Sometimes creations are edible

At the time of year, my craft room gets a little less attention and my focus shifts to the kitchen area. I see food as another type of creation, one meant to be shared and sometimes it is easier to do so. My holiday recipes are sometimes things I am trying for the first time, others are family recipes, and then there are those that combine several of my favorite holiday items.

The first type of recipe I want to share with you is one that I tried for the first time. My main reason behind trying this particular recipe is that I needed something gluten and dairy free for a teacher I work with. While she is not gluten and lactose intolerant, her sixth month old is. So rather than make him sick, I tried something that would meet his mother's restricted diet. Thus, I was searching the internet for something tasty, simply and could be made GF & LF if necessary. I came across this fabulous list of two ingedient recipes and fell in love with the Cookies and Cream Bark. Most people love the usual Ghiradelli Peppermint Bark but this is something a little different. When I saw this one, I knew it was one I could do because there are GF style oreos at our local grocery store. The amount of milk used in the white chocolate was minimal and the GF oreos also had a tolerable amount of lactose in them.  Thus I created these great Cookies & Cream Bark (GF &LF):

Gluten & Lactose Free Cookies and Cream Bark

 My second kind of recipe that comes out my kitchen is the family style recipes. This one in particular goes like hot cakes out of my mother's kitchen - sometimes literally. Whiskey Walnut Cakes is an old family recipe. The way my mother tells the story is that her grandmother would make a Sherry Pound Cake a full month before she planned to give them away. Once a week during the month, she would get the cakes out and drizzle sherry on them and great a thin, alcoholic glaze. My grandmother and mother modified the recipe to become Whiskey Walnut Cakes. In the interest of time, they left off the glaze and instead would put powdered sugar.

The first time I made whiskey walnut cakes was my sophomore year in college and I asked my roommates to purchase the whiskey for me since I was underage. They readily agreed if I let them try the cakes. Let's just say, they were glad they made the arrangement. That same year, my boyfriend (now fiance) tried them. Now, every year, he requests his own batch that he gets to keep all to himself. In the interest of portion control this year, he asked for the mini-loaf style so he wouldn't gorge himself.


My fiance saw that I was going to post the recipe. He specifically says, "Become friends with us in person - or family. Only for friends and familia!" The picture below is of the most recent batch which used Jack Daniel's American Honey Whiskey and whole wheat flour.

Whiskey Walnut Cakes with American Honey & Whole Wheat Flour

The other version my mother started to make of this recipe is Kaluha & Pecans instead of Whiskey and Walnut. It provides a more coffee flavor for those out there who like that sort of thing.

My third kind of recipe for this particular holiday season combines two of my great loves - brownies & Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark. I wanted to create this originally for some of the middle school students I work with and due to my other job I ended up making them a week early and gave them out the next day. Hence no pictures off the first batch of Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Brownies. However, Mr. Fiance snuck some of the edge pieces that I cut off before giving them away. He said, "Are you going to make more of those? They were good... as in make every year good."

I am having to make a second batch of the brownies for the high school students I work with. When I make them this coming week, I will take pictures to post.

What are you all baking for the holidays?