It’s definitely winter here in New England now, and while Boston was spared the brunt of the Nor’easter that just moved through, Maine got hit with varying amounts from 10-20 inches. I like winter on the whole, so I’m not complaining. When I saw these non-pareil “snow cap” chips at Target the other day, I thought that they would make some nice cookies, even though I think most people are still high from the sugar rush that is / was Christmas. Nevertheless, here we are.
Here’s a quick and easy recipe, if you are still looking for something to add to your Christmas morning breakfast or brunch: Cranberry Chocolate Chip Muffins! Festive and cheery, sweet from the chocolate and tart from the cranberries, just a dusting of sugar at the end before baking to have a crispy topping. They come together in under 20 minutes, and take another 30ish to bake, they are great straight out of the oven.
PS: The ones in the photograph are “over-stuffed” because the muffin liners were so big, so I had to bake them for about 5 minutes longer. If you are using the regular sized muffin liners, then 20-25 minutes should be enough time in the oven.
While this recipe isn’t necessarily Christmas-y, here I am making it making it as part of a Christmas Gift Basket. Not surprising, most of the things that I give for Christmas (besides The Cookies … capital T, capital C) are food or food related. But this recipe would work just as well in the late summer when zucchini and rosemary are at their peak. While it is sweet, it’s almost border-line savory as well, so might go well with soups and stews as well as eggs and bacon for breakfast.
Another quick idea for stocking stuffers: Hot Chocolate on a Stick (you can do lots of flavors but I happen to make Cinnamon, Coconut and Irish Cream). When I was in Germany recently, just about every chocolate shop seemed to have these and they seemed like a cut idea. Note that the chocolate can be a little tough and can seize up on you if get it too hot, so be careful!
Here is another “Autumn Cookie” that could actually double as a Christmas Cookie. I seem to be experimenting a lot with these sorts lately. Ginger and cinnamon make it at least sort of like a Christmas Cookie, though I do associate maple more with the fall (don’t really know why though). At any rate, really simple and homey. Do beware that they spread a lot because of the maple syrup.