Cooking with Paula Deen Holiday Baking 2019

The holidays are such a special time to celebrate with your loved ones. It’s a joyous season where I get to gather my family together and bake treats full of flavor. My kitchen is definitely my happy place, and I love that this time of year gives me an excuse to bake up my best holiday recipes for all my kiddos, big and small. The delicious goodies are plenty sweet, but the memories we make are even sweeter. My grandbabies look forward to holiday baking almost as much as I do. It’s so fun to get creative with them in the kitchen and see the big smiles on their faces when they see their creations fresh out of the oven. They’re my little helpers, cracking eggs, rolling dough, and picking out…

Raspberry Cream Cheese Sweet Rolls Makes 9 Dough: 4 cups all-purpose flour¼ cup sugar2 tablespoons baking powder2 teaspoons salt½ cup cold unsalted butter1¾ cups whole milk Filling: 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened¾ cup confectioners’ sugar1/3 cup raspberry preserves Glaze: ½ (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened½ cup confectioners’ sugar¼ cup whole milk 1. Preheat oven to 375°. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with baking spray with flour. 2. For dough: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a box grater, grate cold butter into flour mixture; gently stir to coat butter in flour mixture. Gradually add milk, stirring just until a dough forms. (You may not need full amount of milk; do not overmix.) Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and pat into a 15x11-inch rectangle. 3.…

Cranberry Apple Pear Cobbler Makes 10 to 12 servings 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar3 tablespoons cornstarch3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries3 Braeburn apples, cored and chopped3 Bartlett pears, cored and choppedCinnamon Drop Biscuit Dough (recipe follows) 1. Preheat oven to 400°. Spray a 3½-quart baking dish with cooking spray. 2. In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and cornstarch; stir in all fruit until well combined. Spoon mixture into prepared pan. 3. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and stir. Spoon Cinnamon Drop Biscuit Dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto hot fruit mixture. Bake until biscuits are golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes more. Let cool for 30 minutes; serve warm. Cinnamon Drop Biscuit Dough Makes about 12 biscuits 2 cups all-purpose flour½ cup quick-cooking oats (not instant)½ cup sugar2 teaspoons baking powder½ teaspoon ground…

Honey Baklava Cups Makes 75 1 cup chopped walnuts1 cup chopped pecans½ cup slivered almonds¼ cup sugar1 teaspoon ground cinnamon¼ teaspoon ground cloves5 (1.9-ounce) packages frozen mini phyllo cups½ cup unsalted butter, meltedHoney Citrus Syrup (recipe follows) 1. Preheat oven to 325˚. 2. In the work bowl of a food processor, pulse together walnuts, pecans, almonds, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves until nuts are almost ground. 3. Place phyllo cups on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush inside of shells with melted butter. Spoon nut mixture into phyllo cups. 4. Bake until nuts are golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes. Gently remove baklava cups from pan, and place cups in paper liners. Spoon Honey Citrus Syrup over each baklava cup. Let stand for 2 hours. Honey Citrus Syrup Makes about 1 cup ¾ cup water½ cup…

Savannah Date Nut Cake Makes 1 (10-inch) cake 1 (8-ounce) box chopped dates1 cup water1 teaspoon baking soda1 cup unsalted butter, softened2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar1½ cups chopped pecans, divided3 large eggs3 tablespoons orange marmalade1 teaspoon vanilla extract3 cups all-purpose flour1 cup raisins, chopped¼ teaspoon salt1 (6-ounce) jar maraschino cherry halves, drained well and patted dry1 cup confectioners’ sugar¼ cup heavy whipping cream 1. Preheat oven to 325°. Spray a 10-inch tube pan with baking spray with flour. 2. In a small saucepan, bring dates, 1 cup water, and baking soda to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; let cool slightly. 3. In a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add date…