Christmas Recipes

Here's some Christmas treat recipes that I've been meaning to post for ages.  I hope to get others posted soon!

Homemade Caramels

(Special thanks to my cousin Stacy for this recipe. I'm not sure where she got it!)

1 Cup Butter (2 Sticks)
4 Cups Sugar
2 Cups Light Karo Syrup
2 (12 oz) Cans Evaporated Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla

- Generously butter pan
- Add butter, sugar, and Karo syrup to a large saucepan over medium heat until mixture begins to boil (5-10 min)
- Gradually add evaporated milk, maintaining boil
- Stir until firm (this taks a while)
- Add vanilla
- Pour into pan and refrigerate
- Cut and wrap

Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

Another favorite Christmas season treat, the cookies with a Hershey Chocolate Kiss candy in the middle of each one.

I got this recipe from my mom, though I think she got it from a Hershey's Kiss package sometime in the past.

48 Hershey’s Kisses (see note below)
½ cup shortening
¾ cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar

- Heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Remove wrappers from chocolates.
- Beat shortening and peanut butter in a large bowl until well blended.
- Add 1/3 cup 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.
- Shape dough into 1-inch balls. (See note below.)
- Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly brown.
- Upon removal from oven, immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie.
- Remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire rack.  Cool completely.

Makes 4 dozen cookies. 

Note: I modify this slightly by making the dough into ¾ inch balls and using more Kisses as needed.  This increases the ratio of chocolate to cookie, which is always a good thing.  I also reduce the baking time to about 7 minutes (for the smaller cookie) and use baking parchment paper on the cookie sheet, instead of baking directly on the cookie sheet.