HOLIDAY RECIPES 2019

Some recipe classics never go out of fashion.  Here's our pick for this year's Hanukkah and Christmas season!  Tell us what you think!

Breakfasts and Snacks

Apple Cider Donuts

Ingredients   (for about 12 standard - 24 mini donuts)

• 1 cup (8 fl oz) apple cider (reduced to 3/8 cup or 6 tablespoons)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ cup (1¾ oz/50g) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (1¾ oz/50g) light brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1¾ cups (7⅓ oz/ 210g) Organic Einkorn Pancake & Baking Mix

Method

1. Reduce the apple cider on a stove. Pour your apple cider and cinnamon stick to a saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.
2. In a bowl, add melted butter, sugar and brown sugar. Mix.
3. Add buttermilk and stir. Then add your egg and vanilla.
4. Sprinkle in the cinnamon and add your pancake and baking mix, then stir or whisk.
5. Add your reduced apple cider and stir.
6. Prepare your favorite donut pan (muffin top or mini muffin pans or aebleskiver pans will all work) by spraying with non stick cooking spray.
7. Pour batter into the pan(s).  You can do this with a spoon OR by pouring the batter into a plastic bag and snipping the tip so that you can pipe the batter. Fill no more than 2/3 full.  Bake in a 350 degree F. oven for about 10–12 minutes for the larger donuts, approx. 8-10 minutes for the smaller or until donuts spring back lightly when touched. (you can use a cake tester or toothpick to see if they’re done, but don’t overbake!).
8. Once the donuts are slightly cooled, remove from pan and dip in butter followed with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.

note: standard doughnut cavity 3.75"; doughnut hole cavity 1.5";  muffin top pan cavity 3"; mini-muffin cavity 1¾" x ¾"; patty tin 2.4" x 0.7"; aebleskiver  2" diameter x 1 1/4"

(recipe adapted from Kosher.com)

Golden Potato Pancakes

Potato pancakes, or latkes, are eaten traditionally during Hanukkah, but they are great to serve any time, especially topped with sour cream or applesauce.  This year,  give this recipe a try.  Adding the baking mix allows these pancakes to be extra crispy. 

Ingredients

• 4 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
• 1 medium onion, peeled
• lemon juice
• 1 cup (4.2 oz) Organic Einkorn Pancake & Baking Mix
• 1 cup (8 fl oz) milk
• 1 egg
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley or chives
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Applesauce
• Sour cream
• Optional: caviar, crème fraîche

Method

1. Grate potatoes and onion in a food processor or shred with the large holes of a box grater into a large mixing bowl.
2. Squeeze some lemon juice on the potatoes to prevent oxidation and toss well.
3. Take a handful of the potato-onion mixture and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. In another bowl, stir together the Bisquick, milk, egg, and nutmeg.
4. Stir batter into the potatoes and add the melted butter. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Add an even film of light oil, about 1/4-inch deep, into skillet.
6. When oil is hot, form pancakes about 1 heaping tablespoon and add to skillet, spreading out and smoothing the top surface with the back of the spoon.
7. Cook about 3 minutes per side until golden brown.
8. Place on absorbent paper towel until ready to serve.

(recipe adapted from The Daily Meal - U.K.)

 Cheese Straws

Enjoy these great straws made with cheddar and Parmesan cheese, or substitute with your favorite cheeses - perfect as an appetizer, or a snack. The kids will love them too! 

Ingredients

• 2½ cups (10½  oz, 300g) Organic Einkorn Pancake & Baking Mix
• 1 cup (4½ oz) shredded Cheddar cheese
• scant teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or large pinch cayenne, optional
• 1½ tablespoons roughly chopped fresh herbs, such as rosemary and/or thyme, optional
• ⅔ cup (5⅓ fl oz) cream or milk
• 2 tablespoon butter, softened
• 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese 

 Method

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.  In large bowl, stir baking mix, Cheddar cheese,  pepper flakes, herbs, and cream, until soft dough forms.  Otherwise pulse dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbs in a food processor. Add the heavy cream and pulse until the mixture starts to clump together into a mass.
2.  Lightly flour a work surface and dump the dough on top. Dust the top of the dough with more flour and use your hands to shape into a rectangle about 1-inch high. Cut the rectangle in half.
3.  Dust the work surface with more flour and roll each block of dough into 9x6-inch rectangle. Spread with half of the butter. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese over top. Cut dough lengthwise into 18 (1/2-inch) strips. Repeat with remaining dough.
4.  Twist each dough strip as many times as possible; place on cookie sheets. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until light golden brown. Serve with a sauce of your choice, if desired.

(recipe adapted from The Telegraph - U.K.)

Festive desserts

Snowy chocolate crackle biscuits

Roll balls of dough in icing sugar to give these chocolate biscuits their ‘crackle’ effect. They make perfect presents for kids to make at Christmas time

 Ingredients

• 7 oz/200g dark chocolate, chopped
• 4½ oz/125g unsalted butter, softened
• 10½ oz/300g soft light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 5⅓ oz/150g Organic Einkorn Pancake & Baking Mix
• 2¼ oz/60g cocoa powder
• 2-3 tbsp milk
• 3½ oz/100g icing sugar

 Method

1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water (make sure the base doesn’t touch the water), or in a microwave in short bursts. Set aside to cool.
2. Beat the butter and sugar using electric beaters, then beat in the eggs, baking mix, cocoa powder, and chocolate. Pour in the milk to make a soft dough, but don’t overmix it. Cover and chill for 1 hr.
3. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line one or two baking sheets with parchment. Put the icing sugar in a bowl. Scoop heaped tablespoons of dough and roll each ball in your hands before dropping it into the icing sugar and rolling it around. Put on baking sheets and repeat, spacing the balls apart.
4. Bake for about 12-15 mins until the biscuits feel firm when touched. The biscuits should puff up and cracks should open up, too. Leave to cool on the trays, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Will keep for up to a week in an airtight container.

(recipe courtesy of Good Food magazine, December 2018)

Cherry and chocolate mug cake

When you absolutely need a cake within minutes, you need a microwave mug cake. This recipe adds cheeky cherries to the chocolate mug cake for a taste of the Black Forest, but orange zest would also work well.

Ingredients

• 3oz/75g dark chocolate, melted, plus extra to serve
• 1¾oz/50g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
• 2 free-range eggs, beaten
• 1¾oz/50g sugar
• 1¾oz/50g Organic Einkorn Pancake & Baking Mix
• 1¾oz/50g pitted cherries from a can, chopped, 2 tbsp juice reserved

Method

1. Place the chocolate, butter, eggs and sugar into a bowl and mix together well.
2. Add the flour, baking powder, cherries and cherry juice and fold together until smooth.
3. Grease two mugs with butter, then spoon the mixture into each until three-quarters full. Cover each with cling film, place in the microwave and cook on full power for 2 minutes. Remove the cling film and cook for a further 30 seconds, or until risen and cooked through.
4. To serve, top with the reserved cherries and drizzle with the melted chocolate.

(recipe adapted from BBC - U.K.)

Spiced ginger pudding with toffee sauce 

Mary Berry's decadent ginger pudding makes a delicious alternative to Christmas pudding. 

Ingredients  (lb/450g loaf tin/1 litre/ 1¾ pint pudding basin/ 6c bundt pan).

For the ginger pudding:

• 4oz/1130g Organic Einkorn Pancake & Baking Mix
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3oz/75g light brown sugar
• 2oz/50g black treacle or molasses
• 4 fl oz/125ml milk
• 2oz/50g butter, melted

For the Toffee Sauce:

• 10½fl oz/300ml double cream
• 3oz/75g butter
• 4oz/100g light brown sugar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. Generously butter cake tin or pudding basin.  If using loaf tin line with a strip of baking paper.
2. To make the ginger pudding, tip the flour, bicarbonate of soda, and spices into a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix the egg, sugar, treacle, milk and butter together and beat until smooth.
3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and beat hard, for about a minute, until smooth. Pour into the loaf tin and level the top.
4. Bake for 30–35 minutes until dark in colour and the cake shrinks away from the sides of the tin and is springy to the touch.
5. To make the toffee sauce, heat all the ingredients together in a saucepan until melted, bring to the boil and cook for 3–5 minutes.
6. To serve, slice thick slices of the ginger pudding and pour over the toffee sauce.