Cranberry Sweet Rolls #BreadBakers

Cranberries are the darling of this season, showing up in savory and sweet recipes. (For those of us who can't get Florida Strawberries!) They add both sweetness and a welcome tart bite to these cranberry sweet rolls. Perfect for Christmas morning. Or any morning, really.

If you’ve been reading this space for a while, you might remember that I started Bread Bakers with my friend and fellow blogger Renee at Magnolia Days in September of 2014. As a group, we've been baking bread and growing like a good sourdough starter ever since. Twelve bakers took part in that first group event. This month, more than two years on, we have 16 delicious sweet yeast breads to share with you. Some months we’ve had 29 or 30 but I’m happy with 20 in a busy month like December.

Part of our Bread Bakers blurb talks about members taking turns choosing the theme or main ingredient and hosting the event each month. Because everyone is so willing to step forward, I haven’t actually hosted for ages, just played a supporting role to whoever was in charge. This month I’m stepping in to host! Our theme was chosen by Laura of Baking in Pyjamas who unfortunately had to drop out this month. I am delighted to fill in.

My cranberry sweet rolls are a seasonal take on cinnamon rolls, but with a buttery enriched dough and homemade cranberry filling. Make sure to follow my instructions to set aside a little of the filling for topping as well. That bright red on top makes them even more festive. If you want to enjoy these freshly baked for breakfast, follow the alternative instructions for the second proofing.

Don't forget to scroll down and check out all the other sweet yeast breads we’ve baked for you this month, perfect for the holiday season.

Ingredients
For the enriched dough:
1/2 cup or 120ml warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 envelope fast-acting yeast (1/4 oz or 7g)
1 1/2 cups or 190g all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup or 57g butter, very soft but not melted

For the filling:
3/4 cup or 150g sugar
1/4 cup or 60ml water
1/4 cup or 60ml fresh orange juice
Zest of 1/2 orange (save other half for decoration)
2 cups or 210g fresh or frozen cranberries

For the glaze:
3/4 cup or 95g powdered sugar, sifted
3-4 teaspoons milk

Method
Make the filling first so it has time to cool:
In a large saucepan, bring sugar, water, orange juice and cranberries to a boil. Cook, uncovered, until cranberries begin to pop, just a few minutes. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes longer or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in orange zest; cover and set aside to cool.

Line the bottom of an 9 in or 23cm round baking pan with baking parchment.

To make the dough: Place the water, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Let the mixture rest for a few minutes to activate the yeast.

Add in the flour and salt. Mix well until a soft dough forms. Keep your mixer on medium speed and add in the butter a tablespoon or so at a time, mixing until the butter is incorporated each time.

Cover the bowl with some cling film or a damp towel and set aside to rest for 15 minutes. With rapid rise yeast, this rest takes the place of the first full proofing. This quite a soft dough.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a rectangle about 12x15in or 31x38cm.

Spread all but about 1/4 cup or 75g of the filling on the dough rectangle, going all the way to the sides but leaving a bit empty at the end. Save the balance for decoration.

Roll the dough up as tightly as you can manage, jellyroll style, ending at the empty end so it can seal itself as you finish the roll. Cut the roll into six equal pieces.

Place the cut rolls into your prepared pan.

Cover with cling film and set in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until doubled in size. (Alternatively, if you want to bake fresh for breakfast in the morning, you can now put the sweet rolls in the refrigerator to rise more slowly overnight. Take them out in the next day and put them in a warm place while you preheat your oven.)

When the last rise time is almost up, preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the tops are golden.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool before adding the glaze.

To make the glaze, add the milk by teaspoons to the powdered sugar, stirring well in between, until you reach a good drizzling consistency.

Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cranberry sweet rolls. Add dollops of the reserved cranberry filling in between. Sprinkle with the remaining orange zest.

Enjoy!

Check out all the great sweet yeast breads!

• American-Style Panettone from Passion Kneaded
• Beehive Bread from Sara's Tasty Buds
• Candied Fruit Sweet Rolls from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Chestnut Roll Wreath from Food Above Gold
• Chocolate Cherry Brioche Buns from Baking Sense
• Chocolate Swirl Babka from Cook's Hideout
• Cranberry Sweet Rolls from Food Lust People Love
• Estonian Kringle from I Camp in my Kitchen
• Finnish Nissua Bread from Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Fruit & Nut Sourdough from What Smells So Good?
• Ginger Orange Stollen from SpiceRoots
• Holiday Wreath with Sweet Nut Filling from Hostess At Heart
• Kugelhopf from Ambrosia
• Marzipan Stollen from Palatable Pastime
• St. Lucia Buns from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Stollen Bread from Sneha's Recipe
• Sweet Milk Dinner Rolls from A Day in the Life on the Farm/

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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The Back Forty Cocktail #FoodieExtravaganza

The Back Forty cocktail was the signature eponymous drink at Back Forty, Peter Hoffman's casual East Village restaurant and bar. It’s made with maple syrup, fresh lemon juice, whiskey and a few good shakes of orange bitters.

As I have confessed before, the pancake syrup of choice in our house is, and has been for more years than I can count, Aunt Jemima’s Butter Lite. I’ve hauled those plastic squeezy bottles from the United States to five other continents in my luggage. Even here in Dubai, one can find Aunt Jemima’s but not the Butter Lite. They don’t know what they are missing.

But this month my Foodie Extravaganza group is using maple syrup in our recipes so I felt obliged to buy the real stuff. A fairly small bottle is about $8 so a cocktail recipe that would make it last longer than, say, using the whole thing in cookies or cake seemed like a prudent plan.

Just a quick search on The Google led me to The Back Forty Cocktail recipe already published in many places but the most reliable seemed to be in this 2008 article, an interview with then Back Forty bar manager Michael Cecconi. Sadly, I will never taste the original because Back Forty closed this past July but if my homemade cocktail with Canadian maple syrup, Kentucky bourbon and Angostura orange bitters instead of Vermont syrup, Tennessee whiskey and Fee Brothers bitters (none of which are available to me here) is any indication, it was delicious.

Ingredients
2 oz or 60ml American whiskey or bourbon
1 oz or 30ml maple syrup
1 oz or 30ml fresh lemon juice
3-5 dashes orange bitters
Ice

Method
Add the lemon juice and maple syrup to a cocktail shaker and swirl it around to loosen the maple syrup and dissolve it in the lemon juice. Add in the bourbon and a cup or so of ice cubes.
Shake vigorously to combine and serve over more ice in a low ball glass.

Garnish with a lemon slice or lemon peel if desired but know that, as per Mr. Cecconi, the original has no garnish. Because it's perfect just as it is.

Many thanks to this month's Foodie Extravaganza host, Lauren from Sew You Think You Can Cook. Don't forget to check out all the other maple syrupy recipes we are sharing.

• Basbousa - Egyptian Semolina Cake from Sneha of Sneha's Recipe
• Bangin' Breakfast Potatoes from Rebekah of Making Miracles
• Gluten-Free Maple Chestnut Cookies from Caroline of Caroline's Cooking
• Maple Pecan Bars from Nichole of Cookaholic Wife
• Maple Sugar Cookies from Sue of Palatable Pastime
• Maple Walnut Vinaigrette from Tara of Tara's Multicultural Table
• Momiji Tempura from Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Overnight French Toast Casserole from Elaine of Cookin' and Craftin'
• Roasted Maple Glazed Carrots from Wendy of A Day in the Life of the Farm
• Rosemary Maple Glazed Turkey Breast from Lauren of Sew You Think You Can Cook
• The Back Forty Cocktail from Stacy of Food Lust People Love

Foodie Extravaganza celebrates obscure food holidays or shares recipes with the same ingredient or theme every month.

Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook group Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you!

If you're a reader looking for delicious recipes, check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out here.

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Craig Claiborne's Eggnog Mousse

Eggnog is a simple drink, made with fresh eggs, cream or milk and sugar. Craig Claiborne’s Eggnog Mousse takes those key ingredients and puts them together to create a creamy, fluffy dessert.

This week my Sunday Supper group is sharing eggnog recipes, actual homemade eggnog in one case as well as recipes that use eggnog as an ingredient. While I was researching eggnog, I came upon a recipe from 1958 which appeared in The New York Times in an article written by Craig Claiborne.

Mr. Claiborne was a food critic for The Times as well as its food editor for 29 years.  As the author or editor of more than 20 books, he has been credited, along with Julia Child, with bringing French cuisine to the United States. A trailblazer in many ways, Mr. Claiborne was the first man to hold the food editor position in any major newspaper, a role that was considered a woman’s job when he took over back in the 1950s.

When this recipe was originally published, Mr. Claiborne didn’t call it eggnog mousse but simply eggnog. After reading through the method, I made that name up because this is clearly a mousse. A very adult mousse, with all that alcohol.

His penultimate instruction was to serve it in punch cups with spoons. But in his final instruction, he allowed that one could add 1 to 2 cups of milk to the yolk mixture for a thinner eggnog. An eggnog a person could drink, presumably.

This recipe makes about 4 1/4 cups or 1 liter of mousse. It is easily doubled or even quadrupled. Indeed, Mr. Claiborne's original recipe was for four times this amount. He must have been throwing some very big parties!

Important: Raw unpasteurized eggs should never be served to children, older adults, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems (such as transplant patients and individuals with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and diabetes).

Ingredients
3 eggs, separated
1/3 cup or 66g granulated sugar
1/4 cup or 60ml bourbon
1/4 cup or 60ml Cognac
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups or 355ml heavy whipping cream
Pinch cream of tartar
Nutmeg or cinnamon, to serve

Method
Separate the egg yolks and whites carefully, putting the whites in the refrigerator for later.

Using electric beaters, whip the egg yolks and the sugar until they thicken and turn a pale yellow.

With the beaters on slow, gradually add the bourbon and Cognac, beating well in between additions, until all is incorporated.

Cover the boozy yolks with cling film and pop them in the refrigerator to chill.

Once the yolk mixture is chilled, beat the cream with the pinch of cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the yolk mixture with a light hand.

Use a clean mixing bowl or wash the one you just used very well and beat the egg whites in it until they reach stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the yolk/cream mixture.

Spoon the resulting mousse into serving dishes and chill until ready to serve. My little cups hold just a little more than a 1/4 cup or 60ml, perfect if you are offering this eggnog mousse with other dessert options on a buffet table. Put out the demitasse spoons, if you have any.

Sprinkle on a little nutmeg or cinnamon before serving.

This week our Sunday Supper tastemakers are sharing their own special eggnog recipes in honor of National Eggnog Month. Many thanks to our host Christie of A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures and our event manager, Cricket of Cricket's Confections for all of their behind-the-scenes work!

Baked Goods

• Caramel Bottom Eggnog Cheesecake by Bottom Left of Mitten
• Chocolate Eggnog Poke Cake by Crazed Mom
• Eggnog Bread Pudding with Warm Whiskey Sauce by The Crumby Cupcake
• Eggnog Macarons by Baking Sense
• Eggnog Macaroons by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Eggnog Pie by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Gingerbread Bars with Eggnog Frosting by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Layered Gingerbread Cake with Eggnog Frosting by The Freshman Cook
• Mini Eggnog Cheesecakes by Authentically Candace

Beverages

• Coconut Milk Eggnog by A Mind “Full” Mom
• Eggnog Coffee Frappe by And She Cooks
• Gingerbread Eggnog Latte by Palatable Pastime
• Spiked Eggnog Hot White Cocoa by The Weekend Gourmet
• Traditional Homemade Eggnog by The Redhead Baker

Breakfast and Breakfast Pastries

• Baked Eggnog Donuts by Life Tastes Good
• Coconut Eggnog Overnight Oats (with homemade eggnog) by Caroline’s Cooking
• Cranberry Eggnog Scones by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Eggnog Pancakes with Cranberry Syrup by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Eggnog Scones by Feeding Big

Desserts

• Craig Claiborne’s Eggnog Mousse by Food Lust People Love
• Easy Eggnog Fudge by Sunday Supper Movement
• Eggnog Crème Anglaise by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Eggnog Panna Cotta with Cinnamon Whipped Cream by Tramplingrose
• Eggnog Pudding Parfaits by Pies and Plots
• Healthy Eggnog Rice Pudding by Cricket’s Confections
• Homemade Eggnog Ice Cream by Simple and Savory

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Shrimp Scampi Muffins #MuffinMonday

Garlicky, spicy and full of shrimp! Savory shrimp scampi muffins are perfect lunch box food. They are great cold or you can rewarm them briefly in a microwave. Or make them in mini muffin pans for a quick and easy appetizer for your holiday party.

First, my apologies for the lack of photos for the steps where we cook the shrimp. The truth is, we had shrimp scampi for dinner on Saturday night so I actually cooked about three times the amounts below, with way more butter.

It was a simple meal with crusty French bread for sopping up all the lovely garlickly sauce and a fresh salad to counterbalance the rich shrimp dish. The treble amount was a deliberate choice because I knew I wanted to make muffins with the leftovers. Savory muffins are my favorites and it has been a couple of months since I made some. Hope you like them too!

Ingredients
For the shrimp:
1 tablespoon butter
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 fresh red chili, minced
1/8 cup or 30ml dry white wine
8 large shrimp (After cooking, about 1 cup, chopped roughly or 150g)
Good handful flat leaf parsley, chopped finely
Salt to taste

For the muffins:
3/4 cup or 180ml milk
1/3 cup or 80ml canola or other light oil
1 egg
2 cups or 250g flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method
Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 12-cup muffin pan by greasing it or lining it with paper baking cups.

Heat the butter in a heavy bottomed pan and add the garlic and chopped chili. Sauté them gently until the garlic just starts to color and add in the white wine.

Now add the shrimp. Cook for a few minutes, covered, until the shrimp are cooked though. Add the parsley, stir and remove from the heat. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Set aside to cool.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together your milk, egg and oil.

In a larger bowl, combine flour, baking powder, pepper and salt.

Chop your shrimp in big pieces and mix them into the dry ingredients.

Fold the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients until just mixed.

Divide the batter between your 12 muffin cups.

Bake in your preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Check out all the great muffins my Muffin Monday group is sharing today!

• Banana Chocolate Espresso Swirl Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Chocolate Banana Crinkle Muffins from Making Miracles
• Chocolate Chip Pecan Sweet Potato Muffins from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Christmas Morning Muffins from Farm Fresh Feasts
• Gingerbread Muffins from Palatable Pastime
• Savory Sage Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Shrimp Scampi Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Stout Spice Muffins from Passion Kneaded

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board.

Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page.

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Warm Gingerbread Syrup

Warm gingerbread syrup is spicy and sweet, made with both fresh and powdered ginger. Put a little zip in your drinks and desserts this holiday season.

Here the warm refers to the spiciness that the fresh and ground ginger add to this gingerbread syrup, although you can certainly warm it to serve as well. Pour it over ice cream, drizzle it on a Victoria sponge cake, add some to your hot cocoa, tea or warm apple juice. A tablespoon or two of gingerbread syrup is also delightful poured in a Champagne flute and topped up with bubbly.

As a person who makes jams and chutneys and syrups, I know the work that goes into them. That’s why I am always grateful to receive a homemade food gift. Heck, who am I kidding? I am always happy to receive a food gift if it is special, even if it’s store bought.

This week my Sunday Supper group is sharing recipes for homemade food gifts. I’ve got to tell you that I am thrilled with how this warm gingerbread syrup turned out and I am having a hard time parting with it. We love spicy food at our house but I tend to think of chilies bringing the heat. I forget how spicy and warming ginger can be! This stuff would be wonderful simply added to some hot water on a chilly night. It’ll warm you up from the inside.

Ingredients
2 3/4 cups or 615g golden caster sugar
1 tablespoon ground ginger (make sure it’s fresh – old spices lose their flavor and potency)
2 thick slices of fresh ginger
1 cinnamon stick

Note: Golden caster sugar is fine, free flowing dry sugar that is unrefined so it adds color and a bit of a buttery flavor to this syrup. If you can’t find it where you live, you can use regular fine white sugar but replace a tablespoon or two with brown sugar to get the same effect. This is the brand I used, available on Amazon. Unfortunately, the shipping makes it a pretty expensive option though.

Method
Put the sugar, ground ginger and fresh ginger into a pot with the cinnamon stick. Pour in 1 2/3 cups or 385ml water. Bring to a low boil. Stir occasionally to help the sugar dissolve.  Boil gently for about 8-10 minutes or until the syrup has reduce a little.

Strain the syrup through some cheesecloth set in a fine strainer over quart- or liter-sized measuring cup. The above ingredients yielded 2 1/2 cups or 600ml of warm gingerbread syrup.

Pour into sterilized bottles and decorate with fabric or ribbons.

Enjoy!

If you are looking for some homemade food gift recipes to make for your loved ones this year, Sunday Supper has got you covered. Check out this major list of options. Many thanks to our host this week, Christie of A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures and our event manager Cricket from Cricket's Confections.

Baked Goods

• Cinnamon and Spice Granola by Simple and Savory
• Coconut Macaroon Tarts by Asian In America
• Cranberry Coffee Cake by Food Done Light
• Mini Pumpkin Breads by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Snowman Poop by Palatable Pastime

Candy

• A Trio of Brittle by The Freshman Cook
• Grandma’s Peanut Butter Balls by Cricket’s Confections
• Homemade Peanut Brittle by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Homemade Twix Bars by Pies and Plots
• Peanut Butter Fudge by Family Around The Table
• Superfoods Fruit & Nut Bites by My Life Cookbook
• Toffee Candied Peanuts by New South Charm
• Turron de Jijona (Spanish Soft Nougat) by Caroline’s Cooking

Chocolate

• Espresso Fudge by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Peppermint Bark Candy by Life Tastes Good
• Peppermint Bark Popcorn by A Mind “Full” Mom
• Red Wine Hot Fudge Sauce by The Crumby Cupcake

Jams, Syrups, Drinks

• Blood and Sand Jam by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Creamy Lemoncello by Monica’s Table
• Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix by My Imperfect Kitchen
• Warm Gingerbread Syrup by Food Lust People Love

Mixes and Spices

• Cherry Almond Scone Mix by Baking Sense
• Cranberry Almond Quick Bread Mix by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

 

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Silver Bell Sugar Cookies #CreativeCookieExchange

A great sugar cookie recipe that actually keeps its shape when baked. Mix up your sparkling sugar decorations using both crystal white and silver to make your silver bell sugar cookies really shine. And don't forget the silver dragées for the clappers.

If you look back through my recipe archives, there is not a single cookie that’s been rolled and cut out with a cookie cutter to be baked and decorated. Not one. And in last five and half years I have shared 53 cookie recipes. I just counted.

When my girls lived at home, baking sugar cookies was a fun activity year-round but we really got into them – and making gingerbread men to decorate - just before Christmas. A couple of summers ago, I invited my small nieces over for a sugar cookie baking/decorating session where as many sprinkles were consumed directly as were put on cookies. But we had a lot of fun!

And since they didn't care about anyone else's idea of perfection, their cookies were fabulous and creative and beautiful.

Tip: For children (or adults who need more encouragement), fill squeezy bottles with the royal icing. They are much easier to handle than piping bags.

I’ve finally figured out that what I mind about making these things is not the time or the patience they require but the lack of company in my kitchen. So here’s my recommendation to you. Put on the holiday tunes. Mix up a batch (or two) and invite some friends or family over to decorate with you. Of course, you don’t have to make silver bell sugar cookies. Use your own favorite cookie cutters and colored sprinkles. And while this is a great time of the year to get together, sugar cookie baking sessions can be fun all year round.

Ingredients for about 40 small cookies
For the cookies:
1/2 cup or 113g unsalted butter, slightly softened to room temperature
1/2 cup or 100g granulated sugar
White of large egg, at room temperature (about 40g)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups or 218g all-purpose flour, plus a bit more if needed for rolling
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the royal icing:
1 1/4 cups or 156g powdered sugar + more as needed
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
pinch salt
1 egg white (about 40g)

Important: Uncooked egg whites should not be served to anyone with a compromised immune system, unless those whites are from pasteurized eggs. Substitute an equivalent combination of powdered egg whites and water, according to the package instructions.

For decorating:
Assorted sprinkles
Silver dragées for the bell clapper, if desired

Method
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, soften the butter by beating it for a minute or so. Add in the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl occasionally, as needed.

Add in the egg white and vanilla and beat again until they are fully incorporated.

Add in the flour a bit at a time until it is completely mixed in and you have a soft dough that is firm enough to roll out.

Divide the dough into two pieces and roll them each out on parchment paper until they are about 1/4 in or 1/2 cm thick. Sprinkle on a tiny bit more flour if you must to keep the dough from sticking to your rolling pin. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least one hour or until ready to bake.

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Line your baking sheets with more parchment or silicon liners. If they are well chilled you can put these cookies fairly close together as they should not spread or puff very much. Well-chilled is key. 

Remove one rolled dough circle from the refrigerator and cut out your cookies with a cookie cutter. Use a flat spatula to transfer them quickly to the prepared cookie sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 8-10 minutes or until the edges are just beginning to brown.

Remove and leave to cool completely before decorating. Continue the process until all the dough has been cut out and baked.

NOTE: Always add newly cut cookies to a cool lined cookie sheet before baking. Putting them on a hot pan will cause the butter to melt out prematurely. Having two or three pans to rotate is helpful.

Once the cookies are completely cooled, make the royal icing. Sift the powdered sugar, cream of tartar and pinch of salt into a mixing bowl.

Add in the egg white (see important note above) and whisk it in a little at a time from the middle, until all is incorporated.

Partially mixed in. Just keep whisking from the sides until all is incorporated.

Check the consistency of the icing by lifting your whisk and allowing it to drip back into the bowl. Too runny? Add more powdered sugar. Too firm? Add a drop or two of water. You want to be able to pipe it but have it keep its shape.

Spoon some of the icing into your piping bag fitted with a #3 tip. Pipe a royal icing outline of the cookie and pop on a silver dragée for the clapper, if using.

Outline all of the cookies and leave the royal icing to harden before you move on to the next step.

Cover the royal icing bowl with a piece of damp paper towel, then cling film and refrigerate. When the outlines are hard, remove the royal icing from the refrigerator so it can warm up a bit, and stir to loosen up.

Set up your decorating station putting one small saucer for each color of sprinkle or decoration you are using. This will allow you to reunite the sprinkles that fall off with their similarly colored brethren when all this is over.

Put the cookie in the first saucer and use a spoon to add a puddle of royal icing into the middle of the cookie. Spread it around right up to the hard outlines with a toothpick or even a clean paintbrush.

Add some sprinkles. Shake the cookie so loose sprinkles fall back in the saucer.

Move the cookie to the second saucer and add the next color sprinkles. Shake the cookie so loose sprinkles fall back in that saucer.

And so on.

Place finished cookies in a safe place where they can dry until completely hardened before trying to stack, package or transport them.

Enjoy!

This month my Creative Cookie Exchange group is sharing decorated cookies, perfect for the holidays or whatever you feel like celebrating!

• Black and White Cookies from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Chemistry Cookies from Upstate Ramblings
• Emoji Cookies from Flours and Frostings
• Hawaiian Reindeer Cookies from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Henna Cookies from Spiceroots
• Silver Bell Sugar Cookies from Food Lust People Love
• Stamped Lime Meltaways from The Spiced Life
• Stars and Stripes Cookies from A Baker's House
• White Chocolate Peppermint Kiss Cookies from 2 Cookin' Mamas

Creative Cookie Exchange is hosted by Laura of The Spiced Life. We get together once a month to bake cookies with a common theme or ingredient so Creative Cookie Exchange is a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts at The Spiced Life. We post the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month!

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Brie Cranberry Turkey Quesadillas

Brie Cranberry Turkey Quesadillas use up the leftover bits of your cheese board, a little of that cranberry sauce and some sliced up turkey to create a whole new dish for the days after Thanksgiving or Christmas.

For many years my in-laws hosted a New Year’s Day recovery open house where they served vast pots of turkey soup made from the donated carcasses of all of their friends’ Christmas turkeys. Isn’t that a brilliant idea? All afternoon their friends would come by for some restorative soup and a drink or two to welcome in the New Year.

My go-to recipe for Thanksgiving and Christmas leftovers is turkey potpie. I make the filling every year from scratch, the recipe always in flux depending on the leftovers. I finally got around to trying to quantify the amounts when a reader requested it a few years back. Check it out here. The filling is super easy and I top it with store-bought puff pastry, which makes the whole thing a doddle, as my British friends would say.

This year I wanted to try something a little bit different and decided on quesadillas which incorporate the typical leftovers from my cheeseboard as well. There always seems to be a wedge of Brie, but you can surely use whatever cheese you've got. I can’t give exact amounts since you’ll make as many as your leftovers will allow but I’ll try to approximate how much I used for each quesadilla.

If you struggle with the leftover blues, make sure to scroll down to see all the great ideas my Sunday Supper friends are sharing this week.

Ingredients per quesadilla
2 fresh flour tortillas – I used mixed grain
4-5 slices Brie
5-6 teaspoons whole cranberry sauce
2-3 slices turkey

Method
Put 2-3 teaspoons of cranberry sauce dotted around on one tortilla. Break the Brie and turkey slices into smaller pieces and arrange them on top of the cranberry sauce.

Finish with a few more spoons of cranberry sauce. Put the other tortilla on top and press down lightly to stick it all together.

Warm the quesadilla on a griddle or a non-stick pan for a few minutes over a medium heat, waiting to turn it to the other side when the Brie has melted a bit and can act as a “glue” to hold the tortillas together.

Carefully turn the quesadilla over and brown on the other side, cooking for just a minute or two more, until the filling is warmed through.

Remove from the griddle and leave to cool for a few minutes before cutting the quesadillas into quarters (or smaller) with a sharp knife or pizza wheel. Serve with extra cranberry sauce if you have enough left over.

Enjoy!

Many thanks to this week's host, Christie of A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures and our event manager, Cricket of Cricket's Confections. We've got nearly 30 outstanding ideas for transforming your holiday leftovers.

Breakfast

• Country Skillet Breakfast by The Freshman Cook
• Mashed Potato Craisin Bread by Baking Sense
• Sweet Potato Casserole Waffles by Sew You Think You Can Cook

Appetizers

• Brie Cranberry Turkey Quesadillas by Food Lust People Love
• Mini Stuffing Muffins by An Appealing Plan
• Turkey Egg Rolls with Cranberry Sauce by Brunch-n-Bites
• Turkey Glass Noodle Salad by Sunday Supper Movement

Soups

• Arroz Caldo with Turkey by Asian In America
• Bacon Egg Potato and Turkey Soup by Family Foodie
• Leftover Turkey Tortilla Soup by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Lemony Chicken-Lentil Soup with Couscous by What Smells So Good?

Mains

• "Australian Pie" – Leftover Turkey Pie with Raisins and Bechamel by Caroline’s Cooking
• Bubble Up Hot Brown Casserole by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Cranberry Chipotle BBQ Chicken Pizza by A Mind “Full” Mom
• Cranberry Pork Tenderloin by The Crumby Cupcake
• Creamed Spinach Turkey Pasta by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Healthy Turkey Quesadillas with Cranberry Apple Salsa by Food Done Light
• Leftover Turkey Noodle Casserole by Cricket's Confections
• Leftover Turkey Pasta with Mushrooms by Cooking Chat
• Turkey Alfredo Stuffed Shells by Palatable Pastime
• Turkey Broccoli and Cheddar Pot Pie by Cookin’ Mimi
• Turkey Grilled Cheese with Cranberry and Brie by Life Tastes Good
• Turkey Pot Pie Casserole by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Turkey Shepard’s Pie by Monica’s Table

Sides

• Baked Mashed Potato Pancakes by Pies and Plots
• Leftover Mashed Potato Puff Casserole by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

Dessert

• Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies by NinjaBaker.com

Pin these Brie Cranberry Turkey Quesadillas!

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