It’s easy to craft your own cranberry vodka infusion. Instead of vodka, you can use silver tequila, genever, Plymouth gin or a London gin with a low level of aromatics.

This recipe is courtesy Prairie Organic Spirits, which makes both organic gin and vodka (including cucumber-infused vodka) in Minnesota.

The vodka is handcrafted with single vintage organic corn. The line is certified organic by the USDA, which ensures that no genetically modified seeds, chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides are used. The price: just $19.99 for a 750 ml bottle.

RECIPE: CRANBERRY CLOVE INFUSED VODKA

Ingredients

1. POUR 1/3 of the vodka into a pitcher or a measuring cup with a spout and set aside.

2. FILL the empty bottle space with cranberries and cloves.

3. TOP OFF the bottle with the reserved vodka and tightly securing the cap.

4. STORE in the fridge or in dark, cool space for three to four days. Then, it’s ready to serve.
 
MORE INFUSED VODKA RECIPES

How about:

It’s easy to infuse vodka: Just add simple ingredient to the bottle. Photo courtesy Prairie Organic Spirits.

Download the pdfs at PrairieVodka.com.
  

If you want gingerbread for Christmas Eve but don’t want the chore of rolling out gingerbread men, these easy gingerbread cupcakes from Pillsbury will also delight.

The frosting is made from Biscoff Spread,* ground spice (spéculoos) cookies in a creamy base. In Europe, it’s called spéculoos spread.

The all-natural, nut-free spread is made of 57% ground spéculoos cookies (the national cookie of Belgium). And it is luscious.

Unless you have some relationship to Belgium, France or Holland—or fly Delta Airlines, where they are served as a snack—you may not have heard of spéculoos (SPECK-you-loose; in Dutch, it’s speculaas, pronounced SPECK-e-lahs) cookies. In the U.S. they have been sold as Dutch Windmill cookies.

You can find Biscoff Spread in the peanut butter section. Trader Joe’s carries a private label version called Cookie Butter.

Ingredients

 
For The Frosting

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Place a paper baking cup in each of 10 regular-size muffin cups.

2. BRING refrigerated cookie dough to room temperature (let stand on counter for about 10 minutes). Then break up in a large bowl. Add eggs and beat with electric mixer on medium speed until well combined and smooth. Spoon into baking cups.

3. BAKE 14 to 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean. Remove muffin cups from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile…

4. MAKE the frosting. Beat the butter and cookie butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar, whipping cream and salt until fluffy. Place in decorating bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe frosting on top of cooled cupcakes.

5. GARNISH with a gingersnap cookie.

 
*The name is a truncation of “biscuits for coffee.”

Here’s a tasty first course in Christmas colors. It’s one of the many recipes on TheAmazingAvocado.com.

RECIPE: ROASTED BEET, AVOCADO & GRANNY SMITH APPLE TOWERS

Ingredients For 6 Servings

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 375°F. WASH and scrub the beets. Pat dry.

3. CUT the avocados in half lengthwise and remove the pit and skin. Place the flat side down on a cutting board. Slice horizontally. Squeeze lemon juice on to prevent browning. Cut Granny Smith apple the same way, but leave skin on. Squeeze lemon juice on to prevent browning.

4. COOL beets until you can handle them. Slip their peels off using your fingers or a paring knife. Slice crosswise. Stack on plate alternating beets, apples and avocados.

5. SPRINKLE crumbled goat cheese over top. Garnish with parsley and pine nuts if desired. Drizzle the used olive oil from roasting and the rest of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.