Festive Holiday Recipes

Have some holiday family fun in the kitchen with tasty treats from Taste Buds Kitchen that are as cute as they are tasty.

Have some holiday family fun in the kitchen with tasty treats from Taste Buds Kitchen that are as cute as they are tasty.

Reindeer Donuts

Makes 12 

Ingredients:

Donuts 

1½ cups all-purpose flour 

1½ teaspoons baking powder 

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon

½ tablespoon nutmeg

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar 

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup plus + 2 tablespoons milk 

Chocolate Glaze

3 cups powdered sugar 

1½ tablespoons cocoa powder

4½ tablespoons water

3 teaspoons corn syrup 

1½ teaspoons meringue powder

Decorations 

12 thin pretzels 

12 red coated candies 

24 white chocolate chips

24 mini chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 F and thoroughly grease donut pan.

Donuts

In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer or by hand, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix in the vanilla.

Add dry ingredients and milk to the wet ingredients, alternating, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until well combined after each addition. Be sure not to over mix.

Fill donut pan using a standard cupcake scoop and spread out batter using a spoon as needed. 

Bake until firm and donuts spring back when touched, about 10-12 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely before decorating.

Chocolate Glaze

Mix together powdered sugar, cocoa powder, water, corn syrup and meringue powder in a medium bowl. Dip donuts into glaze allowing the excess to drip off.  

Decorations           

Break the pretzel sticks into small pieces and stick them into the side of the donut at an angle to look like antlers. Place white chocolate chips on top of the donut, one right next to the other with the pointy side down just underneath the pretzels. Dip the mini chocolate chip into a tiny bit of the glaze and stick the flat side down on top of the white chocolate chips to finish the eyes. Place a red chocolate coated candy on the bottom of the donut for the nose. 

Snickerdoodle Cookies

Makes 12 

Ingredients:

⅓ cup unsalted butter

½ cup sugar

1 egg 

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon vanilla extract 

pinch salt

1 tablespoon sugar 

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. 

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine butter and ½ cup sugar. Using an electric mixer or by hand, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until well combined. 

Next, add the dry ingredients and mix until a smooth dough forms. This will form into a very soft dough. Cover the bowl in plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. 

In a separate small bowl, mix together the remaining sugar and cinnamon. Using a cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough and dip dough balls into the cinnamon sugar mixture until coated.

Place sugared dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet. Leaving plenty of room between each cookie as they will spread a lot (about 2 inches). Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown at the edges. 

Candy Cane Cookies

Makes 12

Ingredients:

2½ cups all-purpose flour 

½ teaspoon baking powder 

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature 

½ cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

red food coloring  

1 egg white 

1 tablespoon water 

4 tablespoons sparkling sugar 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 F. 

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine butter and ½ cup sugar. Using an electric mixer or by hand, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time and the vanilla extract. 

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Once combined, remove half of the dough from the bowl and use food coloring to dye the remaining half red. Mix until dye is fully incorporated, then cover both pieces of dough and chill for 30 minutes. 

Once chilled, divide each color of dough into 24 even pieces (you should have 24 red pieces and 24 white pieces). Roll each piece of dough out into a long rope approximately ½ inch thick and 8 inches long. Twist one red and one white piece of dough together tightly and bend one end to make the candy cane shape. 

Whisk egg white and water together to make egg wash. Gently brush shaped cookies with egg wash and generously sprinkle on sparkling sugar.

Place cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 6-9 minutes or until lightly golden on the bottom.

Apple Cider

Makes six servings

Ingredients:

5 cups apple cider

½ cup orange juice 

½ cinnamon stick 

3 cloves 

2 lemon slices 

Instructions:

In a large pot, heat apple cider over medium-low heat. Add orange juice, cloves, cinnamon stick and lemon slices. Allow the mixture to simmer for 30 minutes. Keep on low heat until ready to serve. Strain before serving into individual mugs. Enjoy when the weather outside is chilly.

Tagline or box (Please use this one. It is updated):

Taste Buds Kitchens offers classes for kids and adults, parties, corporate events and more. Interested in opening your own franchise? Learn more at tastebudskitchen.com.

Taste Buds Kitchen Palo Alto

2775 Middlefield Road

tastebudskitchen.com/palo-alto

650-485-2684

Taste Buds Kitchen San Jose

1150 Foxworthy Ave., #30

tastebudskitchen.com/san-jose-south

408-784-3000

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