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A Christmas Tradition

Posted by Emily

Monday, December 19, 2011

They’re simple. They’re a little cliche. But they’re tradition: Christmas cookies.

I’m quite positive that my family has been making the same sugar cookies with royal frosting my entire life (we don’t like to throw Santa for any loops, you know).

This year is no different. I’ll admit, it hasn’t felt much like the holidays to me yet this year; I’m weeks behind on shopping, haven’t put a tree up yet, and have yet to see The Nutcracker and/or Rockettes (a holiday-must for me and my dancing background). But as soon as I sunk my teeth into a bite of these sugary goodies this weekend, it finally felt like Christmas-time.

Here are recipes for Classic Rolled Sugar Cookies and Royal Icing from Dede Wilson‘s A Baker’s Field Guide to Christmas Cookies. I hope they bring as much joy to your family as they have to mine over the years!

Recipe: Sugar Cookies, Classic Rolled

Ingredients

3...

#CookieSwap

Posted by Adam

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Talk about a busy holiday season.

First, we had the wonderful pleasure of hosting the Boston Brunchers in our office for #HCPbrunch last week. And now this week, the Boston Swappers had their first annual #CookieSwap on Sunday, December 18.

It was a great event, with plenty of people in attendance who were both making and eating cookies. I was talking to Lena of Lena on the Beach, who said she had made 328 cookies for the event. While she made more than most, all swappers made somewhere between 4-5 dozen cookies each. A labor of love!

This was my first Boston Swappers event, though I’m definitely going back. Started in mid-2011, the Swappers have been hosting once monthly events where avid cooks and foodies make and swap various food items (I was talking with co-founder Susan Johnston about the variety of swappable products, including jams and jellies, baked goods, homebrewed beer, and most recently, pumpkin soup!)....

Cuptails

Posted by Emily

Friday, December 16, 2011

Cuptails: a cupcake meets cocktail! These alcohol-infused desserts have been all the rage on the food blogs this year. Here to share her experience with testing one out is one of our fantastic interns, Jessica:

Last weekend, I decided to try out a recipe from Brown Eyed Baker for Margarita Cupcakes. This was a challenge for me but I was excited. I had never made cupcakes from scratch before (I always bought the Betty Crocker cake mix and frosting!), and I had never heard of the term zesting before, which is an action required in the directions. Zesting, I found out, is the process of separating the zest from the rest of a citrus fruit. Luckily my roommate had a zester– who knew?!

As far as the alcoholic content of these cupcakes go, I only used 7 tablespoons of tequila for 12 cupcakes, so unless you ate 6 cupcakes, I think you’re still okay...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

Posted by Emily

Thursday, December 15, 2011

No, not Christmas. It’s National Cupcake Day! Better than the holidays, if you ask me.

I think if I had to eat one thing for the rest of my life, it would be cupcakes. That’s why I am all for this food holiday and in love with this recipe for Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcake Tower from Dede Wilson‘s The Birthday Cake Book. No need to make a choice between vanilla and chocolate with this one!

Dede is the author of six baking books here at HCP, including A Baker’s Field Guide to Cupcakes– so if you’re feeling adventurous today, check out that title for sixty more cupcakes to try!

But in the meantime, I’m sticking with these Chocolate and Vanilla varieties. Now if only I had my own cupcake tower to place them on… (Santa? Are you listening?)