Holiday Sweets

I've been baking like crazy today!! I hadn't planned on taking a bunch of goodies to my Mom's for Christmas but my little sister (love ya, Jordan!) specifically requested that I bring "treats".

So here is the line-up:

Sugar & Spice Biscotti

Gingerbread Boys

White Chocolate Peppermint Bark

Chocolate Pretzel Bark

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Fudge

I'll share a couple of the recipes.

SUGAR & SPICE BISCOTTI (picture above)

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup oil

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

For topping: 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tbsp cinnamon

Combine sugar and oil. Stir in eggs and vanilla; set aside. Combine dry ingredients. Gradually add into wet mixture; mix well.

Line baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with no-stick spray. Spoon dough onto prepared baking sheet. Form into a 10" x 3" log.

Combine sugar and cinnamon for topping and sprinkle over the dough log.

Bake at 350 for about 30-35 minutes until the center is firm. Cool for 15 minutes. Cut crosswise into 1/2" slices. Place cut side down on baking sheets. Bake at 325 for about 15 minutes until brown around the edges and dry; flip over halfway through baking time to brown evenly.

Let cool. At this point I melted some white baking chips and added a couple drops of peppermint extract to it. Then drizzled over the cooled biscotti.

CHOCOLATE CHIP PUMPKIN BREAD

2 1/4 cup flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp EACH of salt, ground ginger, nutmeg, and cloves

2 eggs

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup oil

1 cup dried cranberries (optional)

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Combine eggs, pumpkin and oil; stir into dry ingredients until moistened. Fold in cranberries and chocolate chips.

Transfer to 2 greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour until a knife comes out clean when inserted. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans.