mudpuddle: December 2010

Although most everyone will be reading this in 2011, especially since it is 10:30pm PST and already 2011 most places.

This blog is about the sweets I made for the holidays.

First up my sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving. I also made two for Christmas.

Recipe for the dough here.

I had quite a bit left over and I have one non round cookie cutter so I cut out some extra pieces and added a decorative border I guess you could say to the pie.

Recipe for the pie can be found here.

Photo below is before baking but looked about the same but with more golden flaky looking crust. It was delicious although a little jiggly/runny at first. Make it the day before you want to use it and let it cool and then sit in the fridge overnight and it will stiffen and be AMAZING. I think my oven is a little off and might be why it didn't cook evenly/well.

Here is a photo of my baking ingredient corner for my Christmas baking, lot's of stuff, lot's of sweet goodness made.

My most adventurous baking endevour for the holidays was definitely the tiny gingerbread houses that perch on the edge of your mug. Directions, recipes, and much prettier pictures than mine can be found here. I adapted gingerbread recipe by using vegan margarine and using ener-g's egg replacer. I found an egg/dairy free icing recipe to use but apparently didn't bookmark it. It used 1 cup powdered/confectioners sugar, 2tsp non-dairy milk, I used rice milk, 2 tsp light corn syrup, and 1/4 tsp almond extract. If it comes out too thin add more sugar or corn syrup until it's to desired consistency. Really wish I had bookmarked the recipe I found so I could credit them.

Here are my pieces all cut out for 2 houses.

Pieces all baked and cooling. Made some extra rounds just for eating with excess dough I had.

My first attempt wasn't super successful, the icing was a bit thin and they looked a bit sloppy and had to be held together before icing dried enough for the pieces of the houses to stick together. I thickened up the icing with more sugar for subsequent houses and it worked great.

All my pretty houses all put together and nicely decorated.

Made some gingerbread turtles with the left over dough bits.

The houses are made to be put on mugs of coffee or hot chocolate or something like that but me being me, I put one on my rum and coke with Christmas dinner. Seems people really got a kick out of this!

Got this wonderful book as a early Christmas present.

Made the books delicious peanut butter bomb cookies. They are quite cakey and I could have used more peanut butter in the middle but they were still delicious.

And lastly and the easiest I made some Candy Cane hearts to wish everyone a Merry Christmas with! I probably shouldn't share how to make them because sometimes I like to feel all cool and make nifty things that others are jealous of, they are seriously so simple! But I will because I like sharing. Candy Cane Hearts instructions.

(side note, don't you just love how I am all Christmasy but with an obvious non Christmas themed shirt, seeing this picture and realizing that made me LOL, but anyone who knows me knows that's just me being me!)

New Years Eve wasn't without it's *treats*. I bought myself a bottle of Venezuelan rum on the urging of a friend who lives there, and enjoyed a drink or two, while writing this no less. ;)