Great Holiday Recipes

I've been baking like crazy here--I'm in the mood for it and I'm not entirely sure why. Regardless, I've been collecting recipes to try in my del.icio.us bookmarks and here is a sample of some of the best.

1. Panettone
Last year I raved about the French toast I made from this Italian sweet bread and was told that you don't really bake panettone, that it must be bought from an authentic Italian bakery. Well my favorite bread blog, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day posted a recipe and if there's anyone that I trust it's those guys.

Bought the ingredients, will be making it this week.

2. Chocolate Cobbler
I love cobbler. I love chocolate. So I'm pretty sure I'm going to flip for this one. I'm just trying to decide if making it for breakfast would make me a bad mom . . .

3. Pizza Egg Rolls
Pretty much anything that uses the word "pizza" as an adjective is going to be A+ with me. I love pizza more than getting mail, more than my minivan, more than having all my laundry clean and folded and put away . . . I just love it.

So these got the thumbs up right away. I'm planning on making them for New Year's Eve--they'll make a great treat while we're playing games and staying up way too late.

4. Eggs en Cocotte
This is really just a pretty little baked egg in a cup but it looks so fancy and sweet that I'm going to give it a try. I've never fixed eggs like this and while it's simple the presentation is going to make it feel really fancy--which will compensate for the Lucky Charms they typically have for breakfast.

5. Pofosen
And speaking of breakfast, this too is going on the menu. It's really just jelly-stuffed French toast but with a fancy European name it feels ridiculously luxurious, like you need to eat it with linen napkins or something. Or rather you need to eat it with linen napkins on your lap. Boy, I almost messed up and got caught advocating napkin eating. Don't let that rumor get started.

6. Houdini Bars
Yes, as in Harry Houdini. And why are they called Houdini Bars? Because they disappear, silly!

7. Motherload Layered Cookie Bars
And if you haven't succumbed to diabetes yet, just wait until you see these guys.

A layer of cookie, a layer of chocolate, a layer of peanut butter then another layer of chocolate-chip infused cookie topped with stripey chocolate heaven. It does not get more decadent than that folks. My picture space is getting crowded so go look for yourselves. Picky Palate has tons of amazing treat recipes guaranteed to send you running for the insulin. Boy they look good. . . .

8. The Ultimate Brownie
It may all be a big advertising scam but with a name like that these babies sure caught my attention. Who wouldn't be interested in something claiming to be the mother of all brownies?

They supposedly have taken the original ultimate brownie recipe and made it even better--easier, healthier but without losing the ultimate flavor. If that's true people, I think we have a new World Champion.

9. Black Bottomed Mini Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites
See? Another Picky Palate recipe. Apparently the palates there aren't that picky, as long as it has lots of sugar it's good. I had to check the name about three times before I could type it properly, there were so many modifiers in that title. They're like a five-course meal in one bite.

But I dare you to say that any part of that sounds less than magically appealing. I bet you can pop five or six of those into your mouth before you even realize what you've done.

10. Dark Chocolate Creme de Menthe Cupcakes
I'm a huge fan of mint and dark chocolate together--though in an odd twist of fate and despite my addiction to ice cream I cannot stand that green stuff they palm off as mint chocolate chip ice cream at the grocery store. It might as well be full of garden soil for all I know, it tastes nasty. However, if you really want the good stuff stick with the Ben and Jerry's variety that isn't green but very naturally yummy with Girl Scout mint cookies chopped up in it (not to be confused with Girl Scouts chopped up in it--that would be very unnatural and un-PC).

So these cupcakes are right up my ally.

11. Banana White Chocolate Toffee Cookies
I'm not usually a banana fan but if it's baked in enough sugar even I will try it. Add white chocolate and I'm smitten. Add toffee and I'm yours forever. So these too are on the list to try. No picture, go check the link for yourself. They look just like any cookie and not that amazing but I'll bet they taste terrific.

12. Sausage Bread
No sugar in this one but there's enough fat to truly compensate I'm sure. Sausage, bread, I'm so there with this one. I figure it'll make for a great breakfast if I know my family. A guaranteed home run.

13. Grown up Pop Tarts
I will not eat pop tarts, they're little more than glorified cardboard and they taste horrible but these? Now these look like something I'd be willing to waste some empty calories on.

14. Sticky Apple Butter Biscuits
And finally, biscuits. I love apple butter--I'd have it more often around here if it wasn't such a pain to make. I bet you could even use applesauce in a pinch though it would certainly give it a different flavor. Boy they look good though.

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