Sweet Potato Casserole

The last few days have been a whirlwind of traveling with barely any time to sit, relax and catch my breath. As much as I would like a short reprieve from what seems like a constant state of motion, the rather loud voice in my head 'you need to get moving on the 'absolutely have to get done over the course of next few weeks' long list of things' won't allow it. And whether or not it's just me, there is something a little anti-climatic about receiving a box of homemade Christmas cookies and confections after the holidays. In spite of knowing everything will all get done (it always does) I still can't help but feel a little stressed out as there seems to be more things on the 'to do' list than there are hours in the day to get them done. Overextending myself is a way of life.

In the spirit of 'better late than never' and getting at least one thing checked off of my to-do list, I am following up on the promise of sharing the recipes for a few more of my favorite casseroles. The ones often first appearing on the Thanksgiving dinner table yet also known to make a repeat appearance on either Christmas or New Year's Day. But don't for a minute let me mislead you into thinking that any casserole, particularly, this Sweet Potato Casserole can or should be served only several days a year or only on holidays.

In addition to being incredibly delicious, sweet potatoes are one of those vegetables having multiple health benefits.  Isn't it good to know that a casserole topped with mini-marshmallows might actually be better for you than you think? And what makes this casserole more flavorful and even more beautiful is the use of sweet potatoes having a deep orange or red color. Red Garnet or Hernandez varieties are usually available at most grocery stores or markets. But if you cannot find them, any sweet potato will work in this recipe.

Four pounds of sweet potatoes are baked in a preheated 400 degree oven for 75-90 minutes or until soft. Once cooled enough to handle, the sweet potato flesh is scooped out into a medium sized bowl.

You can use a food mill to puree the sweet potatoes, however, I have found mashing them with a fork works well. Personally I like this casserole to have a little texture to it. Once you have mashed the sweet potatoes to a relatively smooth consistency, the evaporated milk, granulated sugar, brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon, eggs, vanilla and melted butter are mixed in until fully incorporated.

The mixture is then poured into either a buttered oval casserole dish or 9"x12" baking dish.

Most sweet potato casseroles have a topping made of pecans, however, this one is topped with chopped roasted salted cashews transforming the humble root vegetable into something slightly more decadent. You could double the cashew topping and omit the mini-marshmallows if you are not a big fan of those white pillowy bites of goodness.

The entire casserole can be assembled a day ahead, covered, and refrigerated. I generally take the pre-asssembled, chilled casserole out of the refrigerator about an hour before baking and increase the baking time by approximately 15-20 minutes.

Because it was rather hectic here on Thanksgiving Day I wasn't able to capture a photo of what the Sweet Potato Casserole looked like when it finished baking. Just let me say that the browned mini-marshmallows and cashew topping make this a visually hard to resist dish.

Recipe
Sweet Potato Casserole (inspired by the Sweet Potato Casserole recipe shared in Saveur)
Updated November 25, 2020

Ingredients
4 pounds sweet potatoes, about 8-9 (recommend using Red Garnet or Hernandez sweet potatoes)
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla 
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice or nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

2 Tablespoons honey
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup roasted salted cashews
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups mini-marshmallows

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place sweet potatoes on baking sheet, bake until soft (approximately 75 to 90 minutes). Remove from oven and cool for approximately 30 minutes. 
3. Reduce oven to 350 degrees.
4. Scoop sweet potato flesh into a medium sized bowl. Mash with a fork to a smooth consistency.
5. Whisk in evaporated milk, granulated sugar, brown sugar, melted butter, vanilla, allspice, cinnamon, salt, honey, and eggs.
6. Transfer mixture to lightly buttered oval baking casserole.
7. In a food processor, pulse together the cashews, brown sugar and flour until coarsely ground.
8. Sprinkle cashew mixture over the center of the casserole.
9. Sprinkle mini-marshmallows around perimeter of casserole.
10. Bake until marshmallows are golden brown and casserole is heated through, approximately 30 to 35 minutes.

Note: (1) Kosher salt and honey were the ingredients added to the sweet potato. (2) Casserole can be prepared a day ahead. Remove from the refrigerator at least an hour before baking. Baking time might need to increase to 40-45 minutes.

Luculles, the most beautiful culinary antique store in the French Quarter (New Orleans). 

Chocolate Caramel Fudge

I lost more than an hour of my life this past weekend hunting for the cross-stitched Christmas stockings had many, many years ago. In this what seemed like a lifetime of insanity I looked through the same drawers, cupboards, and cabinets again and again as if the stockings would suddenly and magically reappear. The person who shall remain nameless assured me they were not in the attic which was plausible as they have never been stored there. However, I was on a mission to find them. After several trips up into the abyss of the attic opening the multiple containers I thought maybe they could have been stored in, I came down empty handed. Waking up in the middle of night I decided I would go up in the attic one more time (to say I was obsessed in finding them would be a bit of an understatement). Just as I was about to give up the attic search I noticed a bag next to one of the Christmas trees. My first inclination was nothing of real sentimental or monetary value would be (or rather should be) stored in 'a bag', but then thought well 'maybe I should look in there just in case'. Alas, there they were. Relieved I had found them I could climb down the attic stairs, go back to bed and finally get some sleep. As elated as I was at finding the stockings, I thought it best to wait until morning (when I was again sane) to call the person who assured me the stockings were not in attic.

There seems to be a looking for something theme going on in my life as of late. For awhile now I have been wanting to make some fudge for the holidays so I have been on the hunt for a 'new' recipe. The fudge recipe I had made in the past is really good, just not great. Upon coming across a recipe for Chocolate Irish Cream Candies, I had a really strong feeling I might have found the 'great' I was looking for (without going insane in the process). What is not to love about a candy described as a cross between a caramel and fudge made with Irish cream liqueur and chocolate?

The recipe calls for nine ounces of bittersweet chocolate (at least 70% cocoa). I had recently bought some Scharffen Berger chocolate and decided it would be the perfect chocolate for this 'fudge'. Sold in 9.7 ounce blocks, I couldn't see saving .7 ounces for another use so I chopped all of it up. Sometimes more is better.

This was the fudge that almost wasn't as the pan I choose wasn't really large enough. As the mixture expands significantly while cooking, it momentarily looked like I was going to have a literal hot mess rather than pan of creamy, rich chocolately fudge. Stirring it constantly was the only thing keeping the mixture from overflowing. So the next time I make this fudge (and there will be next time) I will not be using my 'not large enough' copper pot but one of my larger cast iron pots.

The cooked caramel like mixture rests for five minutes before the finely chopped chocolate is stirred in. Once the chocolate is fully incorporated, the mixture is poured into a parchment paper lined nine inch pan and immediately sprinkled with sea salt.

When completely cooled the fudge is cut into one inch squares and wrapped in squares of parchment paper.

This fudge has a perfect creamy texture. The Irish cream liqueur compliments but does not overpower the flavor of the bittersweet chocolate.

The sprinkle of fine sea salt over the top of the fudge is the quintessential finishing touch. And while this may technically not be a fudge, it has both its' look and texture.

As I was wrapping these intoxicating bites of goodness, I couldn't wait to see and hear the reactions of everyone who tasted them. Validation can be a really good thing.

If you too have been searching for a 'great' fudge recipe, one with undertones of a caramel flavor, look no further because today is your lucky day. And it will be a lucky Christmas if the someone who shall remain nameless finds these in their Christmas stocking. That is, if they can find their stocking when they get home.

Recipe

Chocolate Caramel Fudge (inspired by Yossy Arefi's Chocolate Irish Cream Candies recipe)

Ingredients

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup Irish Cream liqueur (recommend Bailey's)

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups golden syrup (recommend Lyle's) or can use light corn syrup

1 teaspoon kosher salt

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (recommend Scharffen Berger and used the entire 9.7 ounces bar)

Flaky sea salt for finishing

Directions

1. Line a 9"x 9" pan with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a large, heavy bottomed pan, combine the whipping cream, Irish cream liqueur, granulated sugar, golden syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil, cooking until mixture reaches 250 degrees (F) on a candy thermometer.

3. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes.

4. Stir in chopped chocolate and pour into prepared pan. Immediately sprinkle with sea salt.

5. Allow to cool completely. Cut into 1 inch squares and wrap in squares of parchment paper or cellphone (recommend using a thinner brown parchment paper for wrapping).

6. Store in an airtight container.

Boursin Spinach Gratin

It is quite possible you are on post-Thanksgiving vegetable casserole overload and have taken a temporary hiatus from any dish looking remotely like a casserole. Suddenly you have found yourself regressing to that childhood food separatist phase where the only meals eaten were ones served on plates with the dividers keeping foods from touching one another (a phase that may have turned into a food way of life for some). For those of us who happen to love a really good casserole or gratin, we figured out a long time ago there are some foods that taste even better when mixed with cheeses and a sauce of some kind rather than in their purest, no adornment presentation. You know you have discovered a fabulous, to-die-for dish when the flavor of the key vegetable ingredient is elevated to a new taste level rather than masked into a state of obscurity. Those would be the ones where you intentionally seek to disguise one of your family's least favorite vegetables so they will eat it. Growing up, I did all I could to avoid eating spinach, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower. Today, these are some of my favorites in any form. Go figure.

Needless to say Thanksgiving was rather hectic here (that comes with creating an overly ambitious menu). However, I was so organized this year I almost didn't recognize the person doing all of the cooking. With my energies focused on all of the multi-tasking that went into 'making' the food, my photos of the Boursin Spinach Gratin are not what I would call beautiful or come close to my good intentioned attempts at being a little artsy (in other words, I wasn't able to do it all). So I am breaking my own blog rule and posting this recipe anyway, because this gratin is one you need to make, sooner rather than later. With the holiday entertaining season now in full swing, this gratin pairs incredibly well with poultry, beef, lamb, pork and seafood. If there was ever a dish to make entertaining much easier as well as significantly less stressful, this would be the one. Assembled the day before or early in the day, in needs less than 30 minutes in a 425 degree oven to bake to perfection.

The first time I had this gratin was in the home of friends of my sister. It was creamy with the just the right amount of crunch. The flavors of the onions, spinach, cheeses, lemon zest and spices in a perfectly flavored béchamel sauce were incredibly delicious. In just one bite I knew I wanted the recipe. Or rather I knew I absolutely had to have this recipe. Thankfully she was willing to share it with me (who knows what I would have resorted to if she hadn't). I honestly can't remember where she originally found the recipe but it is one she had slightly tinkered with. My small contribution to her recipe was changing out the freshly made breadcrumbs for panko crumbs (I like their crunch factor).

The gratin all begins with the making of a roux, a thickening agent made from a mixture of flour and butter. Many will say you need a 1:2 ratio of butter to flour for a roux to thicken 1 cup of liquid. This recipe violates that guideline, however, if you have never made a roux before I would recommend you use only 2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter to sauté the onions and then add the 4 Tablespoons of flour. The roux is cooked for approximately a minute, which is enough time for the flour to cook while keeping the roux from turning brown.

Mix together the whole milk and whipping cream before slowly (very slowly) adding to the roux. When you first add a small amount of the liquid the entire mixture will appear to seize up. Don't panic, keep whisking and slowly add more liquid, allowing the mixture to very slightly thicken each time. When all of the liquid has been incorporated it will be a smooth, slightly thick béchamel sauce. The crumbled pieces of Boursin cheese are added in slowly enabling them to gently melt into the béchamel .

Remove the bechamel from the heat and stir in the spinach, parmesan cheese, lemon zest, salt, black pepper, Aleppo pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg until the spinach is fully incorporated into the sauce. Break up any clumps of the spinach before transferring the mixture into a lightly buttered 9"x12" casserole dish. The crumb topping is simply made of Panko bread crumbs, melted unsalted butter, extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. I like the crunch of Panko bread crumbs but you can substitute freshly made bread crumbs (the bread crumbs in the cans or boxes used for making meatballs and other dishes are not the same as freshly made bread crumbs). Once all of the crumbs are coated in the butter/oil, sprinkle evenly over the top of the gratin. Baked for approximately 20-25 minutes, the gratin is done when the crumbs are lightly browned and the gratin is heated through. If you are not making it immediately, cover and refrigerate. I usually take out the refrigerated gratin out about an hour before baking (my fear of having a too cold dish breaking in a really hot oven). With only one oven (oh how I miss my double oven), I baked all of my gratins and casseroles in a 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes. The Boursin Spinach Gratin baked up beautifully at this temperature.

This gratin is certain to create spinach lovers out of non-spinach lovers, make those 'don't let any of my foods touch on the plate' eaters in your family suddenly realize what they were missing, and last but not least, be one of the most beautiful, scrumptious foods on your holiday buffet or dinner table. Just don't let these photos sway you from making this gratin.

Recipe
Boursin Spinach Gratin (minor adaptations to a recipe shared by Jill Wallock)

Ingredients
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (approximately 1 cup)
2-3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 (5.2 ounce size) packages of Boursin cheese (garlic and fine herb), crumbled
4 packages of frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry of excess moisture
4 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (can substitute cayenne pepper)

1 1/3 cups Panko bread crumbs
2 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of kosher salt and pepper

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly butter a 9x12 casserole pan and set aside.
2. In a large frying pan, sauté one cup of finely diced yellow onion in 3 to 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter. Cook until onion has softened (approximately 5 minutes).
3. Add 4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, cook for approximately 1 minute.
4. Very gradually whisk in milk and heavy cream and then simmer sauce for approximately 1 minute (Note: Need to whisk continuously to create a smooth sauce).
5. Gradually stir in crumbled Boursin cheese, whisking continually until all of the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth.
6. Remove from heat and stir in spinach, parmesan cheese, lemon zest, salt, black pepper, Aleppo pepper and nutmeg until spinach is evenly distributed in the sauce.
7. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish.
8. To make the crumb topping, mix together the Panko bread crumbs, melted butter, extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Distribute crumb topping evenly over the spinach mixture.
9. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until heated through and crumbs are lightly golden. Note: If not making immediately, cover and place in the refrigerator. Remove from the refrigerator at least one hour before placing in the preheated 425 degree even. (Note: If baking multiple casseroles/gratins, reduce baking temperature to 350 degrees and bake for approximately 45 minutes.)

Randee's Iced Sugar Cookies

Other than the 'white' lights on the bushes surrounding the front of the house and urns filled with greenery, there are no other tell tale signs inside the house that Christmas will be here in just a few short weeks. For some reason the thought of going up and down the attic stairs to bring down the holiday decorations seems more exhausting than exhilarating. If you only knew how much Christmas 'stuff' is up there you might understand my holiday decorating hesitancy. Maybe years of putting up and decorating multiple trees has finally caught up with me or maybe I am just not yet in the holiday decorating spirit. Surprisingly not even the thought of bringing out all of the Valliancourt chalkware Santas collected over the years is enough to motivate me to get going on making the house reflect the spirit of Christmas. Could a few more batches of cookies and several more trips to the stores to shop for presents be what I need? We shall see.

A few weeks back when visiting a friend I asked if she would again share some of the cookie recipes she had given me years ago, recipes that seem to be temporarily lost (not even saying the St. Anthony prayer more than a dozen times has caused them to reappear). Her sugar cookie recipe was one I remembered. One never forgets a really scrumptious cookie, particularly when it is a really scrumptious sugar cookie.

Sugar cookies themselves have a history here in states going back to the mid 1700s when Morovians (German Protestant settlers) living in Pennsylvania created a round, crumbly, buttery cookie they called the Nazareth Sugar Cookie. The increased availability of tin cookie cutters made by tinsmiths after the Civil War not only made the making of these cookies easier, they gave way to cookies with more varied and complicated shapes. The iced and decorated versions of the sugar cookie came into popularity in the 1930s when it became traditional for children to leave out a plate of 'sugar' cookies and milk for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Hmm, could it be I didn't always get what I wanted from Santa because the cookies left on the plate were 'store bought' and not homemade sugar cookies?

I had every intention of using some of the antique cookie cutters collected over the years but then I found my Williams-Sonoma snowflake cookie cutters and, well before I knew it, I had abandoned my original plan. The decision to make snowflake sugar cookies covered in white icing and sprinkled with white glitter crystals and white mini-snowflakes seemed to subliminally reflect my monochromatic tendencies as well as my 'white lights on trees only' preference (I understand that those of you who love colored lights might be cringing right now. Just don't let my Christmas light bias keep you from reading on or even making these cookies. Okay?).

By definition, a sugar cookie is made of sugar, flour, butter, eggs, vanilla and either baking powder or baking soda. This classic sugar cookie recipe consists of all of those ingredients but also includes whole milk and kosher salt. The original version of Randee's Iced Sugar Cookie listed margarine rather than butter as one of the ingredients, however, both of us use unsalted butter for these cookies. Not only does butter pay homage to the early version of the sugar cookie, it makes for a melt-in-your-mouth, delectable cookie. 

The batter for this cookie comes together easily and results in dough that rolls out beautifully on a lightly floured surface. It all begins with beating the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. On medium to high speed, the liquid ingredients are then added to the butter/sugar mixture and mixed until the batter is smooth (this could take at least two minutes to get the desired consistency). Flour, salt and baking powder are added with mixer on low speed. Mix only until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated. The dough is shaped into a disk, wrapped in plastic wrapped and chilled. Minimally the dough should chill in the refrigerator for several hours, but I strongly recommend allowing it to chill overnight.

The rolled out, cut into shapes cookies are baked at what I would consider a relatively high heat level (375 degrees) as well as a relatively short baking time (ranges from 8 to 10 minutes depending on thickness of the cookies). I like a 'thicker' sugar cookie so I rolled mine out to about a 1/4 inch thickness. If you like them even thicker, your baking time will increase. Conversely, if you like them thinner, your baking time will be reduced. The kind of cookie cutter you use will also influence the thickness of your rolled out dough. If using a more intricate cookie cutter, the thicker the dough needs to be. I recommend using a relatively heavy versus a thin baking pan to ensure the bottoms of the cookies don't 'burn' before the cookie is fully baked. My favorite cookie pans come from either Stonewall Kitchen or Williams-Sonoma (I use half-sheet, 3/4 sheet and/or full sheet pans when baking cookies).

Before icing (or frosting), the cookies need to be completed cool. There are many icing options, however, my personal favorite is creating a confectionary sugar icing, one enabling me to dip the cookie into it (versus having to spread it with an offset spatula). In order to achieve the smoothest icing possible, the confectionary sugar needs to be sifted (whatever you do, don't skip this step). Four to five tablespoons of milk added to three cups of sifted confectionary sugar usually achieves the desired 'dipping' consistency. If you use up to 6 tablespoons of milk and your icing becomes a little too 'runny', not to worry. Sift in some additional confectionary sugar.

A few months ago I bought clear imitation vanilla extract to ensure I could make the 'whitest' icing/frosting possible. Normally I would shudder at the thought of using imitation vanilla, but when Christina Tosi from the Momofuku Milk Bar recommended it, who was I to ignore the suggestion of an incredibly talented pastry chef?

I find dipping the cookies into the icing results in a perfect smooth finish. To achieve this 'bakery perfect' finish, simply dip the entire top of the cookie into the icing, then carefully lift and place on a cooling rack. These sugar cookies dipped in icing are beautiful with or without the addition of sugars, sprinkles or decoratifs (like mini-snowflakes). How you finish these cookies is all up to you, make them as simple or as fancy as your 'big' heart desires. For some reason one of Iggy Azalea's songs runs through my head whenever I hear the word fancy.

If using sugars, sprinkles or decoratifs, sprinkle them on immediately after the cookies are are dipped as the icing develops a quick 'crust'. Once this 'crust' is developed, nothing will stick to it. The icing on the cookies takes at least 30 minutes to completely set up, but I strongly suggest you wait at least an hour before putting the cookies on a platter/in a container or putting in cellophane bags.

These sugar cookies have a perfect, yet tender crisp to them. With the icing more like a thick glaze than a thick frosting they are just the right amount of sweet. Like my white lights bias, I am one of those who love sugar cookies glazed rather than frosted (out of fear of making you cringe a second time, I thought I would wait until the end of this posting to reveal that personal preference to you). Don't let my icing/frosting preferences influence how you finish these oh so scrumptious 'Santa will bring you what you wished for even if you were just a bit naughty this year' sugar cookies.

Recipe
Randee's Iced Sugar Cookies (inspired by a recipe cut out of a newspaper years ago)

Ingredients
Cookie
1/2 cup (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

Icing
3 cups confectionary sugar, sifted
4-5 Tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract (can use regular vanilla extract)
Note: Can add food coloring for colored icing.

Optional
Glitter sugar
Decoratifs
Other cookie decorating sugars

Directions
1. In a standing mixer, cream butter and sugar until well blended, light and fluffy.
2. Mix together egg, milk and vanilla. Add to butter/sugar mixture beating until well blended and batter is smooth.
3. On low speed, add in flour, salt and baking powder mixing until flour is fully incorporated.
4. Remove dough from bowl, shaped into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for several hours or overnight (recommend chilling overnight).
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to about a 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes, place on parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake 8 to 10 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Note: Baking time will be dependent on the thickness of the cookie. Recommend setting timer for 8 minutes, checking cookie and adding time if needed.
7. Transfer cookies to cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before icing.
8. Make icing by mixing sifted confectionary sugar, milk and vanilla in a medium sized bowl. Stir until completely smooth. If icing is too thick, add additional milk until desired consistency is reached. 
9. Dip top of each cookie in the icing. Transfer to cooling rack. Sprinkle immediately with sugar if using. 
10. Allow icing to completely set up before arranging on a platter or placing in a container.

Holiday Cookies and Confections

"The greatest gift you can give someone is your time. Its like you're giving someone the portion of your life that you can never bring back."

Happy December! Let the madness of the holiday baking season begin. If Thanksgiving is 'all about that bird', then the holidays are 'all about those sweets'. Over the course of the next few weeks as we embark on making cookies and confections for family, friends and all of the Santas in your life as part of the holiday tradition (seriously, what would a holiday be without a platter of cookies?), it is a wonder we don't cause butter, egg and chocolate shortages across the country.

Every year I seek out new cookie and candy recipes to try (this year's must make list is rather long) so I can add to my list of favorites. In sharing my current top ten favorites, I hope I will inspire you to add to yours. The Coconut Balls aka Better than a Mounds Bar was a recipe given to me by a very good friend. If you love coconut and chocolate, these are a must make. With or without the addition of an almond on top, these are insanely creamy and delicious. I am willing to bet you will never eat another mounds bar or almond joy again after you taste them.

The Fruit and Nut Chocolate Bark with Sea Salt was inspired by a confection shared by none other than the amazing Ina Garten. This bark couldn't be easier to make. Roasted, salted cashews and pistachios are the nuts I use most often when making this bark, but roasted macadamias or walnuts work well too (just remember to roast your walnuts before chopping and sprinkling on top of the bark). For the dried fruit, my go-to's are dried cherries, dried cranberries, and dried apricots. Sometimes I use just one of them, sometimes a combination and then sometimes I use all of them. But again, use whatever and as many dried fruits that are your favorites. I like using either a dark or milk chocolate when making this bark, but you can also make it with white chocolate. The addition of the sea salt lightly sprinkled on top turns an already great bark into an extraordinary one. A cellophane bag or box filled with this bark makes for a great, memorable gift.

I have to have a little spice on my holiday cookie platter and this White Chocolate Dipped Ginger Molasses Cookie more than satisfies that need. This is one of the cookies I have been making for years. If the holidays are all about decadence, then dipping half of them in white chocolate creates the perfect spicy chocolatey cookie. However, if white chocolate is not your thing, the cookie itself is scrumptious all on its own.

Again I could not leave well enough alone with the Linzer Cookie recipe. As much as I love them sprinkled with confectionary sugar, I love them eve more dipped in white chocolate. Once you taste a White Chocolate Raspberry Linzer Cookie you will understand why.

This might be the only time intensive cookie on the list, but as they say 'nothing worth having comes easy'. The recipe for the Viennese Finger Biscuits came to me from a very talented baker, one whose cookie platters are enough to cause one to drool just looking at them. Make these for the people in your life you really like, the people that you love.

Newspapers are always running holiday cookie contests. Sometimes the 'winning' cookies are chosen because of their taste, but sometimes they are chosen for their 'back story'. These Meltaways fall into the 'chosen for their taste' category. The use of cake flour rather than all-purpose flour creates for a melt in your mouth, tender crumb cookie. On a cookie platter they look like the peaks of snow-capped mountains.

The White Chocolate Dipped Pistachio and Dried Cherry Cookies were also one of those holiday award winning cookies, although the original recipe called for having the rolled in confectionary sugar. The ingenious idea of dipping them in white chocolate came from my childhood best friend. She had brought out a bag of these cookies on one of her visits to my east coast home. It was one of the best hostess gifts ever.

The recipe for the Irish Shortbread came from the same woman who shared her Viennese Finger Biscuits. Made with both butter and margarine these shortbread cookies are addictive. And honestly, it is the best shortbread cookie I have ever had (and I have had many). Weighing out the ingredients seems to matter when making these cookies. 

The Chocolate Dipped Sea Salted Caramels are one of my favorite holiday confection gifts. Dipping these caramels into chocolate takes them to a different level of wickedness.

Last but certainly not least is one of the first cookies I shared on the blog. Amy's Shortbread Cookies are probably the cookie I make the most, even more than chocolate chip cookies. It is one of the easiest 'rolled' cookies you will ever make as the dough needs no refrigeration and is the most forgiving dough you will ever work with (the finished cookies don't lose their tenderness when the scraps of dough are rerolled). Whether you dip either the entire top or one half of the cookie in white chocolate is all up to you, but remember 'more can often be better'. 

In the weeks ahead I will share with you the newest and best 'cookie and confection' recipes I find or am fortunate enough to be given. As I look at the ones shared here with you again I realized half of them came from friends, making them even more treasured. Have a wonderful beginning to the holiday season. May it be filled with much love as well as lots of unsalted butter and chocolate.