10 Red Hot Holiday Trends

The Betty 10

What makes a trend red hot? When it’s exciting, it’s fresh, and making its mark from coast to coast. From the DIY craze to the rise of beer and bacon, the food trends that made Betty Crocker's red hot list are each very different, but have one thing in common – they’ll get you excited about food.

Here are my three favorites.

Indian Spiced Mini Donut Muffins

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Start to Finish: 40 Minutes

1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup butter, melted

1. Heat oven to 350° F. Grease 24 mini muffin cups.

2. In large bowl, beat 1/3 cup butter, 1/2 cup sugar and the egg with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and ginger. Add alternately with milk to butter mixture. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.

3. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Remove from pan.

4. In large food-storage plastic bag, mix 1 cup sugar, the cinnamon, garam masala and cardamom. Roll hot muffins in melted butter, then toss in sugar mixture to coat. Serve warm.
24 mini muffins

Salted Chocolate Almond Fudge

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Start to Finish: 2 Hours 30 Minutes

1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 can (6 oz) coarsely chopped smoked almonds
1 bag (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
1 cup milk chocolate chips (6 oz)
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1 cup chopped dried cherries
1/2 teaspoon Fleur de Sel sea salt, if desired

1. Line cookie sheet with foil. Line 8-inch square pan with foil.

2. In 8-inch nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Stir in brown sugar, and cook until bubbly. Cook 1 minute longer, stirring occasionally. Add almonds; stir to coat. Spread almonds on cookie sheet. Cool completely, about 15 minutes. Break into small pieces.

3. In large microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave 1 minute longer. Add almonds and dried cherries; stir until blended.

4. Spread evenly in 8-inch square pan. Sprinkle with salt. Refrigerate about 2 hours until firm. Cut into 6 rows by 6 rows. Store covered at room temperature.
36 pieces

Snickerdoodle Cookie Cocktail

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Start to Finish: 1 Hour 10 Minutes

Cinnamon Simple Syrup:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 cinnamon sticks
Snickerdoodle Cookie Cocktail:
1 oz Cinnamon Simple Syrup (2 tablespoons)
1 oz vanilla vodka (2 tablespoons)
1 oz half-and-half (2 tablespoons)
1/2 oz white crème de cacao (1 tablespoon)
Cinnamon-sugar

1. To make Cinnamon Simple Syrup, mix sugar, water and cinnamon sticks in 1-quart saucepan. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; set aside 1 hour to cool. Discard cinnamon sticks. Pour syrup into glass jar. Cover jar, and refrigerate until needed. Makes 1 1/4 cups.

2. To prepare cocktail, fill cocktail shaker with ice. Add 1 ounce cinnamon simple syrup, vodka, half-and-half and creme de cacao; cover and shake. Strain into cocktail glass. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.
1 cocktail (1/2 cup)
Tip: You can purchase cinnamon-sugar or to make your own combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

To view the rest of the 10 Red Hot Holiday Trends, click on the badge to left. There is cupcake poppers, mancakes, sweet swirl marshmallows and more! Let me know what your favorites are!