I love winter—for about thirty days. During this time, winter is magical and full of my favorite traditions that capture every sense. Winter is for hot cocoa and fuzzy blankets. It’s for taking fun treks in the snow that turn your nose red and your toes cold, so when you come home all you want to do is get warm and toasty in front of a fire. Winter smells like pine needles, old Christmas ornaments, and sugar cookies baking in the oven.

This is why it’s one of my favorite times of the year. For thirty days. After this, the cold gets really old and I’m ready for sunshine and warmth again. One of my favorite ways to warm up on these chilly days is a hot cup of deliciousness. Like this Pumpkin Spice Hot Apple Cider recipe from Erin. 

When you can settle into your sofa, with your fingers curled around a mug of something like this, your day just seems to get better. The tangy cider is paired with a spice-filled pumpkin syrup (adapted from Julie at Savvy Eats), and it is so good!

You’ll need: pumpkin puree, sugar, vanilla, water, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, apple cider.

To make the pumpkin spice syrup, add the pumpkin puree to a medium-sized pot.

 
 
 

 
Add the sugar.

And the water. 

Add the vanilla, cinnamon, allspice and ginger and bring everything to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

You want the mixture to become thick and syrupy.
 
 
 
 

Pour the syrup into a container and store in the fridge until ready to use.

To make the hot apple cider, in a large mug heat 3 tablespoons of pumpkin spice syrup.

Mix in hot apple cider. 

Top with whipped cream, and drizzle with additional syrup.

This holiday drink will definitely stay in my regular rotation! The syrup, the cider, the cream—it’s a trifecta of sippable perfection. Thanks so much Erin for sharing the recipe with us. Don’t forget to head over to Erin’s blog Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts for more tasty recipes!

Printable Recipe

Pumpkin Spice Hot Apple Cider

by Erin on October 6, 2011 in Drinks, Non-Alcoholic October 6, 2011 DrinksNon-Alcoholic

See post on Erin’s site!

4.75 Mitt(s) 4 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 8

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Hot apple cider with pumpkin spice syrup topped with whipped cream.

Ingredients

• FOR THE PUMPKIN SPICE SYRUP:
• ½ cups Pumpkin Puree
• ½ cups Sugar
• ½ teaspoons Vanilla
• 1-¼ cup Water
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• ½ teaspoons All Spice
• ½ teaspoons Ginger
• FOR THE HOT APPLE CIDER:
• 3 Tablespoons Pumpkin Spice Syrup, Plus More To Drizzle On Top
• 8 ounces, fluid Apple Cider, Or As Needed To Fill Your Mug
• Whipped Cream, For Garnish

Preparation Instructions

To make the pumpkin spice syrup, combine everything (minus apple cider and whipped cream) in a pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the mixture to become thick and syrupy.

Store in the fridge until ready to use.

To make the hot apple cider, in a large mug heat 3 tablespoons of pumpkin spice syrup. Mix in hot apple cider. Top with whipped cream, and drizzle with additional syrup. Enjoy!

Recipe for Pumpkin Spice Syrup adapted from Savvy Eats, via Steph’s Bite by Bite.

 
 
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Amber is a stay at home mom who lives in the heart of the Missouri Ozarks. It’s a long way from where she grew up, in Wales (yes, way over in the U.K.). The recipes in her blog Sprinkled with Flour include her original creations as well as her family recipes. Go check them out!

 
This yummy (and surprisingly healthy!) homemade cookie butter combines the two great loves of my life: cookie dough and nut butter.

I’ll be honest and tell you guys that whenever I bake cookies, which is quite often given my job, I never wash my bowl out until after I’ve swiped my finger through it at least half a dozen times. Sometimes more, depending on the day. Don’t act like you have no idea what I’m talking about!

So when I found Rachel’s recipe for a spreadable cookie dough that contains no raw eggs, I leapt for joy! As a bonus, it’s even gluten-free. This incredibly addicting Sugar Cookie Butter tastes just like sugar cookie dough and is simple to make, as long as you have a food processor or high speed blender.

Let’s get started!

Here’s all the ingredients you need: raw cashews, banana chips, baking soda, cream of tartar, vanilla extract, honey and coconut oil.

First, combine the cashews and banana chips in your food processor and process until a crumbly nut butter consistency is reached. For me, this took almost eight minutes and I stopped the food processor a few times to scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula (and taste test!).

If you’re not sure, keep going! It’s impossible to over-process this.

After your banana chips and cashews are combined and relatively smooth, add your honey.

Note that I added double the amount of honey that was listed in the original recipe. What can I say? I like my cookie butter sweet.

After adding the honey, add the vanilla extract with the motor running …

Followed by the cream of tartar …

And the baking soda! Scrape down the sides of your bowl and run the motor on low until all ingredients are completely combined.

The last ingredient to add is the coconut oil. Mine was extra soft because it had been sitting on my counter in the sunshine for a little while. I added four teaspoons of this.

Give it another whirl and then taste. I think it tastes just like cookie dough with a hint of banana. I couldn’t get enough!

I like to serve my cookie butter spread on (what else?) cookies! Cookies on cookies on cookies. It’s my dream come true. I also thought the rainbow sprinkles made for a pretty touch.

This would be a great afternoon snack for little ones. The cookie butter would also be delicious on top of oatmeal or with sliced apples. You really can’t go wrong; it’s so good!

Thanks, Rachel, for the recipe. Go visit her blog Studio Cuisine for more of her incredible creations!

Printable Recipe

Sugar Cookie Butter

by Rachel {Studio Cuisine} on July 24, 2012 in Gluten-Free, Special Dietary Needs July 24, 2012 Gluten-FreeSpecial Dietary Needs

See post on Rachel {Studio Cuisine}’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 1 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 6

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A creamy cashew butter that tastes just like sugar cookie dough! You won’t believe it’s healthy!

Ingredients

• 1-½ cup Raw, Unsalted Cashews
• ⅓ cups Banana Chips
• 1 teaspoon Honey
• ⅓ teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• ¼ teaspoons Cream Of Tartar
• ¼ teaspoons Baking Soda
• 4 teaspoons Coconut Oil

Preparation Instructions

Combine cashews and banana chips in food processor for 8-10 minutes until nut butter consistency is reached, scraping down the sides as necessary.

Add in honey, vanilla extract, cream of tartar, and baking soda and process until combined.

Add in coconut oil, 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. I added in about 4 teaspoons. This amount got me a thicker nut butter that had a cookie dough-like consistency, but feel free to add more.

Yields about a cup of sugar cookie butter. Lasts for up to 1 week at room temperature in an airtight container.

 
 
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Jenna is a food writer who has worked as a pastry chef and bread baker. Her blog Eat, Live, Run has great recipes, travel stories, and the perfect slogan: “Celebrating life, one crumb at a time.”

 
I don’t know about you, but this is the time of year that all the delicious holiday recipes start to creep up on me. They tend to creep in places I’d rather not be crept up on, if you know what I mean. Parties, get-togethers, and food gifts … you know how it goes. It’s easy to get lost in all the deliciousness and forget the consequences of all those tasty bites.

But all those tasty bites are so hard to resist, right?

When I came across this recipe of Jen’s for Artichoke and Jalapeño Ranch Dip, I was hooked right away. But when I saw that it was actually a healthy dip, my guilt-ridden thighs did a happy jiggle.

Yes, my thighs jiggle. Sigh.

This dip is so tasty and full of flavor. With Greek yogurt, ranch seasoning, chunky artichokes, and jalapeños, you’ll never notice the missing calories. 

You’ll need: Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, cream cheese, ranch seasoning, canned artichokes, pickled jalapeños, and Parmesan cheese.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray an oven safe baking dish with cooking spray. In a bowl, mix together yogurt, mayonnaise, cream cheese and ranch seasoning.

Mix everything until well combined.

Now roughly chop your artichokes.

Stir in the artichokes, jalapeños, and jalapeño juice. You can add more juice depending on how spicy you want your dip.

Pour the mixture into your baking dish, and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top.

Bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.

Now dive in with a nice, crunchy chip. Yum!

I’m so glad Jen shared her delicious recipe with us. This will be a great snack addition to any party spread. It would be just as delicious slathered on a chicken wrap, or grilled up in a toasty sandwich. There are so many possibilities! Head on over and visit Jen’s blog, Peanut Butter & Peppers, where she shares her weight loss story and lots of fabulous looking healthy recipes.

Printable Recipe

Artichoke and Jalapeno Ranch Dip

by Jen @ Peanut Butter and Peppers on December 4, 2012 in Appetizers, Warm Dips December 4, 2012 AppetizersWarm Dips

See post on Jen @ Peanut Butter and Peppers’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 1 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 6

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A hot, creamy, cheesy, spicy dip made with artichokes, jalapenos, cream cheese and ranch seasoning.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Greek Yogurt, Plain
• ½ cups Mayonnaise, Reduced Fat
• 4 ounces, weight Cream Cheese, Fat Free, Room Temperature
• 2 Tablespoons Ranch Seasoning (I Used Hidden Valley)
• 14 ounces, weight Canned Artichokes, Drained, Roughly Chopped
• ½ cups Jalapenos, Pickled, Drained, Sliced
• 2 Tablespoons Jalapeno Juice From The Jar (to Taste)
• 2 teaspoons Reduced Fat Parmesan Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray an oven safe baking dish with cooking spray.

In a bowl, mix together yogurt, mayonnaise, cream cheese and ranch seasoning, until incorporated. Stir in artichokes and jalapenos. Add juice from jalapenos, to taste, adding more for a spicy dip. Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese.

Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes until cheese is bubbly.

 
 
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Amber is a stay at home mom who lives in the heart of the Missouri Ozarks. It’s a long way from where she grew up, in Wales (yes, way over in the U.K.). The recipes in her blog Sprinkled with Flour include her original creations as well as her family recipes. Go check them out!

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