add flour to liquid ingredients
Mix until well blended
Drop by tablespoon on to hot pizzelle iron
Press the iron shut
Bake 3 to 4 minutes
Repeat with remaining dough
Sprinkle with powered sugar…….Enjoy!!!!

Easy Strawberry Bars

These easy strawberry bars are full of fresh strawberry taste. Loaded with good for you ingredients, oats, walnuts and fresh strawberries make this dessert a guilt free option if your craving sweet but still want something a bit more healthy.

We are heading towards the end of May and Memorial Day weekend, and hopefully a light at the end of this pandemic tunnel. I know it will all look different as we return to a new normal.

The comforting thing is food, and am happy to share this recipe with you all. Memorial day weekend has always been the unofficial start of Summer to me and the start of berry season.

And what better way to show case strawberries than these melt in your mouth super easy strawberry bars.

How To Make Easy Strawberry Bars

Start by cleaning the strawberries and cutting them in medium dice. Put the strawberries in a bowl with the white sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest and lemon juice set aside.

Then preheat your oven to 350 degrees, mean while in a bowl combine the oats and rest of ingredients, mix until well blended. Pat 3/4 of the crumb mixture in a 8 x 8 panspread the strawberry mixture over crust sprinkle top with reserved crumble, bake for 45 minutes. I topped my with a simple icing made by mixing 2 cups of powered sugar with 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice.

It’s better to let the bars cool off a bit before icing and cutting. This is another one of my versatile recipes, in this recipe you can use different berries to fit your lifestyle and taste or what you have on hand.

If you make this recipe please leave me a comment and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram, hearing your experience with my recipes is my favorite part.

Ingredients

2 cups oats
1 cup flour
1 stick butter melted
3 cups cubed fresh strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon rind
juice from 1 lemon
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon each vanilla and cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350
Mix strawberries with 1/2 cup white sugar, lemon rind, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon vanilla set aside
In a bowl mix the oats, flour, baking powder, vanilla, butter, cinnamon, walnuts and brown sugar
Pat crumble mixture in bottom of 8 x 8 lightly greased pan, reserving 2 cups for crumble topping
Pour strawberry mixture over bottom layer
Sprinkle remaining crumble mixture over strawberries
Bake 45 minutes
Drizzle with simply icing
Cool before cutting