Cran-Apple Mold

 2 3 oz pkg cherry jello

1 c boiling water

16 oz can whole cranberry sauce

16 oz can apple sauce

Dissolve jello in boiling water.  Stir in cranberry and apple sauce. Pour into 5 cup mold. 

Sleepy Time Cocktail

2 oz whiskey 

2 oz cranberry juice

4 oz ginger beer

Shake gently with ice in a wide mouth canning jar 

Sweet Potato Maple Crumble Muffins

This recipe is from Baking With The Good Hair https://www.bakingwiththegoodhair.com/home/2020/9/19/sweet-potato-muffins-with-maple-crumble

- with edits for weight measurements. This one is a favorite that I often double and freeze (see instructions below). 

Makes about 1 dozen muffins

Ingredients:

Muffins:

• 200 g all purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 300 g - 1 ½ cups mashed or pureed sweet potato, cooled (about 1 large sweet potato)
• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
• 73 g brown sugar
• 66 g granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 t vanilla
• 2 tablespoons milk (whole or 2%)

Crumble:

• 60 g all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons cubed unsalted butter, cold
• 2 ½ tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F and line a muffin tin with liners. Lightly grease the liners with nonstick spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together until combined and no clumps of flour or baking powder remain.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix sweet potato and melted butter together until combined. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix until combined. Add egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
4. Add half of the flour mixture to the batter and mix until almost combined, about 10 seconds at a medium speed. Add in milk and mix until almost combined. Add in final half of the flour mixture and mix until combined, be careful to not overmix. Cover batter and set aside
5. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk all purpose flour, granulated sugar and cinnamon together. Add in cubed butter and work into the flour mixture with your hands until the butter is broken down to pea-sized pieces. Add maple syrup and mix in with a fork until combined and the mixture is crumbly but sticks together when squeezed.
6. Scoop batter into the prepared muffin tin until each cup is about ⅘ths full. Add 2 teaspoons of crumble on top of each muffins and press gently into the batter.
7. Bake muffins for 18 to 20 minutes, or until muffins are set and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Allow muffins to cool partially in their muffin tin before transferring to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.

My instructions to double the recipe and easy prep instructions - makes 24 muffins ...

Bake 2-3 sweet potatoes at 375 for one hour and cool.  Bring eggs and milk to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 400.  

Measure dry ingredients into 2 bowls - (ex. 200 g flour in each bowl)

• 200 g all purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Combine ingredients with a whisk.

Measure sugars into small bowls as above...

• 73 g brown sugar
• 66 g granulated sugar

Measure all crumble ingredients into one medium bowl

• 120 g all purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons cubed unsalted butter, cold
• 5 tablespoons maple syrup

Mix together with fingers before adding syrup.  Then mix in syrup with fork and pop in the refrigerator to keep cold.  

* Put 300 g - 1 ½ cups sweet potato and 1 stick of melted butter in the food processor and puree.  

Add 

• 73 g brown sugar
• 66 g granulated sugar

and combine for a few seconds

Add egg and1 t of vanilla and blend.

Add 1/2 of one of the bowls of dry ingredients. Blend in short spurts till mostly mixed, add 2 T of milk and blend again.  Then add last of the dry ingredients and pulse.  

Scoop into 12 silicone muffin liners (lightly spritzed with spray).  Top with half of the refrigerated crumble and bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

Cool muffins for 10 minutes and remove from liners.  Clean liners to repeat the process with 2nd batch (from *)

Mint Julep

Mint - lots

Crushed ice

1/2 oz mint infused simple syrup (add mint leaves to simple syrup as it cools)

2 1/2 oz bourbon

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Add 10 mint leaves to the bottom of a glass. Add simple syrup and muddle gently.  Add 1/2 glass of crushed ice and pour in bourbon and bitters. Mix gently and top with more crushed ice until mounded. Garnish with generous sprig of "clapped" mint. 

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Roll Lasagna

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Roll “Lasagna”

INGREDIENTS

2 cans cinnamon rolls

4 large apples- peeled and diced Granny Smith or Golden Delicious

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 -1/3 cup caramel sauce or salted caramel sauce if you prefer

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 F and spray glass or ceramic 8 x 8 x 2 inch dish with nonstick spray ( I used 7 x 9 x 2 inch ceramic dish).

Step 2: In a bowl stir together diced apples, sugar, corn starch, cinnamon and nutmeg to coat evenly.

Step 3: Cut cinnamon rolls in ¼ inch slices and then roll it out on floured work surface until thin. Dust it with flour because they are too sticky and they will fall apart when rolling out. You can dust your hands with flour and press it to thin it out if you find that easier.

Step 4: Arrange first layer of flattened cinnamon rolls at the bottom and sides of a dish. Press them with your hands to seal them well.

Step 5: Spread half of apples from the filling and drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of caramel sauce on top. Cover with another layer of flattened cinnamon rolls.

Step 6: Spread remaining apples and drizzle again with caramel sauce. Cover with remaining flattened cinnamon rolls.

Step 7: Cover with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake another 10-15 minutes until the top are golden brown.

Step 8: Cool at least 30 minutes, drizzle with icing (that came with cinnamon rolls) slice and serve.

Christmas Cinnamon Squares

 Dough

1/4 cup warm water (105° to 115°F)

Two 1/4-ounce packets active dry yeast

2 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups milk, warmed

8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, melted and cooled, plus softened butter for the dough and pans

2 large eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon kosher salt

6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Filling

2 cups pecan halves

1/2 pound (2 sticks) salted butter, cut into pieces and chilled

2 cups packed light brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Glaze

2T melted butter

1 c powdered sugar

1/4 c milk (ish)

In a large bowl, stir together the water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Let stand until foamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the remaining sugar, milk, butter, eggs, and salt and stir with a wooden spoon until well blended. Add the flour and stir until the dough comes together. Rub softened butter on top of the dough and around the bowl. Cover and let stand in a warm spot for 1 hour.

Using a food processor, combine the pecans, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon and process until the mixture is well blended and paste-like.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Punch down the dough and place it on a floured surface. Roll it out into a 16 x 24-inch rectangle.

Spoon two-thirds of the filling mixture over the dough. Spread it to cover the dough to the edges. Starting on a short side, fold the sheet of dough in half, pressing the two short sides together to make sure they stick together and to flatten it slightly (you’ll have a roughly 14 x 16-inch rectangle).

Spoon the remaining filling on top of the dough and spread it to cover the dough. Starting at a short side, fold the dough in half, bringing the two short sides together to cover the filling. Use your hands to flatten the rectangle into approximately 12 x 18-inches.

Place the rectangle onto the baking sheet and cut the dough into 24 3-inch squares. Optional - Brush the tops of the squares with beaten egg.

Bake until lightly golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Combine butter powdered sugar and a little milk. and drizzle over slightly warm squares. 

Chokeberry "Sloe" Gin Fizz

2 oz chokeberry infused gin

1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 oz simple syrup

Shake with ice

Pour into glasses and add ice

Add about 3 oz of sparkling water