(Dar’s Christmas Salad, Chocolate Mit Rum, Jolly Ol’ Snowman Cheeseball, Peanut Butter Cookie Truffles, Granny’s Sugar Cookies, Coconut Macaroons, Dad’s Delectable Peanut Brittle, Mom’s Merry Caramel Corn, Classic Christmas Bars, Christmas Bon Bon Cookies)
Dar’s Christmas Salad
1 lb raw cranberries, ground
1 large can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups whipping cream, whipped (OR 12 oz Cool Whip)
2 cups sugar, poured over ground cranberries
1 package mini marshmallows
Grind the cranberries in a food processor.
Per the gospel of Mom: Use frozen cranberries. Let them thaw just a bit, then grind.
Add the sugar to the cranberries, and let it sit so that the sugar soaks into the cranberries.
Drain the crushed pineapple.
Once the cranberries have had time to macerate, add the drained crushed pineapple.
Mix together.
Fold in whipped cream or Cool Whip.
Gently fold in the miniature marshmallows.
Place the mixture into your serving bowl.
Put it in the refrigerator to chill and set.
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Chocolate Mit Rum
Hot Chocolate
Rum
Whipped Cream
Vanilla, optional
Make hot chocolate any way you like: from packets mixed with water or from a sugar, cocoa, and milk mixture with some vanilla added. Add between 1/2 to 1 ounce of rum per cup of cocoa (to individual’s taste). If the rum cools the mixture too much, microwave to reheat it. Top with whipped cream, and enjoy.
Jolly Ol’ Snowman Cheeseball
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese (or cheddar)
2 TBSP grated onion
3-4 dashes Schlotzsky’s hot sauce
1/4 tsp each: dried sage, rosemary & thyme, crushed
1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/4 tsp garlic salt
carrot, raisins, pretzel sticks, bacon, etc. for decorating
toothpicks
Cream the cream cheese in the mixer bowl until softened.
Mix in the remaining ingredients, blending well.
Shape into 3 balls on pieces of plastic wrap. Make one ball a little smaller than the one before it.
Wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
Use toothpicks to secure the cheeseballs as you stack them.
Decorate your snowman. I used pretzel twists for arms, the tip of a carrot for the nose, raisins for the eyes, mouth and buttons, and a cooked and cooled slice of bacon for a scarf. Having to get a bit more creative, I pieced together a chocolate Wilton candy melt/Hershey’s Kiss top hat.
Serve with crackers, and enjoy! Your Jolly Ol’ Snowman will make the perfect centerpiece for your Christmas snack buffet.
Peanut Butter Cookie Truffles
1 package peanut butter sandwich cookies
1 package cream cheese, 8 oz
almond bark
chocolate chips
Place the cookies into a Ziploc bag and smash with a rolling pin. Combine the cookie crumbs and cream cheese using a mixer. Chill the dough. Use a cookie scoop and roll the dough into balls. Chill again. Melt the almond bark with the chocolate chips. Dip the cookie balls in the chocolate and place on a sheet of wax paper to set. Drizzle with melted white almond bark.
Notes: Chilling the dough makes it easier to work with. If the white almond bark is a bit thick for drizzling, melt in a little shortening to help thin it. I used Market Pantry’s peanut butter sandwich cookies. This recipe also works well with Oreos and HEB’s Candy Cane Sandwich Cookies. I prefer these truffles cold from the refrigerator and think they get better after a couple of days.
Tips: Dip spoons in the extra chocolate coating. They taste great in a cup of hot cocoa. You can also coat peanuts, raisins, fruit, etc. or make a special holiday bark by spreading the extra bark on wax paper and topping with nuts, M&M’s, coconut, etc.
Granny’s Sugar Cookies
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 to 2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Cream the butter and sugar together. Blend in egg and vanilla. Sift and add the flour, baking powder and salt. Divide the dough into 2 parts. Chill 1-2 hours so it will be easy to handle. Roll dough to 1/8″ thickness, and cut with cookie cutters. Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. (I made small cookies which only took 5 minutes.) Makes 2-3 dozen.
Buttercream Frosting
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
2 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp almond flavoring OR lemon extract
Cream shortening, vanilla, and flavoring in a mixing bowl. Gradually add sugar 1 cup at a time beating well on medium speed. Add milk 1 Tbsp at a time. Continue beating and adding milk until creamy and of spreading consistency.
Coconut Macaroons
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract, optional.
In a bowl, combine coconut, sugar, flour, and salt. Stir in egg whites and flavorings. Mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen.
Dad’s Delectable Peanut Brittle
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups raw peanuts
1 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking soda
Put sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt in pan.
Cook until sugar melts.
Add raw peanuts.
Do not stir a lot after adding the peanuts, but watch. Cook until candy reaches the hard crack stage on the candy thermometer.
Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla.
Stir until incorporated.
Last, add the baking soda and mix in well so it foams up.
While foamy, pour on buttered sheets and spread candy.
When cool, break apart and store in an airtight container.
Dad’s Tips: It hardens fast so work quickly after reaching the hard crack stage. He likes to use the whole bag of raw peanuts and chooses not to spread it too much as he likes the air in the candy.
Dad’s recipe notes over the years.
After completing this year’s batch, Mom informed him that he didn’t use her new fancy schmancy stove top burner correctly, and that’s why his batch was a bit over cooked. 2015 note added.
Mom’s Merry Caramel Corn
6-7 quarts popped popcorn
2 cups brown sugar*
1 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp water
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups salted peanuts, optional
Place popped popcorn in an extra large bowl. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring to boil brown sugar, butter, salt, water, and corn syrup. Boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and add baking soda and vanilla. Stir well. Pour over popcorn. Add peanuts if you so desire. Stir until coated. Bake 1 hour at 250 degrees in greased cake pans, stirring every 15-20 minutes.
*I make my own brown sugar as I need it. In this case, I simply put 2 cups of granulated sugar and 2 heaping Tbsps of sorghum (or molasses) directly into the saucepan.
Classic Christmas Bars
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs
1 cup coconut
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, chopped
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups Super Scrummy Sweetened Condensed Milk (or 1 can sweetened condensed milk)
Combine butter and graham cracker crumbs.
Press into a 9 x 13 pan.
Spread the coconut over the crust–just like a soft and fluffy blanket of snow.
Sprinkle walnuts over the coconut.
Next, add a colorful layer of cherries.
Top off the layers with butterscotch and chocolate chips.
Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over all.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until edges start to turn golden brown.
Tip: When you use up the cherries out of the jar, save the cherry juice. You can mix it with powdered sugar to make a yummy cherry icing which you can use on the Christmas Bon Bon Cookies or other baked items. You can also add the cherry juice to your basic cola to make your own Cherry Coke.
Christmas Bon Bon Cookies
1/2 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup powdered sugar OR 1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/8 tsp salt
Mix butter, sugar and vanilla. Measure flour by dipping or sifting, and combine with the salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Blend with hands. If the dough is dry, add 1-2 Tbsp milk.
Wrap 1 Tbsp dough around drained and dried maraschino cherries, nuts, chocolate chips or dates. I got a little heavy handed with the dough and made my cookies a little too big.
Bake at 350 degrees on an ungreased baking sheet for 12-15 minutes until set but not browned. Cool. Ice.
Icing: Mix together 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and food coloring, gradually adding cream (or milk) until desired consistency is reached. Combine until smooth. Dip the tops of the cookies in the icing to coat.
Your mother and her sisters all have differences on the recipe to the Christmas bars. Last year at our sibling christmas I brought the bars in I believe it was 4 different types of bars whether it was without the cherries and butterscotch chips or without the coconut, etc. It seemed to make everyone happy. This year I am not that energetic so I will make them the way your mother and I like them. I might leave out the butterscotch chips simply because I do not have any on hand and have plenty of chocolate chips.
Ahem, it just isn’t “Christmas” Bars without the cherries!!!!!! I can leave the butterscotch chips off and add a bit more yummy coconut!
Every Christmas I ask, “Who ruined the Christmas bars by adding Marischino cherries and butterscotch chips.” And, every year, it was your mother. The bars are delicious even without those two ingredients. :).