Cinnamon and Sugar Coated Pecans

I have been looking for a recipe like this for years!  Last year I made one and the pecans were sticky and soggy...yuck!  This year I searched the web and looked at several recipes, and then kind of took the parts I like from different ones and made these!  They were EXACTLY what I was looking for!  :)  They were delicious warm and room temperature!  And these will make great gifts in little gift bags or jars.

Of course, pecans are expensive.  I buy mine at Costco.  You can always try a different kind of nut!!

Cinnamon Sugar Pecans

4 cups pecans (about 1 pound)
1 egg white
1 tbsp. water
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon


Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Spray two baking sheets (with sides!) generously with cooking spray.  Put the egg white and water in a mixing bowl and with an electric mixer, whip the egg and water until it is foamy.  Pour the nuts into the bowl and toss to coat.  Place half the sugar/cinnamon mixture in a shallow bowl.  Grab a handful of coated nuts and toss them in the mixture.  Place on baking sheet.  When you run out of sugar/cinnamon mixture, add the rest to your bowl. (The reason I don't add it all at once is it ends up getting all gooey, and the last nuts don't get a great coating.)  Make sure pecans are in a single layer on the sheets, place both in oven on two different racks (make sure there is space between racks).  Bake for 30-35 minutes, stirring nuts every 10 minutes and swapping the pans between racks. (35 minutes were perfect for mine!)

Hope  you love these as much as we all did!

Double Dipped Oreos

Please don't tell Nabisco, but you can make chocolate covered Oreos at home that are tastier AND cheaper!  These are easy to make, but a little time consuming.  However, the reward (eating them) is waaaay worth it.  And they are another great gift to give, which are sturdy and great for shipping! 

The best melting chocolate to use is Ghirardelli brand "Candy Making and Dipping Bar" Double Chocolate flavor.  The best place to get them is Sam's Club.  They come in 2 1/2 pound blocks and are around $7.50.  Click here to see what they look like.

I use the Wilton Choclate Pro melting pot to make this project easier. I don't use it to melt the choclate, but I do use it to keep the chocolate warm while I am dipping the cookies.  If you don't have this, I suggest doing the cookies in smaller batches because your chocolate will start to harden as it cools. You can get the melting pot at any craft type store that carries Wilton products (and of course, use a 40% off coupon for it!!)

Double Dipped Oreos

5 dozen Oreo cookies
2 1/2 pounds melting chocolate
Assorted Christmas Sprinkles
Wax paper

Melt 1 1/2 pounds of the chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute at half power.  Stir.  Continue microwaving and stirring at half power at 30 second intervals until chocolate is melted and smooth.  Pour chocolate into melting pot (if using).  Place one Oreo at a time into the chocolate using a fork to flip it to coat both sides.  Carefully lift with the fork and gently tap on the edge to  let excess chocolate drop off.  Scrape bottom of fork along edge while removing to stop pooling of chocolate on around bottom edge of cookie.  Place on wax paper.  Repeat with all cookies.  Let these harden for a couple hours before melting the other pound of chocolate and dipping all the cookies again (using the same procedure) and topping with sprinkles.  This time let harden for several hours, and then store in airtight container, using wax paper between the layers.  Store in a cool place, but not the refrigerator or freezer!  I keep mine in the garage....well, now that I am living in Michigan again!  :)

My family LOVES these, so I have to make some for us to keep.  But I mostly make them to give away.  I like to use those holiday printed cellophane bags with the twisty ties and just put 4 - 6 in a bag and tie them up and put a tag on them.  A cute little gift for someone you want to say "thanks" to. 

Happy dipping!  :)

Christmas Confetti

My mom has been making this Christmas treat for many, many years and it has become a staple in our house at Christmas as well.  Not only do we like to eat it, but lots of people love it, and it's a great treat to give away because it's easy to make and package.  And, if you have family and friends far away that you like to ship goodies to, this ships very well!

I have made this using several different brands of white "chocolate" coating.  The best brand is the Ghirardelli "Candy Making & Dipping Bar".  You can get them in 2 1/2 pound blocks at Sam's Club for a great price...around $7.50!!  They come in milk chocolate as well.  Click here to see them on the Sam's Club website. 

Christmas Confetti

6 cups Kellogg's Crispix Cereal
3 cups Cheerio's
1 cup peanuts
1 cup pretzel sticks, broken in half
1 cup plain M & M's (the Christmas red/green kind)
1 pound white melting chocolate

Mix the cereal, nuts, pretzels and M&M's in a large bowl.  Melt the white chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute at half power.  Stir.  Continue melting and stirring at half power for 30 second intervals until chocolate is melted and smooth.  Drizzle melted chocolate over cereal mixture, stirring constantly.  Spread on wax paper to dry.  Break up pieces when dry and store in an air tight container.

Enjoy!!!

Crockpot Chocolate Covered Peanut Clusters

I have seen several recipes for these candies, but this one was posted on a blog I follow (http://www.deepsouthdish.com/) and I liked the sound of it, so I went ahead and tried it!  They turned out fantastic!!!

Crockpot Chocolate Covered Peanut Clusters - adapted from http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2011/12/crockpot-candy-peanut-clusters.html

2 cups honey roasted peanuts
1 cup dry roasted peanuts
1 - 24 oz. package of chocolate flavored almond bark, broken into chunks
1 - 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate bar (I used Ghirardelli), broken into pieces
1- 12 oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tbsp. Crisco
1 tsp. vanilla

Place the peanuts on the bottom of your slow cooker. Layer the almond bark, then the bittersweet chocolate, then the chocolate chips.  Place the crisco on top.  Do not add the vanilla yet.  Turn onto low and cook for 2 1/2 hours.  Stir.  If all the chocolate hasn't melted smooth, check again in 30 minutes.  When all is melted, stir in vanilla.  Spoon mixture onto waxed paper and let set for at least 2 hours. Makes 60-80 candies depending on size.

For additional add in ideas, please go to the Deep South Dish posting above!  She has lots of great ideas for other things to mix in.

NOTE:  Some slow cookers temperatures are hotter than others.  Especially newer ones.  I used my almost 17 year old crock pot for this and it was perfect.  My 2 month old crock pot would have burned these for sure.  If you think yours cooks hotter, than you should probably stir your mixture every half hour or so.  Or cook it on warm, it may take a little longer, but won't burn.  Read the original post for other suggestions by clicking the link above.


We all think these are fabulous!  I have given a ton of them away.  I got 81 pieces of candy out of it!!!   I have to admit, I was a little leery about the honey roasted peanuts.  But I wouldn't change a thing about them!!  My kids want me to make more...as if we need them with all of the other stuff I have made already!  'Tis the season, I guess!

Broken Glass Hard Candy

I remember back in the '80s my friends bringing the "broken glass" candy into school and loving to try all the different flavors that their moms had made. It was so good! I forgot about it until this year when my mom told me one of her friends always makes it and this year she was going to show my mom how easy it was.

I decided I wanted to try it as well. I figured I would start with just two flavors. Some cinnamon (red) and spearmint (green) for Christmas. You will need a candy thermometer. I mean, unless you are a candy making pro (which I am not). Also, you will need flavoring oil. NOT extract. I could not find flavoring oil at the grocery store. I found it at Hobby Lobby in the candy/cake decorating area.

Broken Glass Hard Candy

2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cups light corn syrup
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon flavoring oil (not extract)
1/2 teaspoon food coloring
Powdered sugar

Prepare a cookie sheet by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.  I like Pam for Baking.  Use a paper towel to spread around and remove excess.

In a 2-3 quart saucepan, mix the sugar, corn syrup and water together well. Turn the heat on to medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Once it is dissolved, stop stirring and let it come to a boil. Keep boiling without stirring until temp reaches 260 degrees. (You may want to put a splatter screen over the pot to keep your stove top clean, but be sure to keep an eye on the thermometer.) Once the temperature reaches 260 degrees, add the food coloring but DO NOT STIR it. The food coloring will mix into the candy automatically by the boiling. Continue boiling without stirring until the temperature reads 300 degrees on the thermometer. Remove from heat.

Let the boiling die down just a little, and pour in the flavoring, but keep your face turned away from the pot. It will make some crazy steam and you will not be able to breathe. Seriously. Stir the oil in quickly and pour onto the prepared sheet. Candy will start to harden immediately. It will not fill the pan. That is ok. You just want a thin sheet of candy anyway.

When the candy is cool to the touch on the top and on the bottom of the pan, place a sheet of wax paper over top and and use a small hammer to tap the candy and break it into pieces.

Carefully scoop the candy into a gallon ziplock bag and put 2 heaping tablespoons of powdered sugar into the bag with it. Shake to coat the candy to keep it from sticking together.

This is another one of those recipes that sounds harder than it is. I don't know the exact time it takes because I only go by the thermometer. But it does take awhile. You can double this recipe easily. And I recommend it because it does take so long to cook. Have two baking sheets ready.

Please note that when I saw "small hammer", I really mean that. The first time I made it I just used my meat tenderizing mallet. Let's just say I had a lot of candy "dust". And you just want to tap it. If you pound it, you will end up with dust.

Like I said earlier in this post, I made both cinnamon and spearmint, mixed them together, and put it in small glass jars I purchased from Hobby Lobby!   The big jar you see in the picture is our jar for home!

These make cute, inexpensive gifts. I filled eight of these small jars by making just one batch of each color. The jar holds about 3/4 cup of candy!

Homemade Caramel Corn

This recipe is easy, but is also a little time consuming and tends to dirty more dishes than I like. But the end result is delicious and worth it! I use this recipe a lot at Christmas time to fill decorative containers, or even small cellophane bags to hand out to teachers or friends. It’s always a big hit.

Caramel Corn – This recipe came from my friend Tricia L. and I believe she got it from another friend!

1 cup REAL butter (no substitutes)
1/2 cup corn syrup
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Popcorn - enough to fill (2) 9x13 casserole dishes (don’t use microwave popcorn…either air pop or pop on stove!!!)

After measuring popcorn to be sure you have enought to fill both pans, place the popcorn in a couple of large bowls.  Leave 9x13 pans close by.

In large pot on medium-low melt butter.  Add corn syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, baking soda. After it's all melted together turn up heat, stirring constantly and bring caramel to a boil. Once at a boil turn heat down to low and DO NOT STIR for 5 minutes. Remove from heat stir and coat popcorn immediately. Stir the popcorn gently in the bowls to coat it, and then spread it in the 9x13 pans.

Bake at 250° for 50 minutes. Flip popcorn every 10-15 minutes with a large, flat spatlua to keep caramel from settling on the bottom. After 50 mins. dump caramel corn on wax paper, separate quickly and allow to cool.

Use this recipe for popping corn on the stove top: Stovetop Popcorn This recipe is enough for 1 batch of caramel corn.

Lofthouse Style Sugar Cookies

I have been wanting to try I copycat recipe for these cookies for years. My kids are always begging me to buy them at the store, and occasionally I break down and get them, but now I can bake them myself. I actually think these are just a bit less sweet (not much). When I eat one of the store bought cookies I feel like I need a huge glass of milk to wash it down because they are so sweet!

Lofthouse Style Sugar Cookies - adapted from http://www.motherthyme.com/2011/11/lofthouse-sugar-cookies.html

3 cups cake flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp sour cream
1 tsp vanilla

Combine the cake flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add one at a time and mix after each addition. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix well. Add flour mixture a little at a time and mix until combined.

Cover mixing bowl, and place in refrigerator for at least an hour.

Roll 2 tablespoons of dough at a time into a ball. Dough will be a little sticky, so flour your hands if needed. Place the balls 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Use your fingers to flatten each ball to abut 1/2 inch thick.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups confectioner's sugar
3 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
Food coloring (optional)

Place butter in a mixing bowl and mix at low speed. Add confectioner's sugar 1 cup at a time,mixing well after each addition. Add in milk and vanilla and mix at medium speed until fluffy. Add in food coloring, if using.


We all LOVED these cookies. And actually, I thought they tasted better the next day after the frosting had time to set. This recipe made between 2 and 3 dozen. I did not double it this time since it was my first time making it, but I may double it next time and freeze half of the cookies unfrosted.

These are versatile cookies that can be decorated for any holiday! And you will no longer need to buy them at the store!!!

Pistachio-Chocolate Checkers

This cookie recipe is not one that came from either my or my husband's family. It is one I came across myself about 12 years ago, although I do not know where I got it from!! It is a fairly easy recipe that makes a lot of cookies.

I wasn't planning to make these this year, but my husband and kids were very disappointed to find that out. So I added them back to the list.

Pistachio-Chocolate Checkers

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter (REAL butter, no substitutes!)
1 egg
2 2/3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1 tbsp milk
1/4 cup finely chopped pistachio nuts
2 to 3 drops green food coloring

In a large bowl beat the powdered sugar, butter and egg on medium speed with an electric mixer. Add flour and salt. Mix well. Divide dough in half. Stir cocoa and milk into one half. Stir food coloring and nuts into other half. Pat the chocolate dough into a 6"x5" rectangle. Divide in half so you have two-3 inch wide strips. Divide each of those in half again. Then each of those in half again. You should now have 8 strips of dough that are 3/4"x5". Repeat with the green dough. Once you have all the dough divided, take a strip of green and chocolate and set them side by side. Top with another green and chocolate, alternating colors on top. Wrap in wax paper and press the strips tightly together after it is wrapped. Repeat until you have 4 wrapped bars of cookie dough. Wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or until firm. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut rectangles crosswise into 1/4" slices. Place about 1" apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 7-9 minutes or until set, not browned.


As I was typing up that description, it sounds a lot harder than it is to make. There was not really a good way for me to explain it. And now, that you are totally confused, I am really going to mess with you!! You know that when I am baking holiday cookies I like to make double batches whenever I can. Well, this recipe is no exception. Except that when doubling this recipe, it's the same up until the point where you split the dough in half to add the coloring and nuts to half, and the cocoa and milk to the other half. I don't split the dough, and only double the nuts and coloring in one batch, then make another batch and only double the cocoa and milk. Everything else is the same.

I know, it seems overwhelming. I am mega overwhelmed right now, so thankfully, I know these are much easier to make than they sound. And, thankfully, mine are already done!

Spritz Cookies

Many years ago I got a cookie press and set out to find a yummy recipe to make using it. I found this recipe and adapted it from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

These are one of my son's absolute favorites. I only make them at Christmas, but I really could make them any time of the year by switching the shape in the press and changing the color!,

Spritz Cookies

1 cup soft butter
2/3 cups sugar
3 egg yolks
1tsp. Almond flavoring
Food coloring
2 1/2 cups flour

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, egg yolks, flavoring and food coloring until well blended. Gradually mix in flour. Following the directions for your cookie press, place dough inside and press onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 400 degrees 7-10 minutes or until set, not brown.


These do not work well with parchment paper. Press directly onto your cookie sheet. Also, when I recently made these, I made the dough one day, refrigerated it, then baked it the next. This was the most trouble I ever had with these cookies, so I don't recommend doing that either. Add to the fact the my cookie press is on the brink of breaking, and you can just imagine how frustrated I was.

Despite all that, I got the cookies baked, though most are brown on the edge because I didn't care by that point. But they still tasted yummy!

I will be attempting another batch here soon, hopefully with less frustrating effort!

Candied Fruit Slices

My husband and I both grew up with moms that made several different Christmas cookies. So when we got married and I started making Christmas cookies, I got our favorite recipes from our moms, and then have added a few new ones over the years.

This cookie recipe was one that my mother-in-law always made when my husband was growing up. It has become one of my family's favorites and I make it every year now, too!

Candied Fruit Slices

1 cup unsalted butter
1cup confectioner's sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup pecan halves
2 cups soft candied cherries (1 cup red, 1 cup green)

Cream butter in mixing bowl. Gradually add sugar, cream until light & fluffly. Blend in eggs & vanilla. Add flour, mix well. Stir in pecans and cherries, mix well. Chill dough for 1 hour and 15 minutes (no longer or dough will be too hard to handle). Divide dough into thirds. Shape each third into 10" long rolls. Wrap in wax paper and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight (this will make for easier slicing). When ready to bake, only pull out one roll at a time. Slice into 1/8" slices. Bake at 325 degrees on an ungreased cookie sheet for 16-20 minutes or until edges are delicately brown.


Now, these may sound like a lot of work to you, but let me tell you the my 11 year old son made these last week with just supervision from me. He did all the work. If he can do it, you can do it!!

A couple of quick notes on these. 1) Once you add the cherries and pecans, only mix until they are just blended otherwise they will break up into little pieces and they wont look as pretty when you slice them. 2) I do not double this recipe because it makes a lot of cookies, and I think it would be too hard to mix up. Also, the cookies don't spread so you can fit lots of them on a cookie sheet. Try to get all your slices pretty even otherwise you will have some cookies browner than others. I am not very good at this, but my husband loves the ones that are over browned so he happily eats those for me!

If you are looking for a different cookie that will add some "pizazz" to your cookie plates, then this may be the one for you!!

Magic Cookie Bars

Bar cookies are one of my favorite things to make because they don't usually require as much work as other cookies. These are another cookie I have been enjoying my entire life, and another family favorite. And again, I have heard these called several different names. I call them Magic Cookie Bars, but my husband grew up knowing them as Santa Snacks. Please share any other names you know them as in the comments!!

Magic Cookie Bars

1 stick of butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup sweetened, flaked coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chocolate chips
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

Place butter in a 9x13 pan and turn the oven on to 350 degrees. Place the pan in the oven as it is heating up to melt the butter. Watch carefully as you don't want to burn it! When butter is melted, carefully remove pan from oven and tip the pan so that the butter coats the entire bottom of the pan and about 1/4 inch up the sides. Add the graham cracker crumbs into the pan and mix into the butter. Press crumb mixture onto the bottom of pan with a fork. Next layer the coconut, walnuts and chocolate chips. Then take a clean fork or the back of a spoon and press down on the chocolate chips to push them a little farther into the other ingredients. This will help them stick to the cookie bars when all done. (I forgot to do this one time, and lost several chocolate chips after cutting). Drizzle or spoon the condensed milk evenly over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes. While still warm, run an knife around the edge of the pan so they will be easier to remove when cool.

These cookies freeze very well. I put them in ziploc freezer bags in 2 layers, placing a piece of wax paper between the layers. They stack easily in the freezer, and aren't fragile like some of the other cookies I make.

Feel free to make these using different nuts or chocolate chips to experiment with the flavor, if you want. I have never done this, because part of what I love about them is the remind me of my childhood! And I love them just the way they are!

Enjoy!

Snowballs

Another cookie that I make every year is known by many names such as Russian Tea Cakes, Mexican Wedding Cakes, or by the name my family calls them (for obvious reasons): Snowballs!! My mom has also been making these for as long as I can remember. They are melt in your mouth yummy! And so very easy to make.

Snowballs

1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

Place butter, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat until well combined. Stir together the flour and salt and add to butter mixture. Mix in nuts. Chill dough.
(At this point I prefer to take all the dough out of the bowl and flatten it into a disk around 1/2 to 1 inch thick. No need to be exact. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or wax paper and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.) When ready to bake, shape the dough into 1 inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until set, but don't let them brown. The cookies do not spread, so you only need to leave a little space between each cookie. While still warm, roll in powdered sugar. Cool. Roll in powdered sugar again.


As you probably know, I make several different kinds of Christmas cookies, and I start making them in October or November and freezing them. When I make these and freeze them, I don't roll them in the powdered sugar the second time until I thaw them from the freezer before serving or giving away.

These are another cookie that is a good one for kids to help with! My kids love to help with these. And they eat as much dough as I will let them since they know there aren't any eggs in them!

Happy Baking!

Peanut Butter Kisses

I have several recipes that I made for Thanksgiving to share with you, but I think it would be more practical for me to share my Christmas treats with you now! That way, you can make them to enjoy yourself or give to others!

Most of you know that I enjoy making lots and lots of Christmas cookies. This is one of my regular cookies that I make every year. My family would hurt me if I didn't make them. I am kidding. Sort of.

I have been making Peanut Butter Kisses for years. I have also heard them called Peanut Butter Blossoms, and you may have another name, but it doesn't matter because the end result is the same: YUM! My mom always made these growning up, but this is not the same recipe she used. I am not exactly sure where I got this one...possibly off of a bag of Hershey Kisses.

Peanut Butter Kisses

48 unwrapped Hershey Kisses
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
granulated sugar

Mix flour, baking soda & salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Beat butter and shortening together until well blended. Add both sugars, and continue beating until light and fluffy. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla and mix well. Add the flour mixture into the peanut butter mixture a little at a time, until it is all mixed in. Form dough into 1" balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place the cookes 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately after removing cookie sheet from oven, carefully press a Hershey Kiss into the middle of each cookie. After placing them all, go back and give each of them a gentle twist. This will help secure them to the cookie. Let cool for a few minutes on the pan before removing to a cooling rack. Do not store the cookies until the chocolate has completely firmed up again!!


I do want to mention something about the sugar I prefer. I only use cane sugar. If your sugar does not specifically say it's cane sugar, then it is most likely beet sugar. There is DEFINITELY a difference when it comes to baking. I use the Domino brand for all my sugar (granulated, brown, and powdered). It is a little more pricey, but it is worth it for the quality of your baked goods! You can research the difference between the two sugars for yourself (I have) and make your own decision!

If you have never made these, they are very easy to make, and a good cookie for young bakers to help with. Lots of unwrapping of candy,rolling dough into balls and rolling in sugar to do, and that is perfect for little hands! I know my kids love to help with all that!

Anyhow, I will be sharing more of my cookie recipes with you soon! Enjoy!