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No, it’s not Chardonnay that tastes like cupcakes, but Cupcake Chardonnay does have a butter-cream and vanilla finish. This wine also tastes of citrus, oak, and subtle spices. It is semi-sweet close to semi-dry, not too sweet and not too dry. At about $10 a bottle, it won’t break the bank either.

Chardonnay has fell a little out of style in American markets. Ever heard of the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) campaign? But Chardonnay is starting to make a comeback, so to speak…it has long been one of the most popular wines in the states.

What I most enjoyed about this wine was the warm, buttery aftertaste, not unlike a cupcake itself. This Chardonnay is well balanced, not too oaky, and reasonable priced.

Cupcake Vineyards also produces a Cabernet Sauvignon.

A variation on Fresh Pear Cookies, these tasty treats come from Cake Mix Cookies and combine fresh cranberries and ginger with vanilla cake mix. For an added sweetness, drizzle cookies with melted white chocolate. The combination of cranberry and white chocolate is festive and sure to put you in the holiday spirit, try serving these cookies with hot cocoa and peppermint sticks. These cookies would also be great for brunch.

Fresh cranberries are too tart to eat on their own, but with this recipe they become soft and sweetened with brown sugar and a punch of spice from the ground ginger. The original recipe calls for 1 cup finely chopped pecans, but here they are omitted. If desired, sprinkle chopped nuts over white chocolate drizzle while still warm for a crunchy twist.

Fresh Cranberry Cookies

1 box (18.25 oz) vanilla cake mix
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped fresh cranberries
White Chocolate Drizzle (see below)

Preheat oven to 350F and coat baking sheets with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, place half the cake mix, butter, light brown sugar, eggs, and ginger. Blend with an electric mixture for 1-2 minutes on medium-high speed until smooth. Using a wooden spoon, stir in remaining cake mix and cranberries until all dry ingredients are moist and pears are well incorporated.

Drop by rounded teaspoons on to baking sheets, spaced 2 inches apart. Bake 10-13 minutes on until cracked in appearance and just barely set in the center. Cool 1 minute on baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack with a spatula to cool completely. Prepare White Chocolate Drizzle and top cookies.

White Chocolate Drizzle

1 cup white chocolate chips
1 tbsp vegetable shortening

Melt chips and shortening oven low heat in a small saucepan until smooth. Transfer to a small plastic baggie and gather at the top, using a corner as a tip. Snip the corner of the baggie and drizzle white chocolate over cookies. Let sit until chocolate cools and hardens.

Holidays are a time for baking and wonderful spices, like ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Here is a recipe for dough to make gingerbread people, or any other shape you would like to cut into cookies. We used cookie cutters for firetrucks, people, dogs, and bells. From Everyday Food magazine, these cookies can be decorated with icing, frosting, colored sugar, or any kind of sprinkles.

For this recipe, I got to use my cool new standing mixer, which was very exciting. Add the flour mixture to the batter gradually to prevent the dough from drying out. You can also vary the baking time to get softer or crisper cookies, but be sure to roll flour evenly to ensure even baking.

3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for rolling
2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup unsulfured molasses

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy; beat in egg and molasses. With mixer on low, gradually add flour and mix until just combined. Divide dough in half and flatten into disks. Wrap each in plastic and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

Preheat oven to 350F

Working with one disk at a time, place dough on lightly floured parchment paper and roll out to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Flour roller and cookie cutters as needed to prevent sticking. Gather scraps and re-roll as needed.

For softer cookies, bake 7-9 minutes; for crisper cookies, bake 10-11 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Decorate as desired once cool.

Just because Thanksgiving is over doesn’t mean pumpkin season is done. Pumpkin pie is a big seller all the way through the new year. This recipe from Everyday Food magazine takes pumpkin up a notch with chocolate in a simple cheesecake. Instead of traditional slices, this cheesecake is served in bars. Chocolate wafer cookies are typically sold near the ice cream toppings at the supermarket. Be sure to use regular cream cheese, not reduced-fat or fat-free. If you would like to make your own pumpkin pie spice, check out this homemade mixture of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg.

For the crust:
20 chocolate wafer cookies
2 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For the filling: 
2 pkg (8 0z each) cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin puree
3 large eggs 
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350F and line the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, or coat with cooking spray.

In a food processor, blend cookies with sugar until finely ground (you should have about 1 cup crumbs). Add butter and pulse until moistened. If you do not have a food processor, crush cookies in a large, zip-locked baggie with a rolling pin and mix with sugar and melted butter.

Press mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until fragrant and slightly firm, about 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Place cream cheese in a food processor or blend with a hand mixer until smooth. Add sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, flour, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Mix until combined.

Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each, until melted and smooth. Add 1 cup of the pumpkin mixture and stir to combine.

Pour remaining pumpkin mixture into prepared pan, over the crust. Drop dollops of chocolate mixture onto the pumpkin mixture. Drag the blade of a paring knife through the chocolate and pumpkin mixtures several times to make a marbled pattern.

Bake until cheesecake is set but jiggles slightly when gently shaken, about 30 to 40 minutes depending on the oven.

Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cover and chill until firm, at least 2 hours. Cheesecake can be stored for up to 2 days before serving.

To serve, cut into squares with a knife dipped in warm water.