Christmas Recipe: Chocolate Cherry Fudge

Chocolate Cherry Fudge Recipe from Hershey’s. Makes About 4 dozen pieces.


Estimated cooking time: 40 minutes

Chocolate Cherry Fudge Ingredients:

* 1/3 cup finely chopped maraschino cherries, well drained
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
* 3-2/3 cups powdered sugar
* 1/2 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa or HERSHEY’S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa
* 1/4 cup evaporated milk
* 1/3 cup pecan pieces
* 1 teaspoon almond extract
* Maraschino cherry halves, well drained (optional)
* Slivered almonds(optional)

Chocolate Cherry Fudge Cooking Instructions:

* Line 8-inch square pan with foil.
* Lightly press chopped cherries between layers of paper towels to remove excess moisture.
* Place butter in medium microwave-safe bowl.
* Microwave at High (100%) 1 minute or until melted; stir in powdered sugar, cocoa and evaporated milk until well blended.
* Microwave at High 1-1/2 minutes; stir vigorously.
* Microwave at High an additional 30 seconds at a time, until mixture is hot, slightly thickened and smooth when stirred.
* Do not boil. Stir in chopped cherries, pecans and almond extract.
* Spread mixture into prepared pan. Cover; refrigerate until firm.
* Remove foil; cut into squares.
* Garnish with cherry halves and slivered almonds pressed lightly onto fudge, if desired.
* Serve cold; refrigerate leftover fudge.

NOTE: For best results, do not double this recipe.

Christmas Recipe: Christmas Cupcakes

Estimated Prep Time: 20 min

Cooking Time: 24 min

Christmas Cupcakes Ingredients:

* 2 cups sugar
* 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa or Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa
* 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 eggs
* 1 cup milk
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 cup boiling water
* 1 can (16 oz.) creamy vanilla ready-to-spread frosting
* Mounds Sweetened Coconut Flakes
* Assorted candies such as candy canes, spearmint leaves and Twizzlers Strawberry Twists

Christmas Cupcakes Cooking Instructions:

* Heat oven to 350°F. Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper or foil bake cups.
* Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of electric mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter.
* Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.
* Frost each cupcake with vanilla frosting. Decorate with coconut and candies in various Christmas themes. (Ex. Slice spearmint leaves and place on cupcake surface along with slices of strawberry twists to resemble holly leaves and berries.) About 33 cupcakes.

Christmas Recipe: Golden Fruitcake

Golden Fruitcake, made from Natural sun-dried raisins, apricots, walnuts, red and green cherries in a sweet yellow cake.

Estimated cooking time: 65 minutes

Yields: 1 Bundt cake or 2 loaf cakes

Golden Fruitcake Ingredients:

* 1 package (1 pound 2.25 ounces) yellow cake mix
* 1 container (8 ounces) sour cream
* 3 eggs
* 2-1/2 cups California raisins
* 1 jar (10 ounces) red maraschino cherries, drained
* 1 jar (6 ounces) green maraschino cherries, drained
* 1 cup chopped dried apricots
* 1 cup broken walnuts

Golden Fruitcake Cooking Instructions:

* Heat oven to 350°F.
* Generously grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan or 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans.
* Combine cake mix, sour cream and eggs in large bowl. Mix at low speed until well combined.
* Beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients.
* Spoon into greased and floured pan.
* Bake at 350°F for 55 to 60 minutes for Bundt cake or for 50 to 55 minutes for loaf cakes, or until top is deep golden brown.
* Do not underbake.
* Cool slightly in pan. Remove from pan onto cooling rack.
* Cool completely. Brush top of cake with light corn syrup, if desired.
* Wrap tightly in foil. Store in refrigerator.

Christmas Recipe: Crema de Fruta

Crema de Fruta is a soft cake, topped in succeeding layers of cream, custard, candied fruit, and gelatin.

Crema de Fruta Ingredients:

* 1 Sponge cake
* 1 canned fruit cocktail or peaches, pineapples, and other fruits ( well drained )

Custard Filling

* 3/4 cup sugar
* 4 Tbsp flour
* 2 3/4 cup single cream (evaporated milk or half double cream half milk)
* 5 egg yolks
* 3/4 cups water

Gelatin

* 1 1/2 cups pineapple juice
* 2 envelopes unflavoured gelatin
* 1 cup water
* 6 Tbsp sugar
* 2 Tbsp lemon juice

Crema de Fruta Cooking Instructions:

Custard Filling

* Combine all ingredients in a heavy based saucepan.
* Stir constantly while bringing it gently to boil until it thickens.
* Remove from heat and cool.

Gelatin

* Blend all ingredients in a saucepan and cook for about 15 minutes or until the gelatin is well dissolved.
* Remove from heat and cool.

To assemble

* Cut the sponge cake to fit the serving pan.
* Put in the sponge cake as the first layer.
* Spread the custard filling on top of the sponge cake, making sure to level and even it out all over the pan.
* Arrange the canned fruits on the custard.
* Pour in the gelatin on top; if possible, completely submerging the fruits.
* Chill in the fridge until the gelatin is set.

Christmas Recipe: Humba

Humba is a sugar braised pork belly, another popular Filipino food originated somewhere in the Visayas and Mindanao regions.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes plus 15 minutes to marinate pork

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Servings: 6 – 8

Humba Ingredients:

* 1 kg. liempo, cut into serving pieces, skin on humba-recipe
* ¾ cup vinegar
* ¼ cup Maggi Savor, Classic
* 3 cups water
* 1 tbsp. salted black beans
* ½ cup raw skinless peanuts
* 1 tbsp. minced garlic
* 2 bay leaves
* 1 tbsp. tajure
* 1 tsp. black pepper
* 2 tbsp. brown sugar
* 1 8g. pack Maggi Magic Sarap

Humba Cooking Instructions:

* 1. Marinate liempo in vinegar and MAGGI Savor, Classic for at least 15 minutes.
* 2. In a pan, put together marinated pork, water, black beans, peanuts and garlic. Bring to a boil then add bay leaves, tajure, black pepper, sugar and MAGGI MAGIC SARAP.
* 3. Cook covered for at least 45 minutes or until meat is tender. Serve hot with steamed rice.Nutritional Content:Calories: 571
Carbohydrates (g): 8
Protein (g): 29
Fats (g): 47

Christmas Recipe: Blueberry Cheesecake

Blueberry Cheesecake is a large family of sweet, cheese-based pie. Cheesecakes are generally made with soft, fresh cheeses. Other ingredients such as sugar, eggs, flour, liquids are often mixed in as well. Typically, the filling covers a crust, which may be pastry, cookie, or digestive biscuit.

The word cheesecake is also used to describe the creamy, cheesy flavour of the dessert. There are also savoury cheesecakes, often flavoured with blue cheese and served as hors d’oeuvres or with accompanying salads.


Estimated cooking time: 1 hour and 30 minutes + 4 hours chilling

Blueberry Cheesecake Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
* 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
* 1/3 cup butter, melted
* 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 3 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 (21-ounce) can blueberry pie filling

Blueberry Cheesecake Cooking Instructions:

* In a medium bowl blend together graham cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and melted butter; mix well. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan; set aside.
* Using an electric mixer softened cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually add 1 cup sugar; mixing well. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in vanilla and beat well. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Spoon blueberry pie filling on top of the batter in a ring pattern about halfway from the edge of the cake. Pour the remaining batter on top.
* Bake in a 375°F(190°C) oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Loosen the crust from sides of pan and cool 30 minutes more. Remove the sides of the pan; cool cheescake completely.
* Cover and chill at least 4 hours before serving.

Christmas Recipe: Brownie Petit Fours

Estimated cooking time: 55 minutes

Brownie Petit Fours Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/3 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
* 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts(optional)
* 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Hershey's Mini Chips Semi-Sweet Chocolate
* 3 tablespoons shortening(do not use butter, margarine, spread or oil)
* Sprinkles or decorator’s icing(optional)

Brownie Petit Fours Cooking Instructions:

* Heat oven to 350°F. Line 9-inch square baking pan with foil; grease foil.
* Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl.
* Add eggs; beat well with spoon. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in walnuts, if desired.
* Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
* Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownie begins to pull away from sides of pan.
* Cool completely in pan on wire rack; refrigerate about 2 hours.
* Using edges of foil, lift brownie out of pan.
* Peel off foil; cut into 1-1/4 inch squares and allow to warm up to room temperature.
* Line tray with wax paper. Melt small chocolate chips and shortening in small heavy saucepan over very low heat.
* Dip each brownie square into melted chocolate, covering completely. (Return to heat if chocolate cools and is hard to coat.)
* Gently tap on side of pan to allow extra chocolate to drip off. Place on prepared tray.
* Allow chocolate to set at room temperature or refrigerate until set (about 30 minutes); decorate as desired. (Sprinkles should be added just before chocolate sets.)
* About 3 dozen petit fours.