Christmas Goodies

This week's Spin Cycle theme is Holiday Baking. You know I love making Christmas cookies. We tried a couple of recipes this week, both of which I saw recently on other blogs, and now I am passing them on to you. These are both fairly simple recipes.

These are Hershey's Peanut Butter Blossoms. You can get the recipe from their website or your latest issue of whatever mommy magazine you buy. I decided to make them after Christine's post here. It turned out to be a good one for cooking with kids, like she said. Even little kids can help with things like rolling the dough balls in sugar, unwrapping the kisses while the cookies bake, and smooshing the kisses into the cookies.

We had planned to use some of these for goody plates, but when we were snowed-in this last weekend, it was regretfully declared that we would have to eat them all ourselves and make a new batch next weekend. You can see from the picture how long they lasted. They were very popular. Here's the recipe (stolen from Christine - we used butter too):

48 Hershey's kisses

1/2 cup shortening (I used butter, 1/2 c)

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Granulated sugar

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on un-greased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into the center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen.

Someone asked me the other day whether I make candy. I had to admit that, sadly, I seem to have trouble even dipping chocolate, so I usually just stick to cookies. I found a toffee recipe that even I can do, though. It involves zero candy thermometers or terms like "hard ball."

I saw this recipe for Saltine Toffee here. The texture is a little different, and it has that slightly salty flavor. Overall we found this to be a yummy way to make super easy toffee (we skipped the drizzle to make it even simpler):

37 saltines cracker squares

1 cup butter, cubed

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1 oz white candy coating

Place crackers in a single layer in a foil-lined 15-in. x -10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. In a large saucepan, bring butter and sugar to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-6 minutes or until mixture is thickened and sugar is completely dissolved. Spread over crackers.

Bake at 350° for 7-8 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with chips. Bake 3-5 minutes longer or until chips begin to melt; spread chocolate evenly over top.In a microwave, melt white candy coating; stir until smooth. Drizzle over toffee. Chill for 15-20 minutes or until set; break into pieces. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: about 1-3/4 pounds.

(P.S. Mantha, I just remembered that I promised you that caramel brownie recipe. Stay tuned.)