THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY CALIFORNIA MILK ADVISORY BOARD

We are so excited to share some of our latest ideas with you today for holiday sweets! We are partnering again with the California Milk Advisory Board (see our previous work here) to share unique, fresh recipe ideas incorporating dairy this holiday season! The first idea is my favorite! Mini white milkshakes topped with fresh whipped cream and darling sparkly fondant stars. These are so easy to make, yet they are so adorable! Serve them for any winter celebration or make them at home for the kids after school!

Vanilla Milkshake with Fondant Snowflake

Serves 2

Snowflake Ingredients
White Fondant
Edible silver luster dust
Clear vanilla extract
Edible shimmer dust

Vanilla Milkshake Ingredients
3 large scoops Real California Vanilla Ice Cream
1 cup Real California Milk
1/2 cup Real California Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 tsp clear vanilla extract
1 tbsp powdered sugar

Directions

Roll out a 1-inch sized ball of fondant to 1/4-inch thickness. Use a snowflake-shaped cookie cutter to stamp out two pieces. In a bowl, add a couple pinches of the silver luster dust and a touch of vanilla extract to create a paint. Use a paintbrush to apply a thin layer to each snowflake. Sprinkle with shimmer dust and set aside to dry for 15 minutes.

In a blender, mix the ice cream and milk, until combined. Divide the milkshake between 2 glasses.

Use a hand mixer to whip the cream, vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Top the milkshakes with the whipped cream, fondant snowflakes and add cute straws.

The next recipe we are sharing is for these darling snow globe pudding cups with gingerbread cookies. We were inspired by these gingerbread houses in snow globes (oh so cute!) and made our own featuring snowflake gingerbread cookies. The powdered sugar sprinkled on top definitely adds the perfect touch!

Vanilla Pudding with Gingerbread Snowflakes
Serves 4

Vanilla Pudding Ingredients
2 cups Real California Milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp Real California Butter

Vanilla Pudding Directions

In a pot, heat the milk and sugar on medium heat. When small bubbles form, whisk in the cornstarch and salt. Continue cooking until the pudding is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Make sure not to boil the mixture.

Stir in the vanilla extract and butter, until incorporated. Pour into mini 2 oz. white ramekins and refrigerate until chilled.

Gingerbread Cookie Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground all-spice
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
4 tbsp Real California Butter, room temperature
3 tbsp packed dark brown sugar
3 tbsp unsulfured molasses
1/2 whisked egg
powdered sugar

Gingerbread Cookie Directions

Whisk the flour, spices, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In a stand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar; then beat in the molasses and egg. On low, mix in the flour mixture, until just combined. Form the dough into a round disk, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour. When ready, roll out the dough between wax paper, paper thin. Freeze for 10 minutes and then use a cookie cutter to stamp out snowflakes. Freeze for another 10 minutes. Remove the excess dough, place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and cut slits into the cutout cookies to form 3D snowflakes. Slits will be rectangular and not be cut straight through the cookie. Freeze for another 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the cookies for 6-10 minutes, watching closely so they do not burn. Allow to cool before forming them into 3D snowflakes. You will likely have extra dough to make more snowflakes. Make them to replace any fragile cookies that break during 3D snowflake assembly.

Snow Globe Assembly 

Top the ramekins filled with pudding with the 3D snowflakes. Dust lightly with powdered sugar to create a snow effect. Top with a glass or plastic terrarium and dust top with powdered sugar.

Next up, this is the perfect, unique display for your next holiday party! Inspired by the donut walls we have seen created for events, we thought we would try the concept on a smaller, tabletop scale. Instead of donuts, we made cake balls! Who doesn’t love cake pops/balls? We made these white winter “snowballs” using a dairy based frosting and rolled them in winter white coconut, then attached them to wood letters to spell out “JOY”.

Coconut Snowballs (Cake Balls)

Serves 15

Cake Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 cup Real California Butter
4 eggs
4 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup Real California Milk

Frosting Ingredients
1 cup unsalted Real California Butter, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp Real California Heavy Whipping Cream

Topping Ingredient
1 bag unsweetened coconut shreds

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and coat a 9×13-inch cake pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.

To make the cake: In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour and baking powder and combine into the creamed mixture. Stir in the milk until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Set aside to cool.

Make the frosting: Beat the butter in a stand mixer until smooth. Mix in the remaining ingredients.

Create the cake balls by mixing the cake and just enough frosting to hold the mixture together. Roll out 1-inch balls and coat with extra frosting. Roll in coconut and refrigerate before serving.

Assembly Instructions

We used wood letters and hammered in small, clean nails in rows of 2 based on the size of the snowballs. You could also use foam letters and toothpicks to achieve a similar look. Simply push the snowballs into the nails/toothpicks starting at the bottom of each letter.

We hope you give our sweet recipes a try for your holiday celebration this year!

For more information about California dairy products, including milk and cheese, visit the California Milk Advisory Board website.

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Styling + Creative Direction | The TomKat Studio
Photography | Ten22 Studio
Food Styling + Recipe Development | Joanna Meyer
Food Styling Assistant | Laurel Morley

THIS IS A SPONSORED POST. THE TOMKAT STUDIO HAS RECEIVED PAYMENT, TRADE AND/OR PRODUCTS FROM CMAB IN EXCHANGE FOR PROMOTING, HOWEVER ALL OPINIONS STATED ARE MY OWN AND I ONLY PROMOTE PRODUCTS I LOVE.