Black Licorice Caramels

They are just the best. ever!  The recipe comes from a combination of my cookbook called Chocolates And Confections by Peter P. Greweling, and a number of other recipes..

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) water
• 2 cups (1 pound) sugar
• 1 can (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup (12 ounces) light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 sticks butter, unsalted, soft
• 2 teaspoons anise extract
• 1/2 teaspoon black food coloring paste
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Lightly butter a 9X13-inch pan and set aside.
2. In a heavy-bottomed 4-quart saucepan, combine the water, sugar, condensed milk, corn syrup, and butter. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a heat-resistant rubber spatula. 
3. Continue stirring gently while the mixture boils and cooks, until the caramels reach 245  degrees F. (this is a good estimation of the required temperature, but start testing the caramel when the thermometer reads 240 degrees F. * to test the caramel, spoon a small sample of the caramel into ice water, allow to cool for several seconds, then remove from water... the cooled caramel should from a soft, malleable ball when rolled between your fingers.
4. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the anise extract, food coloring, vanilla extract and salt. Pour the caramels into the prepared pan and allow to cool completely to room temperature, at least 2 hours.
5. When cool, remove the sheet of caramels from the pan. Cut the caramels into pieces. Wrap each caramel square in a bit of wax paper or celophane, twisting the ends to secure

Easy Oreo Truffles

These have become a tradition.  This super easy recipe has become very popular, I'm not surprised!
Mint oreos are great with this too.

Ingredients:

1 package Oreo cookies
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
16 ounces chocolate, melted for dipping

Directions:

1. In a food processor, process cookies into fine crumbs.
2. Add the cream chesse, and mix until well blended.
3. Roll mixture into 42 balls, about 1 tablespoon each.
4. Dip the balls in melted chocolate and place on wax paper.

Chewy Ginger Cookies

These are a big time holiday favorite of ours.  A few years back I even won "best overall dessert" with these cookies.  I've been trying to get a picture of these for a long time, but they always get eaten too fast.  Today I managed to get the last 2.!

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup white sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the orange juice and molasses.
3.  Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture.  But do not over mix.
4.  Using a 1tabelspoons sized cookie scoop, scoop balls of cookie dough into the remaining 1/4 cups of sugar.  Roll them very gently into the sugar.  Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container

7 Layered Jello

It's a tradition.

Ingredients:

4 jellos (4 different flavors/colors)
2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
2 packages unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1 pint sour cream
2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Mix 1 packages of jello with 1 cup boiling water, stir until dissolved.  Then stir in 1/2 cup cold or ice water.  Pour this into the bottom of a 13x9 inch casserole dish.  (the final jello will fill an entire 13x9 inch pan)
2.  For the white layers:
      Bring 2 cups of milk to boil.
      Dissolve the 1 cup of sugar into the hot milk.
      Dissolve 2 packages of gelatin in 1/2 cup cold water and let sit for a couple of minutes.
      To the gelatin mixture whisk in the sour cram and vanilla.
      In a large boil combine the sour cream mixture with the hot milk/sugar.
      Leave this white mixture covered on the counter.
3.  After 1st jello layer is set, poor 1 1/2 cups of the white mixture over the jello and refrigerate.
4.  Repeat layers of jello and white ending with a jello. 

Each layer should take 30-60 minutes to set.  But you want to work as fast as you can, because the white mixture will start to set as it sits out on the counter and cools.

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

I love how cute these little candy corn sugar cookies are.  How perfect are they for October?!

Ingredients:

2 Sticks unsalted Butter, softened

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 Egg

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

2 Teaspoons Lemon Zest

1 Teaspoon Salt

3 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

Red Food Dye

Yellow Food Dye

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar (for dusting)

Directions:

1.Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy 3-5 minutes.

2.Add egg, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Continue beating until well mixed.

3. Sift the flour and baking soda together and add to the creamed mixture.  Stir just until combined.

4. Divide the dough into thirds (each 3rd is jsut over 1 cup of dough).  Leave 1/3 of the dough white.  mkae 1/3 of the dough yellow and the last 1/3 orange. 

5. Press the white dough evenly into the bottom of a loaf pan that you have lined with foil, wax, or parchment paper.

6. Press orange dough evenly over white dough.

7. Pressyellow dough over the orange dough, so it is even and flat

8. Cover and refrigerate until firm (2 hours or overnight is best). Once chilled, invert your loaf pan and unwrap your dough. On a cutting board cut loaf crosswise into 1/4-inch slices using a sharp knife, trimming edges to make even, if necessary. Cut each slice into triangles.

9. Place 1-inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes in a pre-heated 375 degree oven. Place cookies straight into a bowl with sugar and coat. Place coated cookies on a baking rack to cool.

Recipe from: http://kaitlininthekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/10/candy-corn-sugar-cookies.html

Asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto

I look forward to this side dish every Easter.  I should make it more often, we all love it so much.  But some how it has become exclusively an Easter dinner tradition.

Ingredients:

Asparagus
Cream cheese (softened)
Prosciutto (thinly sliced)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Trim off end of Asparagus - Bend the asparagus (holding towards the end of the asparagus) until is breaks,   use the broken asparagus to know how much to cut off from the rest of the bunch.

Blanch Asparagus in boiling water for 1-3 minutes, depending on thickness of asparagus.  Put Asparagus in ice water to immediately stop cooking.

To assemble:   Spread about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese onto 1 piece of prosciutto.
Wrap the prosciutto around a few asparagus (2-4, depending on the size of the asparagus).

Place bundles on a lightly oiled pan and cook for 10-15 minutes.

Pumpkin Pancakes

I have to make these a few times every year.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter milk (or milk)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2/3 cups canned pumpkin

Directions:

1. Whisk together all the dry ingredients with a fork.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, oil, egg and pumpkin and combine.
3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, just until combined. (If you over stir the batter, the gluten will start to form in the flour and you will get a chewy pancake)
4. Cook pancakes on a griddle or skillet over medium heat very lightly sprayed with oil. Once bubbles start popping up, gently flip the pancake.