Caramel Corn

When I was growing up my mom's best friend, Aunt Hope, made the BEST caramel corn in the world. I love caramel corn more than a lot of things. After all these years, I finally made her recipe. My kids got me an air popper for Christmas and I couldn't wait to make caramel corn. It's very addictive, you have been warned.

Ingredients
Popcorn (enough to fill a large roasting pan)
2 c brown sugar
1/2 c corn syrup (light or dark)
2 sticks butter
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Directions
Mix all ingredients (except popcorn) in large pan on the stove. Keep stirring. Bring to a boil. Keep stirring. Boil for 5 minutes (no longer), keep stirring. Pour over popcorn and stir. Bake 1 hour in a 200 degree oven. Stir every 15 minutes. Spread out on wax paper to cool. Break it apart as it cools. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe courtesy: Hope & Melani of Ohio

Cool Whip Cookies

My sister made these today. She said they are delicious. She made chocolate, but the flavors are endless (red velvet, lemon, devil's food, carrot). They are also inexpensive. I can't wait to make some this week.

Update: I have made red velvet & lemon. They are really good & were a huge hit at church. I will definitely be making these a lot. The red velvet are so pretty & remind me of Christmas. You could take a white cake mix & tint with green food coloring. The red & green cookies would be perfect for a Christmas cookie tray.

Ingredients
1 box cake mix (any flavor)
1 c Cool Whip
1 egg
Powdered sugar

Directions
Mix cake mix, cool whip & egg. Drop by the spoonful into powdered sugar. Roll dough around to cover. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.


 Recipe courtesy: Becky F of Kentucky

Chocolate Mold Pretzels

Last year after Christmas I purchased Wilton pretzel molds on clearance. I love dipping pretzels & so I thought I would give these a try. I made these cute little Santa's for my daughter's preschool classmates. I bought cellophane treat bags at the dollar store to put the pretzels in & tied ribbons to them. They made the perfect little gifts & the kids loved them.

Ingredients

Chocolate Bark Coating or Candy Melts

Pretzel rods

Wilton pretzel molds (like the ones found here)

Directions
Melt chocolate in a double broiler or according to package directions. Lightly coat the pretzel with chocolate then place it in one of the molds. Spoon in additional chocolate to fill the mold. Lightly tap to allow the chocolate to settle. Continue until all of the molds have been filled with pretzels & chocolate. I sat my pretzel mold on top of a cookie sheet. Then once I filled the molds up, I put the entire sheet into the freezer to speed up the process. After about 5 minutes in the freezer I removed the sheet. The pretzels popped right out of the molds.

Royal Icing

Ingredients

3 tbsp Meringue Powder (see picture above)

4 c powdered sugar

6 tbsp warm water**

Yield: 3 cups of icing

Directions

Beat all ingredients until icing forms peaks (7-10 minutes at low speed with a heavy duty mixer, 10-12 minutes at high speed with a hand held mixer). For piping, place icing in a decorating bag. You can also tint the icing using food coloring. Be sure to keep icing covered or inside a decorating bag because it hardens very fast.

Note: keep all utensils completely grease-free for proper icing consistency.

* For stiffer icing, use 1 tbsp less water

**When using large counter top mixer, use 1 tbsp less water.

Recipe courtesy: Wilton

Gingerbread Cookies

I have been making gingerbread cookies for several years. And I must admit I have been using a refrigerated Pillsbury dough, until this year. I couldn't locate it anywhere in this town! We could not have Christmas without the gingerbread cookies so I decided to make my own. I searched many recipes & decided to go with Paula Deen's. They were delicious! I think the best thing was the smell that came out of the oven & filled my entire house. Awesome!





Ingredients
1 stick of butter, softened
3/4 c brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1/4 c molasses
3 3/4 c all purpose flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt



Directions
Using an electric mixer, cream the sugar & butter until well combined. Add the eggs & molasses & mix until combined. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg & salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture & combine with a spoon (I found it easier to combine with my hands). Remove the dough from the bowl & wrap in plastic wrap. I decided to make smaller balls of dough (rather than one large ball) & wrap each in plastic wrap (see photo below). Place dough in refrigerator until firm, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, until pliable. Take about 1/2 cup of dough at a time & roll until about 1/8 inch think. Cut out with gingerbread cookie cutter(s). Transfer to a cookie sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes. The recipe called for 10 minutes but I started with 7 minutes & found that sufficient. Transfer to wire racks to cool. I like to decorate mine with Royal Icing (click for recipe).



Recipe courtesy: Paula Deen

Chocolate Covered Marshmallows

Ingredients
Marshmallows
Coffee stir straws, cut in half
Chocolate coating (you can use the Wilton chocolate discs or the candy bark coating)
Favorite candy bars, chopped/crushed

Directions
Melt the chocolate according to package directions. Place a coffee stir star into the center of each marshmallow. Dip the marshmallow into the melted chocolate. Sprinkle or roll through the crushed candy bars. Rest on waxed paper until set. You can also place in the freezer for a few minutes to speed the process. Yum! Also make wonderful gifts for teachers & co-workers.

Recipe courtesy: Michelle R of Ohio

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Ingredients

Chocolate bark coating (example pictured above - milk or white chocolate, whichever you prefer)

Pretzels (any version works)

Directions

Break candy bark into pieces (I usually start with using half of the package) & melt over a double broiler. If you don't have a double broiler you can melt in the microwave according to the package directions. Dip pretzels in chocolate. Allow pretzel to drain before placing on a wax paper lined baking sheet. After you have a few done, sprinkle with any kind of candy or sprinkles. This year I used the holly sprinkles. You can also melt the white chocolate bark & drizzle on the pretzels. Allow chocolate to harden & then place in bags. I found the cute pretzel gift bags last year on clearance at Joanne Fabrics. These make the perfect little gifts for teachers, classmates & friends. The kids love them!

Christmas Gifts on a Budget

I should have posted this earlier, but it's been crazy. One of my favorite yummy gifts to give is chocolate covered pretzels. I melt candy bark coating (the same kind I use to make Buckeyes) & I sprinkle with candy or I drip white chocolate on them. They are yummy & people love to receive them. You can wrap in a pretty plastic goody bag or put in a Christmas tin.


A new treat I found this year was homemade holiday bread from Panera Bread. I picked up a couple for Ellie's teachers & Kevin's co-workers. I wrapped them in Christmas cellophane, added a bow & a pretty snowflake ornament. Instant gift!