Their house brand products are known for their quality; and their delicious shortbread is available in the U.S. under the brand “Duchy Originals.”

Baked from a traditional Scottish Highlands recipe, these melt-in-the-mouth, all butter shortbread biscuits are made using local butter and flour with sugar and a pinch of salt.

A box of 12 cookies per 5.3 ounce box is $5.93-$6.24 with free shipping on orders over $35, on Amazon.com, with a choice of:

ABOUT DUCHY ORIGINALS

The Duchy Originals brand was founded in the UK in 1992 by HRH Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales. The Prince set out to produce food of the highest quality, using the best natural ingredients, produced sustainably and in harmony with the environment, while supporting worthwhile causes through The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation.

Duchy Originals is now produced in partnership with Waitrose and baked by Walker’s Shortbread.
 
ABOUT SHORTBREAD

Shortbread is a type of cookie with a high butter content: The traditional recipe is one part sugar, two parts butter and three parts flour. It has been called the ancestor of all butter cookies.

The original shortbreads were made with oatmeal; the more elegant white flour came later and lightened the cookie. Its current form is often attributed to Mary, Queen of Scots in the 16th century. She had a team of French chefs who had the time, labor and ingredients to perfect the recipe.

Check out the history of shortbread.

Oaten biscuits are less sweet and delicious with cheese. Photo courtesy Duchy Originals.

[2] Make your own pumpkin spice latte with this recipe (photo © Freestocks).

As a follow-up to our recent article on autumn Bundt cakes, here’s one that’s especially appropriate for Thanksgiving: Pumpkin Spice Bundt.

Bake one for National Pumpkin Spice Day, October 1st. Or…

> National Bundt Cake Day is November 15th.

> National Pound Cake Day is March 4th.

> National Cake Day is November 26th.

> More pumpkin spice recipes.

> The history of the Bundt cake.

> The history of cake.

> The different types of cakes: a photo glossary.
 
 
RECIPE: PUMPKIN SPICE POUND CAKE BUNDT

Thanks to Spice Islands for the recipe.

Ingredients For The Cake

 
Preparation

For The Cake

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Generously grease and flour a 12 cup Bundt pan.

2. BEAT the sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla; add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.

3. COMBINE the flour, baking powder, salt and spices; mix well. Alternately add dry ingredients and pumpkin to butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Pour into prepared pan.

4. BAKE for 65 to 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Invert onto serving plate. Cool completely.
 
 
For The Caramel Pecan Topping

1. COMBINE the brown sugar, cream, maple syrup, butter and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

2. REMOVE from the heat and stir in the cinnamon, vanilla and pecans. Serve warm over the cake. Top with whipped cream, if desired.
 
 
WHIPPED CREAM TIP: If you’re putting whipped cream on a very sweet dessert, such as this caramel topping or pecan pie, you can halve the sugar in the whipped cream or eliminate it entirely.

An unsweetened or just slightly sweet whipped cream provides a better counterpoint to the sweetness of the dessert. Otherwise, the sweet-on-sweet can be cloying.
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

Fast-forward several thousand years: The early Colonists ate popcorn as a breakfast cereal, with milk and a sweetener. (Think puffed corn cereals like those from Arrowhead Mills and Nature’s Path, among others, not to mention Kellogg’s Corn Pops.)

In the 18th century, after the corn harvest, rendered fat would be thrown into a cast iron pot over an open fire. When the fat was hot, farmers would toss in corn kernels, a little molasses or other sweetener, and then wait for the corn to pop into a sweet, hot treat.

By the 1840s, corn popping had become a popular recreational activity in the U.S. Popcorn balls, the kernels stuck together with a sugar syrup, were hugely popular around the turn of the 20th century, both for eating and for holiday decorations (they were hung with ribbons from Christmas trees).

With the availability of bagged popcorn brands, popcorn balls began to wane, appearing mostly in the hoiday season from Halloween through Christmas.

Here’s the full history of popcorn.

Popcorn is a better-for-you snack. Plain popcorn is loaded with whole grains, fiber and antioxidants.

Of course, when you add butter, salt and sugar, it adds less-better-for-you ingredients. But compared to other sweet and salty snacks, it’s the winner.

So consider these popcorn balls a better option for holiday snacking.

You can serve these from a platter or a serving bowl, or wrap individually in cellophane and tie with a ribbon for a party favor or stocking stuffer. Add a name tag to create a combination place setting and take-home favor.

Ingredients For 18 Popcorn Balls

Preparation

1. COMBINE all ingredients, except popcorn, in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil; lower heat and cook to 250°F on a candy thermometer. The mixture will bubble up in the pan, so watch it carefully to keep the mixture from boiling over.

2. POUR slowly over the hot popcorn and mix until the corn is well coated. Let it stand for 5 minutes or until the mixture can easily be formed into balls.

3. SPRAY your hands with a cooking spray (or use butter) hands and form the popcorn into 3-inch balls.
 

ANOTHER HOLIDAY POPCORN RECIPE

If you’ve got sage left over from the stuffing or other recipe, make this sage popcorn recipe.
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

RECIPE #1: PUMPKIN PIE-TINI

Ingredients Per Drink

Preparation

1. SHAKE all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled Martini glass.

2. GARNISH and serve.

Try a Pumpkin Pie-Tini for Thanksgiving. Photo courtesy Sauza Tequila.

Here’s another version of the Pumpkin Pie-tini, from 1800 Tequila, a less creamy option that uses milk instead of cream plus a touch of chocolate liqueur:

RECIPE #2: PUMPKIN PIE-TINI

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. RIM a Martini glass using a small amount of honey, then roll in graham cracker crumbs.

2. SHAKE the milk and pumpkin purée over ice to combine. Add the remaining ingredients and shake well. Strain into the Martini glass.

More Pie-Tini recipes: Apple Pie-Tini and Cherry Pie-Tini.

But you can also churn pears into ice cream, as we discovered in this recipe by Samantha Seeley, who blogs on food from her home in that great food mecca, Hudson Valley, New York. She contributed the recipe to the delicious recipe files on VermontCreamery.com.

Make a double batch, because the single quart doesn’t last very long!

Prep time is 15 minutes, cook time is 30 minutes. With freezing, total time is 6 hours, 45 minutes. You can see the recipe with full photos at Sweet-Remedy.com.

RECIPE: PEAR CRÈME FRAÎCHE ICE CREAM

Ingredients For 1 Quart

 
*You can add vanilla extract to regular crème fraîche.

Calling all ice cream gourmets: Make Pear Crème Fraîche Ice Cream. Photo courtesy Sweet Remedy | Vermont Creamery.

Preparation

1. WASH, peel and chop the pears. Combine the pears and the arrowroot or cornstarch in a small saucepan. Add the water and place over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, while stirring. The mixture will thicken up. Refrigerate until you are ready to churn the ice cream mixture.

2. BEAT the milk and eggs together in a large saucepan. Add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger and cook over medium-low heat. Constantly stir with a wooden spoon until thickened enough to coat the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat. Once cooled, add the heavy cream and place plastic wrap directly on the top of the mixture. Refrigerate for 4 hours or longer.

3. CHURN the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once churning is complete, add the crème fraîche to the ice cream, it will resemble soft serve. Mix in the pear mixture and maple glazed pecans recipe. Transfer to a container with a lid that is suitable for freezing. Freeze until frozen through, usually about 3-4 hours.

HOW TO PICK A PEAR

Anjou, Bartlett and Bosc pears are varieties that can be eaten raw or cooked. Other varieties, such as Forelle and Seckel, are better eaten raw.

Pears are one of the few fruits that are much better when they’re picked before they ripen. Pears ripen from the inside out, so as soon as the stem end has a slight give to it when gently pressed, the fruit is ripe. Don’t wait for the midsection to be soft.

Buy firm pears and place them in a paper bag to ripen if you need them in a day or so. Placing a banana or an apple in the bag speed up ripening (here’s why).

 
WHAT IS CRÈME FRAÎCHE?

Crème fraîche (pronounced crem fresh, French for “fresh cream”) is a thickened cream. It’s not as thick as sour cream, but more of the consistency of yogurt, which is an appropriate analogy because it is slightly soured with bacterial culture. Originally from Normandy, the dairy heartland of France, today it is used extensively in Continental and American fine cuisine.

Sour cream, which is more accessible and less expensive, can be substituted in most recipes; but crème fraîche has advantages: it can be whipped, and it will not curdle when cooked over high heat. In addition, it is usually a bit lighter in body than commercial sour creams, more subtly sour, and overall more elegant.

Crème fraîche is made by inoculating unpasteurized heavy cream with Lactobacillus cultures, letting the bacteria grow until the cream is both soured and thick and then pasteurizing it to stop the process. Thus, authentic crème fraîche cannot be made at home because generally, only pasteurized cream is available to consumers. To add Lactobacillus to pasteurized cream will cause it to spoil instead of sour.

The only negative to crème fraîche is that it’s pricey. You can make your own with far less expense with this crème fraîche recipe.