Recipes | Gingerbread Cookie Dough Truffles

Earlier this month, I was searching for some new Christmas cookie recipes to try this season and I came across these gingerbread cookie dough truffles on Love and Olive Oil. They are super sweet, I can only eat one at a time, but they are ridiculously good. I gave some to Matt as another advent gift and left the rest of the batch at home for my family to snack on. These take a bit of time to make, but definitely worth it! 

While I was making these, my sister and I kept eating the dough because it was just so good. The recipe does not use any eggs, so it's safe to eat the dough raw. 

Gingerbread Cookie Dough Truffles

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 8 oz white chocolate candy coating 
• Sprinkles or edible glitter (optional)

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat the butter, molasses and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy - about 2 minutes. 

Stir in the vanilla. 

Then add the flour, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Mix on low until it's all incorporated. 

Cover and place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes or until the dough is firm. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Form dough into 1 inch balls and place on the baking sheet.

Place the dough balls in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. 

While the dough is in the freezer, melt the chocolate candy coating either in the microwave or in a double boiler on the stove. 

Using a fork, or dipping tool if you have one, dip the truffles one at a time into the chocolate until the truffle is covered. Shake off the excess chocolate and put the truffles back on the baking sheet. 

If you would like, before the chocolate dries, quickly top with sprinkles or edible glitter to look like fresh, sparkling snow. 

Once the truffles are dry, put them in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

Recipes | Guinness BBQ Sauce

Matt is a fan of Guinness, so when I came across this recipe from The Black Peppercorn, I thought it'd make a great advent gift. It's really simple to make and I tired it on ribs and it was delicious! 

Guinness BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 onions, minced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 cup Guinness beer
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne 
• 1 cup (8 oz can) tomato paste

Directions:

Melt the butter in a pot. 

Add the onion and garlic and saute until they are tender and beginning to caramelize.

Add the molasses, beer, vinegar, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and cayenne. 

Bring to a boil. Continue to cook at a low-rolling boil for about 10 minutes. Make sure to stir often so nothing sticks and burns to the bottom of the pot. 

Add the tomato paste. 

Reduce the heat and let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often. 

Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. 

Use a blender or hand blender to puree until smooth. 

Recipes | Granola

I love breakfast! I could eat breakfast all day long. One of my favourite breakfast foods is granola. I love to mix it with yogurt, or sometimes just pour some milk over it and eat it like cereal. 

My problem though, is that I have a lot of allergies. I'm really allergic to nuts/peanuts, so that means I have a hard time finding a granola I can eat in the grocery store. That's why I usually make my own. This way I can put in it what I want and it's a much healthier alternative. 

I don't really have a set recipe that I follow. I just use whatever I want and put in as much or as little as I want. This recipe is a guideline and all measurements are approximate. 

I usually cut the recipe in half and make two batches so I can have two different flavours of granola. This time I made one with honey, cranberries, and slivered almonds and the second with maple syrup, sultanas, and almond slices. 

Sometimes I also like to add in some flax or chia seeds as well. In this case, the oatmeal I used contained oat bran, wheat bran, and flax seeds so I didn't have to add any extra.

Granola

Ingredients:

• 4 cups oats (not quick cook)
• 3 cups seeds/nuts (of your choice)
• 2/3 cup oil
• 2/3 cup maple syrup or honey
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• a pinch or two of nutmeg 
• a pinch or two of ginger
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup dried fruit (of your choice)

(This makes quite a large batch - 10-12 servings. So cut the recipe in half if you want less).

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

In a bowl, mix the oats and the nuts/seeds. Add in the oil and the honey/maple syrup. Stir to combine. 

Mix in the salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. 

Add in the vanilla and mix well. 

Pour onto a baking sheet covered in parchment paper and spread out evenly. 

Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. 

Make sure to stir the granola every 10 minutes so it cooks evenly and doesn't burn. 

Add in the dried fruit for the last 5-10 minutes of the baking time. 

Baking | Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

The other day I was in the baking mood so decided to try out this recipe I had found while browsing online for some yummy eats. You can find the original recipe at Sweet Pea's Kitchen. This Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Loaf is now my absolute favourite thing ever! It's moist with a lovely zingy taste, but also a little sweet due to the lemon syrup and glaze. This loaf was eaten within two days and now my family won't stop bugging me to make it again - I guess I know what I'll be doing tomorrow! 

I ate this loaf for breakfast but since it is a tad on the sweeter side I preferred to have a slice or two with my afternoon tea (yes, living in England for two years has turned me a tad British).

If you want to make this delicious loaf for yourself (I suggest you all do so asap!) then here is the recipe:

Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

Ingredients:

For the Loaf: 

• 1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose floor, divided
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen, thawed and rinsed)

For the Lemon Syrup:

• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 cup sugar

For the Lemon Glaze:

• 1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat the over to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of one 9 x 5 inch loaf pan, dust with flour and tap out the excess

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla, and oil. 

Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. 

In a separate bowl, mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour and fold them gently into the batter. 

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and back 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean. 

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing the loaf to a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. 

While the loaf is cooling, making the lemon syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir together the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. 

Use a toothpick to poke holes in the top and sides of the warm loaf.

Brush the top and sides of the loaf with the lemon syrup. Let the syrup soak into the loaf and then brush again. Let the loaf cool completely. 

To make the lemon glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the confections sugar and 2 to 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable. Add up to another tablespoon of lemon juice if the mixture is too stiff. 

Pour the lemon glaze over the top of the loaf and let it drip down the sides. 

Let the lemon glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving. 

Christina from Sweet Pea's Kitchen also suggests making these as muffins which would be great for breakfasts or taking with you to work for a snack. 

Enjoy!

If you try out this recipe let me know what you think.