Christmas Goodie Recipes, part II
Pumpkin Muffins
This is a two bowl recipe. Preheat your oven to 350. Assemble the usual suspects.
1 cup butter
3 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 16oz can pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla
Blend all this well in one bowl first.
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar (or more)
1 egg white
Milk
1 tsp Cinnamon
Mix all this together and add slowly to the wet mixture.
Grease and flour (or use Baker's Joy) on a muffin pan, and bake for about forty-five minutes (thirty minutes for mini-muffins), or until you can get a clean toothpick, and then you're set for delicious, amazing pumpkin muffin bites of heaven.
When muffins are cool, mix together glaze ingredients until you get a glaze consistency that you like. Dip muffins and allow to dry completely.
Sugar Crack - This was originally seegrim's recipe. Since I've made twelve batches of it in the last two weeks, I feel like it's mine. Sorry, Celeste. It might interest you to know that no less than 10 people have asked for the recipe! It's become viral. Like sugar crack does.
3 sticks butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups Karo syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 large box of Golden Grahams
1 large box of Rice Chex (or corn or whatever)
1 cup slivered almonds
1 bag white chocolate chips
Combine first three ingredients, Bring to a boil, Boil for three minutes. Take off stove and add in vanilla.
Have the cereals and the almonds waiting for you in a ginormous bowl. Dump heated sugary mix on top a bit at a time and stir together. Add chocolate chips and stir again. Turn out on wax paper to cool.
Butterfinger Bites - These are chewier than the candy bar, but really, really good!
Ingredients
• 3 cups candy corn
• 1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
• milk chocolate chips or candy melts, for dipping
Instructions
1. Place the candy corn in a large bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir and return to microwave. Continue heating for 30 seconds and then stirring until it is completely melted.
2. Stir in the peanut butter. The heat from the candy corn should melt the peanut butter, but if not return to the microwave for 15 seconds. Stir to combine.
3. Spread the mixture into an 8x8 baking dish lined with parchment paper. Smooth it out evenly in the pan. Let cool for one hour and then use a pizza cutter to slice into bars.
4. Melt the chocolate chips or candy melts in the microwave.
5. Carefully dip the candy bars into the melted chocolate and turn to coat.
6. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and wait for the chocolate to set.
7. Store at room temperature for a chewy texture or in the fridge for a more crisp texture.
Homemade Thin Mints - This has peppermint extract - BEWARE!
Chocolate Wafers:
8 ounces butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups cake flour (all-purpose would work just fine)
Chocolate Peppermint Coating:
1 package mint dark chocolate candy melts
-or-
1 pound good quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
peppermint extract to taste (about 1 teaspoon)
Cookie dough: In a mixer cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and continue to cream, scraping the sides of the bowl a couple times if necessary. Stir in the vanilla extract, salt, and cocoa powder. Mix until the cocoa powder is integrated and the batter is smooth and creamy, resembling a thick frosting. Add the flour and mix just until the batter is no longer dusty looking but still a bit crumbly. Turn the dough out onto a clean counter, gather it into a ball, and knead it together into a nice, smooth mass. Divide the dough in 2, flatten into disks, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 15 minutes.
Rollout and bake: Preheat oven to 350. Roll dough out really thin, about 1/8-inch. These are called thin mints after all. You can either roll it out between two sheets of plastic, or dust your counter and rolling pin with a bit of flour and do it that way. If the dough is too firm to roll you can microwave it for 5 seconds. Cut out cookies and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the peppermint coating: Meanwhile, prepare your chocolate coating. Using a double boiler, slowly melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally until it is glossy and smooth. You can add 1 tablespoon of shortening if your chocolate is too thick. Alternatively, use a microwave in short 15-20 second bursts to melt the chocolate. Stir in the peppermint extract if you don’t have the mint candy melts.
Finishing the cookies: Using a fork gently drop the cookies one at a time into the chocolate coating. Flip to coat all sides. Lift the cookie out of the chocolate with the fork and bang the fork on the side of the pan to drain any extra chocolate off the cookie. You are after a thin, even coating of chocolate. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, and repeat for the rest of the cookies. Place the cookies in the refrigerator or freezer to set.
Peanut Butter Blossoms - I thought everyone made these, but my mother-in-law never had, so apparently this recipe isn't as far reaching as I thought. It's an old favorite in our family.
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
3 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
Additional granulated sugar (about 2 tablespoons)
About 7 dozen Hershey's® Kisses® Brand milk chocolates
1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, beat 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, peanut butter, butter and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, baking soda and baking powder.
2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in additional granulated sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light brown. Immediately press 1 chocolate candy in center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
ENJOY!
This is a two bowl recipe. Preheat your oven to 350. Assemble the usual suspects.
1 cup butter
3 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 16oz can pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla
Blend all this well in one bowl first.
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar (or more)
1 egg white
Milk
1 tsp Cinnamon
Mix all this together and add slowly to the wet mixture.
Grease and flour (or use Baker's Joy) on a muffin pan, and bake for about forty-five minutes (thirty minutes for mini-muffins), or until you can get a clean toothpick, and then you're set for delicious, amazing pumpkin muffin bites of heaven.
When muffins are cool, mix together glaze ingredients until you get a glaze consistency that you like. Dip muffins and allow to dry completely.
Sugar Crack - This was originally seegrim's recipe. Since I've made twelve batches of it in the last two weeks, I feel like it's mine. Sorry, Celeste. It might interest you to know that no less than 10 people have asked for the recipe! It's become viral. Like sugar crack does.
3 sticks butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups Karo syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 large box of Golden Grahams
1 large box of Rice Chex (or corn or whatever)
1 cup slivered almonds
1 bag white chocolate chips
Combine first three ingredients, Bring to a boil, Boil for three minutes. Take off stove and add in vanilla.
Have the cereals and the almonds waiting for you in a ginormous bowl. Dump heated sugary mix on top a bit at a time and stir together. Add chocolate chips and stir again. Turn out on wax paper to cool.
Butterfinger Bites - These are chewier than the candy bar, but really, really good!
Ingredients
• 3 cups candy corn
• 1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
• milk chocolate chips or candy melts, for dipping
Instructions
1. Place the candy corn in a large bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir and return to microwave. Continue heating for 30 seconds and then stirring until it is completely melted.
2. Stir in the peanut butter. The heat from the candy corn should melt the peanut butter, but if not return to the microwave for 15 seconds. Stir to combine.
3. Spread the mixture into an 8x8 baking dish lined with parchment paper. Smooth it out evenly in the pan. Let cool for one hour and then use a pizza cutter to slice into bars.
4. Melt the chocolate chips or candy melts in the microwave.
5. Carefully dip the candy bars into the melted chocolate and turn to coat.
6. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and wait for the chocolate to set.
7. Store at room temperature for a chewy texture or in the fridge for a more crisp texture.
Homemade Thin Mints - This has peppermint extract - BEWARE!
Chocolate Wafers:
8 ounces butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups cake flour (all-purpose would work just fine)
Chocolate Peppermint Coating:
1 package mint dark chocolate candy melts
-or-
1 pound good quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
peppermint extract to taste (about 1 teaspoon)
Cookie dough: In a mixer cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and continue to cream, scraping the sides of the bowl a couple times if necessary. Stir in the vanilla extract, salt, and cocoa powder. Mix until the cocoa powder is integrated and the batter is smooth and creamy, resembling a thick frosting. Add the flour and mix just until the batter is no longer dusty looking but still a bit crumbly. Turn the dough out onto a clean counter, gather it into a ball, and knead it together into a nice, smooth mass. Divide the dough in 2, flatten into disks, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 15 minutes.
Rollout and bake: Preheat oven to 350. Roll dough out really thin, about 1/8-inch. These are called thin mints after all. You can either roll it out between two sheets of plastic, or dust your counter and rolling pin with a bit of flour and do it that way. If the dough is too firm to roll you can microwave it for 5 seconds. Cut out cookies and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the peppermint coating: Meanwhile, prepare your chocolate coating. Using a double boiler, slowly melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally until it is glossy and smooth. You can add 1 tablespoon of shortening if your chocolate is too thick. Alternatively, use a microwave in short 15-20 second bursts to melt the chocolate. Stir in the peppermint extract if you don’t have the mint candy melts.
Finishing the cookies: Using a fork gently drop the cookies one at a time into the chocolate coating. Flip to coat all sides. Lift the cookie out of the chocolate with the fork and bang the fork on the side of the pan to drain any extra chocolate off the cookie. You are after a thin, even coating of chocolate. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, and repeat for the rest of the cookies. Place the cookies in the refrigerator or freezer to set.
Peanut Butter Blossoms - I thought everyone made these, but my mother-in-law never had, so apparently this recipe isn't as far reaching as I thought. It's an old favorite in our family.
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
3 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
Additional granulated sugar (about 2 tablespoons)
About 7 dozen Hershey's® Kisses® Brand milk chocolates
1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, beat 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, peanut butter, butter and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, baking soda and baking powder.
2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in additional granulated sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light brown. Immediately press 1 chocolate candy in center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
ENJOY!