Thanksgiving Archives - Cookie Monster Cooking

Cauliflower Gratin

February 15, 2013 · 12 Comments

Cauliflower gratin

I’ve mentioned before that I am a huge fan of weekly meal planning. It keeps me on track, makes my evenings much less stressful after work and I don’t end up wasting ingredients. Win win and win. After looking at some of my menus from the last few weeks, I realized that I don’t pay much attention to side dishes (except for holidays or special occasions). Most of the time, I automatically go for something simple – rice or potatoes and almost always roasted veggies. Nothing fancy and something that will be quick and easy.

I also realized that I have a huge amount of ideas and recipes bookmarked for side dishes that I’ve never gotten around to trying out at home. Most are ones that I’ve set aside for holidays, like Thanksgiving. But a girl can only make so many side dishes for those holidays. So instead of saving all of them for next year, I decided I should start making some now.

Cauliflower gratin
Like for instance, this cauliflower. We actually eat cauliflower on a pretty regular basis, either roasted or mashed. But prepared this way? This was completely new to me. It is creamy and delicious, combined with cheese and topped with breadcrumbs. I have a feeling even cauliflower haters may change their tune with this. I am only slightly embarrassed to admit that my husband and I polished this off in one sitting. I served this with a simple pork tenderloin and broccoli – making for a great meal. I think I can safely say that this side dish will make another appearance at our table way before Thanksgiving rolls around again.

Cauliflower Gratin

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower (about 3 pounds), cut into large florets
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups hot milk (I used 2%)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¾ cup freshly grated gruyere, divided
½ cup freshly grated parmesan
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add in the cauliflower and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain and set aside.
Place a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add in the butter. When melted, add in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, whisking almost constantly. Slowly pour in the hot milk. Increase the heat to medium to bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Once the milk starts to boil, whisk constantly for 1 minute, or until the mixture has thickened. Turn off the heat and add in the salt, pepper, nutmeg, ½ cup of the gruyere and the parmesan. Whisk until the mixture is smooth.
Pour ⅓ of the sauce into the bottom of an 8 by 11 inch oval baking dish. Gently tip the baking dish back and forth to get the sauce to coat the bottom. Evenly distribute the drained cauliflower over the top. Evenly pour the remaining sauce over the cauliflower. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ¼ cup gruyere with the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the gratin.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

http://cookiemonstercooking.com/2013/02/15/cauliflower-gratin/

Source:
Adapted from Ina Garten via the Food Network.

Filed Under: Holidays, Recipes, Side Dish, Thanksgiving · Tagged With: Holidays, Side Dish, Thanksgiving

Baked Goat Cheese with Cranberries and Pistachios

December 10, 2012 · 7 Comments

Let’s take a quick break from all the sweet desserts (and breakfast) dishes I’ve shared with you lately and instead talk about an easy appetizer for all those upcoming holiday parties and gatherings. Say hello to this baked goat cheese. It has become one of my new favorite appetizers because it is so so simple and can be thrown together in a flash. And the best part? It is delicious. I made this for Thanksgiving and three of us completely devoured the whole thing in no time. Yes, just three of us because there were others who refused to try it because it was goat cheese. Their loss… and more for me!

I decided to make this again so I could grab a few photos and share it here with you. This appetizer requires only four ingredients. Four. Well five, if you count the crackers for serving. But still. You roll a goat cheese log in chopped cranberries and pistachios, drizzle with a touch of honey and then bake for a few minutes. Done and done. And it’s delicious…. can I mention that again? Warm and easy to spread goat cheese packed with a little sweetness and crunch. Do it people. You won’t be sorry.

Baked Goat Cheese with Cranberries and Pistachios

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons pistachios, chopped
3 tablespoons dried cranberries, chopped
1 (8 ounce) log goat cheese
1 tablespoon honey
crackers, for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a shallow dish, combine the pistachios and cranberries. Roll the goat cheese log in the mixture, using your fingers to gently press the pistachios and cranberries into the cheese (so they stick to the log). Transfer the log to the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with the honey.
Bake for about 7 to 9 minutes, until the cheese is soft. Watch the cheese carefully while baking - if you bake it for too long it will be a melted gooey mess (although it will still taste good!).
Transfer the baked log to a serving dish. Serve immediately with crackers.

http://cookiemonstercooking.com/2012/12/10/baked-goat-cheese-with-cranberries-and-pistachios/

Source:
Adapted from Real Simple.

Filed Under: Appetizers, Christmas, Holidays, Recipes, Thanksgiving · Tagged With: Appetizers, Christmas, Holidays, Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving “Gobbler” Sandwich

November 23, 2012 · 2 Comments

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had such a fun day with our family and have so much to be thankful for this year. I plan on doing a post for you early next week to tell you all about it, but for now I give you this sandwich. The “Gobbler.” You’ll want to go make this as soon as possible with all your leftovers.

So let’s backtrack a bit. If you grew up in New Jersey (or some of the states nearby), then you are probably more than familiar with the wonder that is Wawa. Yes, I just said wonder. I’m obsessed. For those of you that aren’t familiar with Wawa, it’s sort of a convenience store. They have some of the best coffee on the planet and I make multiple visits whenever I’m at home in New Jersey. They also have a deli where you get to customize your order on fun computer screens. Each year they bring back the “gobbler” as a special holiday sandwich. Turkey with gravy, stuffing and cranberry sauce on a fresh roll.

I think I ate two of them within a 48-hour period the last time we were visiting my family.

So this is my own version of the “gobbler.” I fancied it up a little bit with the addition of some arugula and gruyere cheese, but it still has those same wonderful basics that come on the one from Wawa. Get creative and make it your own. There’s really no wrong way to go with your Thanksgiving leftovers combined into one glorious sandwich.

Thanksgiving “Gobbler” Sandwich

Yield: 1 sandwich

Ingredients

two slices cranberry walnut bread, or bread of your choice
one to two slices gruyere cheese
leftover cranberry sauce
leftover turkey
leftover stuffing
arugula
leftover gravy, if desired

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
To assemble the sandwich, take one slice of bread and add the cheese. Top with the cranberry sauce, turkey, stuffing and arugula (if desired, first dip the turkey slices in the gravy, shake off the excess and then add to the sandwich). Top with the other slice of bread.
Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the bread is lightly toasted. Alternatively, you can just toast the bread and then assemble the sandwich.

http://cookiemonstercooking.com/2012/11/23/thanksgiving-gobbler-sandwich/

Source:
Inspired by the Wawa Gobbler.

Filed Under: Holidays, Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes, Thanksgiving · Tagged With: Holidays, Main Dish, Poultry, Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Menu & Preparations 2012

November 16, 2012 · 4 Comments

Thanksgiving meal planning

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I figured it was time to share my plans for our menu. To be completely honest, my advance planning self has been thinking about it for months. I had the menu practically all ironed out quite a long time ago, but made finishing touches only recently. I was able to try out a few dishes that are new to me and made some changes where necessary to round out our meal.

When making our menu, I kept a few things in mind:

- The number of guests and desired amount of leftovers. We are actually a fairly small group, but we take our leftovers very seriously around here. I planned accordingly.

- Dietary needs of guests. I had a few dietary restrictions (and picky eaters!) to work with, so I made sure to include items that I knew would be okay for certain allergies, etc. I wanted to make sure that there would be plenty to choose from for everyone attending, regardless of their restrictions.

- A balanced menu. As much as I love my carbs, I wanted to make sure there were plenty of vegetables and other dishes to round out the menu.

- Items that can be made in advance. Like a lot of folks, I’ll be working through Wednesday, so it was important to me to have some dishes that I could make in advance (or at least do some prep work for in advance). This way I can spread out some of the preparations on my evenings after work, which gives me more time the day of to spend with family.

So, here is our menu for this year:

Appetizers:

- caramel apple popcorn
- spiced rosemary and thyme nuts
- baked goat cheese with cranberries and pistachios

Main Dishes & Sides:

- turkey
- classic mashed potatoes
- roasted red potatoes
- thanksgiving stuffing
- green beans with almonds
- baked spinach
- company corn
- acorn squash with maple syrup and sage cream
- honey yeast rolls
- honey corn bread muffins
- cranberry orange sauce
- gravy
- compound butter

Desserts:

- apple pie with vanilla bean ice cream
- salted caramel pecan pie
- assorted cookies

To give credit where credit is due – while I’ll be handling the bulk of our Thanksgiving meal, the turkey is my husband’s thing. He’s even made it a few times when we’ve traveled for the holiday, so it’s completely his domain. He’s trying out a different brine this year, so I’m excited to see how that turns out. I’m happy to assist as needed : ) I also want to give a shout-out to my mother-in-law, who will be making her awesome apple pie and likely some cookies as well. More cookies is always a good thing in my book.

Getting your house ready for guests

Along with planning the menu for Thanksgiving, I’ve also been busy getting our house ready for guests.

While my favorite part of this aspect is putting up fun festive decorations, there are other parts that are not as fun. Like making sure the house is clean. Oh right, that. We’ve been tidying up, putting things away and doing some general organizing. When it gets a little closer to Thanksgiving, we’ll also be giving the house a good cleaning. We’ve also had to do some general maintenance, like installing a new water heater. Sigh, that was just my attempt to complain a little more about that costly repair. But I guess we do need hot water.

If you are like me and have family or friends staying with you, then it’s also a good idea to start getting the guest bedroom (or wherever they will be sleeping) ready. Same goes for the guest bathroom. When we visited my sister-in-law several months ago she put together an awesome little basket with some travel sized toiletries, magazines, etc. I thought this was a great idea and plan to do the same for them. Excuse to buy some magazines? I’ll take it.

Finally, in addition to planning our Thanksgiving day menu, I have also put together a list of other meals / grocery items for the days that we have our family staying with us. I’d rather get it all done at once (and in advance) rather than having to worry about running out at the last minute to make sure we have milk for breakfast, etc.

So, that’s it. I hope you are all having fun getting ready for the holiday and that your planning is going well. It’ll be here before we know it.

Gobble gobble!

Filed Under: Entertaining, Holidays, Recipes, Thanksgiving · Tagged With: Entertaining, Holidays, Thanksgiving

Company Corn

November 15, 2012 · 6 Comments

Promise me you won’t judge this recipe by the name. I almost passed it over at first glance, but when I got to looking at the ingredients, I decided it was worth a shot. We tried it and thoroughly enjoyed it. I attempted to think of a different name that was a little more descriptive, but they all sounded odd. So I left it as is. Therefore I am warning you not to make the same mistake I did and wait a long time to try this recipe!

Corn is another side dish that is a traditional part of our Thanksgiving meal. I remember it always being around when I was a kid, although I’m pretty sure I passed it over every single year for dishes I considered way more important – like stuffing and mashed potatoes. And rolls. Let’s not forget those.

While those dishes will always hold a special place in my heart, I decided it was time to find a corn recipe that would hold its own against those other favorites. And this corn definitely does just that. I made a few changes to the original recipe, like cutting down the amount of butter and sour cream, adding in some carrots and switching up the spices just a little. The end result is a dish that is creamy without being overly rich. It is packed full of wonderful flavors and goes incredibly well with the rest of our Thanksgiving favorites. You better believe that this is making another appearance soon on the big day.

Company Corn

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

2 (10 ounce) packages frozen corn
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 whole carrot, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
½ teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
⅓ cup sour cream (light is fine)

Instructions

Cook the frozen corn according to the package directions (do not add any salt when cooking the corn). Drain and set aside.
Place a medium large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter. When melted, add in the onion, celery, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, under tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Turn the heat down to low and stir in the parsley, salt, pepper and thyme. Add in the drained corn and sour cream. Mix until well combined.

http://cookiemonstercooking.com/2012/11/15/company-corn/

Source:
Adapted from Taste of Home.

Filed Under: Holidays, Recipes, Side Dish, Thanksgiving · Tagged With: Holidays, Side Dish, Thanksgiving

Cranberry Walnut Bread

November 14, 2012 · 4 Comments

Our local food store has a pretty decent bakery and I find myself wandering by that section every time I am there. I usually don’t buy anything (I really really try to stick to my grocery list) but there have been a few times when I impulsively by a seasonal loaf of bread. They are always in pretty bags and of course grab my attention as soon as I see the words “limited edition.” I’m a complete sucker for anything festive.

For the last few weeks, they have featured cranberry walnut bread. I of course broke down and bought one and we really enjoyed it. But since it was considered seasonal, it was a little pricey for one loaf of bread. So I decided to try recreating it at home.

First, let’s just get it out of the way that this homemade version puts the store-bought one to shame. And that one from the bakery was excellent. But this one. Oh my. It’s a good thing that this recipe yields two loaves, since we blow through it pretty quickly. I’ve made this bread twice in the last two and a half weeks and have plans to make another batch before our family arrives for Thanksgiving.

Like any homemade bread, this does take a few hours. But the majority is down time. So you can relax, read a book or if you’re like me, bake cookies. Priorities people.

This bread has the perfect base – sturdy yet still soft. It is filled with just the right amount of walnuts and cranberries, giving it a little texture and just a tad bit of sweetness. It’s great warm straight from the oven, as toast for breakfast or as the base of a sandwich. Particularly with Thanksgiving leftovers, but more on that later.

Cranberry Walnut Bread

Yield: 2 loaves

Ingredients

1 ½ cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
6 cups all-purpose flour, divided
½ cup honey
¼ cup olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the warm water and then sprinkle in the yeast. Next add in ½ cup of the flour, mix briefly to combine and then let the mixture sit for 10 minutes to proof the yeast.
Add in the honey, olive oil, salt and cinnamon. Mix on low speed briefly to combine. Add in the remaining 5 ½ cups flour, about one cup at a time, and mix on low speed until the dough is a shaggy mass. Switch to the dough hook. Knead on low speed for about 3 to 5 minutes, until the dough is soft and elastic, adding more flour if needed. (You can also knead the dough by hand. This amount of dough was pushing the capacity of my mixer, but it still worked fine that way).
Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large lightly oiled bowl. Turn once to coat and then cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in bulk, about 1 ½ hours.
Lightly spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle with cornmeal.
Gently deflate the dough and then transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Knead in the cranberries and walnuts by hand. Split the dough into two equal sized pieces and form each into a ball that is about 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Place both pieces on the preparing baking sheet. Cover with a damp towel(s) and let rise for another 30 to 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the tops of the loaves with additional all-purpose flour. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut a cross in the top of each loaf that is about 1-inch deep.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when thumped on the bottom. If you have an instant-read thermometer, the internal temperature should be 190 degrees. Transfer the loaves to a wire rack to cool before slicing.

http://cookiemonstercooking.com/2012/11/14/cranberry-walnut-bread/

Source:
Adapted from King Arthur Flour.

Filed Under: Breads, Christmas, Holidays, Recipes, Thanksgiving · Tagged With: Breads, Christmas, Holidays, Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Stuffing

November 12, 2012 · 2 Comments

Stuffing is one of those side dishes that I consider essential at Thanksgiving. It also happens to be my favorite part of the meal – I always go back for more than one helping. This stuffing is one that we have enjoyed at our Thanksgiving dinner since I was very little. It is simple and classic, no added frills. There are a number of picky eaters in my family, but this dish always passed the test. Don’t get me wrong though, it may be simple (no “funny” ingredients as some like to say) but is oh so good.

My grandma always cooked Thanksgiving dinner when we were younger and I vividly remember asking her one year for the recipe for her stuffing. She had this look on her face and made me promise not to tell anyone before she even shared the recipe. And that’s when she confessed that for that particular year she just used a box of stovetop and jazzed it up with some fresh veggies and spices. But, shhhh don’t tell.

Now, this stuffing is not from a box, but does taste ever so similar to that version that appeared every so often at Thanksgiving dinner. And I have a feeling that this one will continue to make appearances for many years to come. Counting down the days until I get to eat this again…

Thanksgiving Stuffing

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
2 whole carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 (1 pound) loaf firm country white bread, cut into 1-inch slices and then into cubes (about ½ inch in size)*
1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 2 to 3 quart baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Add the butter to a large skillet set over medium-high heat. When melted, add the onion, celery and carrots. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Lower the heat to medium-low and stir in the thyme, salt and pepper. Next add in the bread cubes and mix to combine. Pour the chicken broth over the mixture and stir gently. You want the bread cubes to be moist but not completely saturated with the broth, so adjust the amount slightly if needed.
Transfer the stuffing to the prepared baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 1 hour, until the top is lightly browned.

Notes

*Your bread should preferable be about a day old (so not extremely fresh). I used a firm whole-wheat loaf and that worked wonderfully as well.

http://cookiemonstercooking.com/2012/11/12/thanksgiving-stuffing/

Source:
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Holiday Entertaining.

Filed Under: Holidays, Recipes, Side Dish, Thanksgiving · Tagged With: Holidays, Side Dish, Thanksgiving

Cranberry Orange Sauce

November 9, 2012 · 13 Comments

To say I am excited about Thanksgiving is a complete understatement. I’m ridiculously pumped. Ridiculously. Did you get that? This Thanksgiving will be my second time ever hosting. My first was four years ago and while I had a lot of fun, my skills in the kitchen were nowhere near what they are today. So this time around I am positively giddy with excitement. Just so we are all clear about how excited I am. As an added bonus, my husband and I usually travel for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, so it will be nice to have our family come to us. I’ve had fun decorating and getting the house ready for their arrival.

I’ve been thinking about the menu for some time and this past weekend started to try out some recipes that are new to me – to make sure they are up to par for the big day. I’ll be sure to share the whole menu with you next week, but for now, and leading up to Thanksgiving, I’ll share a few dishes that I plan to serve. Like this cranberry sauce.

The cranberry “sauce” that comes in those cans totally creeps me out. Something about it just doesn’t seem right. The way it kind of jiggles around and holds its shape (can indents and all). Eek. I have wanted to try making cranberry sauce for a while, but since we usually travel for this holiday I never got the chance.

Turns out, homemade cranberry sauce is very easy to make and more importantly is so much better than that stuff from the can. Added bonus, it looks nothing like it either. This sauce is definitely tart on its own, but it pairs really well with turkey and other traditional side dishes. The use of some citrus is a fun variation on a plain sauce, and helps, along with the sugar and salt, to balance out the cranberries. I am actually looking forward to enjoying this with our holiday meal – who would have thought!

Cranberry Orange Sauce

Yield: about 2 ½ cups

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
¾ cup water
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 (12 ounce) bag frozen cranberries, picked through
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons orange liqueur, such as triple sec

Instructions

Add the sugar, water and orange zest to a medium saucepan set over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Once boiling, add the frozen cranberries and mix to combine. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, until most of the cranberries have popped open. Remove from the heat. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Add in the orange liqueur and mix to combine. The mixture will continue to thicken as it cools down.
Let the sauce cool before serving. If not using right away, store in a covered container in the refrigerator. Bring the sauce to room temperature before serving. This sauce can be made up to several days in advance and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.

http://cookiemonstercooking.com/2012/11/09/cranberry-orange-sauce/

Source:
Barely adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook.

Filed Under: Condiments, Holidays, Recipes, Thanksgiving · Tagged With: Condiments, Holidays, Thanksgiving

Pumpkin Spice Latte Truffles

October 19, 2012 · 2 Comments

This is one of those recipes where the name says it all. I mean, how could you not want to eat these after just reading that title? I made a batch over the weekend and then sent them all into work with my husband (minus one or two… or five). They were too dangerous to keep around the house. I may have even changed my mind at one point and tried to convince him that I needed to keep them all so I could “remember how they tasted for writing up the recipe.” Yeah, he saw right through that. I’m not as sly as I think.

Truffles are one of those desserts that always seem to impress others, yet they are fairly easy to make. I was looking for a simple pumpkin dessert and came across a recipe for pumpkin cream cheese truffles. I used that as a base and made some slight adjustments to turn them into pumpkin spice latte truffles. And I could not be happier with the result.

These truffles have a great balance of pumpkin, spices, and just the right amount of espresso flavor. Not too strong but definitely there. You get some extra sweetness from the white chocolate coating, rounding out one excellent dessert. My husband tried one and exclaimed, “It’s like fall in my mouth.” To which I started cracking up laughing. He’s not exactly the type to exclaim such remarks. Unless he’s being sarcastic, but this time he was dead serious. So you know this recipe is a winner.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Truffles

Yield: about 25 to 30 truffles

Ingredients

1 cup chopped good quality white chocolate
½ cup canned pumpkin puree
⅔ cup gingersnap crumbs, plus extra for garnish
⅔ cup graham cracker crumbs, plus extra for garnish
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons espresso powder
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of salt
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
16 to 20 ounces good quality white chocolate (or white chocolate almond bark), for dipping

Instructions

Add the 1 cup chopped white chocolate to a medium size microwave safe bowl. Microwave at 50 percent power for 30 second intervals until the chocolate is completely melted. Add in the pumpkin, gingersnap crumbs, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners’ sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix until well combined. Next add in the cream cheese. Mix until well combined and smooth. Place the bowl in the refrigerator and let chill until the mixture is hard enough to roll into balls, about 2 hours.
Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper. Roll the pumpkin mixture into small balls, about 1-inch in size, and place on the prepared baking sheet (I used my small dough scoop). Place the baking sheet in your freezer and chill for about 20 to 30 minutes, until the balls are firm.
Add the dipping chocolate to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave using the same method described above until the chocolate is completely melted. Using two forks, dip the truffles into the melted chocolate so that they are well coated, shake off the excess chocolate and place back on the prepared baking sheet to set. If desired, sprinkle the top with extra gingersnap or graham cracker crumbs. If at any point the truffles are no longer hard enough to dip, put them back in the freezer for a few minutes to firm up.
Once all the truffles have been dipped, place the baking sheet in the refrigerator until the chocolate is completely set. Remove the truffles from the baking sheet. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

http://cookiemonstercooking.com/2012/10/19/pumpkin-spice-latte-truffles/

Source:
Adapted from Whole Foods via Erin’s Food Files.