INTRODUCTION 'Tis the Season
* For Hugh and Pearse, who make life sweet every day of the year *
After the publication of my first two books, my two sons and their friends, I regret to say, expected me to go nuts at Halloween and make all sorts of ghoulish goodies. They also required me to don my candy-foreman's cap and oversee candy construction at birthday parties and special events. But that's the problem with being known as a mom who has truck with sweet stuff. The ante keeps getting upped, and after a while, everyone under the age of ten wonders why you're not busting a move at Christmastime, too.
Happily, Christmas is the time of year when I most want to get into the kitchen and open the sugar bin. Homemade candy seems like too much trouble for about eleven months of the year, but in December, every moment I spend watching a candy thermometer seems worth it when people's eyes light up at the sight of that tin of homemade butter mints or that paper twist filled with sugared pecans. Extra effort when it comes to cupcake toppers or cookie décor is in order in December, as well; it's nice to have an opportunity to show off a little if you've actually bothered to make cream puffs and glue them together with frosting and chocolate sauce so they look like a Christmas tree.
Like a lot of people, however, I occupy that space somewhere between extremely busy and very lazy; it's amazing how often the two go together. I can't be the only mom who finds that after a long day of working, managing my family's domestic bliss, and the constant picking up and dropping off of children, I'd rather collapse on the sofa than start a new project.
Because of that feeling, I need my Christmas projects to offer some real bang for my buck, or I'm not going to bother. For example, should you take the time to caramelize onions and make homemade onion dip for a Christmas Eve gathering instead of zipping open a packet of onion soup mix? Ohhh, yes, a thousand times yes. On the other hand, other projects are kind of nifty and cool for not a lot of extra effort. Unwrap white cupcakes, frost them all over with white icing, and roll them in flaked coconut and luster sugar for fabulous-looking snowballs… kids will look at you like you just invented sliced white bread.
I'm also a big believer in using what's simplest and close at hand, so you don't have to buy a pastry bag when a zip-top storage bag with a hole cut in one corner will do, and you don't need a lot of special cookie cutters if you've got a paring knife and a steady hand. And while I give recipes for homemade cupcakes and frosting on different projects, know that a cake mix can sometimes be the busy baker's best friend. Choose your battles, I say.
That said, choosing to make homemade goodies is one of the personal battles I've fought and won during the holidays. As the years go by, I've found that creating and giving homemade gifts is much less expensive than singlehandedly making my local mall prosperous each December—and it's also much more satisfying—to me, to my family, and to the recipients of our efforts. My husband and I have found that when we're not galloping from store to store, whiny children in tow, seeking the perfect (usually elusive) present, then the whole holiday season passes more calmly, more enjoyably. We actually have, and take, the time on a dark Friday winter evening to go into the kitchen and make pulled ribbon candy, which leaves my kids delirious with joy.
It's a matter of not thinking of our kitchen efforts as work but as part of the seasonal pleasure. So rather than watch TV after school (I mean, um, sit quietly and do homework), my boys are very happy to flop down and tie the ends of wrapped candy into endless garlands to loop over doorframes or around the Christmas tree and to mold little "Santa mice" out of sticky chocolate dough.
Get into the kitchen and create some new taste memories and traditions. Children will enjoy the holiday season that much more, and your whole family will have fun in the process.
Notes on Ingredients
Butter
Throughout this book, the recipes call for "butter," and by that I mean salted butter. Salted butter is what I buy to eat, it's in my refrigerator when I go to bake, and it usually contains enough salt that you don't need to add any more (or only a very little bit) to the recipe. If you're starting with unsalted butter, you may need a pinch of additional salt in a recipe to make it taste balanced. Even sugary dishes need a little salt to temper their sweetness and keep them from tasting flat.
Chocolate
My kitchen cabinets usually contain chocolate chips, so for everyday recipes, I rarely look much farther. To melt them successfully, put them in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave them on high for 1 minute, then stir vigorously with a fork. If the mixture isn't smooth by then, let it sit for a moment or two—you may find that the residual heat will melt the remaining lumps, but if it requires more time, heat the chocolate only in 10-second blasts, stirring and letting it rest between each zap. This is especially important with white chocolate chips, which are inclined to seize up into a stiff, ruined mass at the slightest provocation.
For several recipes here, I've specified when better chocolate might be worth the effort. But I'm not suggesting you need to special-order Callebaut or Valrhona or look for rare brands at gourmet stores. Nearly all supermarkets now have Ghirardelli's in their baking sections, and the 60% and 70% cacao versions will, for cooking, always give you an excellent result. Scharffen Berger is also widely available, and each of these is a major step up from "baking chocolate" (or chocolate chips!).
When unsweetened cocoa powder is called for, any brand of regular or Dutch process powder is usually fine. High-end name-brand cocoa powders make a bigger difference when you're tasting them in frosting, cocoa, or pudding, but for baking, a lot of those subtleties can be lost.
Eggs
When a recipe calls for eggs, large eggs are ideal, but these recipes aren't so finely calibrated that using small, medium, or jumbo eggs will ruin it.
Extracts and Oils
I like to use only pure extracts, such as real vanilla and real almond flavoring, to avoid the chemical aftertaste fake extracts can have. When working with peppermint specifically, there's quite a difference between using food-grade peppermint essential oil and peppermint extract, and for some recipes, such as mints, there will be different measurements depending on whether you're using extract or oil.
Flour
For most of my home baking, I use unbleached all-purpose flour. I love soft white Southern flour, such as White Lily, for making cakes and sweets, since it produces such a tender product. I'm also a huge fan of whole wheat pastry flour, which is milled extra-fine and can be used in place of white flour in cakes, cookies, and quick breads. When making breads and hearty cookies such as oatmeal, I sometimes use up to 50 percent stoneground whole wheat flour, but for the indulgent holiday recipes in this book, white flour is usually the best option.
Measurements
I dislike over-fussy measurements in recipes. I think food is pretty forgiving and adjustable to personal taste, so I'll never call for 1? teaspoon, for example, when 1 teaspoon will do just fine. If you want a little extra cinnamon or a little less sugar, these recipes are all amenable to that. However, if a recipe recommends you boil something to a certain temperature, it's probably a good idea to do it (see Thermometer). And here's a recommendation for anyone who wonders why cookies always burn, or seem to be raw, at the recommended time in the recipe: Use your nose. Depending on your oven (mine is a little "fast," as they used to say, or over-hot), your baking time could be five or ten minutes off the recipe's stated time. So when you start to smell "finished cookie," open the oven and check it out, and stand by until they're ready—it will only be another minute or two.
Milk
My household drinks 1% milk, which is a compromise between my desire for skim and a spouse who grew up drinking only whole milk (of such most marriages are made, no?). And so that's what I tend to cook with, and whatever milk you have in the refrigerator is probably fine. If using whole milk will make an appreciable difference (as in the Drinking Custard), I recommend it. But you're free to ignore me and use what you have with impunity.
Molasses
Can you tell me the difference between sulfured and unsulfured molasses? Yes? Well, then, you probably also have a very definite opinion on which one is best for any given recipe and require no further commentary from me. All the rest of us may continue to use whatever is in the kitchen cabinet, since we know our gingerbread men come out fine every time.
Sugar
In these recipes, "sugar" means granulated white sugar. Also, I know it's laissez-faire at best, heresy to professional bakers at worst, but I tend to use light brown and dark brown sugar interchangeably in my own kitchen. Here I've bowed to convention and called for whichever of the two will best suit the recipe, but if all you've got is dark brown when the recipe says light, go ahead and use it. I'll never tell.
Notes on Equipement
Parchment Paper
As casual as I am about using chocolate chips where another cook would use couverture, I'm adamant about the importance of parchment paper in baking. Wax paper is not the same thing, nor is foil. When either of those less-expensive options will work, I specify their use in the recipe. But if the recipe calls for parchment or a silicone liner, don't substitute something else or you'll likely end up with a sticky mess. The highest grades of parchment paper, the sheets that professionals use, are coated with a layer of silicone, and they can be wiped off and reused over and over. But even the thinnest parchment paper available by the roll in the supermarket has a thin layer of a nonstick coating that makes it much more effective than a greased baking sheet. If you're not in the habit, buy a roll—you'll never look back.
Silicone Mats
Although I don't usually call for them in a recipe, you can use silicone mats anywhere parchment is specified. They're thick nonstick mats that you can lay on a baking sheet and use—well, forever, it seems. Silpat is the best-known brand. I am not even close to wearing out my Silpat after some ten years of baking on it. However, even more nonstick is my inexpensive no-name silicone mat, much thinner than my plushy Silpat, that I can wipe off and refold. As long as it's silicone, the name brand shouldn't matter.
Spatulas
Heatproof silicone spatulas and scrapers are favorite tools of mine. They tend to be sturdier and longer-lasting than old-fashioned rubber scrapers, and you can use them to stir a pot of boiling sugar without risk of them melting. The best ones are flexible but still sturdy, so you can easily scrape out the last cake batter or cookie dough from a bowl.
Thermometer
Don't boil sugar or oil without a candy/deep-frying thermometer. It's an inexpensive piece of equipment, and it's completely indispensable. Get the kind with a clip that lets you affix it to the side of the pan so you can keep a constant eye on the temperature.
Notes on Storage
Airtight Containers
Homemade candy tends to be particularly susceptible to humidity, so many of these recipes call for storing the treats in an airtight container. Ideally, that's a plastic tub or a metal tin with a tight-fitting lid. But don't despair if you don't have either. You can also store them very successfully in a gallon-size zip-top storage bag.
Freezing
Many of these treats can be made in advance and frozen. As a general rule, the best candidates for freezing are items like cookies and bars, things with flour as a key ingredient. Items without flour, such as chocolate-dipped candied orange peels, will freeze less successfully because the moisture that will collect on them as they thaw can ruin the integrity of the sweet. Chocolate, such as chocolate truffles, can be frozen, but be aware that chocolate stored at low temperatures is prone to "bloom"—when the cocoa solids rise to the surface in white or light patches. Bloom usually fades when the chocolate returns to room temperature. Though it's not pretty, it's completely harmless.
Packing
If you're mailing any of these goodies, popcorn (yes, real popcorn) is an excellent packing material that will absorb moisture, provide cushioning against bumps and shocks, and also avoid imparting odd flavors the way plastic packing materials might. Some people argue that filling a mailer with popcorn puts it at risk for bugs, but if you're shipping a boxful of sugary treats anyway, that point seems kind of moot. Just tell the recipient not to eat the popcorn.
Refrigeration
Don't assume that putting something in the refrigerator will keep it dry. Although the fridge can help chill and firm up some candies, such as chocolate bark or just-boiled toffee, in the short term, it's actually quite humid in there, and for long-term storage, it can have the adverse effect of making your stored sweets limp and moist.
