[Music] Foreign [Music] Welcome to the channel if you’re new or If you’re not I’m Melissa and I’m so Excited you’re here either way today we Are making holiday finger foods food has Always been one of my favorite ways to Connect with other people and this Episode idea really came out of my love Of a hosting over the holidays and Bringing people together through food Both friends and family and the best Part about finger foods is that you can Mingle while you eat and enjoy so in This episode I’ll be sharing some easy Miniature baklava bites fruit and nut Meringues and an apple pie in a jar Thanks to sunsuite for partnering with Me on this episode all of these recipes Incorporate Sunsweet Douglas nor dates And or Sunsweet amazing prunes both of Which are great for snacking year-round But they’re also delicious when added to Baked goods and holiday desserts first Up my mini baklava baklava was a holiday Favorite in my household growing up but Traditional baklava recipes are very Time consuming this one keeps it Bite-sized and simple without Sacrificing flavor start by adding Pistachios walnuts and hazelnuts to a Large baking sheet and toasting in the Oven for about 10 minutes until golden

And fragrant while those toast we can Get the simple honey syrup going add Cold water and sugar into a saucepan Over high heat until the sugar dissolves And then add honey And lemon juice bring to a boil and then Lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 20 Minutes until it thickens to a slightly Syrupy consistency once the nuts are Toasted and slightly cooled then add Them to a food processor with Sunsweet Dates sugar cinnamon cloves and butter Pulse to combine Sun Suites douglit nor dates are rich And naturally sweet making them a prime Ingredient for holiday desserts to keep These bites low stress I use these Little phyllo dough cups perfect for a Mini baklava treat and then fill each Little dough cup with about one teaspoon Of the Dayton nut mixture and then Transfer to the oven to bake for about 10 minutes until the filling is nice and Hot and the phyllo Dill Cups have Crisped up and browned remove your Filled baklava cups from the oven and Then spoon about a half teaspoon of Honey syrup onto each cup all that’s Left to do is refrigerate then go for a Few hours or overnight wow these came Out better than I could have imagined They’re salty and sweet and the crispy Filo dough is so satisfying to bite into With the crunchy nut filling the dates

In syrup add just enough sweetness the Natural sweetness from the dates also Allows us to cut down on the amount of Added sugar in the recipe overall Sometimes I find regular baklava to be Overloaded with syrup and these were Just right for me they’re light and Delicious these little bites remind me Of childhood because my family always Had dates around and baklava was one of Our favorite holiday desserts Next up we’re making fruit and nut Meringues We’re going to start by roasting up some Pecans add chopped pecans to a baking Sheet lined with parchment and roast for About 10 minutes into a stand mixer over Medium high speed whisk egg whites Slowly adding super fine sugar a Spoonful at a time until the mix is nice And glossy and you get stiff peaks this Will take around 6 to 10 minutes remove Your bowl from the stand mixer and then Gently fold in your roasted pecans and Diced Sunsweet amazing prunes Sunsweet Amazing prunes offer many health Benefits including being an all-natural Source of fiber but they also add Moisture and richness to baked goods What a fun way to give a nutritional Boost to holiday treats add your Meringue mixture into a Piping Bag and Pipe onto a baking sheet about three Inches or so in diameter

Now all that’s left to do is bake these Take around two hours at a low Temperature so let them go until they Begin to turn a cream color and once They can be lifted from the parchment Without sticking then just turn the oven Off and allow the oven door to sit open Until the meringues have completely Cooled to finish off feel free to melt Some chocolate in the microwave or using A double boiler method and then drizzle It onto the cooled meringue allow to set And enjoy these came out so delicious They are crispy on the outside and Airy And light and sweet on the inside the Meringue really melts in your mouth and The fruit and nuts give it a satisfying Textural component with a dash of Tang From the prunes and savory goodness from The nuts to complement the sugary Meringue itself so good okay so the last Recipe of the day I’m going to be making Apple pie in a jar I love that these Catch people’s eye at a get together but Are actually deceivingly simple to make We’re going to start by making our apple Pie filling and one bowl whisk together Your dry ingredients which are flour Sugar cinnamon and salt set aside Separately peel and finely chop your Apples I use Honeycrisp but feel free to Use Granny Smith if you prefer and since These are going into little jars I like To cut my apples on the smaller side to

Your chopped apples add Sunsweet dates And lemon juice Foreign [Music] Then add the dry ingredients to the Apple mixture and toss to coat then We’re ready to cook the filling in a pan Over medium heat melt butter and add Your Apple mixture mixing to combine mmm I love cooking apples or anything really In butter it smells delicious cover and Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes stirring Occasionally until softened and feel Free to add a splash of water to the Saucepan as needed remove from the Heat And allow to cool now for the in a jar Part of this apple pie in a jar recipe Add your apple pie mixture into the four Ounce mason jars for the crust I opted To use a pre-made crust it keeps this Recipe super simple and stress free I Use a three inch or so cookie cutter to Cut little Circles of pie crust and I Place those on top of the Mason jar [Music] Ah pressing the edges with my hands and Crimping with a fork to seal let those Chill for about five minutes in the Fridge [Music] Then whisk up an egg and brush your egg Wash onto the pie crust to help it brown Use a knife to cut slits into the pie Top and then sprinkle on some turbinado

Or Demerara sugar then we bake wow look How adorable this was maybe our favorite Recipe of the day on set it tastes like Well apple pie we used fresh apples so This was bright and clean with cinnamony Goodness it’s comforting from the butter And sweet but not overly so the dates Add a natural sweetness and they Caramelize as they cook over the stove And again in the oven I also love how The bit of crust on top adds the perfect Savory bite to complement the pie Filling and yet how cool is it that we Didn’t have to overdo it on the crust Element to still enjoy it and that is it For Holiday finger foods today thank you So much for being here and thank you to Sunsweet for sponsoring this episode I Hope you can enjoy your holidays with Friends and family and I love that Sunsweet products can add not only to The nutrition but also to the delicious Flavors and the moments of connection That I can have with loved ones during The holiday season sending you and your Family lots of love this season I will See you soon and remember it’s all a Matter of Mind Over munch [Music]