sweet + simple cheeseboard ft. castello

 

do you want to know what my favourite part of the many holiday gatherings are (hint: it isn't the desserts).. the cheeseboards!!!! oh how much i LOVE the cheeseboards. i could literally eat it as the main course & call it a day. my family being the italians we are is all about putting several different cheesy appetizer platters together over the christmas season. i think my sister wins when it comes to who eats the most cheese off the platters.. if she could put the whole brick of cheese on her plate she most definitely would. anyways, i am so excited to be teaming up with Castello this season to share two of my own cheeseboard pairings with you! one sweet & one savoury. this is my sweet & simple cheeseboard. it is made with mild, softer Castello cheeses & paired with different fruits + nuts.

the first thing i decide on when putting together the platter is the assortment of cheese i will include of course! for this board i went with Castello's brie cheese & Castello's extra creamy danish blue. brie is a softer mild white cheese. i don't think i have ever met a single person who doesn't love brie cheese, so this is always a must. brie pairs well with honey, jam, grapes & dried apricots. i provided a variety of toppings for the cheeseboard so my guests can explore different flavour combinations & textures. the extra creamy danish blue is a milder blue cheese that contains extra fresh cream. this richer (but milder) blue cheese is an ideal accompaniment for the fruits + nuts. i also included almonds & candied walnuts that i make myself, they make the best snack and compliment this cheeseboard perfectly!

i hope you enjoy my sweet & simple cheeseboard! below is the ingredient list for this board, including the recipe for my candied walnuts. check back in a few weeks when i share my savoury bold & blue cheeseboard platter, you won't want to miss it!

ingredients

for the cheeseboard

for the candied nuts

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 pinch of cinnamon
  • 1 cup whole walnuts or whole pecans (or a mix of both)

directions

for the cheeseboard

  • place the brie & blue cheese onto desired cheeseboard. arranged all other ingredients around it & garnish with fresh sage if desired.

for the candied nuts

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • in a sauce pan over medium-low heat add sugar, honey, water, salt & cinnamon. bring to a boil & cook for a couple minutes to ensure the sugar has dissolved.
  • remove from heat & stir in walnuts & pecans. transfer nuts to a lined cookie sheet & bake for 10-15 minutes, tossing in between.
  • remove from heat & let cool to room temperature. store left over in a sealed jar.

this post was created in partnership with Castello cheese! thank you for supporting the brands that keep me doing what i love. xo

italian butter ball cookies

 

around the holiday's A LOT of cookies go in & out of my oven! i am sure we can all agree with that. while i usually make a more traditional cookie like gingerbread & sugar cookies, my mom makes these italian butterball cookies. they are so buttery & delicious with just a hint of sweetness from the powdered sugar dusting. i call them snowball cookies because that is exactly what they look like to me, one big buttery snowball! yum. plus, when you are done making them your kitchen is covered in snow.. errr powdered sugar. i swear, everytime i just touch a bag of powdered sugar it explodes everywhere.

today i am teaming up with wayfair for the #guestwiththebest campaign they are hosting to bring you the perfect edible holiday gift! because you should never show up to a party empty handed, i always make it my job to bring a dessert as my hostess gift. it gives the hostess one less thing to worry about & they can snack on all the leftover cookies once everyone is gone (if there are any left)! these cookies are also great for a cookie swap exchange party! check out wayfair for more hostess gift ideas & for cute ways to package up these cookies!

ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup icing sugar + more for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 pinch of nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup raw walnuts, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon water

directions

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • in the bowl of a standmixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter & icing sugar until fluffly.
  • add in the vanilla followed by the flour, sea salt & nutmeg.
  • fold in the walnuts & add the water if dough seems a bit crumbly.
  • roll into bite sized rounds & bake for 12-15 minutes.
  • let cool to touch & roll in the additional powdered sugar.
  • sample one (or two) & package up for your next holiday party host!

red velvet cupcakes + white chocolate buttercream

 

now that halloween is done all i can think about is christmas & all the baking i plan to do! one of the treats that is always at the top of my list are red velvet cupcakes & cake. the deep red colour reminds me of the holidays & the richness of them is totally a winter comfort food. i have made red velvet so many times (one year i did a red velvet cheesecake, probably the most work i have ever put into one dessert) but something was ALWAYS missing from the recipe. that true red velvet taste i long for. that all changed when i came across the red velvet bakery emulsion from lorannoils. it is seriously genius! i can't get enough of it. it gives an extra boost of the red velvet flavour we crave & provides the rich colouring as well so you don't have to go through containers of red food colouring to get the right colour.

does any one else buy the primary food colouring pack & use the red up instantly? i have so many yellow, green & blue food colouring bottles in my pantry! the green only seems to come in handy around st. patrick's day. now this recipe can certainly be made into an 8-inch cake if you double it, but for festive gatherings i think cupcakes make so much more sense. people get to grab what they want & serve themselves! easy for the hostess & guest. plus, you get way more frosting if you pipe cupcakes as high as i do. when white chocolate is involved, you best not be skimpy! if you think red velvet cake must have cream cheese frosting, then try infusing some white chocolate into your favourite cream cheese frosting recipe too. just trust me & add that white chocolate.

ingredients

for the red velvet cake (makes one dozen)

  • 2 cups cake flour, sifted
  • 1 heaping tablespoon dutch processed cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup raw sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 3/4 cup full fat buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon two-fold madagascar vanilla extract by lorannoils
  • 1 tablespoon red velvet bakery emulsion by lorannoils

for the white chocolate buttercream

directions

for the red velvet cake (makes one dozen)

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • in a large mixing bowl sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda & salt. set aside.
  • in the bowl of a standmixer cream the butter & sugar. add the eggs one at a time followed by the oil & cider vinegar.
  • rotate between adding in the buttermilk & the flour mixture until combined.
  • finish off with the vanilla extract & red velvet emulsion.
  • evenly distribute amongst lined cupcake tins. bake for fifteen minutes or until the cake bounces back to touch.
  • let cool completely before frosting, about thirty minutes.

for the white chocolate buttercream

  • in the bowl of a standmixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter & white chocolate until smooth.
  • add the icing sugar one cup at a time & beat until light + fluffy.
  • finish off by adding in the vanilla.
  • frost cupcakes as desired & sprinkle with a touch of red sugar.

this post was created in partnership with LorAnn Oils. they make the best extracts + emulsions available. i will never make red velvet anything without the red velvet bakery emulsion again! find the featured two-fold madagascar vanilla extract here & the red velvet emulsion here. thank you for supporting the brands that keep hey modest marce up & running! xo