Copycat Almond Joy Candy Bars

 

Photo source: Mom on Timeout

This recipe is for me!  My favorite candy bar . . . I'll have to make these as a gift to myself.  These candy bars would be my choice to make for gifts to others too.  They look quick and easy to make.

These delicious treats come from Trish at Mom on Timeout.  Click here to go to the recipe page.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls with Rice Krispies

 

Photo source:  Mom on Timeout

These little sweet treats are so special.  Kids love them and big kids like me love them too.  Quick and easy, no bake.  A great last minute addition to your holiday buffet table.

This recipe comes from Trish at Mom on Timeout.  Click here to go to the recipe.

Copycat York Peppermint Patties

 

Photo source: Maria's Mixing Bowl

This is one of those homemade goodies that makes a great gift.  It made me very happy to find this recipe.  Love peppermint patties and should make a gift for myself.

If you love them too, make a batch!

Click here to go to Maria's Mixing Bowl's recipe page.

Collection of Caramel Desserts

The Captain and I recently discovered the deliciousness of homemade caramel and we are in love with just about anything that includes caramel.

Well, I felt like I had hit the jackpot when I visited one of my favorite food blogs, Something Swanky . . . a collection of 80 caramel desserts . . . every type of dessert you can imagine.

Click here to go to the article . . . 

Click here to go to a collection of caramel candy recipes.

Easy Salted Peanut Chews

Reminds me of one of my favorite candy bars!


Ingredients

• 1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker™ peanut butter cookie mix
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 egg
• 3 cups miniature marshmallows
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 bag (10 oz) peanut butter chips
• 2 cups crisp rice cereal
• 2 cups salted peanuts

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. 

Spray the bottom of pan (13x9-inch) with cooking spray.

Stir cookie mix, oil, water and egg until soft dough forms in a large bowl. 

With floured fingers, press dough in pan using.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until set.

Sprinkle marshmallows over crust immediately.  Bake 1 to 2 minutes longer, until marshmallows begin to puff up.

Cook corn syrup, butter, vanilla and chips over low heat in 4-quart saucepan stirring constantly until chips are melted. 

Remove from heat; stir in cereal and nuts. Immediately spoon cereal mixture evenly over marshmallows. 

Refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm. 

For bars, cut into 9 rows by 4 rows.




Expert Tips from Betty Crocker


Skip the cooking spray and line pan with foil for quick cleanup and easy bar removal.

For a different flavor, try milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips for the peanut butter chips.



Source

Cherry Cordials

One of my favorite chocolate candies :)

Makes: 2 1/2 dozen

Cooking Time: 5 min

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup (stick) butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 (10 ounces) jar stemmed maraschino cherries, well drained
• 1 (11 ounces) package milk chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

Instructions

1. Line baking sheet with waxed paper.
    
2. In small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, butter, and milk; mix until stiff dough forms. Shape dough evenly around each cherry and place on baking sheet. Freeze 15 minutes, or until firm.
    
3. In small saucepan, melt chocolate chips and shortening over low heat until smooth. Remove coated cherries from freezer and dip each into the chocolate mixture, coating completely.
    
4. Return to baking sheet and chill for 1 hour, or until chocolate is firm. Serve, or cover and chill until ready to serve.

Source:  Mr. Food

The Golden Box from Chocolate.com would make

an excellent gift for your favorite chocoholic!

Chocolate Fudge

Food gifts are the best . . . I love to give them as well as receive them . . . especially sweets. Fudge is one of the perfect gifts to give anyone. The methods of packing and gift wrapping are endless . . . just about everyone loves fudge . . . it is one of those universal gifts . . .

When I quit working and suddenly had to adjust to being a one-income family, store bought gifts were the first thing to go . . . especially the past extravagance of Christmas. I was blessed with the ability to create cool and unique items that everyone in the family loved to receive. Handmade gifts are so appreciated by most people because they are special and made with lots of love. Teenagers into designer names are the exception . . . but I made them realize that setting the trends and being unique was more cool than being like the sheep who follow everyone else.

This is the only fudge recipe I use . . . CHOCOLATE . . . it is the only one I need . . . it is that good and relatively easy.  Even in my working days, we had a tradition of taking vacation days around the Christmas holiday, we baked and cooked non-stop in preparation for our annual Christmas party and made lots of food gifts for our guests to take home. I remember one year spending two days just making batches of fudge, one at a time . . . those were the good ole days for me! 





Makes 100 1-inch pieces


12 ounces German sweet chocolate, broken

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate morsels

7 ounces marshmallow creme

4 1/2 cups sugar

13 ounces evaporated milk

2 tablespoons butter

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 cups broken walnuts






Place chocolate bars, morsels and marshmallow creme in a bowl.

Combine sugar, milk, butter and salt in a heavy 3 quart saucepan. Bring to a boil on high, stirring constantly. When the mixture boils, lower heat to medium and set a timer for 6 minutes. Keep mixture boiling steadily and stir constantly during this time to prevent scorching.

At the end of 6 minutes, pour boiling syrup over chocolate and marshmallow creme. Beat until chocolate is melted and well blended. Beat in the vanilla and nuts.

Pour into a lightly buttered 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan. Let cool at room temperature for 24 hours. Cut into 1 inch squares and pack in airtight containers.







I have no idea where this recipe came from, but I have used it year after year since I was out on my own.