Hi everyone! I thought I would share some pictures with you of a visitor that I had earlier this week.

Isn’t he a big boy?

I just love seeing Moose with full racks of antlers! They look so imposing – don’t they?




On an entirely different note…I want to let my readers and fellow bloggers know that I’ll be taking a break from blogging for a bit. Don’t worry…there are no health issues, problems, or crisis going on in my life that I need to attend to. I’m just taking a break for awhile.

I’ll be back soon with more recipes and pictures to share. I really hope to see you all when I return!

Hershey's Championship Chocolate Chip Bars

Hello, everyone!! Sorry I haven’t posted anything lately. I took a little extra break from blogging because I stuffed myself so full of food during the holiday season that I haven’t felt like baking anything for a while.

My family was finally itching for some freshly baked goodies though, so I decided to try making these Championship Chocolate Chip Bars that I found on the Hershey’s website.

I loved these bars the minute I took my first bite. The bottom crust is crisp and yummy, and the top layer is moist and soft. I used pecans in the batch I made, simply because I had some on hand. I’m sure walnuts or almonds would taste great in this recipe too.

~Enjoy~

Hershey’s Championship Chocolate Chip Bars

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick)cold butter or margarine
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY’S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips or HERSHEY’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, divided
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F.

2. Stir together flour and brown sugar in medium bowl; cut in cold butter until crumbly. Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips; press mixture on bottom of ungreased 13×9x2-inch baking pan. Bake 15 minutes.

3. Combine sweetened condensed milk, egg and vanilla in large bowl. Stir in remaining 1-1/2 cups chips and nuts. Spread evenly over hot baked crust. Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. About 36 bars.

Happy Holidays

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Wishing all my readers and blogging friends a safe and very happy holiday season!!

German Spritz Cookies

I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical when I started making these cookies. I don’t believe I’ve ever made a baked good before using hard boiled egg yolks. I thought the cookies would turn out dry and crumbly – due to the low amount of liquid ingredients – but I was wrong.

The cookies turned out great!! The dough was thick, but workable…which made it perfect for using with a cookie press. The cookies themselves are crisp on the outside, but wonderfully moist on the inside.

~Enjoy~

German Spritz Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 hard boiled egg yolks, mashed
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add egg yolks, almond and vanilla extracts; stir until well-combined. Gradually add flour, mixing well.

Using a cookie shooter, press onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake for 8 – 10 minutes, or until the edges are just brown. Remove to wire rack to cool.

Makes approximately 4 1/2 dozen cookies.

Rocky Road Fudge

One of my co-workers brought this wonderful Rocky Road Fudge in to the office this week to share with everyone. After just one bite of this delicious fudge, I just knew I had to have the recipe so I could make it for Christmas. My co-worker provided me with the link to Allrecipes.com, where she had found the recipe.

The minute I returned home from work, I made a batch. It was super-easy to make, and took practically no time at all!

If you’re looking for a very easy, super delicious fudge to make for Christmas, this just might be the recipe for you.

~Enjoy~

Super-Easy Rocky Road Fudge (from: Allrecipes.com)

1 (12 ounce) package NESTLE® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 (14 ounce) can NESTLE® CARNATION® Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions:
1. LINE 13 x 9-inch baking pan with foil; grease lightly.
2. MICROWAVE morsels and sweetened condensed milk in large, microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100 percent) power for 1 minute; stir. Microwave at additional 10- to 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Stir in vanilla extract. Fold in marshmallows and nuts.
3. PRESS mixture into prepared baking pan. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Lift from pan; remove foil. Cut into pieces.

Chocolate Snowballs

I found this recipe for Chocolate Snowballs while browsing one of my favorite recipe websites – Taste of Home. They looked so puffy, light, and easy to make…I just knew I had to try them.

The description for these cookies on the Taste of Home website says that they “melt in your mouth”…and they surely do. They are a wonderful cookie to enjoy for the holidays, or anytime of the year.

~Enjoy~

Chocolate Snowballs (from: Taste of Home)

3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Confectioners’ sugar

In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, milk and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Shape into 1-in. balls; place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 7-8 minutes or until tops are crackled. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Roll in confectioners’ sugar.

Yield: 6 dozen.

Mocha Truffles

One of my all-time favorite Christmas holiday indulgences is truffles!! They’re so small, delicate, and incredibly delicious. Before I started making them myself, whenever I would see them displayed in a store or candy shop, I always thought they were extremely difficult to make – but they’re really not.

This recipe is very easy to make, but it does require that you chill the truffles overnight – so you’ll have to use a lot of willpower to keep from eating them before they’ve had a chance to chill.

~Enjoy~

Mocha Truffles

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup finely crushed graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup powdered sugar

In the top of a double boiler over hot water, combine chocolate chips, coffee granules, water, corn syrup, and vanilla extract. Heat until chocolate is melted, stirring frequently. With a wire whisk, whisk chocolate mixture until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in the graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar. Mix until well blended.

Let stand for about 10 minutes, or until cool enough to handle. Shape mixture into small balls; roll in sprinkles, finely chopped nuts, cocoa powder, or powdered sugar – whatever you desire. Place truffles on waxed paper; cover loosely and chill overnight.

Truffles can be refrigerated for a couple of weeks or frozen for a couple of months. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Makes about 2 to 3 dozen truffles.

Festive Candy Cane Cookies

And the Christmas cookie baking continues…

The second recipe I decided to try from the Favorite Brand Name 100 Best Holiday Cookies cookbook that I picked up at Barnes & Noble this past weekend, was the Festive Candy Canes.

These cookies are crisp, light, and have a wonderful peppermint taste. If you plan on making these cookies, be warned that the dough is very, very sticky. I would recommend chilling the dough in the refrigerator for about 15-20 minutes before attempting to handle and shape them.

~Enjoy~

Festive Candy Canes (from the Favorite Brand Name 100 Best Holiday Cookies cookbook)

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
Red food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and powdered sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg, peppermint extract and vanilla; beat until well blended. Add flour and salt; beat until well blended. (Dough will be sticky)

Divide dough in half. Tint half of dough with food coloring to desired shade. Leave remaining dough plain.

For each candy cane, with floured hands, shape heaping teaspoonful of each color dough into 5-inch rope. Twist together into candy cane shape. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 7 to 8 minutes, or until set and edges are lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheets 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Molasses Spice Cookies

i took my weekly trip to Barnes & Noble on Sunday, to look at the cookbooks they had in their “bargain book” section. I found a wonderful cookbook entitled “Favorite Brand Name 100 Best Holiday Cookies”. It was marked down to $7.00 and had some wonderful looking recipes in it, so I decided to purchase it and bring it home with me.

The first recipe I decided to try from the book, was the Molasses Spice Cookies. The recipe calls for the oven temperature to be set at 375 degrees, and to bake the cookies for 15 minutes. The first batch of cookies I baked at this temperature and for that amount of time turned out way too dark on the bottoms. I decided to lower the oven temperature down to 350 degrees, and bake them for only 10 minutes. The cookies turned out perfect!

~Enjoy~

Molasses Spice Cookies (from “Favorite Brand Name 100 Best Holiday Cookies” cookbook)

1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 cup granulated brown sugar* or granulated sugar

*Granulated brown sugar is brown sugar that has been processed to have a light, dry texture that is similar to regular granulated sugar. It can be found in the baking aisles of most supermarkets.



Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease cookie sheets.

Beat granulated sugar and shortening about 5 minutes in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add molasses and egg; beat until fluffy.

Combine flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt and mustard in medium bowl. Add to shortening mixture; beat just until blended.

Place granulated brown sugar in shallow dish. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar to coat. Place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cookies stand on cookie sheets 2 minutes. Remove cookies to wire racks; cool completely.

Makes about 6 dozen cookies

Easy Cocoa Peanut Butter Fudge

Who doesn’t love fudge…especially at Christmas time! Homemade fudge can sometimes be difficult to make, but this recipe is extremely easy and only takes about 10 minutes to prepare. (plus time to chill)

This creamy, melt-in-your-mouth fudge is so delicious…I’m having a hard time keeping myself from devouring the whole batch in one sitting.

~Enjoy~

Easy Cocoa Peanut Butter Fudge

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 cup butter, cubed
3-1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

In a saucepan, combine peanut butter and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until blended. Reduce heat to low; add cocoa and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Gradually add in powdered sugar. Stir until well combined. Remove from heat and spread into buttered 8-inch square pan.

Refrigerate until chilled (approximately 2 hours). Cut into squares.
Store in refrigerator.