Red hot holiday food trends for 2011
(ARA) - As the weather cools, our holiday culinary adventures heat up. From planning the perfect holiday dinner menu to discovering new, destined-to-become-favorites cookie recipes, we all spend a lot of time thinking about great food at this time of year.
If you're looking for some new food traditions to warm up to, Betty Crocker points to 10 Red Hot Holiday Food Trends for 2011. These trends are red hot because they're exciting, fresh and making their mark from coast to coast. You'll find new recipes inspired by the trends online at www.BettyCrocker.com/redhot. 1. Double Desserts - What could be better than a yummy cookie or a flavorful slice of pie? How about a dish that combines two great desserts into one? Think pie shakes, cookie-stuffed cookies, or pie-filled cupcakes and you'll understand this hot trend. It's a 1-plus-1-equals-3 kind of thing. Trend recipe: Pumpkin Pie Cookies 2. Boozy Baking - Booze in baking? Oh, yeah. A titch of tequila or a skosh of scotch adds a serious shot of fun and flavor to baked goods - for the over-21 set, of course. Trend recipe: Boozy Bourbon Chocolate Cupcakes 3. Color. Flavor. Fun. - Bright colors and playful flavors are transforming traditional baked goods. It's amazing what creativity, imagination and fun add to a recipe. Trend recipe: Cake Batter Cookie Stackers 4. From Cave to Kitchen - Today guys are coming out of the man cave and into the kitchen. If he's not making the food, he's almost certainly eager to appreciate it, especially if it's big, good food that's stacked and stuffed with the flavors he can't resist. Trend recipe: Mantastic Fried Chicken 'n' Waffle Sandwich 5. Skinny Cocktails - High-calorie cocktails are so last year. Modern mixologists are shaking things up with lighter, flavorful cocktails. Trend recipe: Skinny Clementine Martini 6. Better Than Bought - Americans are taking a renewed interest in handcrafted foods like canned goods and homemade candies. Homemade food gifts show your care and your creativity. Trend recipe: Cajeta Caramel Fudge 7. Veggie Love - Vegetables are no longer merely tolerated; now they're celebrated for their great taste and variety. Trend recipe: Sweet Potato Hummus 8. Shareworthy and Allergen-friendly - Allergen-friendly foods may be free from things like nuts, dairy and eggs, but shouldn't be free from flavor. Thankfully, there are new foods and recipes that can be enjoyed by everyone - whether you're allergy-sensitive or not. Trend recipe: Allergen-friendly Pumpkin Bread 9. D-I-Y for D-O-G - Man's best friend deserves man's best effort. That's why making your own dog food is one of the latest canine crazes. Trend recipe: Dog Bark 10. Food Craft - The kitchen is the new craft room. With food as their medium, clever cooks are making amazing edible food crafts that are as good to look at as they are to eat. Trend recipe: Chocolate Coal Lumps Try these trendy recipes to add new flavor to your holiday celebrations. Boozy Bourbon Chocolate Cupcakes Preparation time: 40 minutes Start to finish: 1 hour, 45 minutes Makes: 24 cupcakes Ingredients: Cupcakes 1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist devil's food cake mix 1 cup water 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup bourbon whiskey 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla Filling 3/4 cup whipping cream 6 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, finely chopped 1/3 cup butter, softened 3 tablespoons coffee liqueur Frosting 1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme (1 3/4 cups) 1 cup butter, softened 2 tablespoons vanilla-flavored vodka 3 cups powdered sugar Garnish: 1/4 cup coffee liqueur Directions: Heat the oven to 350 F (325 F for dark or nonstick pan). Generously spray 24 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray. Make cake batter as directed on box, using cake mix, water, oil, bourbon, eggs and vanilla. Divide the batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, for filling, in medium microwavable bowl, microwave whipping cream uncovered on High for 1 minute30 seconds or until boiling. Stir in the remaining filling ingredients until chocolate is melted. Cover; refrigerate about 60 minutes or until spreading consistency. For frosting, in large bowl, beat marshmallow creme, 1 cup butter and the vodka with an electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Beat in powdered sugar until fluffy. To assemble, cut tops off each cupcake horizontally. Spread about 1 tablespoon of filling onto the bottom of each cupcake. Add cupcake top, place at a slight angle for the full tipsy effect.Pipe frosting on cupcake tops. Just before serving, drizzle each cupcake with 1/2 teaspoon coffee liqueur. Cake Batter Cookie Stackers Preparation time: 30 minutes Start to finish: 1 hour, 15 minutes Makes: 18 cookies Ingredients: Cookies 1 pouch (1 pound 1.5 ounces) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix 1/2 cup Betty Crocker SuperMoist yellow cake mix (dry mix from box) 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 egg 1/2 cup Betty Crocker SuperMoist yellow cake mix (dry mix from box) Frosting 2 cups powdered sugar 1/3 cup butter, softened 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 to 2 tablespoons milk Liquid food colors (neon pink, neon blue, neon green, classic yellow and red to make orange) Multicolored sprinkles Directions: Heat the oven to 375 F. In medium bowl, stir sugar cookie mix, 1/2 cup dry cake mix, 1/2 cup butter and the egg until soft dough forms. In small bowl, place remaining 1/2 cup dry cake mix. Shape dough into 36 (1-inch) balls. Roll balls in dry cake mix, coating completely. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, or just until cookies are set. (Watch closely to prevent cookies from getting too crispy and overbaked.) Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes. In medium bowl, beat powdered sugar, 1/3 cup butter and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Beat in 1 tablespoon milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time. If frosting becomes too thin, beat in a small amount of powdered sugar. Divide frosting among four small bowls, about 1/4 cup each. Add food color to tint frosting in each bowl. For each sandwich cookie, spread 1 rounded teaspoon frosting on bottom of 1 cooled cookie. Top with second cookie, bottom side down; gently press cookies together. Roll sides of sandwich cookie in sprinkles. Tip: You can make cupcakes with the remaining dry cake mix. Use 2 1/3 cups of the remaining cake mix to make 15 cupcakes. Add 2 eggs, 3/4 cup water and 3 tablespoons vegetable oil to the cake mix. Mix and bake as directed on box. |
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