Christmas dessert ideas

Count Down To Christmas

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White Fruit Cake.jpeg

White Fruit Cake

  •  2 lb. white raisins
  • 1 ½ lb. canned cherries
  • 1 ½ lb. pineapple
  • 1 lb. light brown sugar
  • 1 lb. butter
  • 1 dozen eggs
  • 1 large orange extract
  • 1 small lemon extract
  • 8 cups nuts
  • 6 cups sifted flour
  • 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg

 Cut up nuts and drain fruit; coat with 4 cups flour. Cream butter and sugar; add eggs one at a time. Beat well. Add 2 cups flour with baking powder and nutmeg. Add extract. Pour batter over fruit and nut mixture; mix well. Place in two greased tube pans. Bake at 250 degrees F for 2 ½ hours.

 Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

 THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com

 

Christmas Cookies

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Christmas Tree Platter

Christmas Tree Platter

  • 1 package peanut butter cookie dough
  • 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk or lemon juice
  • Assorted food colors, colored sugars and assorted small decors

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Divide dough one half. Reserve 1 half; refrigerate remaining dough. Roll reserved half of dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out tree shapes with cookie cutter.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.  Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Repeat with remaining half of dough. Reroll scraps; cut into small circles for ornaments, squares and rectangles for gift boxes and tree trunks. Bake 8 to 12 minutes depending on size of cookies. Mix sugar and milk for icing. Tint most of icing green and a smaller amount red or other colors for ornaments and boxes. Spread green icing on trees. Sprinkle ornaments and boxes with colored sugars and decorate as desired. Arrange cookies on flat platter to resemble tree. Makes about 1 dozen cookies.

Tip: Use this beautiful Christmas Tree Platter cookie as your centerpiece for this holiday’s family dinner.  It is sure to receive lots of “oohs” and ahs”!

Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com

Getting Ready For Christmas

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Mocha Chiffon Cake

 

Mocha Chiffon Cake

 Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup boiling water
  • ½ cup cocoa
  • 1 tsp. instant coffee granules
  • 1 ¾ cups cake flour
  • 1 ¾ cups sugar
  • 1 ½ tsp. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 8 large eggs, separated
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp. cream of tartar
  • Chocolate-Coffee Buttercream filling
  • Chocolate Fudge Frosting
  • Garnish: chocolate-covered coffee beans

 Stir together first 3 ingredients until blended; cool.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add cocoa mixture, egg yolks, oil and vanilla, beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Fold into batter. Pour batter into 4 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.

Bake, 2 layers at a time, at 325 degrees F for 17 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool on wire racks covered with plastic wrap or wax paper to prevent layers from adhering to racks.

Spread about ½ cup chocolate-coffee buttercream filling between layers. Frost with chocolate fudge frosting. Garnish, if desired. Store in refrigerator. Yield: 1 (9 inch) layer cake.

 Chocolate-coffee buttercream filling:

  • 2/3 cup butter, softened
  • 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp. cocoa
  • ½ cup whipping cream
  • 2 tsp. instant coffee granules
  • 2 tsp. coffee liqueur

 Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy.

Microwave whipping cream at Medium until warm (do not boil). Stir together warm cream and coffee granules until dissolved, cool. Add whipping cream mixture and liqueur to butter mixture, beating until smooth. Yield: 1 ¾ cups.

 Chocolate fudge frosting:

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup cocoa
  • 6 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup milk

 Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add cocoa and remaining ingredients, beating until smooth. Yield: 3 ½ cups.

 Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

 THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com

 

Getting Ready For Christmas

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Christmas Treats

Christmas Treats

 Ingredients:

  • 2 ½ oz. graham crackers
  • 4 oz. icing or powdered sugar
  • 3 tbsp. cocoa
  • 4 tbsp. butter, melted
  • 1 tsp of cinnamon or dissolved instant coffee
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract

 Method:

Put the graham crackers into a clean plastic bag. Use a rolling pin to crush them until they make fine crumbs. Sift the sugar and cocoa into a big bowl. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the butter, coffee and vanilla. Pour the crumbs into the bowl. Mix them in. Then, use your hands to squeeze the mixture into a ball. Break off pieces of the mixture and roll them into small balls. Make them about the size of walnuts. Put the finished balls onto a large plate. Leave them in a cool place until they become firm.

 Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

 THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com

 

Getting Ready For Christmas

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Six Fruit Trifle

Six Fruit Trifle

 Ingredients:

  • 1 package (9 oz.) yellow cake mix
  • 1 can (20 oz.) pineapple tidbits, drained
  • 2 medium firm bananas, sliced
  • 2 medium peaches or nectarines, peeled and sliced
  • 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries, divided
  • 2 cups cold milk
  • 1 package (3.4 oz.) instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tbsp. sugar
  • ½ cup fresh blueberries
  • 2 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced

 Method:

Prepare and bake cake according to package directions, using a 9 inch round baking pan. Cool; cut into 1 inch cubes. In a large bowl, combine the pineapple, bananas, peaches and ½ cup strawberries.

In another bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes; let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set.

In a small bowl, beat cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar; beat until stiff peaks form.

In a 3 qt. trifle bowl, layer half of the cake cubes, fruit mixture, pudding and whipped cream. Repeat layers. Top with blueberries, kiwi and remaining strawberries. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

 Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

 THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com

 

Count Down To Christmas

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carrot-cupcakes-with-orange-cream-cheese-icing
Sultanas work great in this recipe.

 

Carrot Cupcakes With Orange Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups carrots, finely grated
  • 1 cup apple, finely grated
  • 2/3 cup chopped walnuts
  • ½ cup raisins (optional)

 

Orange Cream Cheese Icing:

  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 pound powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice
  • 2 teaspoons orange zest

Method:

To Make The Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place paper liners in two 12 cup cupcake pans. Mix the flour, salt and cinnamon together in a small bowl and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and oil until well blended. Fold in the grated carrots, grated apples, chopped walnuts and raisins. Fill each cup 2/3 full. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.

To Make The Icing: In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese together until very smooth. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until fully mixed. Beat in the orange juice and orange zest. Ice the top of each cupcake.

Tested in the THASC kitchen. Photo by THASC.

THASC is a unique small American business producing cards and other promotional products.

www.thasc.com