Thanksgiving Week Favorites
The Thanksgiving week festivities have begun and we are definitely enjoying all the delicious treats that go hand-in-hand with the holidays. So far, I’ve tried it 2 new recipes and they were huge hits… the first was a maple nut scone and the second was a toffee shortbread cookie. I know things tend to get a little overly sweet and sugary this time of year, so both of these are great options for treats that aren’t too sweet.
To start our Thanksgiving week, LB decided to get up super early (after a very short night) so my oldest brother and I decided to treat the crew to a gourmet breakfast in bed. I made the sweet (the scones) and my brother made the savory (the best omelettes). It was a great way to start the holidays of right…unfortunately with breakfast in bed, people fell back to sleep afterwards and we didn’t see anyone til about 11 AM. 🙂
The omelettes were protein packed and delicious, and the scones were fresh, light, and flaky… just the way they should be. I was surprised by everyone’s comments that the scones were not dry or flavorless… they were light and fluffy with maple flavor and just the right amount of sweet from the icing. The problem with coffee shop scones is that they are often not fresh (frozen and reheated) plus they sit out for hours and hours.
I am also sharing my favorite apple cider glazed ham recipe that is a huge hit year after year. When I found this recipe, I wanted to copy the honey baked ham recipe, but without the honey because I wasn’t supposed to give LB honey at the time (per pediatrician recommendations since he wasn’t 2 yet… blah, blah, blah). Anyway, I stumbled upon this recipe and now I’m never letting it go! Yes, it’s that goods and if you really take the extra tine to pour the glaze over and in between each slice, its so worth it. Turning up the oven for the last 20-40 minutes gives it the most beautiful carmelization and people will be asking where you purchased this stunning main dish…it really is the perfect centerpiece for your Thanksgiving or Christmas table.
So from our holiday table to yours’, I hope you have the happiest of holidays.
| Prep Time | 15-20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 15 minutes |
| Servings |
scones
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- 2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (for fluffier scones, increase to 2 teaspoons)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar for more maple flavor)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (omit salt if substituting salted butter)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or maple extract (I used 1/2 teaspoon of each)
- 1 stick cold unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 3 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- chopped pecans for topping
Ingredients
For the Scones
For the Maple Glaze
|
|
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
- In another bowl, lightly whisk together heavy cream, egg, and vanilla or maple extract.
- Using a pastry cutter, work butter into the flour mixture until coarse crumbs form. Then, add wet ingredients using a wooden spoon, and combine until fully incorporated and mostly smooth. Be careful not to over mix. (Dough may not come together into one big ball, but into separate lumps, which is fine)
- Turn dough out onto a very lightly floured work surface and using your hands, press into a 7-inch circle. Using a pizza cutter, cut circle into 8 equal triangles (like a pizza). Place triangles onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-16 minutes or until edges are slightly brown. Remove from the oven and transfer scones to wire racks to cool completely.
- Combine confectioners' sugar, heavy cream, maple syrup and vanilla in a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth and no lumps remain. Spoon desired amount of glaze over the scones and sprinkle with chopped pecans immediately. Let sit for 5 minutes and then enjoy!
For optimum enjoyment, scones should be enjoyed fresh. However you can store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
This recipe was adapted from here.
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 15 minutes |
| Servings |
dozen
|
- 2 cups confectioner sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup Maple Syrup
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
Ingredients
Maple Glaze
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- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter and powdered sugar together until smooth (1-2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla, then add the flour and salt just until combined. Stir in the pecans and toffee bits.
- Form the dough into small balls (approx. 1/2 oz. each) and place on baking sheet. Then, flatten very slightly with a glass lightly coated in powdered sugar.
- Bake until the edges are just starting to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
- Whisk together all of the ingredients for the maple glaze and either dip cooled cookie in glaze or using a spoon, smear a small dab of glaze on each cookie.
An alternate option is to add mini chocolate chips into the dough. Instead of the maple glaze, you can dip the cookies into melted chocolate.
Recipe adapted from this recipe.
| Servings |
|
- 1 5-11 pound Spiral Sliced bone-in Ham (I use a pre-cooked boneless ham and cut it into slices 3/4 of the way through so that the bottom stays attached)
- 1 1/2 cups apple cider
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
- 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons Cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon of each of the following: ground nutmeg, ground cloves, dried thyme, ground black pepper, chili powder
- 2 Tablespoons butter (cubed)
Ingredients
Apple Cider Maple Glaze
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- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Remove ham from fridge.
- Whisk together all of the apple cider maple glaze ingredients (EXCEPT the butter) in a small-medium saucepan. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer on low until thickened (15-20 minutes). Stir in butter until melted (glaze will thicken as it sits).
- Pour 2 cups of water in the bottom of a roasting pan. On the top of the roasting pan, wrap the ham in 2 large pieces of alternating aluminum foil (leaving the top exposed). Brush in between each slice of ham with the glaze and over the entire ham. Then wrap the ham up tightly with foil and place in oven. (I like to use a baster and brush to reapply the glaze 2-3 times during the cooking time, saving 1/3 of glaze for finishing.)
- Cook ham for approximately 2 hours (12 minutes per pound for a bone-in ham). Remove ham from oven and turn oven up to 400 degrees F. Carefully unfold foil to expose ham and brush ham all over with glaze. Leave ham exposed and bake for 20-30 minutes or until edges are golden brown and caramelized.
- Remove ham from oven and brush with glaze. Spoon juices from bottom of pan over ham. Loosely cover with foil. Let rest for 15 minutes then spoon or baste more juices over ham and serve the ham with any remaining glaze. Enjoy!
