Holiday Recipes

‘Tis the season for hospitality and delicious food! It’s a subject we could go on and on about, so we decided to take a look through the cookbook Crier Creek put out a few years ago, called Crier Creek’s Elk-cellent Cookbook, to get inspired for holiday cooking. We think any of these would be perfect to make for a crowd, take to a party, or try out for your next morning or night in with the family!

Caramel Coffee Ring

By: Vicki “Mama Mia” George

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Butter or Margarine
• ½ cup Chopped Pecans
• 1 cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed
• 2 tablespoons Water
• 2 Cans Flaky Biscuits (20 regular size)

Instructions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a small saucepan, melt butter. Coat bottom and sides of ungreased fluted tube pan or bundt pan with 2 tablespoons of the melted butter. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the nuts over the bottom of the bundt pan.

Add remaining nuts, brown sugar, and water to butter in saucepan. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.

Cut each biscuit in half and roll each half into a ball. Place 20 balls into pan and top with remaining sauce. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Invert immediately onto serving plate or waxed paper.

Note: This has been an old standby and a brunch favorite at Crier Creek!

Gingerbread Waffles

By: Valeri Harder

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Flour
• 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
• ½ teaspoon Freshly Grated Nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 4 Eggs
• ⅔ cup Packed Dark Brown Sugar
• 1 cup Canned Pumpkin Puree
• 1 ¼ cup Milk
• ½ cup Molasses
• ½ cup Butter, melted

Instructions:

Warm up the waffle iron. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in pumpkin, milk, molasses and melted butter. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Do not overstir the waffle batter. Brush the iron with a little melted butter and cook 4 waffles, 4 sections each.

Top with any of the following:

• Syrup
• Fresh Fruit
• Whipped Cream
• Mulled Maple Syrup

For the Mulled Maple Syrup:

• 2 cups Maple Syrup
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 1 large piece Orange Rind
• 3 Whole Cloves

Place syrup into a small saucepan and heat on low. Add a cinnamon stick to the syrup. Stud the orange rind with the cloves and add to the pot. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the spices with a slotted spoon and transfer to a serving pitcher.

Overnight French Toast

By: Vicki “Mama Mia” George

Ingredients:

• 1 Loaf Challah Bread (can use French bread as a substitute, but it won’t be as fluffy)
• 4 oz. Cream Cheese
• 8 Eggs
• 3 cups Half & Half
• ½ cup Maple Syrup
• ¾ cup Butter, melted

Instructions:

Tear or cube bread and place in a lightly sprayed 9×13-inch baking dish. Place small slices of cream cheese on top of bread. Mix all other ingredients and pour over bread. Blend together. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, preheat oven to 350. Bake covered for about 30 minutes until set. Serve with strawberry sauce.

Strawberry Sauce:

• 3 cups Strawberries
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla or Almond Extract
• 15 ounces Strawberry Jam
• ½ cup Sugar

Cover strawberries with water in saucepan. Add sugar. Boil until strawberries will break down. Add jam and heat through. Stir in extract before serving.

Fresh Apple or Pear Cake

By: Jan “Sugar Pop” Robertson

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Sugar
• 3 Eggs, beaten
• 1 cup Vegetable Oil
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla
• 3 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 3 cups chopped Apples or Pears
• 1 cup chopped Pecans (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add sugar, vanilla, and oil. Beat well. Add flour, salt, soda, and spices. Batter will be very thick. Hand stir in the fruit and pecans. Grease bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Pumpkin Bars

By: Louise “Alliteration” Griffin & Jane “Sassafrass” Griffin

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Flour
• 2 cups Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
• ¼ cup Canola Oil
• 2 cups Pumpkin Puree
• 4 Eggs

Icing:

• 3 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
• ⅓ cup Butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon Orange Juice
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 ¾ cup Confectioners’ Sugar

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. For bars: Combine dry ingredients. Add oil, pumpkin, and eggs. Beat one minute in mixer on medium speed. Pour into greased pan. Bake for approximately 20 minutes.

For icing: Beat cream cheese and butter till light. Add juice, vanilla, and sugar, and beat until well blended.

Allow bars to cool before icing them. After icing, cut into 1 ½ inch bars.

Spiced Peanut Butter Cookies

By: Vicki “Mama Mia” George

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Butter, softened
• ½ cup Sugar
• ½ cup Brown Sugar
• 1 Egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup Chunky Peanut Butter
• 1 ½ cup Flour
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
• ¼ teaspoon Ground Cloves
• ¼ teaspoon Ground Ginger
• ¼ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375. Cream butter and sugars, then add egg and peanut butter. Mix all dry ingredients together then add to creamed mixture.

With hands oiled in butter, roll dough into 1-inch balls. Flatten balls on a floured board and press fork on top of each cookie in a crisscross pattern. (For a little extra sweetness, dip the fork in sugar first.)

Transfer to a greased cookie sheet and bake 12-15 minutes.

We hope you enjoy these recipes, and let us know if you try any!