Bigelow Tea Has New Holiday Recipes, Sure To Become Old Favorites!

Holiday times often include gatherings among friends and family – and lot’s of food! While the traditional treats can be delightful, Bigelow Tea has some great ideas to jazz things up a bit.

Whether you are baking cookies, mixing the party punch, or thinking about breakfast in bed – Bigelow Tea has delicious tea-inspired recipes sure to please your crowd of one-to-many.

Bigelow Tea’s Vanilla Drop Cookies combine cookie favorites with whipped cream and French Vanilla Bigelow Tea for a new twist on a simple favorite. Our Raspberry Holiday Punch includes just enough zing from cranberries, along with lemon-lime and ginger ale and Bigelow Red Raspberry Herbal Tea for a delightfully flavorful holiday beverage.  When the event is more intimate, like brunch or breakfast in bed, what could be better than Bigelow Tea’s Vanilla & Cinnamon Baked Challah French Toast, with Bigelow® Cinnamon Stick^TM Tea! Part of what makes this French toast so good is the cream cheese squares – yum!

All three recipes are below and online, so invite some friends (or not!) and whip up some NEW fun holiday recipes with Bigelow Tea! Keep the recipes handy; they are likely to become old favorites in short order.

Vanilla Drop Cookies

Ingredients:

¼ cup (60mL) whipping cream
6 Bigelow® French Vanilla tea bags
½ cup (125mL) butter, softened
1 teaspoon (5mL) vanilla
1 cup (250mL) sugar
1 egg
1 ½ cup (375mL) flour, sifted
½ teaspoon (2.5mL) salt
1 teaspoon (5mL) baking powder

Yield: Makes 2 dozen – Prep time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes

Instructions:

1.       Heat cream in microwave for 1 minute or until it comes to a low boil. Remove from microwave and add tea bags. Let steep for 5 minutes. Squeeze bags of excess cream and set aside.

2.       Cream butter with vanilla and sugar until light and creamy. Add egg and beat until incorporated.

3.       Sift flour, salt and baking powder. Add flour mixture and cream alternately. Mix well between additions.

4.       Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease cookie sheet. Drop cookies, using a teaspoon, onto greased cookie sheet. Bake in oven for 15 minutes.

5.       Cool on cookie sheet.

Raspberry Holiday Punch

Ingredients:

2 cups Cranberry Juice or Cran-Raspberry Juice
Juice of 1/2 lime
2 cups Ginger Ale or Lemon Lime Soda
Sherbet (Raspberry or Lime)

1 quart (4 cups) Bigelow Red Raspberry Herbal Tea chilled

Yield: Makes 18 – 4oz. servings.

Instructions:

1.       Raspberry Holiday Punch Mix together all ingredients (except soda and sherbert) in punch bowl. Just before serving, add soda slowly to punch bowl and stir gently. Add ice and garnish with fresh lime slices and sherbert.

2.       **Either Bigelow Red Raspberry Herbal Iced Tea or Bigelow Red Raspberry hot tea bags can be used in the preparation of this recipe. For iced tea, prepare according to directions on the box. For the hot tea bags prepare according to package directions to make iced tea using 6-8 tea bags per 32 ounces boiling water. Prepare ahead of time and chill.

Optional Garnish: A frozen decorative ring!

You’ll need:

1 round fluted pan (Bundt, tube pan, gelatin mold)
Fresh Fruit
Water

1.       Fill bottom 1/3 of pan with water and freeze until firm. Add fresh or thawed raspberries around pan, alternating with lime slices*; freeze an additional 15-30 minutes or until semi-firm; Add remaining water and freeze until set.

2.       To remove ring from container, gently dip in hot water to release edges. Remove and place ring in punch bowl.

*Can use orange, lemon or any fruit you want to accentuate.

Vanilla & Cinnamon Baked Challah French Toast

Ingredients

12 slices of Challah bread, cut in half on the diagonal
½ cup of hot water
3 Bigelow® Cinnamon Stick^TM Tea Bags and 2 Bigelow® French Vanilla Tea Bags
6 eggs
1 cup skim milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 – 8 oz package cream cheese, cut into small cubes
Non-stick cooking spray (preferably plain or butter flavor)

Yield: Serves 6-8

Instructions:

1.       This do-ahead dish makes a perfect breakfast for overnight guests. It can be completely assembled the night before, and will bake while you’re brewing the morning tea. Serve with a fresh fruit salad for a delicious start to your day.

2.       Lightly coat the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

3.       Steep 5 tea bags in ½ cup of water for 5 minutes, and allow to cool slightly.

4.       In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs and salt. Add cooled tea and whisk to combine.

5.       Arrange a layer of Challah bread in the prepared baking dish, and evenly distribute half of the cream cheese cubes on top.

6.       Add a second layer of Challah bread, and slowly pour egg mixture over the top, allowing it to completely soak all the bread.

7.       Top with remaining cream cheese cubes, cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight (or at least 2 hours).

8.       The next morning, remove from refrigerator and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

9.       Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the dish is completely set and lightly browned.

10.   Cut into squares and serve with maple syrup if desired.