Gingerbread Truffles!

OH. MY. WORD.  These are such a great little treat!  Last weekend I attended a Cookie Exchange (hosted by a fabulous friend), and these were a little treat that Ali made for us all to sample!!

I immediately made a mental note of what ingredients I had on hand and which ones I would need to be buying on my way home from the cookie exchange!  I just can't even explain how wonderful these are - you should make some then you will know how good they are!

There are a lot of different gingerbread truffle recipes out there - here is how we made them!!  It may seem like a lot of steps - but it really is easy to do!

Gingerbread Truffles (http://www.munchkinmunchies.com/2010/12/gingerbread-truffles.html)

• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 3 tbsp light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup finely chopped nuts
• 2.5 cups gingersnap crumbs (from about 12 oz of cookies)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Mix Liquid Ingredients with Melted Chocolate

Start by melting the white chocolate. Place the chips in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave until they're melted, stirring after every 45 seconds to prevent overheating.

Once the white chocolate is melted, add the corn syrup, evaporated milk, and vanilla extract and stir gently to combine. If you have trouble mixing them, use a whisk to bring it all together. Whisk until the liquid ingredients are fully mixed into the white chocolate.

Add Dry Ingredients

Next add the gingersnap crumbs, powdered sugar, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, and the chopped nuts. Stir until everything is evenly coated. It'll look pretty gloppy at this point.

Refrigerate Until Firm

Press a layer of cling wrap on top of the candy and refrigerate it until it's firm, at least 1 hour. When it's ready to roll it should be quite hard when you press down on it.

Form Candy Into Balls and Roll in Sugar

Use a teaspoon to form small balls, then roll the candy between your palms to make them round. Place the granulated sugar in a small bowl, and roll the balls in the sugar until they're coated. These are also excellent when rolled in cinnamon-sugar, or you could dip them in chocolate so they keep better at room temperature.

Serve Gingerbread Truffles

Keep your gingerbread truffles in the refrigerator, but let them warm up a bit before serving. These gingerbread truffles are a delicious alternative to traditional gingerbread cookies, and their spiced flavor really brings the holiday spirit.

 

HAPPY EATING!

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles!

1 C. Butter
1 1/2 C. Sugar
1 C. Pumpkin (canned is fine)
1 Large Egg
2 tsp. vanilla
3 14 C. Flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
Rolling Sugar: 1/2 C. Sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. each ginger and allspice
DIRECTIONS: In large bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar and pumpkin; mix well. Add egg, vanilla. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Beat into wet mixture a small amount at a time. Cover and chill dough for atleast 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350. Spray cookie sheets with non stick spray. Roll dough into little balls; roll balls into sugar mix. Place 2" apart on cookie sheet and flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass. Bake 10-14 minutes.

Happy Eating!

Peanut Butter Cup Peanut Butter Cookies...

Look what I found.

That's right! Mini peanut butter cups! Can I just say that I love peanut butter cups, and combine them with peanut butter cookies and you have FABULOUS!

Peanut Butter Cup Peanut Butter Cookies
1/2 Cup Butter
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
3/4 C. Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Egg
1 1/2 C. Flour
1 Tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp. Vanilla
3 Bags of the Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Minis (found in the candy bar section of the grocery checkout)
DIRECTIONS: Heat oven to 375. Cream together butter and peanut butter. Add sugar. Add egg and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Add dry ingredients. Drop by spoonful onto cookie sheets. Bake for 12 minutes.

HAPPY EATING!

Triple Layer Cookie Bars!

I stumbled upon this recipe, while searching for things to make with ingredients I had on hand! It is a HUGE favorite around our house now! This is very simple to make....

Triple Layer Cookie Bars~

1/2 Cup Butter
1 1/2 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs (approx. 1 sleeve of graham crackers, crushed)
7 oz. Sweetened, flaked coconut
1 (14oz) Can Sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 oz) bag of Semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 C. Creamy PEanut Butter
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350. Place stick of butter in 9x13 and place in oven until melted. Once butter melted, remove from oven and sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Layer coconut on top of crumbs. Pour sweetened condensed milk over entire pan. Bake for 25 minutes. While bars are baking, place chocolate chips and peanut butter in a saucepan. Place on low heat and melt. Stirring every so often until melted and smooth. Remove bars from oven when done and top with peanut butter/chocolate mix and cool completely.

HAPPY EATING!

Snowy Night....

The snow began to fall and I thought....hmmm, soup sounds good for dinner!! (I told you I love soup). We made a Mini-Meatball Alphabet Vegetable Soup. It was yummy with the grilled cheese sandwiches!! Perfect for a cold, winter night!!

As you can tell by now, I am a semi-homemade kind of gal...


Mmmm....I finally used my soup terrine...

Of course we need cookies to go with our hot chocolate....the kids had fun helping me!

Mini Meatball Vegetable Soup

1 lb. ground beef

1 Egg

1/2 Cup Italian Seasoned breadcrumbs

1 Jar (29 oz) Spaghetti Sauce

6 C. beef broth (you can use canned, I prefer bouillon and hot water)

1 Bag frozen mixed veggies

6 oz. alphabet pasta shapes

1 1/2 tsp. basil

1. Mix ground beef, egg and breadcrumbs. Roll into small balls and place in a 9x13 baking

dish. Pour 1/2 cup broth in bottom of dish. Cover w/ foil and bake at 375 degrees for approx.

45 minutes.

2. In large saucepan, pour spaghetti sauce and beef broth. Bring to a boil and reduce heat.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes or until pasta is cooked.

3. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle w/ parmesan cheese!

NOTE: Because the pasta tends to thicken up the soup, I did add a little additional beef broth at the end of cooking time~but depending on your preference you may want to eat it thicker.

I found this recipe in an old cooking magazine!

Candy Bar Cookies

1 Cup Butter, softened

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Cups Flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 Cups Quick Cooking Oats

1 Cup Flaked Coconut

5 Milk Chocolate Bars

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour and baking soda. Gradually add to creamed mixture. Beat in oats and coconut. Roll into 1" balls and place 2" apart on baking sheet; flatten slightly. Bake at 350 for 11 minutes. Break candy bar into 12 pieces and press chocolate piece onto center of each cookie. Remove to wire racks for cooling.