I love the elaborate Christmas dessert buffets found at upscale restaurants and hotels during the holiday season. I prefer sampling a variety of sweet treats than gorging on a single piece of rich cake or pie.
Those holiday dessert buffets inspire me this time of year. While I am far from an expert baker, I do my best to whip up an array of different desserts to serve on Christmas Day. Some are traditional, while others are far from holiday fare. Regardless, they are all delicious, and as you can see from the recipes I’ve listed below, they are also very simple to make.
CHOCOLATE CHRISTMAS COOKIES
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Sprinkles or small candy for decoration
Directions:
Sift flour, cocoa powder, salt, and cinnamon into a bowl.
Place butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Gradually mix in flour mixture.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least one hour or overnight.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thick.
Transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and chill in freezer 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Using holiday-shaped cookie cutters, quickly cut out shapes from dough (if dough begins to soften, chill it in freezer 3 to 5 minutes).
Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
Add sprinkles or candy. Chill in freezer until firm, about 15 minutes.
Bake cookies until crisp, about 9 minutes.
Allow to cool completely on wire racks.
LIGHT LEMON PUDDING CAKE
Ingredients for Cake:
1 box (18.5 ounces) lemon cake mix
1 box (3-3/4 ounces) instant lemon pudding
3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup water
4 Eggs
Ingredients for Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup lemon juice
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 13-by-9-inch pan.
Beat cake ingredients on low speed in electric mixer for about 30 seconds, then at medium for 2 minutes.
Pour into pan and bake for 35 minutes.
While cake is warm, poke holes in it with fork.
Combine glaze ingredients and pour evenly over cake while it is still warm.
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