Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Ham

This year, I made a Christmas ham twice.  Once for our Christmas party at church, and once for my family's Christmas party.  Both times I used this recipe and the flavor came out delicious!  It is also such an easy way to cook your ham for a big meal, like Christmas or Easter.  You can put it in a few hours before and then forget about it and focus on everything else you are cooking!


Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Ham
slightly adapted from: fivehearthome.com

7-8 pound spiral sliced ham (fully cooked)
2 c. pineapple juice
2 c. brown sugar
4 tsp. Dijon mustard
4 tsp. balsamic vinegar
4 tsp. honey

In your crock pot, stir together the pineapple juice, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar and honey, until the sugar is dissolved.  Slice your ham off the bone, and lay it in your crock pot.  Using a basting brush, gently baste the sauce over all your ham.  Do this occasionally while it is cooking.  Cook on low for about 4 hours, or until ham is hot (it should be 140 degrees).  Be careful not to over cook your ham.  I did this the second time, and it came out in tiny shreds.  But it still tasted great, and it was easier to chew, right?!

Smooth & Creamy Coconut Cake

I made this for a Christmas party this weekend.  It is a delicious cake, even if you are not a huge coconut fan.  The coconut flavor is mild and creamy and by only lightly sweetening the topping, it is a great compliment to an already sweet enough cake.  Plus, it looks so snowy and festive with the coconut all over it!  It is a great Christmas-y cake.

Smooth & Creamy Coconut Cake
adapted from: allrecipes.com

1 white cake mix
1 15 oz. can cream of coconut (not coconut milk-you find this in the mixer section of the grocery store)
2 c. heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. powdered sugar (maybe a little more-to taste)
1-2 c. shredded sweetened coconut

Bake the white cake according to the package directions in the pan of your choice.  I used a 9X13 pan, lined with wax paper and sprayed with cooking spray.  While the cake is cooking (or cooling) pour the heavy whipping cream into a medium bowl and beat it on high speed with an electric mixer, for 3 minutes.  Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and beat it until stiff peaks form.  Put it in the fridge until you are ready for it.  When the cake is done, cool it completely, then slice it in half for a layered cake (or leave it as is, or if you have 2 round cake pans, ignore this instruction).  Place one layer, face down, on your serving platter.  Using a fork, gently poke holes all over the cake, but don't poke all the way to the bottom of the cake.  Pour 1/2 of the can of cream of coconut on the top of the cake, and using a knife, spread it and kind of work it into the holes.

Apply a thin layer of your prepared heavy cream.  Lay the other layer of cake on top of that one and poke holes all over it, also being careful not to go all the way through the layer.  Now do the same thing with the second half of the cream of coconut.  Spread the rest of the heavy cream on the top and sides of the cake.  Using your hands, gently press coconut all around the top and sides of the cake.  Store it in the fridge and serve it chilled.

Peppermint Bark Chocolate Cookies

We found this recipe and loved it! We adapted it a little bit by dipping it in the peppermint bark rather than mixing it into the batter which was a fun twist. It made for a great Christmas treat to take to some friends and neighbors.

Peppermint Bark Chocolate Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of butter

3/4 cup of brown sugar

3/4 cup of white granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour

3/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

Pinch of salt

1-2 c. white chocolate chips (to your liking)

white dipping chocolate

candy canes or other peppermints

Directions:

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2 Cream the butter and sugars together for about two minutes at medium speed or until well incorporated and light in color.

3 Add the egg and the vanilla extract until well incorporated, about a minute. Be sure to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl halfway through.

4 Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Add to the butter mixture slowly, and beating at medium speed, stopping once all of it is incorporated (do not overmix).

5 Fold in the white chocolate chips.

6 Take small spoonfuls of the dough and roll into one inch sized balls and place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for -12 minutes. Let cool on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

7 Melt white dipping chocolate with a double boiler or by melting in a microwave safe bowl, 30 seconds at a time stirring in between, until melted. Crush candy canes to very small pieces and mix in the melted chocolate.

8 Dip half of each cookie in the chocolate and lay on parchment paper to cool and harden. (Put in refrigerator for a few minutes to harden quickly.)

Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.

Brownie Covered Oreos

As I was searching through one of my favorite blogs, picky-palate.com, I found a wonderful recipe that combines common, deliciously simple treats we eat into one mouthwatering dessert. These were a fun Christmas treat to make for some neighbors and friends.

Brownie Covered Oreos

Ingredients:

1 Brownie mix (or use your own brownie recipe)

1 package Oreos, (the Holiday ones would be fun, but I couldn’t find them anywhere!)

White chocolate, melted for drizzle, or Wilton White frosting pen works great

White nonpariels Sprinkles

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare brownie batter according to package directions. Leave in mixing bowl. Dip Oreos in brownie batter then place in bottom of cupcake tins that have been generously sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until brownies are cooked through (doesn’t take long).

As soon as you remove, take a plastic knife and run along edges, (this is VERY important so the brownies don’t stick to the pan).

Let cool for 5 minutes, remove and let cool completely. Drizzle with melted white chocolate or icing pens, sprinkle with nonpareils. Makes entire package of Oreos.

I couldn’t believe how many people wanted to try this recipe out after tasting them. They’re a lot of fun!