Scrumptious Sweets for Holiday Happiness

I was excited to start my holiday baking this year with some desserts that are vaguely familiar in this blog as well as a new treat I found in the Whole Foods Recipe guide! As I was preparing some of the treats, I noticed that I had one box of baking soda that was slightly passed the expiration date. Oh no, I thought to myself, the last thing I wanted to do was run to the store! 

Thankfully the interwebs seem to have an answer to every question under the sun. I simply typed, "baking with expired baking soda" into Google and discovered this helpful hint to see if your baking soda is still okay to use. The hint is kind of an obvious one, but here it goes.

Mix 1/4 teaspoon of vinegar into 1/2 cup of hot water. Slowly pour in a small amount of baking soda. If the baking soda is not expired, it will immediately bubble and fizz in the water/vinegar mixture because vinegar and baking soda have a combustible relationship! Mind. Blown.

So this year I made Brown Sugar Pecan Cookies (Recipe Blog Post: Brown Sugar, How Come you Taste so Good), Chai–spiced cookies, Cinnamon cake with a Cannoli filling frosting, and an Eggnog Pie. 

 < The Dessert Table. There was a lady finger cake and a Junior's Cheesecake as well. Junior's Cheesecake is probably the best cheesecake in the world second only to my grandfather's homemade cheesecake.

> Brown Sugar Pecan cookies in the middle and the Chai–Spiced cookies around the edge.

(Recipe blog for Chai–Spiced cookies: Have a Crafty Christmas and a Happy New Year)

Eggnog Pie: 

Ingredients

1 unbaked pie shell

4 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup eggnog

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 teaspoons bourbon

Freshly ground nutmeg (optional)

Freshly ground cinnamon (optional)

Method:

– Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

– Using pie weights, bake pie crust for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool

– In large bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together until blended. Add eggnog, vanilla, and bourbon.                      – Whisk until blended and pour into pie crust. 

– Bake for approximately 1 hour . Pie will puff  while baking and settle while cooling.  

– Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg and cinnamon. 

Enjoy!