Hallmark Channel is kicking off “Countdown to Christmas” with Hallmark Plus original series “Mistletoe Murders”, which is now coming to Hallmark Channel! If you know what muddy buddies are, this is my Christmas version, but with white chocolate and a bit of a different flavor profile. They are also super easy to make, and it makes plenty to share with friends at a watch party!
Ingredients:
-6 blocks white chocolate
-5 cups rice Chex cereal
-1 box instant pistachio pudding
-1 small package dried cherries
Directions:
In a large microwave safe bowl, melt white chocolate squares in 30 second increments, stirring in between until melted.
Add two drops green food coloring (I use Lorran Oils) it must be a water based food coloring so the white chocolate doesn’t clump up.
Once it turns green, stir in pistachio pudding mix. Then gently stir in cereal, then stir in dried cherries.
On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, use a spoon to create small clusters. Add a few more dried cherries on top. Let it sit and harden for 30 minutes or place in fridge.
Place each cluster in a cupcake liner and place on a serving platter. Enjoy!
Let’s get ready for “Haul Out The Halloween” on Hallmark Channel! It’s a new installment of “Haul Out The Holly”, but a Halloween version, and we are here for it! The people on Evergreen Lane turn their neighborhood into “Everscream Lane” for the Halloween season, including having a neighborhood carnival! One of the most popular carnival staples is nachos of course, but since this is a Halloween carnival, I thought I’d give traditional nachos a sweet twist.
Ingredients:
-One package tortillas
-1/2 cup sugar
-1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
-Bag of apple chips
-Chopped pecans
-1/2 stick salted butter (melted)
-Favorite caramel topping
TOOLS: You will need pumpkin shaped (or any Halloween shape) cookie cutter.
Directions:
Start by using the cookie cutter to cut out your shapes in the tortillas. I was able to get 3-4 shapes per tortilla.
In a small bowl, mix together sugar and pumpkin pie spice.
In another small bowl, melt butter.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper and spread out the tortilla shapes. Baste the melted butter generously on each one and sprinkle with sugar mixture on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes. Once they cool, they will be nice and crunchy.
After all your chips have cooled, spread on a serving platter. Drizzle on some caramel.
Chop the apple chips up and sprinkle those on top, followed by the chopped pecans.
Finish off with another drizzle of caramel. Serve right away. Enjoy!
This recipe is a touchdown in my playbook of recipes! You need to make this to share with your friends as you watch “Home Turf” on Hallmark Channel! Character Cassidy (played by Nikki DeLoach), is the president of a University who finds herself in an unexpected situation when the college football team gets benched and is forced to stay at her home!
This is a sweet charcuterie board with a football shaped dip in the center. Typically, you don’t use cream cheese in a cannoli, but I added it since this is a dip. If you don’t have a football shaped bowl, and want to shape the dip itself and turn it into a cannoli “ball”, you will need to use half the amount of ricotta in the recipe to make it shapable.
Ingredients:
-8 oz cream cheese
-1 cup ricotta cheese
-Zest of half a lemon
-2 cups powdered sugar
-1/4 cup crushed pistachios
-1/4 tsp vanilla
-Mini semi sweet chocolate chips
-A variety of accoutrements such as strawberries, cookies, broken cannoli shells, graham crackers…
Directions:
In a mixing bowl and using an electric mixer, mix ricotta, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth.
Slowly add powdered sugar with the mixer on low until it is fully incorporated.
Use a spatula to fold in lemon zest and pistachios. If displaying as a dip, place chocolate chips on top, completely covering the top. If creating a cheese ball (in which case you would have only used half the amount of ricotta), roll in chocolate chips until covered on all sides. Set in the fridge.
On a board or large platter, arrange your accoutrements as you like. Add dip (or ball) in the center when you are ready to serve. Enjoy!
“Adventures in Love and Birding” on Hallmark Channel was the inspiration for these adorable sweet & salty clusters! Andrew Walker and Rachel Boston play characters in which they are to be partners in a birding competition. However, there’s a little miscommunication along the way, which I suspect will ultimately lead to them becoming love birds! Since it’s also Fall, I gave these little nests an Autumn twist!
Ingredients:
-Pretzel Sticks (about 2 cups)
-1 bag salted caramel chips
-1 teaspoon Pumpkin pie spice
-Maple powder (or maple sugar)
-Peanut MnM’s
Directions:
Melt the salted caramel chips in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time. Stirring in between, until melted.
Stir in pumpkin pie spice. Then gently fold in the pretzel sticks, being very careful not to break.
Place clusters on a tray lined with parchment paper and form the shape of a little nest, leaving a small space in the middle.
Sprinkle with maple powder.
Add three peanut MnM’s in the center to look like bird’s eggs. Place tray in refrigerator until caramel chips have hardened. Enjoy!
You’ve heard of a grooms cake at weddings, but have you heard of grooms cupcakes? I wanted to make a more snack-sized treat that is easy to eat while you watch “The Groomsmen” trilogy on Hallmark Channel! Grab yourself a wedding date and watch all three of the Groomsmen movies while you eat these cupcakes! I chose red velvet because that was the flavor cake I had at my wedding, and I feel like it’s a universal romantic flavor. I also jazzed it up with a cherry pie filling surprise in the middle.
Ingredients:
-Red velvet cake mix (or make from scratch)
-Cherry pie filling
-Black fondant
-White Fondant
-Red fondant
-Vanilla frosting (store bought or homemade)
Directions:
Choose a plain cupcake liner like white, black, or silver. Make cake mix and bake cupcakes according to directions. About 25 minutes at 350 degrees.
While those are baking, create your “tuxedo” toppers.
Roll out the black fondant on a silicone baking mat (this will make it easy to remove). Use a round cookie cutter a smidge bigger than the diameter of the cupcake liner to make a circle.
Roll out the white fondant. Using a knife, carve out a long triangle to fit in the center of the black circle. wet your finger and dab it on the back of the white triangle, and stick it onto the black circle, point on the bottom.
Roll out a small portion of red fondant into a tiny rope. Roll it into a tiny rose. Dab a bit of water on the bottom of the flower and place on the side of the tux to look like a boutonniere.
Once the cupcakes are baked and cooled, slice off the top of the cupcake to make a flat surface. Create a small hole in the center of each cupcake, but not to the bottom. Fill each hole with cherry pie filling. Stuff the cake part you cut out right back on top.
Spread a small amount of frosting on top, in the center, and place your fondant “tux” right on top. Enjoy!
One of the most romantic movie trilogies I’ve ever seen deserves a romantic dinner to go with it! “Providence Falls” on Hallmark Channel does not disappoint in the romance department, and the scene that inspired this dish is no exception! Liam, whom is from another time, has never had spaghetti before. Cora, his true love, shows him what its like, and it gets steamy!
Ingredients:
-3/4 of a box of angel hair
-1 large yellow onion
-3 cloves garlic
-1 carton cherry tomatoes
-1 carton beef stock
-1/2 cup white cooking wine
-fresh basil
-Parmesan
-salt and peppr
Directions:
Chop up the onions and saute in olive oil until translucent. Mince garlic and add that in. Give it a quick stir and add tomatoes.
Pour in beef stock and cooking wine.
Add dry angel hair and fresh basil. Top with a bit of water until pasta is fully covered. Stir and cover with lid.
Cook on low/medium heat while stirring occasionally.
Once it is cooked, add salt, pepper and the juice of one lemon.
Sprinkle with more fresh basil and Parmesan. Enjoy!
If you have seen “Providence Falls” on Hallmark Channel, then you are well aware of why I’m naming these cookies “fate cookies”. The relationship between Liam and Cora cannot be matched in this or any lifetime! Their connection is strong, and there are three movies in this series to prove it! I felt like these peanut butter and jelly cookie cups were a perfect representation of them, because just like peanut butter and jelly, Cora and Liam belong together, always!
These are super simple and yummy. A big hit with all ages!
Ingredients:
-Two rolls of sugar cookie dough (store-bought or homemade)
-1 cup peanut butter
-1/4 cup powdered sugar
-1/4 teaspoon vanilla
-Strawberry preserves
Directions:
Spray a mini muffin tin with nonstick spray. Space out every other spot so that the cookie cups don’t bake too close together, as they will spread a bit.
Break off a small piece of cookie dough and press into the cavity of the muffin tin. Create a small dip in the middle. Make sure the crater in the center isn’t too thin or the peanut butter will be too heavy and it will split apart after its baked.
Place back in fridge while you put together the peanut butter mixture.
In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, powdered sugar and vanilla.
Take prepared cookie dough out of the fridge and spoon a dollop of peanut butter filling into the center.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Once it has cooled a bit, add a dollop of strawberry preserves. Enjoy!
So much deliciousness to behold in the Hallmark Channel move, “Villa Amore”! I absolutely had to make the sfogiatelle that this sweet Italian town was known for, but more so because it was the reason for the “meet cute” between Leo and Liara (played by Kevin McGarry and Eloise Mumford). As a first generation Sicilian, these types of pastries are basically in my blood, and I had a great time making them! They are indeed a bit labor intensive, but totally worth it!
Ingredients:
For the dough
-4 cups flour
-pinch salt
-1 cup water or more if needed
-1/2 tablespoon honey
For the filling
-2 cups milk
-1/2 cup sugar
-pinch or salt
-1 cup semolina flour
-2 cups ricotta
-lemon zest
-1 egg
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-softened butter (for spreading on each sheet of dough)
Directions:
For the dough: In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients until a dough ball forms. If it’s too dry, add a bit more water. Wrap up in plastic wrap and place in fridge for about a half hour.
After taking it out, divide the dough into four sections. Roll out one section at a time and run through pasta maker to create long, flat sheets. Fold in half and run through the pasta maker once more. Spread softened butter along the top of the dough sheet, then roll the long sheet of dough into a tight “sausage” roll. Place it aside.
Repeat this step with the other 3 parts of dough, and each time, you will add to the “sausage roll”, by rolling the new sheet around the previous roll. Making it bigger and bigger.
Spread butter along the entire outside of the giant roll and wrap in plastic wrap overnight.
For the filling: In a large saucepan, bring the milk, sugar and salt to a boil, stirring frequently. Add semolina and stir until thick. Remove from heat.
Add ricotta, lemon zest, egg and vanilla. Stir well and refrigerate until ready to fill the sfogiatelle.
Once the dough is chilled through, slice Into discs and gently create a shell shape, revealing all the layers. Fill with filling and pinch closed.
Spread more butter on top and bake for 30 minutes until golden and sizzling. Once they are cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Enjoy that crunch!
It’s time for another installment of “A Hannah Swensen Mystery: Pie To Die For”! I cannot wait for this newest installment, especially as things start to finally start to heat up betweenHannah and Chad! Since the title of this movie is “Pie To Die For”, and there is a banana cream pie on the promo for it, I knew it was safe to get on the banana boat and make a pie with my own twist! I love the combination of peanut butter and bananas, so I decided to make a peanut butter crust using Nutter Butter cookies!
Ingredients
-2 rows of “Nutter Butter” Cookes (keep extra to make crumbs for topping)
-3 tablespoons melted butter
-1 box instant banana pudding
-1 box instant French vanilla pudding
-16 oz carton heavy whipping cream
-3 teaspoons sugar
-1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Start by using a food processor to turn your cookies into crumbs. If you don’t have a food processor, you can put cookies in a large ziplock bag and pound them into crumbs. Melt butter and mix into the crumbs. Press around the sides and bottom of pie dish. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes until it gets a deep golden color.
Make both boxes of pudding with 4 cups cold milk. Place in fridge.
In standing mixer, pour entire carton of heavy whipping cream with sugar and vanilla. Start whisking on low, and gradually move on to high until stiff peaks form. Place in fridge.
Once the crust is baked and cooled, you can fill with pudding filling. Follow with whipped cream on top. You can also pipe a pretty whipped cream edge along the outer rim. Slice a banana and place slices all round the perimeter of pie.
Crush a few extra Nutter Butter cookies and sprinkle the crumbs around the outer edge. Refrigerate for at least three hours before serving. Enjoy!
Watching “To Barcelona, With Love” on Hallmark Channel made me want to take a trip to Barcelona asap! I was inspired to make these treats by a scene where Anna, (Ashley Williams) is amusingly trying to pronounce “Panellet” while enjoying one of her first authentic, Spanish delicacies. I thought I’d give it a try before watching the sequel, “To Barcelona, Forever”!
Ingredients:
-1 large potato
-2 cups almond flour
-1 cup sugar
-1 egg
-lemon zest
-1 tsp lemon juice
-pinenuts
Directions:
Peel and boil potato. Drain, mash and cool for a few minutes.
In a large bowl, combine almond flour, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and mashed potato. Then stir in egg.
Mix well and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Roll cooled dough into small balls and dip top in a small bowl of an a whisked egg, then dip in pine nuts.
Bake for about 15 minutes until pine nuts are browned. Enjoy!
