Easy and Simple Christmas Treats Recipe.

This is the season of baking and having your homes filled with wonderful aroma. I love looking up recipes and cooking videos, it fills by heart with an unexplained kind of joy. The festival is all about lights, camera and food indeed. There is definitely a lot of shopping and visiting involved in this merry season hence here are a few simple recipes that you can make and store and serve to your guests.

Cranberry Muffins

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour – 2 cups
Baking Soda – 1/2 tsp
Baking Powder – 1 tsp
Unsalted Butter – 1 cup (At room temperature)
Granulated Sugar – 1 cup
Eggs – 2
Orange Zest – 1 tsp
Orange Juice – 1/2 cup
Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp
Dried cranberries – 1 cup

Method

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 Degrees C).
Line a muffin tin with liners.
In the bowl of your mixer, add butter and sugar and whisk until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time and whisk well after each addition.
Add orange zest, orange juice and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and cranberries and mix until combined.
Pour the batter in the prepared muffin tin keeping them 3/4th full.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove the pan from the oven and let the muffins cool for 10 minutes.
Serve warm. Drizzle some chocolate syrup or cranberry syrup on top. You can even replace the cranberries with blue berries or add in lots of dry fruits.

Prep Time 15 Minutes and Cooking Time – 30 Minutes Total Time – 45 Minutes.

Banana and Date Cookies

Ingredients

Unsalted Butter – 1/2 cup
Granulated Sugar – 1 cup
Mashed bananas – 1 cup
Eggs – 1
Vanilla extract – 1 tsp
All Purpose Flour – 2 cups
Baking Soda – 1 tsp
Ground Cinnamon – 1/2 tsp
Ground Nutmeg – 1/2 tsp
Ground Cloves – 1/2 tsp
Dates – 1 cup (Chopped)

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 350 Degrees F (180 Degrees C).
Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Whisk butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add mashed bananas, egg and vanilla extract and whisk until combined.
Add all purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and ground cloves in the bowl and mix just until combined.
Fold in the chopped pecans.
Drop 1 tbsp of batter on the baking sheet keeping a distance of 2 inches between each.
Bake for 10-minutes until nicely browned.
Transfer the cookies on a wire rack and let them cool completely.
Finish within 2 days. You can again add some oats to the flour and add some dry fruits powder to make it healthier.

Oats, Dates and Walnut Chocolate Balls.

Unsalted Butter – 2 tbsp
Roasted and Powdered Oats – 1/2 Cup Melted Chocolate – 1 1/2 cup
Walnuts Chopped – 1/2 cup
Dates Chopped – 1/2 Cup
Ground Cinnamon – 1/2 tsp
Ground Nutmeg – 1/2 tsp

Method

Mix all the dry ingredients together in one bowl. Now slowly add the melted chocolate until the mixture turn into a soft dough. Make small balls of the dough.You can even roll the chocolate balls in powdered sugar or sprinkles. Refrigerate the chocolate balls for about an hour till firm. A hit with kids and adults and can be stored easily for a week in an air tight container.