Milk & Cookies

I love this idea!! I found milk packaged in glass bottles at Whole Foods and paired it with one of my favorite Christmas cookies, White Chocolate Ginger Snaps.

Ginger Snaps

2 1/2 C butter
3 C sugar
3 eggs
3/4 molasses
6 C flour
6 tsp baking soda
3-6 tsp ginger (depends on how gingery you like them)
3 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp salt

Cream together softened butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat until fluffy. Add molasses. Combine dry ingredients and add to wet. Roll into balls and roll in white sugar. Place on cookie sheet and barely flatten with the bottom of a glass. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Let cool on wire rack. If desired melt white chocolate, dip half of cookie in white chocolate and sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Let cool and package.

Hot Cocoa Mix

Hot Cocoa Mix

4 1/2 C Nestle Quick

3 1/2 C creamer

2 C powdered sugar

11 C instant powdered milk

3/4 tsp salt

Mix together. To serve mix 1/3 C cocoa mix to 1 C hot water.

Variations:

For different flavors add part plain creamer and part flavored creamer, i.e. vanilla, mint, hazelnut, whatever you like!

Mexican Hot Chocolate:

Add cinnamon to the mix.

Hot Cocoa Stir Sticks

Peppermint Softmint Sticks

Milk Chocolate

Melt chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave on med heat. Stir until smooth. Dip sticks in chocolate about 2/3 way up. Place on wax paper or parchment lined baking sheet and let cool. Package in cellophane treat bags. Enjoy!

Spiced Cider Mix

2-3 C Country Time Lemonade Drink Mix

1 C Tang

1 TBSP Crystal Light cranberry drink crystals

1/2-1 TBSP cinnamon

1/2 TBSP cloves

This is one of those recipes where I just tossed together ingredients until it tasted right to me. So you may choose to adjust some of the amounts.

To prepare, mix 1 tsp cider mix with 1 C hot apple juice or cider.

I packaged all of the drink mixes in tea tins I found at SpecialtyBottle.com. By the way if you are a friend or neighbor, no stealing this idea. The pregnant girl wants this easy treat for Christmas giving this year!!

Black Licorice Caramels

INGREDIENTS

1 cup butter
2 cups white sugar
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon anise extract
black paste food coloring

DIRECTIONS
Line a 9x9 inch dish with buttered foil.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in sugar, milk, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue to heat, without stirring, to 242 to 248 degrees F (116 to 120 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a firm but pliable ball. Remove from heat and stir in anise and food coloring. Pour into prepared pan. Let cool completely, several hours.
To cut, turn out of pan and peel away foil. Cut with a buttered knife. Wrap pieces in waxed paper or candy wrappers. I wrapped my caramels in white polka dot cellophane.

Variation:

For cinnamon flavored caramels. Add 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon extract, instead of anise, and red food coloring instead of the black.

Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter

1 (16 ounce) package confectioners' sugar
16 oz Wilton Melting Chips

Directions
1 Mix first 3 ingredients together.
2 Roll into 1" balls and place on waxed paper lined cookie sheet.
3 Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. (if you are in a hurry put them in the freezer.
4 Melt chocolate chips in double boiler with oil.
5 Stick toothpick in center of peanut butter ball, dip in chocolate about 3/4 of the ball, leaving a small amount of the peanut butter ball showing. Put back on waxed papered cookie sheet, remove toothpick. Refrigerate until set.
6 Keep in sealed container in cool place. The yield depends on how large you make the balls. Cooking time is actually refrigeration time.

Christmas Goodies

White Chocolate Popcorn

2-3 bags Light butter microwave popcorn

1 bag white melting chips, white chips, or almond bark

Melt chips slowly in the microwave. Pour over popped corn in a large mixing bowl. Add mix-ins -- caramel bits, peanuts, almonds, toffee bits, crushed candy canes, craisins, pistachios. Spread out in a wax-lined pan and drizzle with melted dark or milk chocolate. Let cool. Break up and package.

New Variations:

Tropical Popcorn

Mix in coconut, dried pineapple chunks, and chopped macadamia nuts

Cran-Orange Popcorn

Mix 1 tsp cinnamon into the white chocolate after melted. Mix in craisins, almonds, and candied orange peel., or dried cherries and pistachios. YUM!

Perfect Sugar Cookies

I know everyone says their recipe is the "best", or "award-winning", or "famous", and I'll tell you, I have tried them all! I have found that most of them must not know what makes a good sugar cookie...at least in my opinion! So last night at midnight I tried this recipe (Loron decided he needed a treat for work today) and I think it is the best ever. I tweaked one that I found on allrecipes and I think it is pretty much sugar cookie nirvana! Try this one and let me know what you think. P.S. If you ever visit my blog I would love for you to leave a comment!

Summer's Sugar Cookies

1 C butter
1/2 C shortening
2 C sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 lemon -- juiced and zested
5 C flour (I have to use a little more because of the altitude here, so about 5 1/2 C)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Cream together butter, sugar, and eggs. Add vanilla and lemon ( I used meyer lemons,, they have such a nice mild flavor, I also really like orange in these, so try either one). Combine dry ingredients and then add to wet and mix. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. Roll out on floured surface, roll to 1/4 to 1/2" thick. Cut out and place on ungreased baking sheet, bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 6-8 minutes (I think 6 is plenty). Let cool and frost with favorite buttercream icing. Made about 4 dozen med-sized hearts.

Britt's Pumpkin Cookies

Warning: The following recipe is very addictive and can lead to extra pounds on the hips!

Cream Together:
2 C sugar
2 C butter
2 eggs

Add:
2 tsp vanilla
2 C pumpkin

Combine:
4 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice

Combine wet and dry ingredients

Grease cookie sheet and drop cookie dough on pan. Cook in preheated 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes.

While cookies are baking make the icing:

In a saucepan combine:

1C butter
2C brown sugar
1/2C milk
Stir constantly and let boil for 1 minute. Add 1 tsp vanilla. Pour into a glass bowl and refrigerate until cool. When cool whip in icing sugar until you get a nice thicker consistency (but still can be easily spread)

These are not the prettiest cookies but they taste so good that it does not matter!

Fabulous Christmas Treats

Chocolate dipped Pretzels
Pretzel rods
caramel bits
evaporated milk
chocolate
Melt 1 pkg of caramel with 1-2 tbsp evaporated milk in the microwave on med heat, cook for 1 min then stir, repeat until smooth. Dip pretzel rods about 2/3 up and set on wax paper lined cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Let cool in fridge. Melt chocolate in double boiler or slowly in microwave. Dip pretzels in chocolate, set on wax paper. Drizzle with white chocolate or sprinkles or chopped nuts of choice. Enjoy!

White Chocolate Popcorn
2-3 bags Light butter microwave popcorn **--popped
1 bag white melting chips, white chips, or almond bark
Melt chips slowly in the microwave. Pour over popped corn in a large mixing bowl. Add mix-ins -- caramel bits, peanuts, almonds, toffee bits, crushed candy canes, craisins, pistachios. Spread out in a wax-lined pan and drizzle with melted dark or milk chocolate. Let cool. Break up and package.

Best Chocolate Sauce Ever
1 C Heavy Cream

3/4 C Sugar

1 Square Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate

2-3 TBSP Butter

Dash of Salt

Put all of the ingredients into a saucepan. over med heat bring to a boil while stirring occasionally, let boil for 5 minutes while stirring. remove from heat and let cool to thicken. Serve with fruit, ice cream, as fondue.