Peppermint Bark

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Here's another simple Christmas recipe that you can whip up this morning for your festivities tonight! Everyone loves a good bark and this one has a fun twist using Christmas kisses from Hershey's.

PEPPERMINT BARK

What you need for the peppermint bark:

1 package milk chocolate almond bark (I only used about 3/4 of the package because I don't like my bark too thick)

1 package Hershey's Candycane Kisses

3 squares of white chocolate almond bark (add this to the candy cane kisses)

2 Tablespoons Crisco

4-6 candy canes, crushed 

To make the peppermint bark:

1. Chop your milk chocolate almond bark into chunks and microwave with 1 T Crisco in microwave safe dish for 1-2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.

2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Pour melted chocolate on baking sheet and spread with the back of a spoon to make an even coat.

4. Place in the fridge or outside for at least 20 minutes to harden.

5. Meanwhile, open your candy kisses (this is a tedious job but put on some Christmas tunes and you'll be done in no time!)

Here's a fun pic of Teddy hanging out while I opened the candies!

6. Place the 3 squares of white chocolate bark in the same microwaveable container as the kisses and add the remaining T of Crisco. Melt in microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.

7. Spread the melted kisses over your hardened milk chocolate and smooth out. Gently press your crushed candy canes on top of the melted chocolate. Place back in the fridge or a cool place to harden completely- about an hour. 
8. Break into pieces- this is the fun part- they don't need to be neat or even! Serve with a cup of hot cocoa or milk- yum!!

ENJOY

Sorry, the only picture I have of the bark as one piece was a joint picture with this ornament I made. You get the idea though!

All broken up!

Cinnamon and Sugar Nuts

Hi Everyone!! Hope you're all getting into the holiday spirit. This recipe is an easy, tasty and fun one to share with family and friends over the next few days. Plus, if you serve them up in little baggies they'll last for at least a week and you can enjoy them for a few days (if you can get them to last that long!) Since they're prepared in a crock pot, you can get these going while you work on other recipes...they take a little supervision but nothing extraordinary so you can definitely multitask- a necessary thing when baking in my household!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

CINNAMON AND SUGAR ALMONDS (or whatever kind you want ;) 

What you need for the cinnamon and sugar nuts:
1.5 cups of white sugar
1.5 cups of brown sugar
3 T of ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 egg white
1 T vanilla extract
4 cups of almonds or pecans (or two of each)
1/4 cup of water, warmed (to be added at hour 2)

To make the cinnamon and sugar nuts:
1. In a large bowl, mix the sugars, cinnamon and salt together.

2. Whisk the egg white and vanilla extract in a bowl until frothy.

3. Add the almonds to your egg mixture and mix until well coated. This is what will help the cinnamon and sugar adhere to the nuts.

4. Spray your slow cooker with a non-stick cooking spray and add the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Next, add the nuts and mix well until thoroughly coated. 

5. Turn your slow cooker to low and let the nuts go for 3 hours, stirring every 20 minutes. At hour 2, add the 1/4 cup warm water and mix well until all your nuts are evenly coated and glossy looking. This is what prepares the crunchy coating. 

Right after mixing in the water.

6. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the almonds on the sheet when they're done cooking. They tend to stick together so try to spread them apart while they're still warm to prevent large clusters. (Although you may want a lot at once- they're SO yummy!)

I made another batch of these a few days later and did 2 cups almonds, 2 cups pecans- they were just as amazing!!

ENJOY!!

Dream Bars

Hello! I hope everyone has recovered from their Thanksgiving comas and are busy, busy with Christmas shopping! I can't believe Christmas is less than a month away!! With this in mind, I'm already dreaming up my goodie wishlist for this year! (Haha, no pun intended!) Anyway, these bars have been a favorite in my husband's business office and they're SO easy that I'm definitely adding them to my repertoire of Christmas cookies this year. I'm sharing them now in case you need a quick and easy sweet treat in between all of your shopping. I promise, you'll want to bookmark this recipe!

DREAM BARS

What you need for the dream bars:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 20 sheets)

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips*
1 cup butterscotch chips*
1 cup flaked coconut (sweetened)

1 cup nuts (optional- I didn't use these)

* You can really use any type of chips you like...almost any topping works on this recipe as long as they get nice and gooey!

To make the dream bars:
1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper, leave side overhang for easy removal. Spray parchment paper with non-stick spray. 

3. Mix your graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar with a fork until coated. Press evenly into bottom of lined pan.
4. Spread chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and coconut evenly over the top of the crust.

5. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly on top of the chips and coconut.

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes in preheated oven. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes. 

7. Remove from pan using parchment paper; place on a large cutting board and cut into even bars.

ENJOY!!