Easy Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board

A charcuterie board has never been so fun to make! Everything you get in a traditional charcuterie board shaped into a festive Christmas tree!

It's simple to assemble, it just takes a little bit of chopping and some basic artistic planning.

This is a family friendly charcuterie board and it's adaptable to swapping out some of the things I've shown here for things you may already have. The idea is just to stick to that simple red, green, and white/yellow theme for those classic Christmas colors. Then of course just keep the "Christmas tree" shape as you go.

A delicious holiday project that may just become a new family tradition at each yearly holiday gathering!

Shortbread Cookies with Lemon and White Chocolate!

Talk about perfect flavor pairing for cookies! Tangy zippy lemon with sweet vanilla white chocolate to balance it out.

Everyone who tasted these loved them and of course I was totally smitten! It was one of those treats that was hard to photograph without sneaking bite after bite.

Most holiday cookie trays consist of classics like peanut butter blossoms, chocolate crinkle cookies, gingerbread cookies, peppermint cookies and sugar cookies but I'm thinking lemon cookies definitely deserve a place there. Who doesn't love lemon?

Plus lemons are in season right now so what better time to make these delicious lemony cookies?

Cannoli Cones

If you've been following my blog for a few years then by now you've probably figured out I'm obsessed with cannoli. It is one of the worlds best desserts!

I've shared the classic Cannoli, Cannoli Bites (mini baked version), Cannoli Dip, Cannoli Cupcakes, Cannoli Cream Puffs, and even Cannoli Ice Cream. And now it's about time I shared a simplified easier/cheater version.

I've always loved sugar cones so I knew I'd be a big fan of these. Plus they aren't fried so that means I get to eat two right :)??

Pistachio Cupcakes

My husband labeled these as one of the best cupcakes he's ever eaten and I'd have to say I'm a huge fan myself!

They remind me so much of a good pistachio ice cream (one of my favorite flavors) and I love that they are perfectly soft and tender.

Plus that buttercream is what dreams are made of! If like pistachios don't pass these by! They're such a decadently delicious cupcake!

Anytime I make cannoli anything I have the hardest time limiting myself. When it comes to cannoli, it's almost as if there can be no limits. The heavenly sweetened ricotta, combined with the irresistibly creamy mascarpone makes for a filling like none other. It's so simple yet so complexly enticing.

Yes, this would have been a great post for December with all the cookie exchanges going on but now it's January and aren't you missing all the holiday baking? I say, it most definitely doesn't have to end. Why not keep such a great thing going, right?

Black and White Cookies with Pistachios

With my love of Italian food, I decided to add a fancy Italian spin on the traditional black and white cookies you see in every New York bakery. I added salted pistachios, vanilla beans, and freeze-dried strawberries which not only add delicious flavors, but bold and beautiful colors to the contemporary black-and-white, half chocolate and half vanilla pattern. I think some fine sea salt and almond extract would be another great remix of ingredients.

The strawberries are optional, as you can see I didn't add it to all of mine but it definitely adds one more layer of bold, fruity flavor, which of course is the perfect compliment to any type of chocolate. I choose unsweetened chocolate or more bitter varieties to balance the sweet frosting and cookie, but you can go with milk chocolate if you love the sweetness.

You can also make some with only strawberries on one half and leave the other half moon plain, which would be perfect for Valentine's Day coming up.

Make these Cannoli Bites. Devour these Cannoli Bites. That is all I have to say. Okay not really all I have to say because these are my dream dessert, I have such a soft spot for Italian and French pastries so, really I have plenty to say about these.

First of all, the cups for these are made from a cannoli dough (I made it a bit thicker than I would for a cannoli shell that would be wrapped around a flute and fried, simply so it could hold it's shape a little better). The cups are baked in mini muffin cups, not fried.

So, to add a bit of that fried flavor I sprayed them with vegetable oil before baking (so I suppose if you want to be a bit healthier you could leave it off, but I think it's nearly a must).

I'm not a traditional cannoli filling kind of person, I need a cannoli filling with Mascarpone to be completely satisfied with this dessert. There is just so much Mascarpone has to offer that Ricotta doesn't, so whenever I make cannoli anything I always use a combo of both. Mascarpone is probably the best cheese this world has to offer. Okay along with cheddar, I am American. It's like cream cheese meets royalty.

It's utterly creamy texture and delicate sweetness is something no other can imitate. I'd call it the cheese of Heaven. Anyways, yes cannoli needs Mascarpone but it is not the most traditional way. Another cannoli must I'd say is some form of chocolate.

Whether you dip the shells in chocolate or sprinkle these with mini chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate or even chocolate curls), please don't leave the chocolate out.

And If you really want to make these fancy, dip and coat the shells with pistachios. It makes them not only irresistibly decadent but also pistachio cannolis are such an Italian classic.

If you have sweet Marsala wine on hand you can use that in place of the juice and vinegar (so just omit both of those and replace it with 1/2 cup Marsala wine).

Take these to your next party and they may likely become the highlight of the gathering. I don't care who's there or what awaits for dinner, I just want cannoli bites =). Enjoy!

The flavors of classic Italian foods always inspire me. Italian dishes are often full of gorgeous colors and deliciously fresh, mouth-watering appeal (I often think of reds - the tomato it's a given, and greens - fresh herbs and pistachios). All it takes is one split second, longing glance and I want it, I suddenly must have it (or so my stubborn mind says).

I also love the classic Italian color combination of red, white, and green and I wanted to use it to go with some of the flavors I think of when I think of Italian food (specifically gelato, yum!). Not to mention these traditional Italian cookies are made every year for your Christmas cookie tray!

Italian Thumbprint Cookies