Best Noel Nuts Recipes

EASY CHRISTMAS PECAN BALLS

Steps:

• Put all ingredients except powdered sugar into a large bowl.
• Mix thoroughly by hand, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350° F. Roll cookies by hand into 1-inch balls.
• Place on ungreased or parchment-lined cookie sheet an inch apart.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until set but not brown.
• Let stand on cookie sheet about 2 minutes, then gently roll each one gently in powdered sugar. Let cookies cool.
• Once they cool (15-20 minutes), roll again (gently) in powdered sugar. Store loosely covered.

NOEL BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Beat eggs and vanilla together in mixing bowl. Add in brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt and walnuts. Mix until well blended.
• Melt the butter in a 9-inch square pan. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until firm to the touch.
• While bars are still hot, loosen with a spatula and turn out onto wax paper, buttered side up. Dust with confectioners' sugar while warm and cut into squares.

BUCHE DE NOEL

Steps:

• For the walnut biscuit:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a half sheet pan, line with parchment paper, butter the paper and dust with flour. Whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Beat in both sugars and whip to a stiff, glossy meringue. Alternately fold the cake flour and egg yolks into the meringue in 3 batches, starting and ending with the flour. Fold in the nuts. Spread the batter evenly in the pan, and bake until the cake is pale gold, the center springs back when you press it lightly with your finger, and the edges start to pull from the sides of the pan, 10 to 12 minutes. ;
• For the pastry cream:
• Whisk the yolks, cornstarch, and the 40 grams sugar in a medium bowl; the mixture will be very thick, but try to whisk enough to remove most of the lumps. Put the 75 grams sugar in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until dark brown; don't worry if it crystallizes a bit. Turn the heat to low and whisk in the maple syrup, then whisk in the whisky, turn up the heat, and let simmer for 1 to 2 minutes to boil off the alcohol. Whisk the milk and vanilla bean scrapings into the caramel mixture and bring to simmer. Slowly whisk about half of the hot mixture into the yolks, then whisk that mixture back into the pot, bring to a boil, whisking, and cook, still whisking, until thickened. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, salt and maple extract. Pour into a shallow dish, press plastic wrap onto the surface, and chill until set and very cold, about 4 hours. Beat the cold pastry cream in a standing mixer until smooth. When ready to use, whip the cream until it is very stiff, then beat into the pastry cream. Chill until ready to use. ;
• For the buttercream:
• Put the sugar in a medium pot and add enough water just to moisten; use your fingers to wet the sugar evenly. Bring to a boil. While the sugar is heating, start beating the yolks and egg in a standing mixer with the whisk attachment. When the syrup reaches about 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer (softball stage), pour it into the yolks with the mixer still running, taking care not to pour it onto the whisk. Beat until cooled to room temperature. Beat in the whisky and the maple extract. Cream the butter in another mixing bowl using the paddle attachment. Beat in the cooled egg mixture until smooth. You can use it right away, or chill it overnight; if you chill it, rebeat when you are ready to assemble the cake. ;
• For the sugared cranberries:
• Have a cookie sheet or shallow dish and a slotted spoon next to the stove. Put the sugar in a medium pot and add enough water just to moisten; use your fingers to wet the sugar evenly. Add the cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, add the cranberries, and immediately pull from the heat. Transfer the cranberries to the cookie sheet with the slotted spoon. Cool. ;
• For the maple tuiles:
• Cream the butter, maple syrup, vanilla bean scrapings and salt until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat in egg whites until smooth. Beat in the flour. Let the batter rest and hour or so at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before baking. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with a silpat. Using a stencil, smear the batter thinly on the silpat and bake until dark golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the pan while still warm. If you want to shape the cookies, put them over a bottle or rolling pin while warm; let cool. If desired, brush lightly with luster dust. ;
• Assembly:
• Turn the cooled cake onto a piece of parchment or waxed paper with a long side near you. Spread the chilled pastry cream evenly over the surface, leaving a 2-inch border across from you. Using the parchment paper to lift, roll the cake as tightly as possible. Set seam side down on a platter or large pan, and chill for an hour or so. Frost the cake with the buttercream, smoothing the surface so it looks like bark. Decorate with candied cranberries, walnuts, orange peel, and tuiles. ;

BUCHE DE NOEL

Steps:

• To make the buttercream: Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Set the bowl over simmering water and whisk gently until the sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are hot. Attach the bowl to the mixer and whip with the whisk on medium speed until cooled. Switch to the paddle and beat in the softened butter and continue beating until the buttercream is smooth. Dissolve the instant coffee in the liquor and beat into the buttercream.
• Turn the genoise layer over and peel away the paper. Invert onto a fresh piece of paper. Spread the layer with half the buttercream. Use the paper to help you roll the cake into a tight cylinder Transfer to baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until set. Reserve the remaining buttercream for the outside of the buche.
• To make the marzipan: Combine the almond paste and 1 cup of the sugar in the bowl of the electric mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on low speed until the sugar is almost absorbed. Add the remaining 1 cup sugar and mix until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add half the corn syrup, then continue mixing until a bit of the marzipan holds together when squeezed, adding additional corn syrup a little at a time, as necessary; the marzipan in the bowl will still appear crumbly. Transfer the marzipan to a work surface and knead until smooth.
• To make marzipan mushrooms: Roll 1/3 of the marzipan into a 6-inch long cylinder and cut into 1-inch lengths. Roll half the lengths into balls. Press the remaining cylindrical lengths (stems) into the balls (caps) to make mushrooms. Smudge with cocoa powder. To make holly leaves: Knead green color into 1/2 the remaining marzipan and roll it into a long cylinder. Flatten with the back of a spoon, then loosen it from the surface with a spatula. Cut into diamonds to make leaves, or use a cutter.
• To make holly berries: Knead red color into a tiny piece of marzipan. Roll into tiny balls.
• To make pine cones, knead cocoa powder into the remaining marzipan. Divide in half and form into 2 cone shapes. Slash the sides of cones with the points of a pair of scissors.
• Unwrap the cake. Trim the ends on the diagonal, starting the cuts about 2 inches away from each end. Position the larger cut piece on the buche about 2/3 across the top. Cover the buche with the reserved buttercream, making sure to curve around the protruding stump. Streak the buttercream with a fork or decorating comb to resemble bark. Transfer the buche to a platter and decorate with the marzipan. Sprinkle the platter and buche sparingly with confectioners' sugar "snow."
• Storage: Keep at cool room temperature. Cover leftovers loosely and keep at room temperature.
• Set rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
• Half-fill a medium saucepan with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat so the water is simmering.
• Whisk the eggs, yolks, salt, and sugar together in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Place over the pan of simmering water and whisk gently until the mixture is just lukewarm, about 100 degrees (test with your finger). Attach the bowl to the mixer and with the whisk attachment, whip on medium-high speed until the egg mixture is cooled (touch the outside of the bowl to tell) and tripled in volume.
• While the eggs are whipping, stir together the flour, cornstarch, and cocoa.
• Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture over the beaten eggs. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture, making sure to scrape all the way to the bottom of the bowl on every pass through the batter to prevent the flour mixture from accumulating there and making lumps. Repeat with another 1/3 of the flour mixture and finally with the remainder.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake the genoise for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until well risen, deep and firm to the touch. (Make sure the cake doesn't overbake and become too dry, or it will be hard to roll.)
• Use a small paring knife to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan. Invert the cake onto a rack and let the cake cool right side up on the paper. Remove the paper when the cake is cool.
• Storage: Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several days, or double-wrap and freeze for up to a month.

ORANGE-WALNUT BUCHE DE NOEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Coat a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper. Spray and flour parchment, tapping off excess; set aside. In a food processor, pulse walnuts and flour until coarsely ground; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk egg yolks with 5 tablespoons sugar until thick and pale. Beat in vanilla. In a clean mixing bowl fitted with a clean whisk, beat egg whites with salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 5 tablespoons sugar, beating until stiff (but not dry) glossy peaks form. Fold egg whites into yolk mixture in 3 equal batches, and add walnut mixture with last batch.
• Spread batter evenly on prepared baking sheet. Bake until top is golden and springs back when touched, about 30 minutes. Run a small, sharp knife around edges of cake; invert cake onto a clean kitchen towel dusted with confectioners' sugar. Peel off parchment paper. Starting at a short side, gently roll the cake into a log, incorporating towel. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Reserve 1 1/2 cups mascarpone filling. Unroll cake and spread remaining filling on top, leaving a 1/2-inch border on all sides. Carefully reroll cake (without towel). Arrange, seam-side down, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a serrated knife, trim ends of log. Spread reserved filling over log. Working quickly, arrange chocolate bark all over log, overlapping pieces slightly. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. Garnish with acorns and leaves, if desired; dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

NOEL NUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 225°F.
• Beat the egg and water till frothy.
• Add the nuts and mix till well coated.
• Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
• bake for 1 hour.
• Stir every 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and cool completely.
• This can be stored in a airtight container for up to 4 wks.