The last of the Holiday goodies

The last thing I made was chocolate dipped pretzels. I love these, last year I made chocolate and chocolate/peanut butter, but this year I just made chocolate.

These are super simple.
Chocolate Dipped Pretzel

[Printable Recipe]
Ingredients:
Chocolate Flavored Almond Bark
Pretzel Rods
sprinkles or icing

Directions:
Melt chocolate

 

Dip Pretzels in chocolate

Decorate with sprinkles or icing.

After I made everything I bagged up the goodies and put them in baskets to give as gifts, everything else went in tins to be taken to Christmas.

 

My mixer took a beating and got SUPER dirty - I really think I should rename my blog- Confessions of a MESSY baker :-D

Cocoa Blocks

These chocolate blocks are so yummy and make great gifts. I gave them away with little mugs. If you stir them in hot milk it makes a really good creamy hot chocolate. You can also just nibble on them for a rich fudge taste.

I got this recipe from King Arthur Flour
[Printable Recipe]
Ingredients
1/2 c. heavy cream
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
3 c. milk chocolate chips
3/4 c semisweet baking chocolate
wooden sticks ( I used Wilton lollipop sticks from Michaels)

Directions:
Line a 8 x 8 pan with parchment or foil

Heat cream and condensed milk over low heat until steaming.

Remove from heat and add chocolate and allow to gently melt.

 

Return to low heat after 10 mins or so and completely melt the chocolate. Whisk until it is thick and shiny. (add flavoring if desired - coffee of hazelnut would be good)

Pour the chocolate mixture unto the pan, shake gently to level. Sprinkle with cocoa. Set aside overnight

 

Lift parchment or foil out of pan and slice unto 1 -1 1/4 inch cubes. Dipping knife into hot water and cleaning off after each cut will help.

Stick a wooden stick into the center and wrap with parchment paper.

I put these in a little decorative baggie, and put them in a basket with a mug. It was a great gift!!

I think I will be making myself some of these soon to get me through the rest of the freezing winter season. 

Peanut Butter Canes*

[Printable Recipe]

*Typically these are called Buckeyes, however, Matt saw the recipe sitting on the counter, and told me that I was not allowed to call them that. See Matt is not a fan of Ohio State because of  the 2002 Championship game where there was a blown call which cost Miami the win(or something like that). So now we don't like them. So I named them Canes in honor of the Miami Hurricanes. (My boss called them Terp Turds since I am a UMD grad, which is funny, but I can't eat something with turd in the name :-D)

These are really easy to make and were a big hit. I gave them away as gifts and took them to New Years party and everyone loved them. These will be my go to from now on.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1 stick butter, room temp
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar ( maybe a little more or less)
Chocolate Flavored Almond Bark (or any other dipping chocolate)

Directions:
Mix the peanut butter, butter and sugar together. Dough will be very thick and stiff. (shouldn't be crumbly or sticky- if crumbly add peanutbutter, if sticky add sugar)

Roll into 1" balls and set on cookiesheet

Store in freezer until firm - the more frozen they are the easier it is to dip
Melt Chocolate 30 seconds at a time stirring until all melted and smooth

Using a toothpick, dip them in the melted chocolate, leave a little bit of the peanut butter showing at the top.

Place back in the freezer.
When the balls get too soft put pack in the freezer to refirm up.

Store in fridge.

I bet you can't just have one!

UPDATE: I am linking this up to Bake at 350's Flavor of the Month link party.

Easter Bird's Nests

Disclaimer: My camera battery died, I don't know where my charger is and so I had to use my old camera. The pictures all have a funky coloring to them. Hopefully I can find my charger soon so I don't have crappy pictures for long. I am sorry for the lack of quality pictures

I know when you think Easter, you may not think birds nest. But I do. I have very fond memories of making these treats with my mom for all my friends at Easter. I took them to the Easter school party, and Easter sunday school party, and gave my friends Easter treat bags with them in it. Every holiday the teachers at The Bee try and give their students something. I find it very hard to get my kids something, they are 6 weeks to 9 months. They don't eat candy, they can't play with the toys that are at the dollar store, and the toys they can play with are expensive, and really expensive times seven. So I wasn't going to get them anything for Easter, even though the kids in the older infant room have really cool Easter baskets coming their way, I just couldn't afford it. Then I got to thinking about this recipe, and the memories I have of making it, I decided I would make them, and share the recipe with their parents, and maybe give them the gift of memories with their parents and siblings when they get older. Mom and dad get to eat the treat and the extra jelly beans I tossed in. :-D

NOTE: I doubled the recipe

[Printable Recipe]

Ingredients:



3 cup rice krispe cereal

1 cup shredded coconut ( I am not a big fan of coconut, I just used 1.5 cups)

1/3 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

Jellybeans

Directions:

Mix cereal and coconut in a large bowl
cereal and coconut


Bring corn syrup, b. sugar, peanut butter and vanilla to a boil.



Remove from heat and mix into cereal.



When cool enough to touch, make balls of the mixture and form into nests.



When completely cool add jelly beans



It made 20 nests...1 fell apart, 1 my brother ate, 7 were bagged for the kids, and 11 are for the teachers at The Bee.

I have to say that the second the heat started working on the mixture, I was tossed back into my kitchen in Georgia, sitting on the counter, helping mom. I even know where exactly I sat. Amazing how smells do that. Sigh, to be little and carefree again........anyway....

I think doubling it in one batch was a bad idea, it was too much to work with and I had a hard time getting the later ones to form and not fall apart because they were cooling off too much, but a quick trip in the microwave fixed that. Mom helped me, her nests were more balls with a little dent, I was going for more of an actual nest. There was debate, no winner decided. I like mine cuz they would hold more jelly beans Mom said something along the lines of birds only poop out about 3 eggs so her smaller ones were fine. Haha.

I wrote the recipe on pretty little cards, and tied it to the bag and wrote them a little note about how I hope they can use this recipe to make memories with their families. :-D I love my kidders. I love my momma <3 (and daddy too)



Side note: The Jolly Rancher Jelly Beans were AMAZING... I will be stocking up on a few bags, the SweetTart ones were so-so, I will stick to the SweetTart ducks bunnies and chicks, and the Reese's Pieces eggs are of course wonderful. :-D