5 Recipes to Make Your Home Smell Like A Winter Wonderland
As wintertime quickly approaches, the time of planning family dinners and bringing holiday spirit into your home will be here before you know it. What better way is there to get the best of both worlds than to cook a heavenly smelling meal?
We’ve curated a list of the greatest recipes out there, that will make your house smell delicious as well as have your guests begging for more!
Cranberry Chutney
Cranberry chutney is a cranberry compote that can be eaten alone or paired with things such as meat, cheese, or bread. With the heavy scent of cooked cranberry and notes of cinnamon, apple, and ginger, this quick recipe is a great way to fill your space with a cozy, welcoming winter fragrance.
Source: Allrecipes
Ingredients
1 cup water
¾ cup white sugar
1 (12 ounce) package of fresh cranberries
1 cup diced, peeled apples
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup raisins
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
First, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Then, add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil again. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often, for about 10 minutes. Transfer the chutney to a bowl, cover, and let sit until it reaches room temperature before serving.
Baked Brie Puff Pastry
This warm, sweet, cheesy pastry is a great addition to any holiday dinner spread and surprisingly, will make your home smell amazing. With hints of sweet and savory flavors, baked brie is best served with bread, fruits, crackers, nuts, or your homemade cranberry chutney!
Source: The Modern Proper
Ingredients
1 8-14oz. wheel of fresh brie cheese
1 sheet of puff pastry
¼ cup roughly chopped pecans
½ tsp ground black pepper
2 ½ tbsp dark brown sugar
1 egg
Start by preheating your oven to 400°F. Next, prepare your pastry dough by rolling it out on a lightly floured surface. Make sure it is large enough to entirely cover the wheel of brie. Then, lay your pastry dough on a pie pan or baking dish and place the wheel of brie in the center. Layer the brie with pecans, brown sugar, and black pepper. Fold in the corners of the dough to cover the brie, securing it by pinching the sides together in the center. In a small bowl, beat an egg and 2 tablespoons of water, coating your pastry with the egg wash using any cooking brush. Bake the brie for 35-40 minutes, or until there is a golden-brown crust. Serve warm and enjoy!
Holiday Peppermint Cake
Everybody knows that peppermint is one of the staple scents, and candies, of winter—but have you ever tried a peppermint cake? This traditional cake recipe adds peppermint flavoring in its base and frosting, making your home smell amazing whilst baking and leaving your tastebuds wanting more.
Source: Love Bakes Good Cakes
Ingredients
Cake
1 box (15-16.25 oz.) white or chocolate cake mix
½ cup water
3 large eggs
¼ cup vegetable oil
Frosting
½ cup (1 stick) softened butter
3 ¾ cups powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons milk or water
2 teaspoons pure peppermint extract
Crushed candy cane pieces (to taste)
Start by preheating your oven to 350°F and greasing your pans. Next, add your cake mix of choice to a mixing bowl, adding the rest of the cake ingredients while slowly mixing. Mix until well combined. Pour the batter into your pans and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until fully baked. While your cake is baking, put all the frosting ingredients into a separate bowl and mix until everything is well combined. The final texture should be light and fluffy. When the cake is finished, let it completely cool down before frosting. Finally, frost your cake and top it off with crushed candy cane pieces.
Pigs in a Blanket Wreath
This classic party appetizer is known to be extremely versatile and loved by many— so why not make it Christmas themed? Although this is a savory recipe, the notes of baked dough, poppy seeds, and Dijon mustard make for a delightful, comforting scent.
Source: Delish
Ingredients
1 sheet crescent rolls
24 mini hot dogs (or alternative of choice)
¼ cups of Dijon mustard
1 egg
2 tsp poppy seeds
Rosemary sprigs (for decoration)
Dip of choice (for serving)
Start by preheating your oven to 375°F, and line a large baking pan with parchment paper. Slice the crescent rolls into thirds, cutting lengthwise. Brush all over the dough with Dijon mustard and place a mini hot dog on the thick end of each triangle. Next, roll up your “pigs” in their “blanket” and arrange them on the baking pan in a circle, making sure they are touching. In a small bowl, make an egg wash by mixing 1 egg with 2 tablespoons of water and coat the outside of the dough with the wash, sprinkling the poppy seeds on top. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown. Let cool for 20 minutes before decorating the outside with rosemary sprigs and serving with your dip of choice!
Chai and Ginger Snickerdoodles
Now that the weather is getting chillier, hot drinks are starting to make their annual comeback. What would pair better with a warm cup of winter goodness than a winter cookie? This recipe follows the traditional snickerdoodle recipe, but adds the components of chai and ginger, bringing the cookie to the next level.
Source: The Recipe Rebel
Ingredients
Cookies
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp chai spice
Rolling mixture
⅔ cup granulated sugar
1 ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
1 ¾ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp chai spice
Start by preheating your oven to 350°F. Add butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract to a bowl and mix ingredients together. Slowly mix flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and chai spice into the mixture until completely smooth. Place the dough into the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to firm up. In the meantime, create a rolling mixture with sugar, chai spice, cinnamon, and ginger in a small bowl. After the 30 minutes are up, take the dough and roll into small balls. Coat them in the rolling mixture and place the dough on a baking sheet. For chewy results, bake for 10-12 minutes, or 15-20 minutes for crunchy results.
Which recipe will you use to welcome holiday spirit into your home? Let us know in the comments.