Alright, so I wanted to get into the holiday spirit and try my hand at some Southern Christmas desserts. I’ve always been a fan of Southern food, but I’ve never really tried making the desserts. Let me tell you, it was an adventure!
Getting Started
First off, I had to decide what to make. There are so many options! I ended up picking three classics: a pecan pie, a red velvet cake, and some good ol’ fashioned gingerbread cookies. Sounded simple enough, right? Ha!
The Pecan Pie Fiasco
I started with the pecan pie. Now, I’ve made pies before, but this was my first time tackling a pecan pie. I found a recipe online that seemed pretty straightforward. Mixing the filling was easy peasy – just some eggs, sugar, corn syrup, and a whole bunch of pecans. But the crust…oh, the crust.
I tried making it from scratch, like the recipe said. Let’s just say it wasn’t my finest moment. It was either too crumbly or too sticky. After a couple of failed attempts, I gave in and bought a pre-made crust. Hey, no shame in that game!
Anyway, I poured the filling into the crust and popped it in the oven. The smell was amazing, filling up the whole kitchen. But when I took it out, it was a bit…soupy. I guess I didn’t bake it long enough. Into the oven it went again, and after a while, it finally looked right.
Red Velvet Redemption
Next up was the red velvet cake. This one I was a little nervous about. I mean, it’s such a beautiful cake, and I didn’t want to mess it up. I followed the recipe carefully, making sure to add plenty of red food coloring. It made quite a mess, my hands were stained red!
The cake batter came together nicely, and soon I had two beautiful red layers baking in the oven. While those cooled, I made the cream cheese frosting. That stuff is dangerous – I could eat it by the spoonful!
Assembling the cake was the fun part. I slathered frosting between the layers and all over the outside. It looked pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.
Gingerbread Fun
Last but not least, the gingerbread cookies. These were the most fun to make. I used a simple recipe and cut the dough into all sorts of shapes – stars, trees, little gingerbread men. It was a real workout rolling all that dough.
Baking them was quick, and then came the best part – decorating! I made some royal icing and got to work. Let’s just say my decorating skills are…not professional. But hey, they were colorful and fun!
The Taste Test
Finally, it was time to try everything. The pecan pie was sweet and nutty, though maybe a tad too sweet from that extra bake time. The red velvet cake was moist and delicious, the cream cheese frosting was the perfect complement. And the gingerbread cookies? Well, they were crunchy and full of spice – perfect for dunking in milk.
- Pecan Pie: Sweet and nutty, but a bit overbaked.
- Red Velvet Cake: Moist, delicious, and beautiful.
- Gingerbread Cookies: Crunchy, spicy, and fun to decorate.
All in all, it was a fun and delicious experience. I definitely learned a lot, and I’m already planning what Southern desserts to try next. Maybe I will do a better job with my pecan pie crust next time. Maybe.
