It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is next week! We know everyone is in a rush to be done with 2020, but we did want to take this time to reflect and give thanks, as we are truly blessed!
Many of you will not be traveling or joining your family for the usual Thanksgiving festivities, so here are a few recipes that will add an extra bit of pizazz to your celebration.
Cranberry Pecan Spread
They say sweet dreams are made of cheese. We couldn't agree more! We've paired our Cranberry Pecan Spread with Brie and Cinnamon Leaf Crackers for a perfect prelude to our Thanksgiving meal!
Ingredients:
8 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
½ cup dark red wine or cranberry juice
3 Tbsp. honey
½ tsp. cinnamon
Zest and juice from one orange
3 Tbsp. chopped pecans
Directions:
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine berries, wine or juice, honey, orange zest and orange juice. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cook until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Once the mixture is thickened, remove from heat and allow to cool.
Serve over brie or cream cheese. Top with chopped pecans.
Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies
A good Thumbprint Cookie recipe is a must during the holidays, but a Salted Caramel Topping takes the deliciousness to a whole new level!
Ingredients:
Thumbprint Cookies:
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. cream of tartar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 vegetable oil
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
½ cup powdered sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. vanilla
Caramel Topping:
2 bags chewy caramels, unwrapped
2 Tbsp. milk
2 Tbsp. salt
Sea Salt for garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In medium bowl, whisk together, flour, salt, baking soda and cream of tartar, set aside.
In stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter, oil, brown sugar and powdered sugar until smooth. Add egg, milk and vanilla, beating until well combined.
Gradually add dry ingredients into wet ingredients, beating until just combined.
Using a cookie scoop, place rounded balls on cookie sheets. Gently press in the center of each cookie to create an indent in the center of each cookie.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and gently press down the indention in the cookie once again. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
Caramel Topping: Microwave caramels and milk for 30 seconds and stir. Continue microwaving in 15 second intervals until completely melted. Add in salt, stir well.
Pour the caramel into the indentions of the cooled cookies. Sprinkle with sea salt before caramel hardens.
Yields: 36 to 40 cookies.
Pecan Pie Cheesecake
If you like Pecan Pie for your holiday celebrations, then you will love this Pecan Pie Cheesecake!
Ingredients:
Pecan Graham Cracker Crust
½ cups pecans, pulsed into crumbs
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
¼ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
8 Tbsp. butter, melted
Cheesecake
3 – 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
¾ cup sour cream
½ cup brown sugar, packed
2/3 cup sugar
¼ tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks, room temperature
2 Tbsp. all- purpose flour
Pecan Pie Topping
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
½ tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4tsp. salt
2 cups pecans, chopped
1 tsp. vanilla
Directions:
Crust
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Wrap the bottom and sides of a 9 inch springform pan with heavy duty tinfoil. Lightly spray the pan with non-stick spray, then set aside.
Place pecans in a food processor, and pulse until the nuts have been completely pulsed to fine crumbs.
In a large bowl combine the pecan crumbs, graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add in the melted butter and using a rubber spatula, stir well to combine.
Pour crust into pan. Firmly pat the mixture into the prepared pan, working it from the center and up the sides.
Bake for 10 minutes. Place crust on a cooling rack while preparing the filling.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
Cheesecake
In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the softened cream cheese and sour cream until completely smooth.
Add in both sugars, ground cinnamon, and vanilla and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom of bowl as needed.
Add in the eggs and yolks and beat until smooth.
Stir in flour, mixing just until combined.
Pour filling on top of the crust. Using a spatula, smooth the top.
Place the cheesecake into a large deep pan. Fill the pan with 2 inches of hot water. This will help your cheesecake to come out crack free.
Place in oven and bake for 1 hour and ten minutes. Turn oven off and let the cheesecake sit, undisturbed, for 30 minutes, for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and gently run a knife around the edge of the cake. Place on a cooling rack and cool completely. Cover with with saran wrap and chill for at least 8 hours.
Topping
In a large skillet over low heat, melt the butter. Add in brown sugar and cook, stirring with a whisk, until the sugar has melted and mixture is bubbling, about 2 minutes.
Add in the cinnamon, heavy cream, and salt and whisk to combine. Add in the pecans and using a spatula, fold them into the liquid mixture until coated. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Cool for 10 minutes. Remove cheesecake from pan and add pecan topping to top of cheesecake.
Slice and enjoy!
Haystack Candy
Our girlies love helping with this little treat!
Ingredients:
1 11-ounce bag of Butterscotch chips
1 cup of Peanuts
1 6-ounce bag of Chow Mein Noodles
Directions:
Melt the Butterscotch chips by microwaving for 1 minute in a microwave-safe mixing bowl, stirring after 30 seconds.
Add peanuts and Chow Mein noodles.
Drop stacks of the mixture on wax paper to set.
We hope you have a safe and joyful Thanksgiving holiday!
Credits:
Food by Confetti Affairs
Pompoms, confetti, and banners by Confetti Affairs
In: Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving recipes, Pies, Cheese Tray
Tags: party ideas, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving party, fall, autumn, Holidays, Cheese Tray, Thanksgiving food, Holiday food, celebrations, Pecan Pie, Cheesecake,
Thanksgiving recipes, cookies
