Happy Advent, Clan Quest! We've combed our family recipe books to bring you some sweet treats this holiday season. First up we have some simple recipes from Xurdones that anyone should be able to enjoy, regardless of how comfortable you are in the kitchen, and then Cireon has brought a Dutch flavour to the season with a mix that will "spice" up your cooking and a delicious cake for more ambitious bakers. And last, but certainly not least, evilphan brings us some classic Hanukkah recipes. Let's get right to it!
Microwave Fudge
No oven? No problem! You can make smooth and delicious fudge with nothing more than a microwave and a fridge.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (510g) semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
- 1 can (14 oz, 300mL) sweetened condensed milk
- 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (110g) chopped walnuts (optional)
Directions
- Place all ingredients, except nuts, in a large bowl
- Microwave on medium (50% power) until chocolate chips are melted, 3-5 minutes, stirring once or twice during cooking
- Stir in nuts
- Pour into greased 9x9 baking dish
- Refrigerate until set
Cornflake Clusters
This is a holiday favourite in my family. Fun fact, these are actually supposed to be cornflake wreaths, but in thirty years I've never seen anyone actually make them like that. If you want to give it a try, just form the cornflake drops into rings, and decorate with a couple of small red candies (my recipe book calls for Red Hots, but you could use cinnamon hearts, or anything else you have available).
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter
- 3 cups (208g) marshmallows
- 1 1/2 tsp green food colouring
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups (140g) cornflakes
Directions
- Melt butter over low heat
- Add the marshmallows and melt over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth (about 6 minutes). Patience is the key here: if the pan is too hot, or you leave them unattended too long, the marshmallow will scorch very quickly. Low and slow. You can use a double boiler if you want, but I've found it unnecessary as long as you're careful
- Remove from heat. Add vanilla extract and food colouring and stir until blended
- Add cornflakes and stir until well coated
- Working a spoonful at a time (make them as big or small as you like), drop the cornflake mixture onto parchment paper
- Refrigerate until set
No Bake Squares
Another beloved family recipe, which my great-grandmother clipped out of the newspaper. Nice and easy, all you need is a stove top (or hot plate) and a fridge.
Ingredients
- 1 package (300g) butterscotch chipits
- 1/2 cup (125g) smooth peanut butter
- 2 cups Rice Krispie cereal (you can substitute with any puffed rice cereal, or oven-crisp your own puffed rice if you like; we just want it cripsy for that satisfying crunch)
- 2 cups (133g) coloured mini marshmallows
Directions
- Melt chipits and peanut butter together. Remove from heat
- Add Rice Krispies and marshmallows, and stir to coat
- Pour mixture into a greased 9x9 pan
- Cool in fridge
Speculaas spice mix
This spice mix is one of my favourite tastes. It works really well in a lot of autumn and winter dishes, so I recommend making a batch and storing it in a jar in your kitchen to use it as needed! The mix is primarily used in baking, but you can also mix things up and use it in cooking for a fuzzy feeling inside. Add the mix to your cookies, waffles, pancakes, cakes, or hot chocolates for that extra depth of flavour and an amazing scent!
The hardest part is assembling all the ingredients, but once you mix them all together, you can store the mix in an airtight jar and it will keep for a long time. If you are lazy, you may be able to buy pre-mixed spices in a specialty store or online.
Ingredients
- 5 Tbsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp Ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp Ground aniseed (US: ground anise)
- 1/2 tsp White pepper
- 1/2 tsp Ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp Ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp Ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp Ground mace
Directions
- Mix it all together!
Dutch Buttercake
Serves: 12-14 Cooking time: 45 min
Ingredients
- 250g (2 cups) Plain Flour
- 200g (1 cup) Granulated sugar
- 200g (3/4 cup + 2.5 tsp) Unsalted butter
- 8g (1/2 tsp) Vanilla Sugar, extract, or paste
- 2 Eggs
- Pinch of salt
- Handful of almonds, sliced or crushed (optional)
- 1 Tbsp Speculaas spices (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400F (200C, 180C for convection ovens, or Gas mark 6 for gas ovens)
- To make the dough: mix the butter, sugar, and vanilla into an airy mix, also add the Speculaas spices if you are adding them. Add one egg and a pinch of salt (brings out the tastes better). Finally add the flour and mix into a smooth dough. You can do all of this using a mixer, but you can also hand knead the dough.
- To assemble the cake: line a cake tin with baking paper and evenly spread out the dough over the bottom of the cake tin. Flatten the top with the round side of a spoon. Crack the second egg into a small bowl, beat with a fork or whisk until combined, and use 1 Tbsp to smoothen out the top of the cake even further and give it a crisp skin. Use a fork to draw a diamond pattern in the top (or be creative!) and optionally add some almonds on top.
- To bake the cake: bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden brown.
Classic Latkes
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Russet potatoes, peeled (about 2 medium)
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
- Canola oil, for frying
- 2 tbsp. freshly chopped chives
- Applesauce, for serving
- Sour cream, for serving
Directions
- Using the medium holes on box grater, grate potatoes. Transfer to a bowl of ice water until ready to use. Using a clean dish towel, squeeze out as much liquid as possible, or let drain in fridge overnight.
- In a large bowl, combine potatoes with eggs, flour, and 1 teaspoon salt.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, heat about 1/8” oil until shimmering. To test if oil is hot enough, sprinkle with some flour. If flour bubbles and dissolves immediately, oil is ready.
- Add a few spoonfuls of potato mixture to the oil and pat down to flatten. Fry until crispy and golden, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain, then sprinkle with remaining salt.
- Serve with chives, applesauce, and sour cream.
Loukoumades
Loukoumades (in Greek: λουκουμάδες, singular λουκουμάς, pronounced loo-koo-MA-thess, loo-koo-MA-tha) are the Greek version of a doughnut—golden puffs of fried dough that are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. After they are fried, they're bathed in sweet syrup and sprinkled with cinnamon and walnuts. There are a few tips for making the most delicious loukoumades. First, give the dough time to rise in a warm place and you will be rewarded with an airy pastry. Also, be sure you are dissolving the yeast in lukewarm water. When frying, do so in batches and do not crowd the pot—otherwise, the loukoumades will stick to each other and the oil temperature will lower.
Although the traditional honey syrup is the perfect sweet coating, a drizzle of chocolate or scoop of vanilla ice cream is never a bad idea.
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 package (1/4 ounce) dry yeast
- 2 cups lukewarm water (divided)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon whiskey or brandy
For the Syrup:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup honey
For Frying:
- 2 cups canola or corn oil
Garnish:
- Ground cinnamon, ground walnuts, and/or confectioner's sugar
Directions
- Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Mix well to combine.
- Add the dissolved yeast, whiskey, and remaining 1 1/2 cups water to the dry ingredients. Using an electric hand mixer, mix the batter for 3 minutes on medium-high speed making sure that there are no lumps in the batter. Cover the batter with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for about 2 hours to rise.
- Prepare the syrup while the batter is rising. Put the sugar, cinnamon stick, water, and honey in a saucepan. Boil for 5 minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved. Keep warm.
- When the batter is about double in size, heat the oil in a saucepan or deep-frying pan until very hot but not smoking.
- Using two spoons, carefully drop about a teaspoon full of batter for each puff into the hot oil. Turn the puffs using a slotted spoon and fry until golden brown on each side. Remove the puffs to a plate lined with paper toweling to absorb excess oil.
- Dip the hot puffs in the syrup and then sprinkle with cinnamon, ground walnuts, or even with confectioner's sugar. Serve immediately.
Honey Wheat Raisin Challah (Pareve)
Prep:40 mins
Cook:35 mins
Rising Time:2 hrs 30 mins
Total:3 hrs 45 mins
Servings:10 to 12 servings
Ingredients
For The Challah:
- 1 cup (240 ml) warm water (110 - 115° F/43 - 46° C)
- 1 package active dry yeast (2-1/4 teaspoons/7 g)
- 2-1/2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (280 g) white whole wheat flour, plus extra for kneading
- 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cardamom (optional)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup (55 ml) oil
- 1/3 cup (113 gm) honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
For the Egg Wash:
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- Pinch salt
Directions
Hand or Stand Mixer Method:
- Place the warm water in a large bowl or stand mixer.
- Sprinkle with the yeast.
- Set aside in a warm place for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture is foamy. (If your yeast doesn't proof properly, discard the mixture and start again with fresh yeast).
- In another large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and white whole wheat flours, and the cardamom (if using).
- Set aside.
- With a hand whisk or the mixer's whisk attachment, mix in two cups of the flour mixture, the eggs, oil, honey, vanilla, and salt.
- Switch to a sturdy wooden spoon or the mixer's dough hook, and add the rest of the flour mixture one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition until a shaggy dough forms and begins to pull into a ball.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.
- With clean, floured hands, knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic and no streaks of flour are visible, about 5 to 10 minutes. (If the dough is too sticky to work easily, knead in more whole wheat or all-purpose flour a little at a time.)
- Allow the dough to rest for a few minutes while you clean and dry the large mixing bowl.
- Grease the inside of the bowl with a bit of oil.
- Place the challah dough in the bowl and turn to coat with the oil.
- Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until the dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Lightly grease one or two baking sheets or line with parchment paper.
- Sort through the raisins, discarding any that are hard or twiggy.
- Rinse the raisins in water until the water runs clear, and drain.
- Punch the dough down.
- Knead the raisins into the dough on a lightly floured surface (you can divide the dough and raisins in half first if you find it easier to manage a smaller quantity of dough).
- When the raisins are evenly distributed throughout the dough, shape or braid it as desired. For a traditional Rosh Hashana spiral, simply shape the dough into one or two long ropes. Wind each rope into a spiral shape and tuck the end under to secure. (The recipe will make one large challah, two medium challot, one medium challah plus six challah rolls, or 12 rolls.)
- Place the shaped challot and/or rolls on the baking sheet(s) and cover with clean, dry tea towels.
- Allow to rise until doubled, about 30 minutes to one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- While the oven is heating, make the egg wash: whisk together the egg, water, and pinch of salt.
- Brush egg wash over the challah with a pastry brush.
- Bake the challah until the crust is a deep golden brown, and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped, about 30 to 35 minutes for a large challah, 20 to 25 minutes for a medium challah, and 15 to 20 minutes for rolls.
- Cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!
Bread Machine Method:
- Place the ingredients in the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer (my bread machine suggest adding liquid ingredients, then flour, then yeast).
- Select "Dough Cycle."
- When the cycle ends, remove the dough from the machine.
- Knead in the rinsed raisins.
- Shape as desired and transfer to prepared baking pans.
- Allow the challot to rise, covered lightly with a clean, slightly damp tea towel, for 30 minutes to an hour, or until doubled in size.
- Mix the egg, water, and pinch of salt, and brush challah with the egg wash.
- Bake in a preheated 350 F oven until the crust is golden, and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped, about 30 to 35 minutes for a large challah, 20 to 25 minutes for a medium challah, and 15 to 20 minutes for rolls.
- Cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!
Matzo Ball Soup
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup schmaltz (rendered chicken fat), coconut oil or vegetable oil (kosher for Passover)
- ¼ cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 1 cup matzo meal
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 to 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, dill or cilantro
- 1 teaspoon salt, more for cooking
- Black pepper
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine the eggs, schmaltz, stock, matzo meal, nutmeg, ginger and parsley. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Gently mix with a whisk or spoon. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours or overnight.
- To shape and cook the matzo balls, fill a wide, deep pan with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. With wet hands, take some of the mix and mold it into the size and shape of a Ping-Pong ball. Gently drop it into the boiling water, repeating until all the mix is used.
- Cover the pan, reduce heat to a lively simmer and cook matzo balls about 30 to 40 minutes for al dente, longer for light. If desired, the cooked matzo balls can be transferred to chicken or vegetable soup and served immediately. Alternatively, they may be placed on a baking sheet and frozen, then transferred to a freezer bag and kept frozen until a few hours before serving; reheat in chicken or vegetable soup or broth.
Direct Relief
As part of this advent calendar, we are running a fundraising campaign to raise money for Direct Relief. Direct Relief is a humanitarian organization that improves the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergency situations by mobilizing and providing essential medial resources needed for their care without regard to politics, religion, race, or gender identities. Direct Relief has earned a perfect 100 on Charity Navigator, which evaluates charitable organizations. We humbly ask that you support our campaign. Every small amount helps. Alternatively, use the button below to be taken to the donation page directly.
