More Christmas Baking

I'm leaving today for Chicago so this will be my last post until after the Christmas holiday. I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and also to recap a few more recipes I made for gift giving this year. I knew right away that I wanted to make this recipe (top picture) for Apple Cranberry Bread because I had an abundance of apples and two bags of fresh cranberries to use up. I found it in the Allrecipes website which I frequent. The bread baked so nicely in the mini loaf pans I used and the apples and cranberries bursted beautifully giving the loaf such a pretty color and the feeling of the holidays. It really was perfect for wrapping up and giving away.

Also on the Allrecipes site was a recipe for cranberry and pistachio biscotti. I think biscotti make a good choice of cookie to give because of its sturdiness, not to mention how good they taste! These were exceptionally yummy with a texture that was a bit softer than the usual rock-hard biscotti I'm a little more familiar with. Perfect for dipping into that mug of hot cocoa.

The other cookies I made come from the Martha Stewart website. They are called mocha slice cookies and incorporate cocoa nibs in the cookie dough. In case you're not too familiar with what these are, gourmetsleuth.com says, "cocoa nibs are perfectly roasted cocoa beans separated from their husks and broken into tiny bits. They are the essence of chocolate." That last statement is certainly true! The nibs added a bit of crunch and a smoky, dark chocolate flavor to the cookie. The addition of espresso powder (or instant coffee powder) gave the cookies such a rich, deep flavor that it felt like I was eating a cup of coffee!

Happy baking (and eating) to everyone out there. Enjoy yourselves!