Candy Cane Bark

This is a staple Christmas baking recipe. It's the only time that I actually like peppermint.

Ingredients

• Crushed candy cane, about 1 cup
• 2 pounds white chocolate

Directions

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Combine candy cane chunks with chocolate. 
2. Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet layered with parchment or waxed paper and place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or until firm. Remove from cookie sheet and break into pieces.

Toffee Crackle Cookies

This recipe came from Better Homes and Garden's 100 Best Cookies magazine. It was really good and I'll definitely make them again.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chocolate-covered toffee pieces
• granulated sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Stir in toffee pieces. 
2. Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten cookies with the bottom of a glass dipped in granulated sugar until 1/4 inch thick.
3. Bake in preheated oven about 20 minutes or until edges are firm but not brown. Transfer cookies to a wire rack;; cool. Makes about 48 cookies. Place in layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Source: Better Homes and Garden's 100 Best Cookies magazine

Toffee Pretzel Bark

Mom found this recipe from the Brown Eyed Baker. It was a really easy but really good recipe. It's a great filler for trays for other people.


Ingredients

• 14 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
• ¾ cup broken pretzel pieces, divided
• ¾ cup Heath toffee pieces, divided
• 7 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. In a double boiler or in a microwave on low power, melt the semi-sweet chocolate, stirring until the chocolate is smooth. Remove from the heat, and stir in ½ cup of the pretzel pieces and ½ cup of the toffee pieces. Spread the mixture on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
3. Melt the white chocolate in the same manner as you did the semi-sweet chocolate, stirring until completely smooth. Remove the baking sheet from the refrigerator and spread the white chocolate on top of the hardened semi-sweet chocolate layer. Sprinkle with the remaining pretzel pieces and toffee, using your palm to lightly press them into the white chocolate. Return the pan to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
4. Use a sharp knife to cut the bark into pieces. (I usually just press the tip of the knife into the bark and let it break into pieces/shards.) Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Source: Brown Eyed Baker

Peanut Brittle

I know that Peanut Brittle has been around forever. But can you believe that this is the first year I've even tried it? I thought it would be a good treat to fill trays for other people. The recipe was easy and good. It calls for raw peanuts which get cooked as the sugar cooks. Since I used already roasted peanuts, I didn't add them until the sugar was just about to 300 degrees.


Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup peanuts
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

1. Grease a large cookie sheet. Set aside.
2. In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, bring to a boil sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in peanuts. Set candy thermometer in place, and continue cooking. Stir frequently until temperature reaches 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), or until a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water separates into hard and brittle threads.
3. Remove from heat; immediately stir in butter and baking soda; pour at once onto cookie sheet. With 2 forks, lift and pull peanut mixture into rectangle about 14x12 inches; cool. Snap candy into pieces.

Source: Allrecipes.com

Candy Coated Pretzels

Mom and I usually make chocolate covered pretzels but this year she found this recipe for candy coated pretzels from All Recipes and let me just say, it made me happy. I loved these!! We ended up using just under a whole bag of pretzels and there were some pieces that had extra caramel coating....YUM! This will be a frequently used recipe in our house!


Ingredients

• 1 (20 ounce) package miniature pretzel twists
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet. Arrange pretzels in a single layer baking sheet.
2. Combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Do not stir once the sugar syrup begins to boil. Heat to 244 degrees F (117 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a firm but pliable ball.
3. Pour hot mixture over pretzels; toss to coat evenly.
4. Bake pretzels in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Stir; continue to bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and break into individual pieces. Cool on wire rack or parchment paper.

Peanut Butter Bacon Cookies

Since we were making so many cookies, I decided I wanted to find one recipe that was just different and fun. I found this recipe on the Sweets Life blog. I've heard of sweet recipes calling for bacon and always thought it was interesting but I never tried them. Matt loved these cookies and they went over really well at his office. He'd love it if I made some more. It's such an easy recipe too, hardly any ingredients.


Ingredients

• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 6 slices of bacon, cooked, cooled, and diced

Directions

1. In a skillet over medium high heat, fry bacon until cooked through. Allow to cool and then dice into small pieces. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease two baking sheets and set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine peanut butter and sugars until well mixed. Add egg and baking soda, mixing for another two minutes. Fold in bacon, reserving a small handful of pieces for topping.
3. Roll dough into small balls and roll in granulated sugar. Using a fork, create a criss-cross pattern on each cookie. Top each cookie with a few reserved bacon pieces. Place cookies on prepared baking sheets with 2-3 inches between (they spread a bit).
4. Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Allow to cool on a baking sheet. 

Source: The Sweets Life

Twix Blondies

My mom found this recipe for us from Cookies and Cups.  I love Twix and I love Blondies so when she told me about this recipe I knew we'd have to make it. It was DELICIOUS!!!!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup melted butter
• 2 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 1/2 cup AP flour
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 30 mini Twix bars coarsely chopped + 9 mini Twix reserved for garnish more finely chopped
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat to 350. Grease 9x13 baking pan
2. In medium sized bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt, whisking together.
3. In mixing bowl combine butter and brown sugar on low speed until smooth.
4. Add eggs one at a time continuing on low speed.
5. Slowly add the the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined.
6. Add the coarsely chopped Twix and chocolate chips stirring with wooden spoon.
7. Spread batter into prepared pan and bake approx 25-30 minutes until they are set.
8. Toothpick will come out slightly gooey.  Be careful not to overcook.

Source: Cookies and Cups