Mini-Desserts Pumpkin Truffles • Turkey Cupcakes • Apple Pie Bars

FOOD

Mini-desserts that can delight guests of all ages

Pie is a must, but just like wedding cake, it doesn’t have to be the only dessert on the table. Pack as many treats as possible into your Thanksgiving spread with these recipes for mini Thanksgiving treats. This way everyone gets a little taste of everything. Or, if you go overboard on the savory stuff, you can still have dessert without feeling too full!

Turkey Cupcakes

By Kat Boytsova

Yields: 2 Dozen

Ingredients

1 box chocolate cake mix, plus ingredients called for on box 1 1/3 c. (2 sticks and 5 1/3 tbsp.) butter, softened 5 1/3 c. powdered sugar 2/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 4 tbsp. heavy cream Pinch kosher salt Pretzels, for decorating Candy corn, for decorating M&Ms, for decorating Candy eyes, for decorating

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º and line two 12-cup muffin tins with black cupcake liners. Prepare cupcake batter according to package directions. 2. Scoop cupcake batter into liners and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 22 minutes. Let cool completely. 3. In a large bowl using a hand mixer (or the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment), beat butter until fluffy. Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder and beat until combined, then add vanilla, heavy cream, and salt and beat until combined. (If you desire a thinner consistency, add 1 more tablespoon cream.) 4. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a ½” round tip with frosting. Frost cupcakes, making 1 larger frosting dollop for the body and 1 smaller one on top for the face. 5. Place 2 pretzels on the backside of the cupcake for the tail then arrange 4 candy corn pieces in front of them to finish the tail. Place another candy corn on the smaller dollop for the beak and 3 brown M&Ms on each side for the wings. 6. Finish the turkey cupcake by placing 2 candy eyes above the beak.

Pumpkin Truffles

By Sally Quinn

Yields: 35

Ingredients

For Center 2 oz. full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature 2 tbsp. powdered sugar 1/3 c. pumpkin puree

Pumpkin Truffles Turkey Cupcakes Apple Pie Bars

1-3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 4 oz. white chocolate, coarsely chopped For Topping 10 oz. semi-sweet or white chocolate, coarsely chopped Extra graham cracker crumbs (optional) cinnamon (optional) sugar (optional)

Directions

1. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar together until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add pumpkin and beat on high until combined. Add graham cracker crumbs, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and melted chocolate, and beat on medium speed until everything is combined, about 2 minutes. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Chilling is mandatory. 2. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside. 3. Begin rolling chilled mixture into balls (about 1 teaspoon per ball) and place balls on baking sheets. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. 4. Begin melting chocolate when balls are just about finished chilling, using a double boiler or the microwave. If using the microwave: place chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl and melt in 30-second increments, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Let warm chocolate sit for 5 minutes to slightly cool before dipping. 5. Remove balls from refrigerator and dip them in chocolate. Place balls back onto baking sheet after you dip each one, then top dipped truffles with a sprinkle of graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, or sugar (if desired). Allow chocolate to completely set in refrigerator.

Apple Pie Bars

By Makinze Gore Ingredients

For the Crust Cooking spray 1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened 1/2 c. granulated sugar 1/4 c. packed brown sugar 2-1/2 c. all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp. kosher salt For the Filling 6 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced Juice of 1/2 lemon 1/2 c. packed brown sugar 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1/2 tsp. kosher salt For the Topping 1-1/2 c. all-purpose flour 1 c. chopped pecans 1 c. packed brown sugar 1/2 tsp. kosher salt 3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted Caramel, for serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° and line a 9”-x-13” pan with parchment then grease with cooking spray. In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add flour and salt and mix until just combined. Press into prepared pan about 1/2” up sides. Bake until lightly golden, 20 minutes. In a large bowl, toss apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt together. Spread apples over crust. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pecans, brown sugar, and salt. Stir in melted butter until coarse clumps form. Sprinkle crumb topping over apples and bake until top is golden and apples are soft, about 1 hour. Let cool at least 15 minutes then slice into squares and drizzle with caramel before serving.

For more recipes like these, visit Delish.com. 

ENTERTAINMENT

Party Like It’s 1999! — NYE Show: Prince Tribute by Prince Again

It doesn’t get more legendary than the music of Prince. When the iconic performer passed in 2016, the world mourned the loss of the multi-instrumentalist savant who was well ahead of his time musically.

Whether you were a fan of Prince’s irrevocable style, or only discovered his catalog after his passing, Prince Again is a show for all to enjoy — and the perfect event to celebrate New Year’s Eve!

Prince’s hits smashed the Billboard Charts and created memories for generations — after all, Prince penned arguably some of the best songs in music history; with tracks such as Little Red Corvette, 1999, Kiss, Cream, Diamonds & Pearls, I Wanna Be Your Lover and the iconic Purple Rain.

With no doubt that Prince Again will pay homage in a party fashion, audiences are guaranteed to be on their feet from start to finish. Fans will revisit and keep those purple memories alive along with creating new ones in deference to the Prince. Don your Raspberry Beret, recreate the magic of Prince live on your stage or at your special event and make a beeline for this fantastic live show which punches out all of the icon’s top numbers, dance moves and stagecraft with perfection.

You can see Prince Again live at The Canyon Santa Clarita on New Year’s Eve December 31st. Tickets are available online through AXS, over the phone at (888) 645-5006, and in person at the Canyon Santa Clarita box office. For more information, visit www. wheremusicmeetsthesoul.com. 