do you any easy dessert recipes for christmas?

Question

please help me thanks! =)

Answer 1

Try these:

Almond Shortbreads

Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 18 wedges


1/2 cup raw almonds with skins, plus about 18 whole almonds for decorating
2/3 cup sugar, plus more for top
14 tablespoons unsalted butter (7 ounces, 1 3/4 sticks), softened, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 large egg white, beaten
Special equipment: 9-inch tart fluted pan with a removable bottom


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Blend and pulse the 1/2 cup nuts in a food processor with the sugar until mixture resembles coarse sand. (If there are a couple small chunks of nuts that is fine.) Add the butter, vanilla and almond extracts, and the salt, and pulse until creamy. Add the flour and continue to pulse to make a soft dough.

Turn the dough out into a 9-inch tart pan and spread it out evenly with an off-set spatula. Dip the spatula in a little warm water to help smooth and even the surface of the shortbread. Cover and freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.

Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and dock (prick) the dough all over with a fork. Generously sprinkle the top of the shortbread with sugar. Toss the remaining whole almonds in the egg white; evenly arrange and press the nuts into the dough around the edge of the pan. Bake until golden brown and set, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Cool the short bread in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the tart ring and cut the shortbread with a sharp knife into wedges, each with a nut. Cool shortbreads on a rack completely. (Alternatively present the shortbread as 1 large cookie. Cool the shortbread in the pan completely and remove the tart ring. Cut the shortbread into wedges as desired.)

Serve. Store in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

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Butter and Jam Thumbprints

Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Yield: about 24 to 30 cookies

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened
2/3 cup sugar, plus more for rolling
1 large egg
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped from pod, or 1/8 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup raspberry, cherry or strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.

In another bowl, whip the butter and the sugar with a hand-held mixer until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until just combined. Slowly beat in the dry ingredients in 2 additions, mixing just until incorporated.

Scoop the dough into 1-inch balls with a cookie or ice cream scoop and roll in sugar. Place about 2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Press a thumbprint into the center of each ball, about 1/2-inch deep. Fill each indentation with about 3/4 teaspoon jam.

Bake cookies until the edges are golden, about 15 minutes. (For even color, rotate the pans from top to bottom about halfway through baking.) Cool cookies on the baking sheets. Serve.

Store cookies in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

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Swedish Ginger Thins

Difficulty: Medium
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 150 cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1/2 cup well-chilled heavy cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
Garnish: sliced almonds

Into a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and spices. In a medium bowl with an electric mixer beat cream until it just holds stiff peaks. In another large bowl beat butter and sugar until mixture is light and fluffy. On low speed, beat in corn syrup and whipped cream, beating until cream is just combined. Add flour mixture and beat until combined well. Form dough into a disk. Chill disk, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 2 hours, and up to 2 days.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut dough into quarters and work with 1 quarter at a time, keeping remaining dough covered and chilled. Using a rolling pin with cover dusted with flour, roll out dough into a round on a floured pastry cloth, rolling dough as thin as possible (less than 1/8-inch thick and about 14 inches in diameter) and with assorted 2 to 3-inch cutters cut out cookies. Carefully transfer cookies as cut to ungreased baking sheets with a metal spatula, arranging them about 1/2-inch apart, and top each with an almond slice. Reroll scraps and cut out more cookies in same manner.
Bake cookies in batches in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until cookies puff and then collapse slightly, about 6 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets 1 minute and transfer with metal spatula to racks to cool completely. Make more cookies with remaining dough in same manner. Cookies keep in airtight containers at room temperature 1 week
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Spritz Christmas Wreath Cookies

Difficulty: Medium
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 120 cookies


Spritz cookies-from the German Spritzen, meaning "to squirt", are formed into fanciful shapes when the dough is piped through a cookie press.


1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large egg yolks
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
Egg wash, made by beating 1 egg white lightly with 2 teaspoons water
Green decorating sugar
Candied cherries, sliced thin

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter with the granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, add the salt, the vanilla, and the egg yolks, and beat the mixture until it is smooth. Add the flour and beat the dough until it is just combined. Pack the dough into a cookie press fitted with the wreath disk and press cookies about 1-inch apart onto cool, ungreased baking sheets.
Brush the cookies lightly with the egg wash, sprinkle them with the decorating sugar, and arrange the cherry slices decoratively on them. Bake the cookies in batches in the middle of the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are pale golden.
Transfer the cookies to racks and let them cool. (Do not let the cookies cool on the sheets.) The cookies may be made 2 months in advance and kept frozen in airtight containers.
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Truffle Tarts with Raspberries

Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 2 hours
Yield: 6 servings


1 1/2 cups fine chocolate wafer crumbs (from Oreo cookies or chocolate wafers)
6 tablespoons melted butter
1 recipe Dark Chocolate Truffles, recipe follows, whipped but not shaped into balls
6 fresh raspberries, plus extra for serving

Use a fork to mix together the chocolate wafer crumbs and butter. Spray the cups of a 6-muffin tin with a vegetable spray. Line the cups with strips of parchment or waxed paper, cut so that they are as wide as the diameter of each cup and long enough to overhang the sides (you'll need this overhang to remove the tarts). Use the bottom of a small glass to press the crumbs over the bottom and sides of the muffin cups, building the sides up to only about 1 1/2 inches. Place a raspberry in the center of each crust and with a pastry bag or small plastic bag with the corner snipped off, fill the tarts with the truffle mixture. Smooth the tops and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

Dark Chocolate Truffles:
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces good-quality (70 percent) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup cocoa powder, for dusting

In a saucepan, bring the cream just to a simmer over low heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate in a bowl and let stand about 10 minutes to melt the chocolate. Add the vanilla and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool for 1 hour at room temperature. Then beat the chocolate at medium speed until it gets thick and light colored. Spread over the bottom of a baking dish and smooth the top. Refrigerate about 2 hours, until firm.
Pour the cocoa powder onto a deep plate or shallow bowl. Use a melon baller or small ice cream scoop to scoop out balls of chocolate; place them on the plate with the cocoa powder and roll between 2 forks to completely coat with the cocoa powder. Then use the forks to carefully transfer them to a parchment or waxed lined baking sheet.

Yield: 15 to 20 candies, depending on size
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 3 hours
Ease of preparation: Intermediate


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Christmas Candy Canes

Yield: About 48 cookies

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy canes or hard peppermint candies
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter or margarine, at room temperature
1/2 cup plain or butter-flavored shortening
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon liquid red food coloring

Adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Have ready two ungreased baking sheets. In a small bowl, mix the sugar with the crushed candy; set aside.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat together the butter, shortening, confectioners' sugar, egg, vanilla, and peppermint extract until light and fluffy, 2 or 3 minutes. With the mixer at medium-low speed, gradually add the flour, beating just until blended. Remove half of the dough from the bowl and set aside on a sheet of waxed paper. To the dough remaining in the bowl, add the red food coloring and beat until evenly colored. (At this point both of the doughs can be tightly wrapped separately in aluminum foil and refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to three months. If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before proceeding.)
For each candy cane, scoop 1 teaspoonful of the plain dough and the same amount of pink dough. Roll each scoop between the palms of your hands to make a 4-inch rope. Twist the ropes together and shape into a candy cane. As they are made, arrange the canes on an ungreased baking sheet, spacing them about 1-inch apart.
Bake for about 9 minutes until firm to the touch and barely golden. Reverse the baking sheets on the racks and from front to back once during baking. The moment the cookies come from the oven, sprinkle each one with the sugar-and-peppermint mixture. With a wide turner, immediately transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Store in a tightly covered container, separating the layers with sheets of waxed paper.
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Chocolate Cheesecake Candy Cane Bars

Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 8 hours
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Yield: about 16 (2-inch) squares

Crust:
20 chocolate wafer cookies
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground coffee beans
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
Filling:
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs, room temperature

Glaze:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon light or dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons sour cream, room temperature
1/2 cup crushed candy canes (see Cooks Note)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with foil.
For the crust: Process the chocolate wafers in a food processor with the butter, sugar, coffee, and salt until fine. Evenly press the crust into the prepared dish covering the bottom completely. Bake until the crust sets, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl; heat at 75 percent power until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir, and continue to microwave until completely melted, up to 2 minutes more. (Alternatively put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water, and stir occasionally until melted and smooth.)

Blend the cream cheese, sugar, and sour cream together in the food processor until smooth. Scrape down the sides, as needed. Add the eggs and pulse until just incorporated. With the food processor running, pour the chocolate into the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.

Pour the filling evenly over the crust. Bake until filling puffs slightly around the edges, but is still a bit wobbly in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on a rack.

For the Glaze: Put the chocolate, butter and corn syrup in microwave safe bowl. Heat glaze in the microwave at 75 percent power until melted, about 2 minutes. Stir the ingredients together until smooth; add the sour cream. Spread glaze evenly over the warm cake and scatter the crushed candy canes over top. Cool completely, then refrigerate overnight.

Cut into small bars or squares. Serve chilled or room temperature.

Store cookies covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Cook's Note: To crush the candy canes, remove wrappers and place in a resealable plastic bag. Use a rolling pin to roll and break the candy up into small pieces, about 1/4 inch or so.

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Chocolate Cherry Trifle

(approximately 12 ounces each) chocolate pound cakes
1/2 cup black cherry jam
1/2 cup cherry brandy
2 cups drained bottled sour cherries (recommended: Morello)
Custard:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, minimum 70 percent cocoa solids, chopped
1 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon milk
1 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
8 egg yolks
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup cocoa

Topping:
3 cups heavy cream
1-ounce bittersweet chocolate

Special Equipment: Large wide trifle bowl


Slice the chocolate pound cake and make jam sandwiches with the cherry jam, and layer the bottom of a large wide trifle bowl. Pour over the cherry brandy so that the cake soaks it up, and then top with the drained cherries. Cover with cling wrap and leave to macerate while you make the custard.
Melt the chocolate on low to medium heat in the microwave, checking after 2 minutes, though it will probably need 4 minutes. Or you can place it in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Once the chocolate is melted, ser aside while you get on with the custard.

In a saucepan warm the milk and cream. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and cocoa in a large bowl. Pour the warm milk and cream into the bowl whisking it into the yolks and sugar mixture. Stir in the melted chocolate, scraping the sides well with a rubber spatula to get all of it in, and pour the custard back into the rinsed saucepan. Cook over a medium heat until the custard thickens, stirring all the time. Make sure it doesn't boil, as it will split and curdle. Keep a sink full of cold water so that if you get scared you can plunge the bottom of the custard pan into the cold water and
whisk like mad, which will avert possible crisis.

The custard will get darker as it cooks and the flecks of chocolate will melt once the custard has thickened. And you do need this thick, so don't panic so much that you stop cooking while it is still runny. Admittedly, it continues to thicken as it cools and also when it's chilling in the refrigerator. Once it is ready, pour into a bowl to cool and cover the top of the custard with cling wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
When the custard is cold, pour and spread it over the chocolate cake layer in the trifle bowl, and leave in the refrigerator to set, covered in cling wrap overnight.

When you are ready to decorate, softly whip the cream for the topping and spread it gently over the layer of custard. Grate the chocolate over the top.

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Cranberry Up-Side Down Cake

3 tablespoons softened unsalted butter, plus 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick)
1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/2 cup
1 pound cranberries, rinsed, picked over, and patted dry
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon minced orange rind
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons double acting baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup red currant jelly
Sweetened whipped cream, as accompaniment, if desired

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch cake pan with 3 tablespoons butter, sprinkle 1/2 cup of the sugar evenly over the bottom, and arrange the cranberries in the pan.

In a bowl with the mixer cream together the remaining 6 tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup sugar. Add the egg, vanilla, and orange rind and beat the mixture until well combined.

Into another bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, alternately with the milk until it is combined. Pour the batter over the cranberries and smooth the top. Bake the cake on a baking sheet in the middle of the oven for 30 to 45 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Transfer the cake to a rack and let it cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Run a thin knife around the inside of the pan and invert the cake stand.

In a small saucepan melt the currant jelly over low heat, stirring, and brush it over the cake. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature with the whipped cream, if desired.


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Answer 2

Chocolate Chip Walnut Pie

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:

Foolproof Pie Shell
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 to 3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1. Prepare one Foolproof Pie Shell and, while it chills, heat the oven to 350°.

2. Cream the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed. Gradually beat in the sugars. Add the eggs individually, beating well each time. Beat in the vanilla extract and then the flour and salt until well blended. Blend in the milk (don't worry if the filling looks a little lumpy at this point) and, finally, stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.

3. Pour the filling into the chilled shell, smoothing it with a spoon. Bake the pie on the center oven rack for about 50 minutes, turning it 180 degrees halfway through. When done, the top will be dark golden brown, and the filling will be set except for the very center, which may jiggle slightly when you tap the pan.

4. Cool the pie on a wire rack. This pie is equally good served slightly warm, at room temperature, or chilled (for 1 or 2 hours). Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Answer 3

I had the fortunate luck to make something quite tasty a while back. Get a pre-made graham cracker pie crust, 2 small bags of semisweet morsels, 1 cup heavy whipping cream and 1 package of red raspberries. Melt the chocolate in a bowl either over a water bath or in the microwave (in 15 second intervals). Once the chocolate is melted, stir in the whipping cream (this is essentially a quick and easy chocolate ganache) Wash and dry the raspberries and place them in an even layer on the bottom of the pie crust and pour the chocolate over. Refrigerate until firm, then dig in!

Answer 4

Pumpkin Patch Dessert (Cake) "YUMMY"! Easy/Quick! 2 cans pumpkin (15-ounce), 1 teaspoon salt, 4 eggs, 12-ounce evaporated milk, 1½ cups sugar, 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, 1 box yellow cake mix, 1 cup melted butter, 1/2 cup chopped nuts, (optional). Mix together pumpkin, salt and eggs. Beat well and add evaporated milk. Stir in sugar and spice. Pour into a 9 x 13 pan (no need to grease). Sprinkle cake mix over the top. Pour melted butter over the cake mix. Sprinkle on nuts. Bake at 350° for 1 hour. Top each serving with whipped cream. "ENJOY"!

Answer 5

EASY PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

1 (11 oz.) pkg. no-bake cheesecake (including filling and graham cracker
crumbs for crust)
1 c. canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 to 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
Whipped cream

Follow package directions to make crust, but use a 9 inch square pan. Save some of the crumbs and use as a garnish on top of completed cheesecake.
For Filling: Pour 1 cup cold milk in a bowl; add the pumpkin and spice. Beat vigorously with a large wire whisk until well blended. Pour filling into pan on top of crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumbs. Refrigerate overnight to allow filling to set. Cut into squares, then remove from pan with a spatula. Top with whipped cream.

Answer 6

STAINED GLASS CAKE

Prepare 1 (3 ounce) package each of orange, cherry and lime flavored Jello. Dissolve each flavor in 1 1/2 cups boiling water. Put each flavor in a separate 8 inch square pan or dish. Chill until firm. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Dissolve 1 (3 ounce) package of lemon Jello in 1 cup boiling water. Add 1/2 cup pineapple juice. Chill until it is slightly thickened. Blend in 1 carton (12 ounce) of Cool Whip. Fold in the Jello cubes. Line a springform pan with lady fingers. Put mixture in pan. Cool in refrigerator overnight. Run spatula around sides of pan. Gently remove sides. This is really easy and Merry christmas to you and yours.

Answer 7

Depends who it's for but try heating chopped bananas with a bit of rum then serve warm with ice cream

Answer 8

Mrs. Claus's Cookbook has thousands of them

http://www.northpole.com/Kitchen/Cookbook/

Answer 9

Trifle is quick and easy