4 Fun Christmas Treats!

Looking for ways to dress up those hum-drum Holiday treats? We found 4 cool and fun ways to make those treats more festive!

Christmas Vanilla Roll Cake via Roxana's

Christmas Mice via Merry Stockings

Christmas Candy Train via Paper Turtle

Snowman Treat Jars via Sparkles and a Stove

Which one is your favorite? I love the Christmas Mice because they are so cute!

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Decadent & Delicious Chocolate Holiday Desserts

This holiday season, surprise your friends and family with decadent Italian chocolate desserts. Viola Buitoni, legacy and third generation of the famed pasta and chocolate family, has created several original recipes for the holiday season made with Italy’s beloved Baci Perugina confections. Baci means “kisses” in Italian and each chocolate contains a special message of love that hugs the individual confection. Baci feature a silky, dark chocolate exterior that envelopes gianduia, a sensuous whipped chocolate filling blended with finely chopped hazelnuts, then topped with a whole hazelnut.

Delirio di Baci alla Luisa

Baci and Luisa chocolate tart

for a 10” tart mold

for the crust:

3 tablespoons sugar

pinch of salt

1 stick softened butter

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 pound flour

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

for the filling:

1 bar Perugina Luisa Dark (51%) chocolate

8 Baci

1 and 1/2 cup cream

2 tablespoons sugar

2 large eggs

Combine the sugar, salt, butter, yolk and vanilla in the mixer bowl and start on medium.

In the meantime, sift the flour and cocoa together. Pour the flour and cocoa into the

mixer bowl. Turn up the speed and let it come together into big crumbs. Press into a

ball, wrap tightly and let rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Roughly chop the chocolate bar and the Baci and melt them in a double boiler. Heat the

cream until almost boiling and pour over the melted chocolate.

Stir until the color is uniform and mix in the sugar while it is still hot so that it dissolves

completely. Let cool slightly. Lightly beat the eggs and set aside.

In the meantime, line the tart mold with parchment paper. Preheat the oven at 350°F.

Roll out the crust to about 1/2” thick and unroll onto the mold. Press it down gently and

eliminate the overhanging pieces.

Quickly whisk the beaten eggs into the chocolate cream and pour the filling into the

chocolate shell. The filling will appear quite liquid.

Use the crust cuttings to make a decoration along the border of the tart. Place the tart

on a sheet pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until soft but set and not jiggly.

Pere ripiene di Baci e amaretti in crosta  

Baci and amaretti filled pears wrapped in pastry crust

by Viola Buitoni

for each 2 juicy and very ripe small to medium pears:

3 Baci

3 amaretti cookies

1 tablespoon Amaretto liqueur

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1 dose pastry crust (see recipes below)

1 egg

1/2 Perugina Luisa Dark (51%) chocolate bar

1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts or almonds

Finely chop the Baci and crumble the amaretti cookies. Mix the 2 together and toss with

the Amaretto and sugar.

Peel the pears and cut them in half. Using a melon baller, carefully scoop out the core

to make a small hollow on each half.

Fill the hollows with the chocolates and cookies mixture and recompose each pear by

reuniting two halves.

Roll the pastry crust to about 1/2” and carefully wrap each pear with it. If you are

inclined to do so, you can make some decorations resembling leaves and a stem.

Beat the egg and brush the pastry crust with it. Carefully place the wrapped pears on a

cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden. Let cool

completely before serving.

When ready to serve, melt the Perugina Luisa in a double boiler and finely chop the

nuts. Place each pear on a plate, top with the melted chocolate and sprinkle with the

nuts. Serve right away before the chocolate hardens.

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