Holiday Recipes 2013

The lights, ornaments and the boys’ stuffed Christmas animals have been safely stowed; the fudge is gone; the holidays are quickly becoming old news. That being said, I hope everyone enjoyed their time with family and friends and most importantly, good food.
Before I proceed too far into January, I’d like to share my favorite recipes from this year’s round of holiday baking — a few new ones, a couple repeats and some favorites that have become traditional holiday fare.

Baking, baking and more baking:
Fruity Pebble Rice Krispy Treats – Gotta throw something in for the kiddos, but this one is a hit with big kids, too! I am likely still working off the calories I packed on from these treats alone! They are truly addicting. And the nice thing is, you can make them more or less ‘fruity.’ A total of 6 cups cereal is what you need. I made mine with 4 c. of rice krispy cereal and 2 c. fruity cereal. I made a double recipe and used a 9×13 pan, then cut them into bite-size squares.
Heath Bar Fudge – This recipe is simple and versatile. First round, I followed the recipe and made it with Heath baking bits (everyone raved). 2nd round, I used 1/2 milk chocolate chips and 1/2 winter mix by Nestle (mint and chocolate chips) and sprinkled M&M’s on the top. This batch was a hit as well.
Peanut Butter Fudge – 2nd year to give-away this fudge and I’ll never remove it from my list. It’s amazingly easy and so yummy!
Snickerdoodle Cookies – Delicious!
Snickerdoodle Fudge — Another new favorite and possibly a new traditional.

Traditional:
Andes Mint Brownies – I use my favorite brownie recipe, chop up and add Andes mints to the batter, then immediately after I pull the brownies from the oven, I line Andes mints on the top, then spread after softening. Allow brownies to cool and chocolate to harden before cutting.
Blueberry Bread Pudding – handwritten recipe from a friend, posted here last year by yours truly, this is our traditional Christmas Day breakfast.
Pecan – Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle (shown)  — I can’t stay out of this stuff.
Garlic-Cheddar Biscuits (Red Lobster) – Best ‘Red Lobster’ recipe I’ve tried. I’m not a big fan of baking mixes, but I follow the recipe when preparing these for our traditional Christmas dinner of crab legs and biscuits.

I think my new favorite give-away (that will become traditional), is this yummy Apple Pie ‘Moonshine’. It’s one of my favorites so I decided to give a little away this year. My baking list will probably naturally shorten as I make more and more batches of this stuff each year. So easy and very delicious.

Until next time (whenever that may be)…

Have a good one!

Amy

Pecan – Chocolate Chip Cookie Bark