Most people who love cooking have their “signature recipes” that they get asked to make all the time. At the holidays my mom always makes a savory cream cheese ball with onion, green pepper, pineapple and walnuts. As good as that is, if you follow this blog you’ll know I’m much more into sweet than savory. What could really be better than sweet cream cheese?

Another thing that prompted me to make this was a bag of Food Should Taste Good chocolate tortillas and wondering what in the world you serve chocolate tortillas with. The crunchy and lightly-sweetened tortillas went perfectly with the smooth cream cheese and powdered sugar. I couldn’t imagine eating this any other way but I’m sure sliced apples or graham crackers would match well, too.

I used honey glazed roasted pecans from Oh Nuts for the coating. If you don’t have pecans you can use any number of things as a coating. Try sliced almonds or crushed green and red M&Ms, or even holiday-themed sprinkles.

Dessert Cream Cheese Ball

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 12 servings):

• 1 8oz block cream cheese
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon half & half
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup glazed pecans, crushed

Method:

1. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, half & half and salt.
2. Scrape the cream cheese mixture onto a sheet of clear plastic wrap. Form the cream cheese mixture into a ball using the wrap to cover your hands and keep it together. Stick the ball in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to set.
3. Unwrap the cream cheese ball and coat it with the pecans, pressing them in lightly to make sure they stay.
4. Transfer the cold cream cheese ball to a serving plate. Serve with chocolate nachos, graham crackers, or sliced fruit.

We can save worrying about eating healthy for after New Years.

I came home for the holiday weekend on Wednesday night last week. Normally I cook more for the holidays but by the time I arrived most of Thanksgiving dinner had already been planned. I decided to contribute some ad hoc cookies because, well, when are extra cookies ever a bad thing?

I’m usually a purist when it comes to peanut butter cookies using this recipe. However I wanted to try one with flour and butter for a different texture to mix things up. The added ingredients make a cookie that chewy rather than crispy and slightly richer. On top I added a chocolate drizzle for the chocolate lovers in my family(but mostly for myself).

Mixed some chopped peanuts or chocolate chips into the batter before baking these for an extra crunch.

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies {Gluten-Free}

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 18 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 14 cookies):

• 3/4 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 Tablespoons creamy or chunky peanut butter
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips(optional)

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl mix together the sugar, flour, and salt.
3. In a small bowl, melt together the butter and peanut butter and mix.
4. Pour the melted butter and peanut butter into the flour mixture and mix it together.
5. Beat in the egg until all of the ingredients form a dough.
6. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them 2-3 inches apart on a greased cookie tray.
7. Bake for 16-18 minutes until the outside is firm to the touch.
8. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely before moving.
9. Melt down the chocolate chips and drizzle the melted chocolate on top of the cookies.

It’s no secret that my favorite food group is chocolate. I could eat it every day and was very excited when American Heritage Chocolate approached me and asked if I’d like to do some baking with their chocolate for Thanksgiving. Their company is all about producing authentic 18th century-style chocolate and what better time to celebrate that then during a holiday established by George Washington himself in the 18th century?

They sent me a package of goodies including hot cocoa mix, chocolate sticks and baking chocolate along with measuring spoons and pie pan. After tasting it and getting familiar with the flavors I tried this recipe and nailed it(if I can say so myself) on the first try.

I wasn’t sure exactly what to call this. Technically it’s not a cake since there’s no sort of flour in it, just eggs and dairy which makes it a custard. The texture is very similar to a flourless chocolate cake recipe—super soft and melts in your mouth.

My favorite thing about their chocolate is that it’s slightly spicy. They add in anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange peel, anise seed, annatto, and red pepper just like chocolate was made in the 18th century, but none of the flavors are too overpowering to take away from the cocoa. If you make this recipe using standard hot cocoa mix, I would recommend adding tiny amounts of any of these spices from your cupboard to make the flavor more enticing.

Chocolate Pumpkin Baked Custard

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 40-50 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 12-16 servings):

• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups half & half
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons squash or pumpkin puree*
• 1 package(1 1/2 cups) American Heritage Chocolate finely grated chocolate drink
• Ice cream, whip cream, or chocolate sauce for serving

* I roasted and pureed half of a butternut squash. You could also use a canned pumpkin.

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, beat together all of the ingredients until they’re homogenized. Don’t worry about the chocolate mix dissolving since that will happen as it bakes.
3. Grease a 9-inch cake or pie pan.
4. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 40-50 minutes until the center has set and a cake tester comes out clean.
5. Remove from the oven and serve hot with whip cream, ice cream, or a chocolate fudge sauce.

Who’s bringing the ice cream?