Food and Beverage
Put a Plant-Based Twist on Holiday Baking
Flavorful desserts are a staple of the holidays and the exciting, appetizing allure of new plant-based recipes can help elevate seasonal gatherings and create sweet memories.
Last Updated on October 1, 2025 by Daily News Staff
Put a Plant-Based Twist on Holiday Baking
(Family Features) Flavorful desserts are a staple of the holidays and the exciting, appetizing allure of new recipes can help elevate seasonal gatherings and create sweet memories. With near-endless options for celebrating the season, putting a plant-based twist on traditional recipes offers everyone the opportunity to indulge with decadent treats.
In seasonal sweets like Brulee Pumpkin Pie and No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake, an option like Country Crock Plant Cream can be used as a dairy-free substitute for heavy whipping cream. With 29% less saturated fat than dairy heavy whipping cream, it’s an easy 1:1 swap and is also soy-free, certified plant-based and 100% vegan, making it ideal to have on hand during holiday baking season. It’s all of the deliciousness of heavy cream, with none of the heaviness of dairy.
Visit CountryCrock.com for more delectable holiday dessert ideas.
Brulee Pumpkin Pie
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Servings: 8
Pie Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons Country Crock Plant Butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 2 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
- 4 tablespoons ice water
Pumpkin Filling:
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup coconut cream
- 1 cup Country Crock Plant Cream
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground clove
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons white granulated sugar
Whipped Topping:
- 2 cups Country Crock Plant Cream, chilled
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- To make pie crust: Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In bowl of food processor, add flour, sugar and salt; pulse to combine. Add cold plant butter and shortening. Process about 10 seconds until it looks like coarse meal.
- With food processor running, add ice water. Process until mixture clumps together.
- On lightly floured surface, roll dough into 14-inch circle. Transfer to 9-inch pie dish. Lift edges and allow dough to drape into dish. Trim, leaving 1-inch overhang. Fold excess dough under and crimp edges.
- To make pumpkin filling: In medium saucepan over medium heat, add syrup and vanilla; warm about 2 minutes then remove from heat and set aside.
- In large bowl, combine syrup mixture, pumpkin, coconut cream, plant cream, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, salt and cornstarch; blend with hand mixer until smooth. Pour mixture into pie crust.
- Bake 1 hour. If crust starts to burn, cover edges with aluminum foil. The middle will still be jiggly.
- Cool at room temperature 30 minutes then cover and transfer to refrigerator to chill at least 5 hours or overnight.
- Before serving, sprinkle pie with white sugar and, using kitchen torch, brelee until sugar is melted and dark brown.
- To make whipped topping: Using electric hand mixer or stand mixer, whisk plant cream, powdered sugar and vanilla on high until mixture thickens and stiff peaks form.
- Slice and serve with whipped topping.
No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Total time: 6-7 hours
Servings: 8
- Country Crock Plant Butter, for greasing
Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup Country Crock Plant Butter, melted
Filling:
- 2 packages (8 ounces each) dairy-free cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Country Crock Plant Cream
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Chocolate Ganache:
- 1 stick Country Crock Plant Butter, cubed
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Grease 9-inch pie dish with plant butter; set aside.
- To make crust: In medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and melted plant butter; mix thoroughly.
- Add crust to greased pie dish and press firmly to bottom and sides; refrigerate.
- To make filling: In bowl of electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
- Add powdered sugar; beat until fully incorporated.
- Add peanut butter, vanilla extract and plant cream; beat until smooth and creamy.
- Pour filling into prepared crust and refrigerate 5-6 hours or overnight.
- To make chocolate ganache: In pan over medium heat, add plant butter cubes and chocolate; stir continuously.
- Spread chocolate ganache evenly on top of chilled cheesecake. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.
SOURCE:
Country Crock Plant Cream
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Food and Beverage
Ferrero Survey Says Adults Are Reclaiming Easter Candy Traditions
A new Ferrero survey finds adults are embracing Easter candy traditions, from building their own baskets to buying premium treats and raiding the kids’ stash.
Easter Is for Adults Now, Too
Ferrero’s latest survey suggests the holiday candy aisle is no longer just about kids. It is also about nostalgia, self-indulgence, and adults openly claiming a place in traditions they were once expected to outgrow.
At some point, adults stopped pretending they were only buying Easter candy for the kids.
Ferrero North America’s latest Easter Candy Survey leans hard into that reality, arguing that the “Adultoween” energy the company has been tracking around Halloween has now fully crossed into spring. According to the survey, 66% of North American adults say they deserve an Easter basket just as much as children do. If that sounds less like a shocking revelation and more like a formal acknowledgment of what has already been happening in grocery store checkout lines for years, that is probably because it is.
The bigger story here is not just that adults like candy. Of course they do. It is that brands are becoming much more comfortable marketing nostalgia, ritual, and seasonal indulgence directly to grown-ups. Easter, once framed mostly as a family holiday centered on children, is increasingly being recast as a shared cultural event where adults are not just participating politely. They are fully in it.
The Easter Bunny Has Entered the Group Chat
Ferrero’s survey of 1,000 adults in the United States and Canada paints a picture of Easter as a holiday that now comes with brunch plans, premium baskets, personal candy stashes, and a surprising amount of competitive behavior. Seventy percent of respondents said Easter is the best time of year for both adults and kids to indulge in candy together. Nearly half said they are likely to host or attend an adult Easter brunch, party, or gathering.
Then there are the confessions, which are really the heart of the whole thing. More than one in three adults said they have eaten their children’s Easter candy without telling them. More than one in four said they have competed with their own kids to find Easter eggs first. Eighteen percent admitted to cheating to win.
None of this is exactly noble, but it is revealing. The modern holiday experience is less about adults facilitating magic from the sidelines and more about everyone wanting in on the fun. Ferrero is smart to recognize that. Seasonal candy marketing has traditionally leaned on childhood wonder. What it is leaning on now is something slightly different: the idea that adulthood is stressful, nostalgia sells, and nobody really wants to age out of joy.
Candy as Culture, Not Just Confection
The survey also suggests that adults are not treating Easter candy as an afterthought. More than half of respondents said they would pay extra for a premium Easter basket, spending an average of $23 on a chocolate bunny or specialty treat. Dark chocolate, peanut butter candy, and chocolate eggs topped the wish lists. More than half also said Easter candy tastes better than Halloween candy, which feels like the kind of claim that could start arguments at a family gathering.
What matters more than the specific rankings, though, is what they signal. Holidays are increasingly being marketed as lifestyle moments rather than fixed traditions. The basket is no longer just for children. It is a seasonal self-care package, a joke, a nostalgic ritual, and a low-stakes luxury purchase all at once.
That shift says something broader about consumer culture. Adults are being invited to reclaim the symbols of childhood not because society has become less serious, but because modern life often feels serious all the time. A chocolate bunny is cheap therapy. A private stash of mini eggs is a coping mechanism with pastel packaging.
Why This Trend Matters
It would be easy to dismiss all of this as clever branding wrapped around survey data, and to be fair, Ferrero clearly knows how to turn consumer behavior into a seasonal narrative. But the company is tapping into something real. The line between kids’ traditions and adult participation has been softening for a while, whether that shows up in Halloween, themed merchandise, collectibles, or holiday food culture.
Easter now appears to be joining that list. Not because adults suddenly discovered candy in 2026, but because they are increasingly willing to admit that these rituals still mean something to them. Not everything has to be optimized, productive, or age-appropriate in the most boring sense of the phrase. Sometimes people just want the basket.
Ferrero’s Easter lineup this year includes products from Butterfinger, CRUNCH, Ferrero Rocher, Kinder, Nutella, Mother’s Cookies, Keebler, and Tic Tac, among others. The survey was conducted by Golin in partnership with Dynata between January 13 and January 27, 2026, among 1,000 respondents in the United States and Canada, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3%.
External Related Links
- Ferrero North America
- Ferrero Rocher Easter Products
- Kinder Easter Candy Collection
- Nutella Products and Brand Information
- PRNewswire Consumer Lifestyle News
Source: Ferrero North America via PRNewswire
The Food and Drink section at STM Daily News delivers fresh coverage on dining, drinks, recipes, and the food stories bringing communities together.
Last Updated on April 4, 2026 by Daily News Staff
(Feature Impact) When your kitchen is full of colorful eggs, candy baskets, tempting sweets and all that comes with Easter, sometimes a holiday classic is just the answer for simplifying the season. Perfect for pairing with deviled eggs, potato salad and a traditional Sunday feast, this Maple-Glazed Easter Ham provides a hands-off approach to the main dish.
With an easily prepared glaze and your oven doing most of the work, you can keep your attention on time spent with loved ones. Visit Culinary.net to find more seasonal favorites, both classic and contemporary.
Maple-Glazed Easter Ham
Recipe adapted from Southern Living
Total time: 3 hours
Servings: 10
- 1 bone-in spiral-cut ham (8-9 pounds)
- 1 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) bourbon
- 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- orange slices and wedges, for garnish
- fresh rosemary sprigs, for garnish
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Place ham in large roasting pan and fill with 1/2 inch of water. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake about 2 hours, basting every 30 minutes with juices from pan, until meat registers 120 F at thickest portion.
- In medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stir maple syrup, brown sugar, bourbon, ginger and cinnamon; bring to boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover to keep warm and set aside.
- Remove ham from oven and discard foil. Increase oven temperature to 400 F. Using pastry brush, glaze ham with 1/3 cup maple-bourbon mixture.
- Bake ham about 30 minutes until top is lightly caramelized and meat registers 145 F at thickest portion, brushing with remaining glaze every 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and transfer ham to serving platter. Let rest 15 minutes and garnish with orange slices, orange wedges and rosemary sprigs.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
SOURCE:
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If you needed a reason to celebrate your favorite wrapped meal, here it is.
National Burrito Day is observed every year on the first Thursday of April—a moving food holiday that always lands just in time to kick off spring cravings.
In 2026, National Burrito Day fell on April 2, giving burrito lovers across the U.S. the perfect midweek excuse to indulge.
A Quick Bite of History
While the burrito itself has deep roots in Mexican cuisine, the modern celebration of National Burrito Day is largely driven by restaurants and food brands that turned it into an annual event—complete with deals, giveaways, and social media buzz.
Today, it’s widely embraced by chains like Chipotle Mexican Grill and Qdoba Mexican Eats, along with local taquerías that join in the celebration.
Why It Matters (Beyond the Food)
National Burrito Day is more than just a marketing holiday—it reflects how a simple, portable dish became a staple of American food culture.
From classic bean-and-cheese to fully loaded carne asada burritos, the options are endless—and so are the reasons to celebrate.
External Related Reading
- National Day Calendar: National Burrito Day
- Smithsonian Magazine: A Brief History of the Burrito
- Chipotle Mexican Grill – Official Website
- Qdoba Mexican Eats – Official Website
