Cookie Dough Truffles

This recipe was adapted from Recipe Shoebox.

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 1/4 cups flour

14 ounces sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

chocolate chips, almond bark or dipping chocolate

Cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla; mix well. Stir in mini chocolate chips. Roll into 1" balls (I used a size 100 ice cream scoop) and place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Freeze for 1-2 hours or until firm. Dip in melted chocolate and drop on parchment paper. The dough softens quickly, so only work with half the balls at a time. I made 114 balls with the 100 scoop.

Truffles

This is my very favorite dipped chocolate. It is from an old Farm Journal cookbook.

1/3 c. heavy cream

1/3 c. dairy half-and-half

3 c. finely shaved milk chocolate or chocolate chips

1 1/2 t. vanilla

additional chocolate for dipping

Mix creams together and scald in the microwave. Set aside to cool to 130°. Melt 3 c. of chocolate; beat until smooth. Add warm cream to melted chocolate all at once. Beat until smooth and well blended. Add vanilla and beat. Let cool. When cool, beat with electric mixer until candy is light and rather fluffy. Let stand in the refrigerator until firm. When firm, roll a small ball of candy in palm of hand. (I use a #100 scoop. I then put the balls on a sheet of waxed paper and then back in the refrigerator till they are cold and firm before dipping.) Dip each ball in melted chocolate, shake off the excess chocolate, and drop them on waxed paper. ( I use a two-tined meat fork to dip chocolates.) Sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles while still wet. Makes about 40 truffles. They remind me of the small square Icee candies that melt in your mouth.

Pretzel Turtles

Someone brought these to me. They are simple and delicious.

pretzels

Rolo candies

pecan halves

Place a single layer of pretzels on a sprayed, foil-lined cookie sheet. Unwrap Rolo candies and place one in the center of each pretzel. Carefully place in a 300° oven and cook for 2-4 minutes. They should look glossy and still hold their shape somewhat. Remove and quickly place a pecan half on each Rolo and press down on pecan to flatten Rolo. Cool until completely set. Store in covered container.

Pecan Crunch

This recipe is from my friend, Sandy Black. Make it and give it away quickly or else you will eat it all. It's that good.

1 1/4 c. real butter

2 1/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. water

1/2 t. salt

2 t. white vinegar

1 t. soda

3 1/2 c. pecan halves

In a heavy saucepan, combine all ingredients, except soda and pecans. Cook on medium to medium low heat, stirring frequently, to hard crack or 300° on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat; quickly stir in soda until light and foamy. Add pecans. Stir well and pour onto buttered cookie sheet, quickly spreading with spatula. Cool and break into pieces.

You can double this recipe and use the 2# bag of pecans from Costco. If you double it, pour it onto two cookie sheets.

Saltine Toffee

I found this recipe at Tried and True Cooking with Heidi. It is a simple fast recipe.

37 saltine cracker squares

1 c. butter, cubed

3/4 c. sugar

2 c. chocolate chips

1 oz white candy coating

Place crackers in a single layer in a foil-lined 15 x10x1-inch baking sheet. In a large saucepan, bring butter and sugar to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-6 minutes or until mixture is thickened and sugar is completely dissolved. Spread over crackers. Bake at 350° for 7-8 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with chips. Bake 3-5 minutes longer or until chips begin to melt; spread chocolate evenly over top. In a microwave, melt white candy coating, 30 seconds at a time; stir until smooth. I put it in a ziplock snack bag, sealed it, and cut a tiny hole in the corner of the bag. Drizzle over toffee. Chill for 15-20 minutes or until set; break into pieces. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: about 1-3/4 pounds.

Mom's Peanut Butter Fudge

My mom used to make this and now that she is gone, I make it.

5 c. sugar

1 large can of milk

1 cube butter

Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes on medium low heat, stirring frequently.

Add:

10 ounces of marshmallows

2 packages peanut butter chips

2/3 c. peanut butter (chunky peanut butter adds nuts to the fudge)

1 t. vanilla

Stir until melted (sometimes I have to leave it on simmer to melt everything) and pour it into a foil-lined cookie sheet. Cool and cut. Makes about 5 pounds. I used Coleen's idea and poured it into star-shaped foil pans. It filled 17 star pans and a 9 x 9 inch pan.

June's Fudge

June lived next door to me until she passed away in October. She was 87 years old. She was the ideal grandmother-type person. She was an excellent cook and always gave her fudge away at Christmas time. She is dearly missed.

1 cube butter

4 c. sugar

1 can evaporated milk

1 pint marshmallow cream

12 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

2 (8 oz) Hershey plain chocolate bars

1 t. vanilla

1 c. chopped walnuts

Mix butter, marshmallow cream, milk and sugar. Bring to a boil and boil 4 minutes. Add broken pieces of chocolate bars and chocolate chips. Beat until smooth. Add vanilla and nuts. Pour onto foil-lined cookie sheet. Cool and cut.

Caramels

My friend, Bea Stirland, gave me this great recipe.

2 c. whipping cream

2 cubes real butter

2 c. sugar

2 c. karo

Cook on medium low, stirring occasionally. Boil until it changes color, then stir more often until it holds its shape in ice water, when pinched. Spray 5 plastic ice cube trays with Pam. Pour the liquid caramels into the holes of the ice cube trays. (I use my gravy ladle to do this.) Put the trays into the fridge until set, then pop the caramels out and wrap them in parchment paper or waxed paper. Never leave in the fridge overnight. I usually make them in the morning and wrap them in the afternoon. This makes around 70 caramels.

Bon Bons

This is a very easy center to dip either in almond bark or chocolate. I used white almond bark and tinted it with orange gel coloring for Halloween. (Do not use liquid coloring to tint almond bark because it will ruin it.) Tint it with other colors for weddings or other holidays.

1 can Eagle Brand milk

2 c. chopped pecans

1 cube margarine, room temperature

3 c. coconut

2 lb. powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla

few grains salt

Mix everything well. (I used the dough hooks with my Bosch.) Roll into 1-inch balls and put on a wax paper lined cookie sheet and place in the fridge to get firm. (I scooped them out with a #100 scoop and then rolled them into balls. It made 120 with the scoop.) Melt 36 oz white almond bark in microwave. Stir after every 20 seconds. It will take about 1 1/2 minutes to melt. Add gel coloring, a little at a time, until desired brightness. Using a two-tined meat fork, drop one center into the almond bark, turn it over, shake off the excess, turn it upside down on wax paper and swirl the top with a string of almond bark.