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This DIY Butter Recipe will change your life

Once you know how to make homemade butter, you will dream about homemade butter. It’s soft and luscious, and tastes better than you ever thought butter could taste.

This homemade butter recipe will change your life not only for it’s pure, magical flavor, but because you’ll soon come to realize it’s a great idea to keep in your back pocket anytime you are whipping cream.

If you’re making homemade whipped cream or something else that involves whipping cream to soft peaks, but you accidentally go too far and you’ve got stiff peaks, well, just keep going. You’ll have to get more cream to make the whipped cream anyway, but at least you can turn your mistake into something useful!

Why it is better to make Butter?

Make it for the pure joy of it, honestly! Making your own butter at home is a culinary experience where you can take two simple ingredients and transform them into pure, rich butter.

Also, by making butter yourself, you have all the the control over the quality of your ingredients. Your homemade butter will taste far superior to any store-bought version you’ve ever tried.

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The perfect salad for Christmas Dinner

No matter what your entree is for Christmas dinner, I’m willing to be that this Christmas Salad will go with it.

It’s a combination of peppery arugula and crisp radicchio, topped with juicy oranges, creamy goat cheese, cinnamon roasted almonds and beautiful pomegranate seeds.

But the thing that sets this salad apart is the zesty orange dressing. It’s creamy but not too creamy, filled with the flavor of fresh orange juice, sweetened with a bit of honey, and made a bit tangy by white wine vinegar and Dijon mustard.

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Spritz Cookie Recipe

For years, I would see Spritz Cookies on cookie trays and think there was simply no way I would ever be able to make those myself. Too fussy, too much chance of failure, I thought.

But, in a moment of fearlessness a few years ago, I bought a cookie press and tried my hand at it using another recipe. The cookies ended up turning out fine, but there were a lot of missing details I wish I had known, since it was my first time making them.

I’m here today to walk you through how to make spritz cookies, from the viewpoint of a spritz cookie novice. Along the way, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about each step of the process so that you succeed at these cookies the first time you ever make them.

What are Spritz Cookies?

Spritz cookies are delicate, buttery little treats that are often the prettiest part of a cookie tin or platter. Their distinctive shapes and melt-in-your-mouth texture make them a favorite for Christmas.

The name “spritz” comes from German word “spritzen,” meaning to squirt or spray, which describes how these cookies are made using a cookie press or piping bag.

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Classic Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

My family’s classic Midwestern sour cream sugar cookie recipe got such a nice response on social media, that I’m back today sharing our thumbprint cookie recipe!

This recipe combines a salty nutty cookie with sweet jam, and it uses a special technique of baking the cookies for a bit first before making the thumbprints, which helps prevent the cookies from cracking quite so much.

What are Thumbprint Cookies?

Thumbprint cookies are a classic in the baking world, especially around Christmas!

The unique feature of these cookies is the indentation created by pressing your thumb into the center, which provides the perfect well for a delicious filling.

Types of Thumbprint Cookies

Thumbprint cookies come in various flavors and with different fillings. Sometimes, they are made with a simple sugar cookie dough, and sometimes they are nutty.

The fillings can range from jams and preserves to chocolate, caramel or even something like Nutella. My mom actually fills hers with frosting!

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This is the best Sugar Cookie Recipe with Sour Cream

This is probably the most personal recipe on this blog – my family’s Christmas cookie recipe!

My mom got this recipe for Sour Cream Cookies from my grandma, who got it from a coworker, who probably got it from a local newspaper here in the Midwest.

What makes it so special? Two things – flavor and texture. The flavor largely comes from a generous spoonful of nutmeg. While most sugar cookie cutouts have very little flavor other than sugary dough, these ones have a subtle spice flavor.

And the sour cream keeps them extremely soft. They even stay soft for at least a week after they’re baked – an impressive feat for a sugar cookie.

My mom generously helped me translate our family recipe into a foolproof written version, and even helped me make the cookies for this post (those are her hands rolling out the dough in the step-by-step photos below).

What does sour cream do in baking?

Sour cream is magic! It serves several functions in baked goods such as these sour cream sugar cookies:

• Moisture Booster. Sour cream adds extra moisture to the cookie dough, ensuring a soft and tender final product.
• Flavor Enhancer. The subtle tang of the sour cream complements the sweetness of the other ingredients.
• Leavening Agent. The acidity of the sour cream reacts with the baking soda, resulting in a light and airy cookie.

“I had lost my grandma’s recipe last year in a house fire, so one of those small things that hit me when trying to make that holiday cheer. THANKFULLY I found this recipe and it will now be our family traditional Christmas cookie. Husband wasn’t a fan of grandma’s recipe but said I should receive a cookie award for these. Kids loved decorating them. Sturdy enough for little hands to grab, soft and chewy, subtle nutmeg flavor and holds details of cookie cutters very well.”

—Kris

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Air Fried Brussel Sprouts

Have you seen that meme about how everybody hated Brussels sprouts in the 80’s and 90’s because they didn’t have the same marketing person they have now? Back then, they were steamed and bland, but now they’re fried and flavorful!

The Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts I’m sharing today have the NEW marketing person, but with the healthful twist of air frying rather than deep frying.

Because we all know that a boiled or steamed sprout just can’t compare to a crispy one. It’s all about that deep golden brown deliciousness, and your air fryer can get it done!

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Roasted Delicata Squash Recipe

If you see all types of fall squashes at the grocery store, but are intimidated by preparing them, I’m here to take the mystery out of roasting delicata squash, at least.

Delicata squash is one of the easiest fall squashes to turn into a side dish, because it’s easy to cut, the skin is edible (no peeling), and the sweet, mellow flavor pairs well with a variety of entrees.

To go above and beyond most roasted delicata squash recipes, this one has a no-cook, two-ingredient glaze that transforms the humble squash into something you’d find at an upscale restaurant.

What is Delicata Squash?

Delicata squash, which is also sometimes known as sweet potato squash, is a winter squash with a creamy texture and sweet, nutty flavor.

It has thin, edible skin, which sets it apart from many other winter squash varieties. It’s easy to prepare because you don’t have to peel it!

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This Cranberry Curd Pie will WOW your holiday guests

Every year, I usually panic buy 2 or 3 bags of fresh cranberries, worried there’s going to be a shortage.

Once I make cranberry sauce and then cranberry sauce muffins, and I still have some left, that’s when this cranberry curd tart happens.

It starts with a classic graham cracker crust with some cinnamon added for extra flavor. There are also gluten free crust options, which I discuss below.

Then, fresh cranberries, orange juice, orange peel and sugar come together on the stove in very much the same way you’d make a traditional cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving (except you’ll be blending it smooth and adding eggs to make it custardy). 

The end result is a dessert with a striking appearance and a tart-but-perfectly sweet taste.

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This Instant Pot Sweet Potato recipe couldn’t be easier

Is your stovetop full on Thanksgiving? Or do you just love using your pressure cooker?

Or, perhaps your goal is to make the most luscious mashed sweet potatoes of your life. These are the ones for you.

Instant Pot mashed sweet potatoes come together quick, and with little fuss. Where the magic happens is all the things we’re going to mix into them, including bourbon, brown sugar and cinnamon.

Everybody is going to want a second scoop of these velvety sweeties, I guarantee it.

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