Holiday Recipes from the Valley

Photo by Chad Bremerman

SuperDuper Chocolate Cookies (also called chocolate crinkle cookies)

Recipe courtesy of Melissa Christianson

Prep time: 2 hours to chill                  Cooking time 20 minutes

Ingredients:

½ cup shortening	4 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate
2 cups sugar	2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs	2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder	Powdered sugar

Directions:
1.     Melt shortening & chocolate in a double boiler or in microwave.  Add in sugar & vanilla.
2.     Add each egg singly, beating well after each one.
3.     Mix together flour & baking powder, after mixed add to chocolate mixture.
4.     Chill several hours or until workable.
5.     Spoon dough into balls, roll balls in powdered sugar.
6.     Bake 12-15 minutes at 350°

Buckeyes

Recipe Courtesy of Melissa Christianson

1 ½	Cups	Peanut butter	6	Cups	Powdered sugar
1	Cup	Butter, softened	½	tsp	Vanilla
4	Cups	Semi-sweet Chocolate chips
2” x 1” x ½”	approx	Paraffin wax

In a mixing bowl, cream peanut butter, sugar, butter, and vanilla.  Mix well.

Roll into small bite-sized balls, place on a waxed paper covered cookie sheet.  Freeze.

In a double boiler, melt chocolate and paraffin.  Keep warm, dip each ball using a toothpick, just dip 2/3 of the way – so some of the peanut butter ball shows.  Chill until firm.

Refrigerate or freeze.  Makes about 7 dozen candies.

*A buckeye is the seed of a Southern tree.  This candy will resemble that seed.

Frango Chocolate Mints

Recipe courtesy of Melissa Christianson

¾	Cup	Butter, softened	3	Eggs	Pasteurized or heat to 160°
2	Cups	Powdered Sugar	1 ½	Cups	Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
3	tsp	Peppermint flavor	1 ½	Cups	Milk Chocolate Chips
1 ½	tsp	Vanilla

Melt choc chips and let cool.

Beat butter & sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs and beat well.  Add peppermint, vanilla, and melted chocolates to mixture.  Mix well.

Put into a pastry bag and pipe into mini muffin cups.  Freeze.

*If you can’t find the muffin cups, you can pipe into Hershey Kiss shapes.  Just be sure to keep these in the freezer, they melt quickly.