Recipe: Rolo Pretzel Turtles

Rolo Pretzel Turtle Treats

Ingredients:

Rolo chocolate candies
Mini pretzels (I used the square kind)
Nuts - toasted pecans/almonds/hazelnuts/walnuts

Preheat your oven to 350
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1. Up wrap your Rolos. Place pretzels on baking sheet lined with parchment. Top with a Rolo.

2. Bake in oven for 3-5 minutes, until the chocolate just begins to melt. The Rolo should be soft but not completely melted.

3. Remove from oven, place on cooling rack and immediately squish the chocolate with a nut. (I only used pecan halves) Watch the caramel ooze out. YUM!

I also put these outside in the grill for 10 minutes to firm up.

Recipe: Peanut Butter Blossoms

I also made these. They are one of my favorites.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Ingredients:

* 48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
* 1/2 cup shortening
* 3/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar
* 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
* 1 egg
* 2 tablespoons milk
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* Granulated sugar


Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

Recipe: No-Bake Chocolate and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

I also made this again from Martha Stewart. If you know someone who loves peanut butter and chocolate this is one for them!

No-Bake Chocolate and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

With a candy-bar-inspired top and a crumbly cookie base, each of these rich squares packs a double dose of that perfect pairing: chocolate and peanut butter.


Ingredients

Makes 2 dozen.

* Vegetable oil cooking spray
* 9 ounces chocolate wafers (about 40 wafers), finely ground (2 cups)
* 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
* 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
* 5 ounces (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
* 1 cup chunky peanut butter
* 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
* 10 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
* 1 1/2 ounces milk chocolate, melted


Directions

1. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the 2 long sides.
2. Combine wafers, oats, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then add chunky peanut butter and 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter, whisking until well combined. Add peanut butter mixture to wafer mixture, stirring until combined. Transfer to baking dish, and use the bottom of a measuring cup or an offset spatula to firmly press mixture into an even layer. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Pour melted semisweet chocolate over chilled mixture and, using an offset spatula, spread into a thin layer that covers the entire surface. Refrigerate until hardened, at least 15 minutes.
4. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter in a small saucepan until runny. Drizzle peanut butter over chilled chocolate. Drizzle melted milk chocolate over peanut butter. Refrigerate until hardened, about 15 minutes.
5. Use parchment to lift out chilled block of bars. Run a sharp knife under hot water, dry well, and cut into 24 squares, wiping knife between cuts. Let bars stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. (Sliced bars can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month.)

Recipe: World Peace Cookies

Found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen. Its a winner for the chocolate lovers in your lives.

World Peace/Korova Cookies
Paris Sweets, Dorie Greenspan

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

Makes about 36 cookies

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.

Turn off the mixer. Pour in the flour, drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. Take a peek — if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough — for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don’t be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you’ve frozen the dough, you needn’t defrost it before baking — just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

GETTING READY TO BAKE: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Working with a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you’re cutting them — don’t be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes — they won’t look done, nor will they be firm, but that’s just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

SERVING: The cookies can be eaten when they are warm or at room temperature — I prefer them at room temperature, when the textural difference between the crumbly cookie and the chocolate bits is greatest — and are best suited to cold milk or hot coffee.

STORING: Packed airtight, cookies will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days (Deb note: not a chance); they can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Recipe: Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints

Recipe from the Christmas Cookies, 50 Recipes to Treasure for the Holiday Season cookbook.

Ingredients:
2 c all purpose flour
1/2 c dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
16 Tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 c sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Caramel filling:
20 caramels (about 5 1/2 oz) such as Kraft candies, unwrapped
1/4 c heavy cream

Chocolate Drizzle:
4 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped

Whisk together flour, cocoa, and salt in a medium bowl.

Beat butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat well until fluffy. Beat in the whole egg and egg yolk. Mix in the vanilla. With the beaters on low mix in the flour mixture until incorporated and the dough comes together. Gather the dough into a ball, then divide it in half. Wrap each half separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Working with half of the dough at a time, roll it into 1-inch balls, arranging them about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Make an indention in the center of each ball using the handle end of a wooden spoon or use your thumb, being careful not to go all the way through the dough.

Bake for about 13 minutes or until the cookies feel just slightly firm.

Transfer the cookies to a rack and immediately depress the centers of the cookies again to reinforce and widen the indention to about 3/4 inch in diameter. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely.

For the caramel filling:
Heat the caramels and the cream in a medium saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring often, until the caramels are melted and the mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes. Using the smallest, most pointiest spoon you have spoon the caramel into the indentions in the cookies, filling just up to the rim. If the caramel becomes too thick place the saucepan back over low heat for a few seconds. Let the caramel set before drizzling the cookies with chocolate.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave. Drizzle chocolate over the cookies.

Notes: I made twice as much caramel sauce. I just used chocolate chips I had for the chocolate drizzle. Keep the parchment paper under the cookies until you are done with all the steps. Saves time with the clean up.

Pictures of finished cookies to follow.

Recipe: Hershey Kiss & Pretzel Treats

Salty pretzels combine with sweet chocolate for these fun treats that make a yummy gift few can resist. (In fact, you may want to make some extras for yourself!)

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
Bite-size, waffle-shaped pretzels
Hershey's Kiss or Hershey's Hug
M&M's candy

1. Heat the oven to 170º. Set a number of bite-size, waffle-shaped pretzels (one for each treat) in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, then top each pretzel with an unwrapped Hershey's Kiss or Hershey's Hug.

2. Bake for 4 to 6 minutes (the white chocolate will melt more quickly), until the chocolates feel soft when touched with a wooden spoon. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and quickly press an M&M's candy into the center of each Kiss.

3. Allow the treats to cool for a few minutes, then place them in the refrigerator to set, about 10 minutes. Place handfuls of the candies in clear plastic bags and tie on colorful ribbons.

Recipe: Chocolate Sugar Spritz

This is from Santa's Favorite Cookies Cookbook.

2 squares ( 1 oz each) unsweetened chocolate
2 1/4 c all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 c butter or margarine, softened
3/4 c granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400.

Melt chocolate I used the microwave following the instructions on the package. Set aside once melted.

Combine flour and salt in small bowl; stir to combine.

Beat butter and granulated sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and almond extract. Beat in chocolate. Gradually add flour mixture. Dough will be stiff.

Fill dough in your cookie press. Press onto ungreased cookie sheet about 1 inch a part. Bake 7 minutes or until just set.

Combine powdered sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Transfer to fine mesh strainer and sprinkle over hot cookies while they are still on the cookie sheet. Remove cookies to cookie rack; cool completely. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

Recipe: Chocolate Cut Out Cookies

From Martha Stewart's Cookies Cookbook
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 c plus 2 tbsp unsweetened dutch-process cocoa powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 c unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c sifted confectioners sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Sift flour, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon into a bowl.

Cream butter and confectioners sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Wrap dough in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, 1 hour or overnight.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Chill in freezer (or in the grill outside) for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350. Using a 3 inch cookie cutter, quickly cut out shapes from dough. Re roll and cut scraps. Transfer shapes to parchment covered pans, spacing them 2 inches apart. Brush flour from shapes. Sprinkle with nonpareils, if using. Chill in freezer until firm about 15 minutes.

Bake cookies until crisp, about 8 minutes. Let cook completely on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

I iced mine using the recipe that I listed with the gingerbread cookies but instead of lemon juice I used some vanilla.