Holiday Sweet Treats

[Old Fashioned]

I remember as a kid helping both Ma & Auntie making fudge, divinity, cookies, cakes, etc to be given to family, friends & neighbors during the holiday season. Anymore, I only make a few goodies for us to enjoy in an effort to keep up atleast part of the tradition.

Here are a few recipes I've made......

Homemade Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars (kind of a take from Reese's Peanut Butter Cups)

1/2 C melted butter
1 C graham cracker crumbs
1 C powder sugar
3/4 C + 2 T creamy peanut butter
1 C chocolate chips

Line 8x8 pan with foil. Set aside. Mix butter, crumbs & sugar. Stir in 3/4 C peanut butter. Spread in pan. Melt chips & 2 T peanut butter. Stir until smooth. Spread over peanut butter layer. Chill about 3 hours. Allow to sit at room temperature before cutting.



Homemade Peppermint Patties

1/4 cup softened butter
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1-2 tsp peppermint extract
3 cups powdered sugar
2 cups dark dipping chocolate

Combine butter, corn syrup, extract and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes, until ingredients are well combined and are holding together.
Remove dough from bowl and break off about 2 teaspoon-sized sections. Roll into a ball and gently flatten with your hands. Put patties down on a pan lined with wax or parchment paper. Once all patties are made, place pan in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
Melt chocolate in microwave for 1 minute 20 seconds. Let sit for an additional minute in the microwave. Remove and gently stir. Remove peppermint patties from freezer. Use a fork to dip each patty in the chocolate, flip to coat the other side, then tap to remove any excess. Transfer chocolate coated patties to wax paper to cool.


Does anyone else still do this? Please share your recipes....

[calendula]

I like the sound of those peppermint patties!

Since I was a child, I have baked cookies every year with my grandma for Christmas. Sadly, this may be the first year that the tradition is broken because of her health problems. But, some of my favorites are shortbread, Mexican wedding cakes, spritz cookies, and thumbprint cookies. I'll have to get some recipes out to share...

[patriceinil]

I make tons of candy and cookies as Christmas gifts for family and friends. This year's candy will be fudge, caramel pecan clusters and chocolate raisin walnut drops. The cookies will be peanut butter fudge tarts, oatmeal raisin with nuts, gluten free cherry kolackes, chocolate peppermint thins, lemon cookies and brownies.

[Old Fashioned]

I like the sound of those peppermint patties!

Since I was a child, I have baked cookies every year with my grandma for Christmas. Sadly, this may be the first year that the tradition is broken because of her health problems. But, some of my favorites are shortbread, Mexican wedding cakes, spritz cookies, and thumbprint cookies. I'll have to get some recipes out to share...

Cal, I'm sure you're already too busy & more than plenty to do.....but think about continuing the goodie tradition for/with your kids. You doing it with them will build similar wonderful memories for them to share with their own kids in the future.


After looking at the Peppermint Patties recipe, I realized that is NOT the one I have tried in the past. So I don't know how that one will turn out.

Here is what I did last year and it's modified from what my Ma used for her Chocolate Drops--chocolate covered fondant.

1 medium potato, boiled & mashed
Powdered sugar
Peppermint extract
Chocolate melting wafers (I used chocolate chips, but they don't set up firm enough to handle. Will be using wafers this year)

Add enough powdered sugar with the mashed potato & a few drops of extract till firm & holds together well without being sticky. Probably around a full pound, maybe more. Roll into balls, lay on waxed or parchment paper on a cookie sheet & flatten. Freeze for about 30 minutes. Melt chocolate. Coat the patties in the melted chocolate & put back on the cookie sheet. Freeze or refridgerate another 30 minutes to set the chocolate.


I know it sounds weird to use a mashed potato, but it works and NO you don't taste potato.


Ma's Chocolate Drops


1 medium potato, boiled & mashed
Powdered sugar--about a pound or more
Chocolate melting wafers

Add enough powdered sugar with the mashed potato till firm. Roll in balls & dip in melted chocolate. Fridge or freeze till firm.

[Farmfresh]

Chocolate Truffle
• 250 grams/ 1 cup 70+% dark chocolate
• 25 grams/ 1 T butter
• 125 ml/ ½ cup whipping cream
• 1 t cocoa powder
------
Finely chop chocolate. Scald butter and milk.
Pour hot milk over chocolate and stir to melt.
Add cocoa powder.
Chill for 2 hours until solid.
Roll into balls and roll into toppings:
Crushed nuts, cocoa powder, crushed cookie with cinnamon

YUM!

[calendula]

I like the sound of those peppermint patties!

Since I was a child, I have baked cookies every year with my grandma for Christmas. Sadly, this may be the first year that the tradition is broken because of her health problems. But, some of my favorites are shortbread, Mexican wedding cakes, spritz cookies, and thumbprint cookies. I'll have to get some recipes out to share...

Cal, I'm sure you're already too busy & more than plenty to do.....but think about continuing the goodie tradition for/with your kids. You doing it with them will build similar wonderful memories for them to share with their own kids in the future.


After looking at the Peppermint Patties recipe, I realized that is NOT the one I have tried in the past. So I don't know how that one will turn out.

Here is what I did last year and it's modified from what my Ma used for her Chocolate Drops--chocolate covered fondant.

1 medium potato, boiled & mashed
Powdered sugar
Peppermint extract
Chocolate melting wafers (I used chocolate chips, but they don't set up firm enough to handle. Will be using wafers this year)

Add enough powdered sugar with the mashed potato & a few drops of extract till firm & holds together well without being sticky. Probably around a full pound, maybe more. Roll into balls, lay on waxed or parchment paper on a cookie sheet & flatten. Freeze for about 30 minutes. Melt chocolate. Coat the patties in the melted chocolate & put back on the cookie sheet. Freeze or refridgerate another 30 minutes to set the chocolate.


I know it sounds weird to use a mashed potato, but it works and NO you don't taste potato.


Ma's Chocolate Drops


1 medium potato, boiled & mashed
Powdered sugar--about a pound or more
Chocolate melting wafers

Add enough powdered sugar with the mashed potato till firm. Roll in balls & dip in melted chocolate. Fridge or freeze till firm.

The potato is even better! I'd rather use that than corn syrup any day.

I will try to continue the baking tradition with my kids, because not only is it a great bonding time, but I don't think as many people are doing things like that anymore. I don't want all those good, old recipes to be lost! That is why I love old cookbooks too.

Farm, those truffles sound delicious!!! Dark chocolate and heavy cream makes a heavenly combo.

I think my favorite cookie is shortbread. It only has 3 ingredients, and is a more "healthy" cookie to me, since it uses real butter (no shortening or margarine).

OLD FASHIONED SHORTBREAD​

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups flour

Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Work in 2 1/4 cups flour, adding remaining flour gradually, if necessary. Lightly knead to form a ball. Cover and chill dough 2 hours. Divide dough in half. On an ungreased cookie sheet, pat each half into a 7 inch (18 cm) circle. With a fork, prick each circle to form 16 wedges; flute edges. Dough may also be rolled out 1/2 inch thick and cut into fingers or other assorted shapes. Prick with a fork. Bake at 300ºF for 30 minutes. Cool slightly; remove from pan and cool on racks. May be frozen. Makes 32 wedges or 72 shortbread fingers.

[Old Fashioned]

Original recipe says......

Homemade Mounds Bars

3 C shredded coconut
1 C sweetened condensed milk
Dark chocolate melting wafers

Mix coconut & milk, form bars, freeze 20 minutes till firm. Dip in melted chocolate to cover. Freeze again to set.


When I started this yesterday, I only had 2 1/2 C coconut & went to the store to get more & it was still too soft. And from a 14oz can of milk, there was about 1/4 C left over.....so I added more coconut & the rest of the can of milk to finish it off. Came out to be about 4 C of firmly packed coconut to (1) 14oz can of milk and ended up leaving them in the freezer overnight.
This morning I added semi-sweet chocolate chips to the melting wafers (very spendy) for it to go farther. Roughly 1/2 as much chips to wafers. Mine are in the freezer now to set and from taste tests seem to be perfect.


If you like Almond Joy, use the same recipe but top with almonds & use milk chocolate.

[Old Fashioned]

Found this on FB & looks doable. I'm going to try this today if I have time.

Cracker Candy


Here’s what you need:
1 tube of saltines (~ 40 crackers +)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter (either salted or unsalted; do not use margarine)
1 cup + 2 Tbsp. firmly packed brown sugar (I prefer light)
1 bag chocolate chips (I like semi-sweet)
1/2 to 3/4 cup toasted chopped pecans (or toasted chopped almonds)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Line cookie sheet with foil & spray with non-stick cooking spray. Line crackers end to end on sheet, breaking crackers to fit the end if necessary. In a saucepan, melt butter on low heat. Once melted, add brown sugar and turn heat to medium. Continue stirring until boiling – then boil for 3 minutes (set timer). Pour over crackers, spread evenly working quickly. Put sheet into oven – bake for 5 minutes. Remove – pour chocolate chips over top – place a sheet of foil over and let melt for ~3 minutes. Spread melted chocolate over the top evenly. Add nuts to top – replace foil and refrigerate until set
(can be frozen)

[calendula]

Last night we made reindeer cookies. They are pretty simple--you need large sugar cookies. Cut each cookie into quarters so that you end up with 4 triangular shaped pieces per cookie.

Spread melted chocolate on each triangle, and before it cools and hardens, put an M & M or some other small edible item, like a peanut, on the triangle's point (that's the nose). Then two little morsels for the eyes (we used little pieces of marshmallow), and then top it with antlers (pieces of pretzels). The twins had such fun decorating them, but I couldn't keep them from constantly licking their fingers. I asked my husband to please not tell anyone that the cookies have slobber in them.

[Farmfresh]

Sounds like wonderful fun!

We decorated sugar cookies at what my family calls "Christmas Magic". We usually all get together for a supper of some kind a few days after Thanksgiving where we decorate D2's Christmas tree and do the cookie thing.

Just so you know. There were a lot of adult decorated cookies bearing slobber as well.