Creative Cooks

Reindeer Hot Chocolate
Prep Time 30 minutes Total Time 30 minutes Servings 1 Reindeer Hot Chocolates (make as many as you'd like!)

Ingredients

Cone-Shaped Cellophane Bags
Hot chocolate mix (use your favorite!)
mini chocolate chips
mini marshmallows
Decorations: googly eyes, pipe cleaners, pom-poms (Note 1)
To prepare hot chocolate: add 1 cup hot water (or milk!)

Instructions

ASSEMBLE: Open a cellophane bag and arrange in a cup for easy assembly. Gently add in the hot chocolate mix. Use a paper towel or napkin to wipe down the sides from powder (to keep clean looking layers). Drop in miniature chocolate chips (as many as you'd like) and then miniature marshmallows (as many as you'd like again).

DECORATE: Twist the top and secure a pipe cleaner on top. Fold the pipe cleaner to look like antlers or curl for decoration. Use a hot glue gun to attach pom-pom and eyes on the front of the bag. Gift away or enjoy!

ENJOY: To prepare the hot chocolate, add 1 cup hot water or milk, stir and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Decorating Supplies: We use these Googly eyes, these red pom-poms (grab 1-inch), and these red pipe cleaners. (You could use brown pom-poms for a regular reindeer and use brown pipe cleaners to look more like antlers if desired). Use a hot glue gun & glue sticks to attach the eyes and nose!

Chocolate Spider Cake
The best spider cake recipe you’ll find on the web.
Prep Time 1 hr 30 min Cook Time 50 min Servings 8-10

Ingredients:

For the Chocolate Frosting
1/3 cup heavy cream
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

For the Spider Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
8 candy eyeballs
1 cup chocolate sprinkles
16 chocolate sticks, or chocolate-covered biscuit sticks

Directions:

For the Chocolate Frosting
Step 1 - Combine heavy cream and chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 45 seconds; stir. Return to the microwave and heat again for 20 seconds. Let mixture stand for 2 minutes, then whisk together until smooth. Place in refrigerator to firm to spreading consistency, about 1 hour.

For the Spider Cake
Step 2 - Preheat oven to 350°F.
Step 3 - Combine the first six ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Add milk, melted butter and vanilla. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat on low until combined. Scrape down the bowl and add the egg; beat again until well incorporated.
Step 4 - Line cupcake tin with one paper liner and fill it 2/3 full of batter. Grease and flour a 2 1/2 quart ovenproof bowl (can use stainless steel) and pour remaining batter into bowl. Bake cupcake for 12-15 minutes, or until center springs back when pressed. Bake cake for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick tester comes out clean.
Step 5 - Allow cupcake and cake to cool on a wire rack.

Step 6 - Place chocolate sprinkles in bowl. Cut cupcake in half and cover top portion with chocolate frosting (discard or eat the other half of the cupcake!). Place 8 candy eyeballs on top of frosting. Use a spoon to cover the cupcake with chocolate sprinkles; gently shake off excess and set aside.
Step 7 - Place cake on a large serving platter. Cover the bowl-shaped cake with chocolate frosting and then cover the frosting with chocolate sprinkles. Use frosting on the back side of the cupcake (spider head) to attach it to the round cake.
Step 8 - Gently insert three chocolate sticks standing upright on either side of the spider’s body. Use leftover frosting to attach an additional chocolate stick onto each upright chocolate stick, creating segmented spider legs. Insert two short chocolate stick “legs” on either side of the spider head. Use frosting to attach two additional short chocolate sticks to the legs, creating segmented front legs.
Step 9 - Slice and serve, but only once your guests have had time to appreciate your creation.

Happy Spring!



Cheesecake Eggs with Shortbread Soldiers
Prep time: 20 MINUTES cook time: 30 MINUTES total time: 50 MINUTES yields: MAKES 12 EGGS

Ingredients

12 eggshells with the top ¼ of the shell removed
1 cup heavy cream
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
¼ cup powdered sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
¼ cup lemon curd or marmalade OR Nutella
Shortbread
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup cornstarch
1/3 cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold + cubed

Instructions

Save the eggshells from breakfast or any baked goods you have made and pull out the filmy part from your eggshells. Wash them in boiling water to kill any germs and then allow them to air dry. In a mixing bowl, combine the heavy cream, cream cheese and powdered sugar. Using an electric mixer, whip the mixture until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the zest of half a lemon. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag or zip lock bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe the cheesecake mixture into each eggshell. Spoon on some lemon curd or marmalade to make the “yolk” OR just use Nutella. :) Keep stored in the fridge.

Shortbread
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a food processor add the sugar, salt and flour and pulse to combine. Add the butter and mix until it starts to come together into a dough ball. Press into small, 8x8 inch baking dish. Slice into rectangles and prick each biscuit with a skewer, then place in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cut along the lines that were sliced before baking. Let the shortbread cool. Dip the shortbread into the eggs and eat!

How To Make Vegetable-Dyed Eggs

Keep in mind the effect of the dyes varies depending on how concentrated the dye is, what color egg you use, and how long the eggs are immersed in the dye. I used half a purple cabbage, shredded, to dye four eggs. Err on the side of more rather than less when creating your dye.

Hard Boiled Eggs, room temperature, or white and brown eggs, preferably not super-fresh
Purple Cabbage (makes blue on white eggs, green on brown eggs)
Red Onion Skins (makes lavender or red)
Yellow Onion Skins (makes orange on white eggs, rusty red on brown eggs)
Ground Turmeric (makes yellow)
Red Zinger Tea Bags (makes lavender)
Beets (makes pink on white eggs, maroon on brown eggs)
Oil (canola or olive)

Clean the eggs so there are no particles sticking to their shells.

To prepare a colored dye, first chop the cabbage, chip or peel away the dry skins from the onions, or shred the beets. In a stainless steel saucepan, boil enough water to generously cover the number of eggs you’ll be dyeing. Add the dye matter and bring to a boil, turn heat down to low and simmer, covered, for 15-30 minutes. Dye is ready when it reaches a hue a few shades darker than you want for your egg. Examine a sample in a white dish. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature (I put the pot on my fire escape and it cooled off in about 20 minutes).

Pour mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into another stainless saucepan, or into a bowl then back into the original pan if that’s all you have. Stir in the vinegar. For the dyeing, it’s best to use a pan with a flat bottom, like a Dutch oven, or a large jar as pictured above. Arrange the room-temperature eggs in the pan in one layer and carefully pour the cooled dye over them.

Place in refrigerator until desired color is reached. Massage in a little oil to each, then polish with a paper towel. Keep in refrigerator until time to eat (or hide.)

Note: You can also start with raw eggs and cook them in the dye bath as described in the previous post about onion-skin eggs. I found with dyes like the Zinger tea and beets, the color was more concentrated with the refrigerator method. Of course, this method requires clearing out some space in the refrigerator.