My sweet (literally) little neighbor gifts are all done and beautified! I'm so excited to share this with my near and dear this year (totally did NOT mean to rhyme.). Jonny and I were baking fiends all day yesterday, partly because these needed to be done, and partly because we were both feeling super cozy and Christmassy because of the pea-soup fog outside all afternoon. I LOVED IT! We made Mint Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies, CRACK mix(aka: coconutty chex mix), Peanut Butter Fudge, Cherry Chocolate Bars, and my favorite Pretzel/Hug/M&M treats.... It was like Santa's Bakery in our house yesterday!
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| Starting at the top center and going right: Cherry Chocolate Bars, Mint Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies, CRACK Mix, Peanut Butter Fudge, and in the center my Pretzel Bites...mmmMMMmmm. |
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| The final product...some also have a Christmas card along with it. I think it's just perfect!! :) |
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| Me with my goodies and my cute Christmas Apron! |
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| Mint Chocolatty goodness |
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| My festive Holiday Recipe Booklet. |
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| My line of plates still to be wrapped up... |
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| Piles and piles of finished gifts! |
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| 4 x 4 deep. It's going to be a fun and BUSY week handing these all out! XOXO -Linz |
Here are the recipes I used for these yummy treats.
Peanut Butter Fudge
The easiest fudge you'll ever make!
12oz Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
12oz Crunchy Peanut Butter
1 14oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk
Place chocolate chips and peanut butter in a microwaveable bowl and cook on high for about 1 minutes or until the chips are melted; stir often to avoid scorching. Remove from microwave and stir in the condensed milk. Pour the mixture into an 8x8x2", lightly buttered or sprayed pan (be generous if using spray, or line your pan with wax paper for easy removal). Slice into desired cubes.
Mint Chocolate Chip Meringue Drops
Let your stand mixer do all the work!
3 Egg Whites
1/2 tsp Peppermint or Mint Extract (I think Orange would be yummy for this too!)
1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
1/4 tsp Green Food Coloring (or color to compliment flavor choice)
2/3 c White Granulated Sugar
1/2 c Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Beat egg whites at high speed until foamy, then beat in the cream of tartar. Slowly beat in the sugar, 1 T at a time until the sugar dissolves and stiff peaks have formed. Beat in Peppermint (or other) extract and food coloring; gently fold in the mini chocolate chips. Drop the mixture by teaspoonfuls onto parchment or foil-lined baking sheets. Bake at 250 for 45-55 mins; or until firm on top to the touch. Turn the oven off and leave overnight (or store, once cooled, in airtight container).
Makes 4 dozen.
Cherry Chocolate Bars
(from my favorite "Recipes to Remember Lindon 11th Ward" Cookbook)
1 pkg Fudge Cake Mix
1 21oz can Cherry Pie Filling
1 tsp Almond Extract
2 Eggs; beaten
FROSTING:
1 c White Granulated Sugar
1/3 c Milk
5 T Butter
1 c Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a jelly roll pan and set aside. Mix the cake mix, cherry pie filling, almond extract, and eggs by HAND. Stir until well mixed and moistened. Spread into evenly into the Jelly Roll pan. *NOTE* It will look like there's not enough mixture to cover the pan, but trust the recipe, the mixture totally puffs up during baking and will rise to the top edge of the pan.
For the frosting, mix together in a saucepan the sugar, butter, and milk. Stir at a boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips; stirring until smooth. Pour this over the bars and let it set.
***These are so, so easy and are always a hit. The frosting is to die for!
CRACK Mix
1 1/2 c Butter
1 c Karo Syrup (light)
1 c White Granulated Sugar
3 c Rice Chex
3 c Corn Chex
6 c Golden Grahams Cereal
1/2 c Shredded, Sweetened Coconut
1 - 1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 - 1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla
Chocolate Chips (opt; add at the cooling stage)
Combine cereals and coconut in a LARGE bowl and set aside. In a saucepan, melt the butter then add the Karo syrup, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla. Bring to a boil for 2 mins stirring constantly (it tends to bubble up and over quite easily). Pour over the cereal mixture and stir to coat well. Spread the mixture out onto waxed paper sheets (don't EVER put this on foil...it doesn't end well) to cool. If I'm adding chocolate chips I usually sprinkle them on at this point, or else right before I'm about to put the mix out onto the paper. This stuff is VERY addictive, thus the name of it! haha! Enjoy!
Pretzel M&M Treats
1 bag Window Pane Pretzels (butter flavor is preferrable)
1 bag Regular M&M's
2 bags Hershey's Hugs (we used the Cookies & Creme ones they have out right now)
Preheat the oven to 350 (if you broil them, the tops get too crispy and this won't work). Layout the pretzels on a cookie sheet; just as many as you can fit on there. Place 1 hug on each pretzel. Put the cookie sheet into the oven and watch closely; it takes about 5 mins. When the hugs are warmed enough to still hold their form but not melt completely down, remove and place 1 M&M on top of the hug (right in the middle). Don't push it all the way down, as this pushes the Hug onto the cookie sheet and it gets stuck. These are so easy and completely scrumptious...watch out or you'll have eaten 3 or 4 before you'll even realize it!
Happy Holidays!
XOXO
