A Cookie Carol

Hello Everyone!

This is my first time contributing an entry to this blog, and I must admit, I wasn't sure what I'd write about. But I remembered, sitting here at my laptop, that a cast mate suggested I blog about what I bake. For me, like many of my other cast mates, this show is more than another job, it's a holiday tradition. And like most other holiday traditions, this one includes many, many baked goods.

Our director, Troy, often jokes that baking some of my signature sweets is part of my contract. I don't want to take the risk of finding out that this isn't a joke, and so...I bake! But I also bake because I love it, and because, I think and hope, my fellow cast and crew members do, too.

So far, I've made Spice Cake Whoopie Pies with Eggnog Cream Filling and Egg Biscuits. There will be Red Velvet Cake Balls, Chocolate Covered Oreos, Snow Ball Cookies and possibly even Chocolate Cinnamon Croissants in the near future.

But I must admit, with rehearsals, the commute and other obligations, I don't have much time to do everything from scratch. So I thought I'd take this opportunity and use this platform to share my first two (semi-scratch) recipes of the season with you, Dear Reader!

Spice Cake Whoopie Pies

Cake:

1 boxed cake mix (I used spice cake!)

3 eggs

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Combine ingredients and use a small ice cream scoop to place spoonfuls onto a lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely.

Filling:

3/4 cup powdered sugar

3 oz. cream cheese

3 heaping tblsp. marshmallow Fluff

1 stick butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup eggnog

Combine ingredients until smooth. Spoon between two cooled whoopie pie halves. Eat and enjoy!

And for the sweet, moist and yummy...

Egg Biscuits (my Nana's recipe)

Combine:

1 8 oz. package cream cheese

1 1/4 stick of butter (softened)

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Slowly add 2 1/2 cups of flour. You can start with a hand mixer, but then you might want to do it by hand. The dough will be very sticky!

Once combined, form into balls, press onto a baking sheet and bake at 350 until cooked, 10-12 minutes. Biscuits should not brown.

While baking, make the icing. Combine:

1 tblsp. melted butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

2-4 tblsp. milk

When the biscuits are done baking but still warm, spread on the icing. I top mine with rainbow or red, white and green nonpareils. Great when they're still warm, but just as amazing once cool!

Hopefully, I'll be baking and sharing more recipes soon. But that's all for now!

Cheers,

Kim Kalunian, cast member