Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Fudge

If you read my last post, then you will know that usually fudge is not my thing. Well, the peppermint fudge I made, changed my mind and this peanut butter cup fudge most certainly changed it also. But like I always say, you can mix peanut butter with anything in my opinion and you probably have a winning dish. Everyone that tasted this during the Christmas season has loved it. Ok except for my hubby....wait it's not that he didn't love it, it's that he didn't even try it. Sweets could sit around this house for days and he would never even think to try them. How is that fair? It's NOT! I can't even be around sweets, they are like my drug of choice! But trust me when I say, that everyone that did try this, really liked it!

Recipe Source: http://centercutcook.com/peanut-butter-cup-fudge/

20 Reese's miniature peanut butter cups, chopped
2 cups brown sugar
2 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar (make sure you sift)
1 1/4 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)
1 tsp vanilla

 Line an 8 x 8 pan with saran wrap so that it will be easy to lift the fudge out of the pan.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and milk. Bring to a rolling boil, then cook for exactly 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in peanut butter and mix to combine. Add in vanilla.

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of your mixer. Add in sifted powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing between additions. After you’ve added all of the confectioners sugar, mix well! The mixture is going to be really thick, but that's how you want it!

Press the mixture into the prepared dish. Let the fudge cool slightly but not all the way. (Just enough so that the peanut butter cups will still stick to the fudge, but cool enough so they won't melt.)

Sprinkle chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups over the fudge and gently press them down.

Chill in the refrigerator for a couple hours, or until firm, then use the saran wrap as handles to lift the fudge out of the pan. Remove the saran wrap and cut into small squares.

Peppermint Fudge

I have to admit that I am not much of a fudge eater. I mean, I like it, it's ok, but I tend to like the Southern, gritty, harder type fudge, rather than the soft kind. But I think I could become a convert with this peppermint fudge. The mint added such a depth to the flavor and gave it some texture that is usually not there with plain chocolate fudge. This one will be added to my "have to make at Christmas list" from  now on. :)

Recipe Adapted From: http://chocolateandcarrots.com/2012/12/peppermint-fudge

• 1 (14 ounce) can fat free sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips (you can substitute with dark chocolate)
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 candy canes, crushed into bits for the topping

Line an 8 inch square pan with aluminum foil. Set aside.
Over a double boiler on simmer, heat the the sweetened condensed milk and butter together until the butter is melted.
Add in the semi sweet chocolate chips, stirring until melted.
Mix in the peppermint and vanilla and stir until combined.
Place the candy canes in a baggie. Gently crush with a cup, or the back of a spoon, until the candy canes are in small sized pieces.
Pour the pieces into a strainer to sift out the finely crushed peppermint dust.
Sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top of the fudge.
Place in therefrigerator to set for at least 3 hours before cutting into squares.

Peanut Butter Christmas Tree Cookies

I think everyone in their lifetime has tasted Peanut Butter Blossoms. Good old peanut butter cookies with a scrumptious Hershey kiss on the top! These cookies were a part of my childhood. My mom didn't make them often, but when she did....oh boy....I couldn't eat enough of them. This might explain why I am dieting AGAIN lol. When I saw on Pinterest that you could take this simple little cookie and decorate the Hershey kisses to look like Christmas trees, I was so excited. This was super easy, lots of fun and even my 3 year old grand daughter enjoyed helping with these. She got to put all those cute little sprinkle dots all over them. Yes, I will be sweeping up the excess off my floor until next Christmas, but it was worth it, to watch her eyes light up as we made these!

Recipe Source: http://javacupcake.com/2013/12/christmas-tree-peanut-butter-blossoms/

48 Hershey's Kisses chocolate candies
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar, for rolling the cookies in before cooking
green frosting
holiday sprinkles

Heat oven to 375°F and line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Remove the foil wrap from the Hershey kisses and set aside.
Beat shortening and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl until well blended.
Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat until fluffy.
Add egg, milk and vanilla. Beat well.
In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually beat this mixture into the peanut butter mixture.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar and place on prepared cookie sheet.
Bake 7-8 minutes or until lightly browned.
Immediately press a chocolate, gently,  into the center of each cookie. The cookie will slightly crack around the edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. You have to make sure your cookies are completely cooled before decorating the kisses. I baked mine the day before I decorated them.
Either color white icing until it's the desired shade of green or use green icing if you can find it. Fill a baggie with the icing and cut a small hole on one of the corners. Gently squeeze the baggie (you don't want to cause it to break the baggie open) and starting at the base of the Hershey kiss, pipe a line of frosting swirling around the kiss and up to the top. Immediately sprinkle with the holiday sprinkles.

Microwave Peanut Brittle

What's easier than making Christmas candy in just a few minutes in the microwave? Almost nothing. Well ok...I'm sure there are easier things, but when you are overwhelmed, busy and still want to make some Christmas candy, this is definitely the easiest recipe I can think of. If you have a spare 15 minutes, then you can definitely do this. I was visiting my mom last week, who does not have Internet service at her house and she wanted to make peanut brittle, so we made it the old fashioned way. Oh my goodness, that is so much time spent stirring and watching a candy thermometer. UGH....I came home and decided I would look into good old Pinterest to help me find a good microwave peanut brittle recipe. I'm so glad I did. This didn't take any time at all and it really turned out great!

Original Recipe Source: http://www.plainchicken.com/2011/12/microwave-peanut-brittle.html

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Karo syrup
1 Tbsp butter 1 tsp vanilla
 1 cup salted cocktail peanuts
1 tsp baking soda

Combine sugar and syrup in a microwave safe bowl. Stir.
Microwave on high for 5 minutes. (Watch for burning....some microwaves run  much hotter than others)
Add butter, vanilla and peanuts and stir to combine. 
Microwave on high for 1 minute 30 seconds.
Remove bowl from microwave (be extremely careful, this bowl will burn you badly if you are not careful)
and quickly stir in baking soda. Immediately pour mixture onto parchment paper or a very thoroughly greased cookie sheet. Spread with a knife or non rubber spatula to desired thickness and let cool for 1 hour. Break into pieces and enjoy! Store in an airtight container or baggie.

Orange and Vanilla Cranberries

Cranberries are not usually "my thing" but I actually wound up liking these. The sugar helps cut the tartness of the berry and the orange flavoring just adds an exciting taste twist to it. Since cranberries are so tart, I was sure glad these were rolled in sugar, because the sight of me puckering is not pretty! Well maybe when the hubby leans in for a kiss, but definitely not with a cranberry in my mouth. HaHa. Be prepared as you bite into some of the cranberries, your mouth will burst with cranberry juice that squishes out of the berry. Some of the berries behave well and do not do this! These make a great dish to have sitting out instead of the usual candies or cookies at some gatherings. If I had remembered to take a picture when they were all set up in their pretty dish with a green leaf to make them festive, the picture might have been more appealing....but instead you got stuck with the "they are done, so I just have time to throw them on a plate and take a quick one" kind of picture!

3 3/4 cups sugar, divided 
1 1/4 cups water 
1/2 cup orange juice  
2 tsp. vanilla 
2 tsp. orange extract 

1 (12 oz) bag of fresh cranberries 

Combine 2 ½ cups of sugar, water, orange juice, vanilla extract and orange extract in a sauce pan. Heat over medium until the sugar has completely dissolved, but don't allow it to come to a boil. 

Put in the cranberries and stir. Place the cranberries and the liquid into a large bowl. Use a small plate or a smaller size bowl that will fit inside the larger one and place it on top of the berries to keep them as pushed down under the water as you can. Put a cover on it and leave it in the refrigerator over night or for at least 7 hours. Place the remaining 1 ¼ cup of sugar in a dish that will fit all the cranberries and allow you to shake it all up. Drain the cranberries and shake them in the sugar until they are completely coated. Place them on a cookie sheet to dry for a couple of hours.

Candy Cane Hearts

I saw these cute candy cane hearts awhile back on the Internet. I had 5 leftover candy canes from a recipe earlier this week and they were beckoning me to either eat them or make something else with them. For once, I decided to let the "make something" side of me win the argument haha! Maybe next year I will make these as "gift toppers" to go under the Christmas tree. Just add some plastic wrap, some ribbons and voila.....a cute "gift topper".

Candy Canes
Milk Chocolate
Andes baking mint chips
Crushed Candy Canes

On a sheet of wax paper, place two candy canes in the shape of a  heart. In a bowl, melt the chocolate and Andes mints in the microwave (or you can use a double boiler, I just don't happen to have one anymore) and spoon the melted chocolate into the middle of the candy canes. Sprinkle  the crushed candy cane onto the chocolate immediately and let it all firm up on the counter.