Hello ladies! December is in full swing and the holidays are arriving in exactly fifteen days. Typically, the holidays are spent with someone, whether it be family or friends, you need to have some delicious recipes on hand to satisfy your guests. Here are a few recipes that will make you the hostess with the mostest!
Need a side dish for Christmas dinner? Check out my favorite salad of all time.
Candied Walnut and Gorgonzola Salad
· 1/2 cup walnut halves
· 1/4 cup sugar
· 3 cups mixed greens
· 1/2 cup dried cranberries
· 1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes sliced in half
· 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
· 1/3 cup of low fat raspberry vinaigrette
Directions:
1. Place walnuts and sugar in a small saucepot over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves into a light brown liquid and coats the walnuts. Remove walnuts from pot, and spread them out on a sheet of aluminum foil to cool.
2. Place in a large salad bowl the mixed greens, tomatoes, cranberries, cheese, and vinaigrette. Toss gently; add candied walnuts, and toss again and enjoy!
Having guests for breakfast? Fried Apples are a great pancake and French toast topper or just alone on the side with some eggs and bacon!
Fried Apples
· 8 medium Granny Smith apples, sliced into quarter inch wedges
· 1/4 cup butter
· 1/2 cup brown sugar
· 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
· 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Directions:
Melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sauté 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are tender.
Invited to a Holiday party and have no idea what to bring? Compost cookies are always a huge hit!
Compost Cookies
· 1 cup granulated sugar
· 2/3 cup tightly packed dark brown sugar
· 1 tbsp. corn syrup
· 1 egg
· 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
· 1 1/3 cups of flour
· 1/2 tsp. baking powder
· 1/4 tsp. baking soda
· 1 tsp. kosher salt
· 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
· 1 cup butterscotch chips
· 1/2 cup of graham crust (see below for recipe)
· 1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
· 2 1/2 tsp. ground coffee
· 2 cups plain potato chips
· 1 cup mini pretzels
Directions:
Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, sugars, and corn syrup on medium-high for 2-3 minutes then scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then add in the egg and vanilla extract and beat for 7-8 minutes. Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until everything is just about coming together, no longer than 1 minute. Still on low speed, add the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, graham crust, oats, and ground coffee, and mix for 30 seconds. Then add the potato chips and pretzels until just incorporated. Using a medium sized cookie scoop, portion out dough onto your prepared baking sheets. Pat the top domes of the cookies flat. Wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to chill for up to one hour. Do NOT bake your cookies at room temperature. They will not bake correctly. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Take the cookie sheets out of the refrigerator and place inside oven. Bake for 18 minutes. They should be faintly brown on the edges but still yellow in the center. Give them an extra minute or two if that’s not the case. The idea is to have the outside edge a bit crispy with the insides chewy and soft.
Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
From all of us at Her Campus Montclair, we wish you a happy and healthy holiday!