Red Velvet Cake Pops

Can you believe it's almost Christmas?! And with it comes my final holiday treat post...next month I'll have some detox friendly recipes to share as our waistlines recover from the holiday splurge!

Cake pops are nothing new, and in fact you've probably indulged in this very flavor at your local Starbucks, but I knew it would be a tasty addition to my holiday dessert assortment nonetheless. Most cake pop recipes call for entirely prepackaged ingredients: cake mix, store bought frosting and candy melts, along with your choice of decoration (I chose simple, understated red sprinkles). And while I appreciated the convenient shortcuts considering all the other holiday baking on my to-do list, being an avid supporter of the homemade prompted me to make at least one component of this recipe from scratch. So rather than buy a can of cream cheese frosting, that I opted to make myself while the cake was baking, if only for my own sense of satisfaction. I was also eager to apply some new techniques I had read about which vastly improved my cake pop making experience versus the first time I tried my hand at these laborious treats. I will share these valuable tips with you now:

1.)Prepare the cake balls one day ahead and refrigerate overnight. This will help immensely as they will stay intact much better when coating them in the candy melts the next day.

2.) When coating the cake balls in the melted candy, it is of utmost importance to only dip once, then use a spatula, spoon or toothpick to aid in spreading the coating evenly, rather than swishing the cake ball through the thick mixture. I learned the hard way my first time around that this causes the lollipop stick to slip out of the hole, the hole grows larger and it becomes increasingly difficult to keep the cake ball on the stick. The less manipulation the better (and the less frustration for you, believe me.)

3.) A block of styrofoam (easily found at your local craft store) is the secret to a perfectly round cake pop so that you don't have to place the cake pops face down on a hard surface as they dry, resulting in a flat-topped cake pop. Use one of the lollipop sticks to poke holes in the styrofoam roughly two inches apart in advance, so that your cake pops will easily slide into the holes after they have been coated.

makes 30-40 cake pops
Ingredients
1 box red velvet cake mix, cooked as directed on box and cooled to room temperature
1 16 oz. can cream cheese frosting (or made from scratch, as I opted to do)
30-40 lollipop sticks
36 oz white candy melts
decorative sprinkles (optional)

Instructions
1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into a large bowl and combine thoroughly with frosting.
2. Use a mini scooper to scoop evenly sized portions of cake mixture. roll into balls using hands and lay on a cookie sheet. Chill in refrigerator overnight.
3. Melt candy according to package instructions. Insert a lollipop stick into each cake ball and coat completely in the melted candy, wiping off excess. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired, and stand cake pops in styrofoam block until firm.

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Peppermint Bark Cookies

Chocolate and peppermint go hand in hand this time of year (hello peppermint mocha!), and the combination is always present in some form during my yearly holiday baking extravaganza. So when I came across these lovely cookies in the Williams-Sonoma holiday catalog and balked at the price tag ($23 for a mere dozen), I set out to create a homemade version. I scoured the web to find a chocolate wafer cookie recipe and stumbled upon the perfect one from Smitten Kitchen, a blog I have known to be a reliable recipe source for years. After that it was just a matter of melting the chocolate, crushing the candy canes, a little dip here and a sprinkle there, and voila! Better than store-bought, positively jolly peppermint bark cookies. And the icing on the cake (or cookie, in this case): by making these yourself at home, you'll end up with four times as many cookies for a fraction of the cost. What are your favorite treats to bake during the holidays?

makes about 40 cookies
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and slightly softened
3 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups white chocolate chips
4 tbsp vegetable shortening
1 tbsp peppermint extract
3 candy canes, crushed

Instructions
1. Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, and baking soda in the bowl of food processor and pulse several times to mix thoroughly. Add butter, milk and vanilla and continue to pulse until dough begins to clump. Transfer dough to a large bowl or a cutting board and knead a few times until evenly blended.
2. Form the dough into a log about 14 inches long and 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut the log of dough into 1/4-inch thick slices and place them one inch apart on the lined sheets (cookies will spread).
4. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, then remove from oven and cool cookies completely, first on baking sheets and then on cooling racks.
5. Melt the chocolate and shortening in a double boiler or heatproof glass bowl set over a heavy saucepan filled with simmering water, taking care not to let the bowl touch the water. Stir occasionally with a spatula and remove from heat as soon as chocolate has reaches a smooth consistency. Stir in peppermint extract.
6. Dip each cooled cookie into the melted chocolate, coating completely. Set on a sheet of parchment paper and immediately sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Allow chocolate to harden at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

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White Chocolate Meyer Lemon Truffles

With the holidays in our midst I thought I would share a fun, festive recipe for these White Chocolate Meyer Lemon Truffles. I was inspired to make them after spending some time recently with my friend Jessica Foster, owner of Jessica Foster Confections here in Santa Barbara. Her truffles are incredible, and the Meyer Lemon is among my favorite flavors that she makes, so I decided to give them a go. She covers all of her truffles with a divine chocolate ganache coating, but I left my version bare- save for a light sugar coating- because they remind me of tiny snowballs! These would make amazing homemade gifts for friends, family and co-workers, which is exactly what prompted me to make them. Stay tuned for more holiday themed posts!

makes about 30 truffles
Ingredients
9 oz. good quality white chocolate
1/3 cup heavy cream
zest of one meyer lemon
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
pinch of salt
3 tsp. lemon juice
superfine sugar, for dusting

Instructions
1. Finely chop the white chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl. Set aside.
2. Add lemon zest to cream in a small heavy saucepan and bring to a simmer, taking care not to boil. Remove from heat.
3. Add butter and salt to white chocolate, then pour hot cream mixture into bowl. Melt over a saucepan with simmering water until smooth (do not allow water to touch glass bowl). Add lemon juice and stir to combine. Chill mixture for at least 4 hours.
4. Using a teaspoon or a small cookie scoop portion out 1 inch balls of ganache mixture. Roll in your hands to form a ball (quickly, as it will begin to melt from the heat of your hands).
6. Immediately sprinkle each truffle with the sanding sugar and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
7. Allow to set for at least 5 minutes before serving (will keep for up to two weeks when stored in an airtight container).

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Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

We have had quite a bit of rain here in Santa Barbara recently, and let me tell you, there is nothing like being stuck indoors for days on end to provide some kitchen inspiration. My comfort food cooking frenzy included braised short ribs with polenta and swiss chard, chicken pot pies with puff pastry crust, and this wonderful twist on butternut squash soup. The addition of apples adds a welcome touch of sweetness, and all of the vegetables are cooked in bacon fat, which adds an amazing depth of flavor. I also whipped up a simple apple, bacon and parsley garnish for some textural and visual interest. For an even healthier vegan option you can omit the bacon and substitute olive oil in the cooking process, but I think the bacon really turns up the volume on this soup and takes it to the next level.

Ingredients
2 strips thick cut bacon
1/2 onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 apple, peeled and diced, plus more for garnish
1 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 bay leaf
salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 tbsp parsley, chopped

Instructions
1. Cook bacon until crisp in a large stockpot over medium heat. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
2. Sautee onions and celery in the same pot until onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and sautee about 1 minute more.
3. Add apple, squash, nutmeg, salt, pepper and broth to pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer until squash is tender, about 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, chop reserved bacon, julienne remaining apple and toss together with parsley. Set aside.
5. Puree ingredients using an immersion blender until soup reaches a smooth consistency. If soup is too thick add 1/4 cup of water at a time until desired consistency is attained. Season with salt and pepper and ladle into bowls. Top with apple, bacon and parsley garnish.

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