Santas Hat Recipe 415

Steps:

• Cut the hulled-side strawberries so they can stand up on a plate. Slice the tip off each strawberry to make the 'hat'; set aside.
• Beat cream and confectioners' sugar in a glass or metal bowl until soft peaks form. Lift your beater or whisk straight up: the whipped cream will form soft mounds.
• Spoon a large dollop of whipped cream on top of strawberry base for the 'face' and 'beard'. Set the 'hat' atop the 'face'. Add a dot of whipped cream, using a toothpick, on top of the 'hat' for the 'pom-pom' and 2 dots on the strawberry base for 'buttons'. Place 2 sprinkles on the 'face' for 'eyes'.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Beat egg whites in a bowl until they form soft peaks; beat cream of tartar and vanilla extract into egg whites. Gradually beat white sugar into mixture until meringue forms stiff peaks. Transfer 1/4 of the meringue mixture into a separate bowl. Beat red food coloring into remaining 3/4 of meringue.
• Transfer colored meringue into a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe 20 Santa hat shaped triangles, about 1 1/2 inch tall and bending over at the tips, onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the hats with red sugar.
• Transfer remaining 1/4 uncolored meringue into a clean piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe little white pom-poms onto each hat tip and a small edging of fluffy white trim onto the bottom of each hat.
• Bake meringue cookies in the preheated oven until hard but not browned, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Turn off oven and let cookies cool inside oven until crisp, 1 hour.

Steps:

• Cut a small piece off the bottom of a tomato so the bottom is flat, reserving the piece. Cut the remaining tomato in half. Thread the bottom half of the tomato onto a skewer and slide it down.
• Thread a mozzarella ball onto the skewer for a head and slide it down to meet the tomato piece (Santa's body). Thread the top half of the cherry tomato onto the skewer for a hat. Poke the skewer into the center of a cucumber slice to stabilize it so the skewer will stand. Repeat with the remaining tomatoes, mozzarella balls and cucumber slices.
• Combine the cheese spread with the milk in a small bowl and stir until creamy and pipeable. Transfer to a piping bag or resealable plastic bag. Snip off a small piece at the end of the plastic bag to create a small opening.
• Pipe a zigzag triangle of cheese at the bottom of each Santa face for a beard, extending onto the bottom piece of tomato. Pipe the cheese around the bottom of each Santa hat, then pipe a small piece at the top of each hat.
• Cut a small sliver off the rounded edge of the reserved tomato bottoms and place one on each beard for a mouth. Put on 2 black sesame seeds for eyes.

Steps:

• For the scone: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a bowl, combine the flour, crushed candy canes, sugar, baking power, salt and baking soda. Using 2 knives or a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the butter is in small pieces but still visible. Stir in the buttermilk. Knead lightly just until the dough holds together.
• Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Form each piece into a disc about 8 inches wide and 5/8 inch thick. Cut each disc into 6 wedges and place on the prepared pan. Bake until light golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
• For the ganache: In a pot, bring the cream and corn syrup to a simmer, then remove from the heat. Add the white chocolate melts and peppermint oil and stir until completely melted. Transfer to a bowl if necessary for ease of dipping.
• Dip the scones in the ganache as desired, returning them to the parchment to collect any ganache that drips off. If decorating with sprinkles, sugar or candy, add them quickly before the ganache sets, decorating one at a time as each scone is dipped in the ganache.

Steps:

• Melt the almond bark in the microwave, small amounts at a time.
• Using a butter knife or teaspoon, fill the wide opening of the snack with almond bark.
• Stick an M&M into the almond bark while it is still soft.
• Place on waxed paper to cool, store in an airtight container.
• I like to use the multi colored candies as it adds a bit more color to a cookie tray rather than just red and green.
• I have done them at other holidays using the seasonal colored candies.