Week 10: Baby it's cold outside

Week 10: Baby it's cold outside!

The holidays are in full force and exams are right around the corner. Take a break from the books and celebrate the season with friends tonight! Double these recipes and make enough to give them as gifts! Throw a few of each in a decorative tin or bag and pass them out to your friends, family, co-workers, or professors (make sure you solidify that “A” before leaving town).

White Chocolate Covered Pretzel

1 (9 oz) bag of mini pretzels
1 lb. white chocolate

Chop pretzels, either in bag by hand or with a chef's knife on a cutting board, so that they are in small ¼ inch pieces. Melt white chocolate in a double boiler. Mix chopped pretzels into melted chocolate until fully coated. Spread mixture out onto wax paper lined baking sheet and put in a cold place until chocolate hardens. Once cooled, break into smaller pieces.

This is a recipe that we've been making in my house for years. I like it the way it is, simple and delicious. Often people will add in M&M's, Cheerios, and Rice Chex. They call it “reindeer food”.

Hershey Kiss Cookies

2 2/3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 c. butter
2/3 c. creamy peanut butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
additional sugar
5 dozen kisses, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large bowl, mix flour, salt and baking soda. Add butter and peanut butter and mix until smooth

Make balls out of level tablespoons of dough – add flour if needed. Roll in sugar.

Bake 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet for 8 minutes.

Remove from oven and add 1 kiss to the center of each cookie. Return to the oven and bake for another 2 minutes.

Let cool and enjoy.

Source: http://www.donogh.com/cooking/cookies/hershey.shtml

Greek Almond Cookies

½ lb butter, softened
6 tbsp sugar
3 c. plain flour
1 ½ c. unsalted almonds, chopped
1 tsp. Vanilla
Powdered sugar

Mix together butter, sugar, flour, almonds and vanilla in a large bowl. Roll into balls, a little smaller than golf balls.

Place balls on cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

While still warm, roll cookies in sifted powder sugar. Set aside and allow to cool. Enjoy.

Bonbons

1 ½ c. shredded coconut
1 stick butter
2 lb powdered sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 c. chopped nuts
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 lg package chocolate chips
2/3 bar paraffin

(Instead of chocolate chips and paraffin, the coconut balls can be dipped in melted chocolate almond bark; follow the package directions for melting the almond bark.)

Mix coconut, butter, powdered sugar, condensed milk, nuts and vanilla. Roll into small balls. Chill in refrigerator for several hours or in the freezer for one hour. Melt chocolate chips and paraffin in a double boiler (or in a clean coffee can set on canning jar rings in a pan of water). Using a toothpick, dip the chilled coconut balls into the chocolate mixture. Place on wax paper until set.

Source: http://homeschooling.about.com/od/christmasfun/r/bonbons.htm