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Friday, December 4, 2009

Hershey's Kisses and the holidays: recipe review and giveaway


This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Hershey's



When the chocolate makers at Hershey's were looking for some bloggers to turn their kitchens into test zones and then blog about it, I was a little dubious. But the twinados nearly died of excitement when I asked them about it, so we signed up. We were told to choose three Hershey's Kisses recipes from the official web site and then give them a whirl. Needless to say, the girls and I had radically different criteria when it came to choosing recipes. They were drawn toward the most colorful, most candy-per-inch items, while I leaned strongly toward the things that had the least number of ingredients and steps (anyone who has ever cooked with Ro and Ree will attest to my wisdom).

In the end, we settled on three mutually agreeable choices (Kisses Candy Twists, Double Chocolate Kisses Cookies, and Hershey's Hugs and Kisses Crescents), tied on some aprons, and away we went! It was lots of fun and I'm happy to report that the kitchen is still standing.

Ro (pink flower barrette) and Ree (yellow flower barrette) heartily enjoyed unwrapping all the candies (and sneaking as many as they could):
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They also sniffed many, many of the chocolates quite deeply. Not sanitary, not sanitary at all, but I'm sure the germs all died in the oven...
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The Kisses Candy Twists were fun and tasty—an easypeasy treat for kids of any age to make. We mixed it up with plain chocolate kisses and minty candy-cane ones.
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The Hershey's Hugs and Kisses Crescents were really fun to make, and they looked awesome too. But I have to be completely honest and say that none of the adults liked the taste at all. The biscuit dough and chocolate flavor just did not work together, in my opinion. Maybe if it had been a sweeter puff pastry dough or something? Anyhow, they were awfully cute and the girls were mighty proud of them.
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And, finally, the Double Chocolate Kisses Cookies were my favorites. They looked and tasted great. (Although the next time I'll add even more cocoa to make the cookies a little richer tasting. Yeah I tend toward excess like that...)
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So there you have it, the results of our fun Hershey's Kisses baking. And, in keeping with one of our family holiday traditions, we'll be using the twist and double chocolate cookies in our annual holiday cookie exchange with friends so that we can sample even more deliciousness:
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The Giveaway:
Hershey's is giving away a $100 Visa gift card to one lucky Salsa reader. To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me your favorite holiday recipe (Ro and Ree lovelovelove to cook and bake, so you'll make them smile extra big if you can give me the directions or a link to the recipe). The contest will begin right now (12/4/09) and will end at midnight on 12/31/09. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct (feel free to use weird spaces and spell out "dot" or "at" or that sort of thing).

The Rules:
No duplicate comments. You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments. You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments. This giveaway is open to US-residents only. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail. You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected. Please see the official rules here. If you'd like even more entries, check out the BlogHer.com special offers page to see the other reviews (you've got 8 chances to win).

For other recipes, and some craft ideas, take a peek at Hershey's Holiday web site.

~~ The giveaway is now closed, no more entries will be accepted, and I'll draw a winner at random and announce the winner sometime today (Jan 1st). Happy New Year! ~~

267 comments:

1 – 200 of 267   Newer›   Newest»
Nichole said...

I am going to try the pretzel things they look really fun to make.

My daughters and I love to make peppermint bark. It is super easy and they love to crush the candy canes and break the bark.
You just melt 12 oz of semi-sweet chocolate in a double boiler ( I use two pots) and spread onto wax or parchment paper. I put the paper on a baking sheet. Stick it in freezer for 20 mn. When it cools then melt 12 oz of white choc. and let it cool a few mn. Spread onto top of semi-sweet choc and then sprinkle about 1/2 cup of crushed candy canes on top. Stick back into freezer till stiff and then break away. Super yummy, super easy.

enjoy! thekottkes@msn.com
Niki

fuzzandfuzzlet said...

Ohhhh I love this post because it reminded me that I had planned to do the pretzel thingies this year.

My favorite holiday recipe is for mini cheesecakes.


Ingredients

* 1 (12 ounce) package vanilla wafers
* 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line miniature muffin tins (tassie pans) with miniature paper liners.
2. Crush the vanilla wafers, and place 1/2 teaspoon of the crushed vanilla wafers into each paper cup.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Fill each miniature muffin liner with this mixture, almost to the top.
4. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool. Top with a teaspoonful of cherry pie filling.

copperdog said...

That looks like fun! Your recipes were way easier than the ones we did yesterday and today. Definitely not kid friendly but very tasty so I won't leave the recipes here. (10 doz. gingerbread thingys, 10 doz. cardamom-orange sugar cut-outs and 5+ doz. triple ginger cookies! Sheesh)

-Heather
hlbanksatgmaildotcom

TK said...

Oh the pretzel twist looks so easy. I usually love chocolate covered pretzels but hate the mess and time. This seems like the similiar taste but so much easier! Think I might try it with my students too.
My favorite treat to make at Christmas is peppermint bark. It is so easy. I just buy the white chocolate to use to dip or cover with. Melt it in microwave as directed. Then pour out on parchment paper and spread with spatula or icing spatulu. Sprinkle on crushed peppermints. You can even use those "melt in your mouth" peppermints crushed up. When dried, break into pieces and package for gifts. OR EAT! YOU!
Kim O
sweetiee1@gmail.com

GrowingUpLost said...

I make peppermint cheesecake brownies around the holidays! Yummmy!

I'm including the "official" recipe, but we do throw in chocolate chips to give it an extra dose of chocolate!

Ingredients
Cheesecake batter:
1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Brownie batter:
4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
Cooking spray
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare cheesecake batter, place cheese in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add granulated sugar and peppermint extract; beat well. Add 1 egg and 1 egg white; beat well. Add 1 tablespoon flour; beat mixture just until blended.

3. To prepare brownie batter, weigh or lightly spoon 4.5 ounces (about 1 cup) flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine 4.5 ounces flour, cocoa, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, 2 egg whites, and 1 egg in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until well blended. Add flour mixture to brown sugar mixture; beat at low speed just until blended.

4. Reserve 1/2 cup of brownie batter. Pour remaining batter into a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Carefully pour cheesecake batter over top; spread evenly to edges. Dot cheesecake batter with reserved brownie batter. Swirl top two layers of batters together using the tip of a knife. Bake at 350° for 26 minutes or until top is set. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.


oncelostblog@gmail.com

Destination Motherhood said...

Each year we make peanut butter cookies with kisses on top, yummy!

Kim said...

We do chocolate covered pretzels a different way using pretzel sticks where we dip them in milk chocolate and dark chocolate and then use bunches of other things to decorate them...drizzle white chocolate, sprinkles of different shapes, etc. That is the easiest thing we make.

My favorite to make with the help of a 4 yr old is kiflis (we do both the nut and lekvar filling - but you can do just about any type of jam/jelly filling too)

ourlifesjourney.blog @ gmail.com

Anonymous said...

our favorite is peanut butter candy - just take 1 bag of Wilton's candy melts (found in Target or Wal mart in the craft/wedding decorating area) - I prefer the dark cocoa ones - add 1 cup of crunchy peanut butter - microwave for 2 minutes. Stir and then pour in mini muffin papers - refrigerate. tastes like a reeses cup! and so easy - and everyone goes wild!
Melanie
vinceandmelanie at hotmail dot com

Anonymous said...

We are loving the pretzels with kisses. Might even give them a try today!
Teri~Anna~Luci

Gail said...

oh my gosh.....mouth watering. My mom used to amke a version of party mix, corn chex, wheat chex, butter, mixed nuts and butter. Did I mention lots of butter !!

We used to save coffee cans and my mom would those scouring pads around them (red and green of course). My all time favorite, even as a child is home made Kahlua !!

gadillon at sbcglobal dot net

The Lucky Ones said...

A fave in our house is the potato chip cookie. What could be better than sweet and salt together? Here's the basic recipe I use:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/potato-chip-cookies-recipe/index.html

They are a lot like a melt-in-you-mouth butter cookie.

We'll definitely try the crescent recipe here, but I think we'll try lining the inside with a butter wash and cinnamon-sugar sprinkle. If it's a bomb, it's still fun!

Suzie said...

Looks like a yummy fun time!

My favorite thing to make at the holidays (becuase it is easy and requires NO cooking) is hershey kisses tree.

Buy a styrofoam cone at a local craft store and a holiday bag of hershey kisses. Stick toothpicks in the flat end of the kisses and then stick them into the styrofoam cone. The end result is a colorful tree made of kisses. It's always a hit at the holiday party's and the kids LOVE it!

Anonymous said...

Love this!!!
Claudia
claudiarferrer@mac.com

Nachama said...

It is 8 am and I'm now CRAVING pretzels with Hershey's Kisses melted on them! Well, I guess I know what I'm going to be doing today.
DrNachama@gmail.com

Charlene said...

Of course, Christmas sugar cookies - cutout with Christmas cookie cutters and frosted and decorated! ryanen22atyahoocom

Nicole said...

Our favorite cookie is one I believe you already make-the ones where you put peanut butter cookie dough in in the mini muffin tins and then stuff in a peanut butter cup at the end:) YUMMY!
Nicole
niczuge@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

I love the pretzel things. I have made them many times but never thought to put sprinkles on them. I also sometimes use different colored m&m's dependingon the season. Yummy!!! Thanks for sharing!

Your girls will love this since they like cinnamon toast. GOod on everything...toast...bagels..pancakes..etc.....

Cinnamon Toast Spread

2 cups margarine, softened
1 pound confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
bread

Beat margarine with electric mixer. Add sugar and cinnamon beat a few more minutes. Toast bread in toaster and spread lightly with mixture while hot-it doesn't take much. Spread keeps in refrigerator or can be frozen.
Freeze in small containers for a great gift.


Enjoy--
Natalie
nhward@carolina.rr.com

Liberty Ruffles said...

I love coffee punch for Christmas morning. Its instant coffee, milk, chocolate syrup and vanilla ice cream. yum!

Maggie said...

Perfect timing! My sisters and I are volunteering at a Ronald McDonald House tomorrow so today one of my sisters and I are making cookies so we can pass out plates of cookies to the families staying at the house. I think the double chocolate kiss cookies look delicious!

One of my favorites is the Buried Cherry Cookie, but that's a classic recipe -- in the Betty Crocker cookbook.

Anonymous said...

My favorites would have to be ALL the homemade candies and fudges my Grandmother would make us every year for Christmas! One year she brought it over a week or so early because she would be out of town, my mom had it on her dresser in a fancy box,,,every day I would sneak into the box and eat just a few! When Christmas came and they opened the box I guess I had ate more than a few...oops! All that chocolate was sooo yummy!

Kim E

Stefanie said...

Okay, that pretzel kiss combo looks yummy, and even better... EASY!!
My favorite Christmas recipe is caramels. LOVE them so much, they're even worth the effort :)
Here's a link to a recipe:
http://www.kookrecipes.com/2008/10/24/caramel-candy/
If I happen to win (crazy!) my email is chrisnstefanie@gmail.com
Happy baking, M3!

The Hernandez Herd said...

I am very excited about the pretzels with the kisses on top. What a great idea. We will try that this weekend. Victoria
www.bigherns@msn.com

Anonymous said...

We are fans of my MILs 7 layer bars. There is something about condensed milk and chips that makes it so wonderful.

Sandra said...

We've made the pretzel things before and they are SO easy (and yummy!) This year we'll be making Oreo balls (cream cheese and crushed Oreo's mixed together, formed into balls and then dipped into white chocolate). Again, easy but YUMMY!

Sennie said...

Great sounding recipes, we might try all 3! We (of course!) bake cookies at Christmas time, and use the famous, tried-and-true Pillsbury gingerbread dough from the refrigerated section of Sam's Club (five kids and all...). Some years we pull out the puff pastry and make Finnish puff pastry pinwheels with plum jam in the middle.
kotiinkolmestakolkasta@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

One of my favs for the holiday is reindeer pretzels:

Take the small pretzels you used for the kisses recipe.
Coat in melted chocolate
Use M&M candies for the eyes
Take small peices of broken pretzels for the antlers
Viola!

Sweet and Salty treat.
Although I think next time I may use the hugs...could make it even easier.

Kelly
kellmck8@msn.com

Emily said...

I dipped pretzels last year and couldn't believe how long it took... this is a way better plan!

Try these easy and tasty treats with the girls. They definitely fit your criteria!

CHOCOLATE COVERED PEANUT BUTTER BALLS

2 c. peanut butter
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 stick butter
3 c. Rice Krispies

Melt the peanut butter/ butter mixture- fold in the powdered sugar and finely crushed krispies.Mix well. Make into small balls. Chill thoroughly (overnight works best!)

Coat in chocolate.
emilydotharryatgmaildotcom

Mom 2 Four said...

Love the pretzel treats, we will be trying that one this year. One of our favorites to make is

Heath Cookie Bars

Grease a cookie sheet.
Line with soda crackers. (saltines)

In a sauce pan cook:
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of butter
boil for 3 minutes

Spoon mixture over crackers.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 5 minutes

Remove from oven and put 1 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips on the top, after they melt I always try to spread them out a bit.

Let cool to harden, you can put them in the fridge to speed up this part of the process.

Break up eat and enjoy!

Kigwit said...

The girls looked like they were having lots of fun! My favorite recipe is for Swedish Spritz cookies. You have to use a cookie press to make them so that makes it lots of fun.

~Mad said...

I love love love these FORGOTTEN COOKIES! They are so easy - you make them, put them in the oven, turn it off and you're done!

http://southernfood.about.com/od/chocchipcookies/r/blcookies9b.htm

The pretzel twists, I am going to try this afternoon!

~Mad(elyn) in Alabama

Brandi said...

I think I'm going to try those pretzel things. They look easy & yummy!

I didn't read the previous comments, so this may be a duplicate, but my family loves making peanut butter cookies with hershey kisses on top. Easy (see a theme with my cooking?) and yummy!

Merry Christmas to you & your family!

Ami said...

My favorite holiday recipe is tough -- it's not a sweet, but I love that once I year I eat the prime rib roast; red meat at it's finest. I don't usually eat that much of it, but OOOOH how I love the roast, and mashed potatoes, and whatever veggie is on the menu.

Basket full o' Plums said...

I like the look of those pretzel ones! Here's a simple recipe that we like:
sugar cookie dough
spice drops or gum drops

put a spice drop in a little ball of dough and wrap it up. Place the balls on the cookie sheet and bake as usual.

Anonymous said...

Oh, your photos of the process are great! I love the "Double Chocolate Kisses cookies" -- they look like the perfect ones to make for my first cookie exchange that I've been invited to participate in. :) I'm sending a couple of cute (and easy for kids) recipes via email.
Dawn T.

Mami2jcn said...

I blogged about this:

http://grand-giveaways.blogspot.com/2009/12/visa-100-gift-card-sponsored-by.html

mami2jcn at gmail dot com

Mami2jcn said...

A favorite holiday recipe is my mother-in-law's apple cake. She hasn't shared it with me yet!

mami2jcn at gmail dot com

lmurley2000 said...

i like the receipe your girls was doing think i will try it here is the link
http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipes/detail.asp?id=8101&page=1&per=25&keyword=kisses
lmurley2000@yahoo.com

bearie1 said...

My new holiday tradition is to make The Pioneer Woman Cinnamon rolls on Christmas eve day and share with my neighbors. You can find the recipe on her site. Surely you know about The Pioneer Woman. Just in case: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/

Ree and Ro would have fun helping you with these. Elaine

Lauri said...

My fav holiday recipe is one using Hershey kisses..peanut butter blossoms. Yum and a fav in our house

http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipes/detail.asp?id=5191

Kikilia said...

Our favorite recipe so far has been the original nestle chocolate chip recipe- adding about 2 extra handfuls of chocolate or peanut butter chips and making them as bar cookies.

http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/specialty/nth-detail-occc.aspx

Kikilia-@-gmail.com

Anonymous said...

Didn't you guys make some peanut butter balls with kisses inside? Those were the best.

Jamie S

Julie said...

Love the pretzel idea! I'll have to try these.

Anonymous said...

Good job on the cookies guys - they look great! (Awesome job on the pics M3 - you've got a great eye for detail)!

We like to make candy cane cookies at our house - kinda a sugar cookie recipe and you twist the 2 colors of dough together: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes.aspx/candy-cane-cookies/93832e29-3b4f-4977-ae5a-9820053b254c

Enjoy your holidays together!

christina said...

Sugar angel cookies

You can either use premade sugar cookie dough or make your own and roll it into a log and freeze. Cut out rounds about 1/4" thick. Cut off sides of rounds so that you create triangle and two oval-esque parts. Press oval parts midway on each side of the triangle and roll a small amount of dough and press on top of the triangle. You get an angel shape! Bake according to directions.

Another one I like is to take puff pastry sheets, roll it out a little, cut it into squares or triangles, put some chocolate inside (Hershey Kisses would do just fine, or some other bar chocolate piece). Roll up and bake on parchment paper -result: Easy chocolate croissant. Yum!

Pepperment bark is also another favorite here but many people have already given the recipe so I won't repeat.

Have fun! Christina
cgwms2000[at]yahoo[dot]com

chinamomxtwo said...

like the others, I agree the pretzels look yummy and easy-peasy!
We bake about 5 o r 6 different family recipies, but ahve started soem of our traditions as well. The 3 of us really like the covered pecans.
Recipe here:( these are SO addictive!!)
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sara-moulton/cinnamon-sugared-pecans-recipe/index.html
Thanks for the chance to win the Visa card! (My wallet is rather thin so I could really use the help for presents!!)
Jeanne
jeannejac at aol dot com

Shannon (CA) said...

Oh my gosh my ALL time favorite cookies are my mom's pumpkin cookies!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the following into a bowl:

* 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1 tsp cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp nutmeg

In a large bowl, combine:

* 1/2 cup softened butter
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 cup pumpkin (We use Libby's in the can)
* 1 egg
* 1 tsp vanilla

Mix the wet ingredients together, and slowly add in all of the dry one. Hand mix until everything's incorporated. They expand quite a bit so a little spoon full will do on a lined cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes and enjoy!

You can also make penuche frosting and drizzle it over the top...(I love the cookies plain, but I think I'm the only one in the family, haha)

* 2 cups powdered sugar
* 3 tbsp milk
* 1 tbsp melted butter
* 1 tsp vanilla

Enjoy!

Anonymous said...

My mother's gingerbread cookies, hands down!

merck said...

We have always done the pretzels with the hugs and kisses as well, but we put them on the waffle looking pretzels and call them holiday lights because we finish them off with m&m's. All you need to do is place them on the cookie sheet melt them in a warm oven til the tops of the hugs and the kisses look a little melty and then press in the m&m's they turn out so cute and everyone has always commented on them that we have given them to, and they are so simple they take only minutes to make!

Mommy Mathis said...

My favorite holiday recipie is my grandmother's mini pecan pie cookies!

My grandmother makes the best cookies for the holidays and always mails us a box. One of these days I'll be lucky enough to actually get all the recipies!

raven c mathis at gmail dot com

myelphie said...

Those treats looked yummy....I was a little hesitant when I saw that crescent dough too, glad you're review agreed! I am definitely trying the pretzel twists with my daughter.

My all time favorite holiday recipe is this treat my mother makes. I think they are called Ilini Bars. I have no idea how to make them but they have caramel, chocolate, and butterscotch chips layered throughout a sweet yellow cake that is absolutely to DIE for. i want them now just thinking about them! myelphieatlivedotcom

Gracencameronsmomy said...

Our favorite recipe is chocolate covered peanut butter balls. They are yummy!
2 c. peanut butter
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 stick butter
3 c. Rice Krispies
mix all ingredients, firm into balls. Melt a bag if chocolate Chips in a bowl and dip peanut butter balls. Put on wax paper in refridgerator until set.

Molly said...

Hi,

Those Hershey recipes look so much fun! I just found a fantastic sugar cookie recipe on the food network. They are the most delicious cookies, exceptionally chewy.

Here is the link:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gale-gand/chewy-sugar-cookies-recipe/index.html

Merry Christmas!
mskms @ m ac . com

Kiy said...

The pretzel things look like about our level this year. I think Little Bit will have a blast, and wonder if she will eat as many of the kisses as Ro and Ree?! :)

Hubby is a big (BIG BIG) pie lover, so many of our desserts tend to lean that way. A big fav, blueberry pie (http://kiysrecipebox.blogspot.com/2009/03/blueberry-pie.html). But if you are looking for the best, most delicious and different apple pie, try this one: http://kiysrecipebox.blogspot.com/2008/06/grandma-oples-apple-pie.html. It's THE most requested dessert in our house.

However, if you are looking for easy and Twinado helpable (like my new word?) this recipe rocks: http://kiysrecipebox.blogspot.com/2007/11/pumpkin-ring-cake.html. Little Bit made this with me her first Christmas home (at 11 months). Fun, easy and very forgivable.

Cheers, Kiy

Emily said...

Here is one for you... few ingredients & not dessert.

Sausage Cheese Balls
1 lb. sausage
2 c. grated Cheddar cheese
3 c. Bisquick (biscuit mix)

Combine all ingredients (easier done by hand). Shape into 1 inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Serve immediately or may be frozen for future use. Dip in marinara sauce!

Makes 40-50 balls. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or really anytime! Very easy!

emilynicole7173 at gmail dot com

samcarter said...

We love to make Buckeyes (well, we are Ohioans).

1 1/2 cups peanut butter 1 cup butter, softened 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 6 cups confectioners' sugar 4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, butter, vanilla and confectioners' sugar. The dough will look dry. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet.
Press a toothpick into the top of each ball (to be used later as the handle for dipping) and chill in freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until smooth.
Dip frozen peanut butter balls in chocolate holding onto the toothpick. Leave a small portion of peanut butter showing at the top to make them look like Buckeyes. Put back on the cookie sheet and refrigerate until serving.

After you dip them, just use your finger and gently smooth over the hole left by the toothpick. You can also use this recipe to make mini peanut butter cups; just pour a little chocolate in a mini cupcake liner, put a small disk of the peanut butter mixture in, pour chocolate over, and chill.

catherineajt@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

Great pictures of the girls. I love that you and the girls are always up to something fun!

My favorite "holiday" cookie recipe is a peanut butter kiss. I call it a holiday cookie because you seem to see it most during the holidays.

I have included a link for the girls...happy baking.

http://southerncuisine.suite101.com/article.cfm/hershey_kiss_cookie_recipe

Chrissie said...

Count me in! Thanks for offering another great giveaway and fingers crossed I win ;-)

Funny thing is - for years, I've been making the Kisses Candy twists, but I never had an official name for them. However, for even more added sweetness, what I do is: when the hershey kiss is nearly melted, take a M & M (I use plain, but any type will do!) and press it down in the middle. Waaalaaa! More chocolate!

Michelle said...

Love this post! The girls are getting so big!

My favorite recipe at holiday time is my grandmother's baklava. Maya helped last year and was quite proud of the results!

Anonymous said...

Hey, the pretzels cookies look like something Ryleigh and I could make. Hersher kisses my favorite chocolate. gyll ( Gramma to Ryleigh)

Stacy said...

I like making latkes!

braver at umich dot edu

Jenny B said...

i love chocolate almond toffee cookies. I'm going to have to look for the recipe though. I'm sure you can find it online. Your girls would love making them though. since you have to roll the cookies in toffee bits etc. fun fun:) and yum yum!

Jenny
jennyhasquads (at) yahoodotcom

Andrea said...

My favorite recipe is Peanut Butter Cheesecake Pops - basically you make a crustless pb cheescake, then cut it into cubes, insert sucker sticks and dip in chocolate and roll in chopped nuts. They're supposed to be served room temperature but I like them straight from the freezer.

Anonymous said...

Do I have a recipe for you!!! And the girls will love to help make cracker toffee: line a cookie sheet with foil, grease the foil, line with saltine crackers, set aside. Melt 1 cup of real butter, add 1 cup brown sugar bring to a boil & let simmer x 5 minutes. Pour butter and brown sugar mixture over crackers. Place in preheated 350 degree oven for 6 minutes. Remove from oven & pour a 12 oz bag of chocolate chips over the crackers & spread them as they melt. Top with 1/2 bag of Heath bar brickle. Cool to room temp, chill in refrigerator, break into pieces and eat. So yummy!

Heather said...

Each year my preschool class and I make the pretzel/candy kiss treats-although we put an m&m on top of the melted kiss- they turn out so cute and very yummy!
Heather

Analeise said...

That looks sooo yummy!!
My favorite thing to do it the same thing you guys did with the pretzels and kissis except when they are just a little melted i push an m&m into the top of it and it pushes the kissis down in the middle. They look super cute and very yummy.
http://ourlifeinfood.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/hershey-kiss-mm-pretzels-2.jpg

Molly said...

My oldest daughter loves to bake as well! These recipes look easy and tasty, we will have to give them a try!

Anonymous said...

I love the pretzle thingees they
look so easy .

a friend of mine puts a rollo on
a pretzle twist and melts it like
yours . If you like you can put a pecan on top or not.

my fave hershey kiss recipe was
the slice and bake peanutbutter
cookes and top with a kiss after they come out of the oven.


Ellyn Wheeless

Susan said...

I love chocolate dipped stuff at Christmas time...pretzles, oreos, Ritz, peanut butter balls, etc...!

Anonymous said...

For the holidays I love to bake and give to everyone. I generally include iced sugar cookies( I'll add peppermint for the candy cane striped cookies), fudge, Hersheys peanut butter kisses (I like to microwave the cookies a few seconds to melt the kisses before I eat them) and a new recipe.
I'd love to win! lglglg2001@gmail.com

Jenn said...

My son and I are definitely going to try the pretzel twists!!! I think he will love them! My favorite holiday treat is Oreo Bon Bons. They are super easy, and I always get lots of requests for the recipe.
Ingredients:
-1 package of Oreo Cookies
-1 pkg. cream cheese
-White Chocolate Almond Bark (for coating)
-toothpicks

Directions:
Finely chop/crush oreo cookies. Mix cream cheese and crushed cookies until well mixed. Form mixture into 1 inch balls, either by hand or using a melon scoop. Put on wax paper covered cookie sheet. Chill in freezer while you melt the almond bark. I melt mine in the microwave, but you can use a double boiler if you have one. Take oreo balls out of freezer and stick a toothpick into each one. Using the toothpick, carefully dip each ball into the melted chocolate until they are pretty well covered. Place back on the cookie sheet and chill in freezer until chocolate is hardened. Then sit back and watch them disappear as they are VERY addictive. Makes approx 40 bon bons :) Happy Holiday cooking!!

doxie03 (at)sbcglobal(dot)net

Sabrina said...

Okay I am LOVING the pretzels!! I'm not much of a baker, but I'm thinking I'll try that one out....

Unknown said...

It has to be the powdered sugar chocolate thumbprints I have made since I was very young and now make for our daughters.

Lisa said...

My favorite Christmas cookie is Pumpkin Chocolate Chip-- YUM!!

CSM said...

My Grandsons ages 2 and 3 and I love to cook. We took a roll of refrigerator sugar cookies and pounded it into a "Gingerbread Man". We too have you same "cooking shirts". Then with icing as glue they added "Hershey" candies for face, buttons, clothes etc. What a joy we have made one so far this year. Looking forward to our next creation!

Debra said...

My favorite holiday dish is a cheeseball. I only make them at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but they're tasty all year round.

2 8 oz blocks of Philly Cream Cheese
8 oz grated Extra Sharp Cheddar
1 T minced or grated onion
2 T lemon juice
2 T Worcestershire Sauce (I use Lee & Perrins; it has the best anchovy undertaste)
Dash cayenne pepper
Dash salt (optional)
1 bag walnuts (I either get the bigger bag and have some leftover, or two of the small bags and have some left over!)

Allow the cream cheese to soften completely and become room temperature.

Grate the cheddar cheese from the block if possible, the pre-pack shredded is often coated in cornstarch to prevent sticking, and it makes the ball harder to blend.

Blend all of the ingredients except the walnuts in a large bowl. I do this by hand, but it's up to you if you'd like to use a hand mixer. It might make the onions finer.

Form into shape you desire, cover with Saran or Press and Seal and refrigerate until solid (I do it overnight.)

Chop walnuts finely and toast in a pre-heated oven or non-stick skillet. Allow them to cool.

Roll the cheesball in the walnuts, gently pressing until the cheeseball is covered.

Allow to sit at room temp for a while before serving; it makes spreading easier.

Enjoy with the crackers of your choosing, or do like me and just eat it in chunks right from the cheese knife!

Gretchen said...

We love to make chocolate teddy bear cookies. They can be quite tedious, but are so chocolaty-yummy-goodness!!

http://www.ehow.com/how_5515041_make-chocolate-teddy-bear-cookies.html

Gretchen
g1krist at earthlink dot net

jennypah said...

My sister in law makes a similar recipe with kisses and pretzels... place a kiss on top of the pretzel and soften in the oven, remove. Then add another pretzel on top. Refrigerate.

Yum. jennypahATyahooDOTcom

Shannon said...

Our favorite holiday recipe is chocolate-dipped pretzels, but we may switch to the "kisses" version-much faster! :)

Shannon
shannonathome @ comcast dot net

Kourtney said...

Hey! I've been reading your blog for a while now, and I always get a kick out of your posts! I have a little sister from China, who's about Ro and Ree's age, so I can relate!
Here's my Christmas recipe (super fun to make, kid friendly, and delicious!):
Nutcracker Mice Cookies

You need:
Oreo halves (the half with the frosting, so it looks like snow)
Milk Chocolate Kisses
Chocolate chips
Red maraschino cherries WITH STEMS (WHOLE, not chopped!)
Almond slices
Red and green decorating gel

1. Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler, then dip the cherries(till they are completely covered, but the stem is still clean) and place each one on an Oreo half.

2. While the chocolate is still gooey, stick the bottom of the kiss on to the front of the cherry, opposite the tail, to form a pointy-nosed face.

3. Stick two almond slices about the same size between the cherry and the kiss/head to make ears.

4. Embelish with decorative holly on the mouse’s snow patch using the red and green gel. Then give the mouse eyes with the gel. (BTW the green eyes look a lot better than the red eyes.... which I think make them look a little too much like rats)
Store them in the fridge until ready to serve; then, enjoy!!!
Here’s the link to a photo, so you can visualize what they look like: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ho0PghM4_F8/Sxs85JxC2FI/AAAAAAAACEA/5_nB3DF3w80/s1600-h/DSC_4575.jpg

(Here is my fam’s blog: http://unexpectedtreasure.blogspot.com/)

Jan said...

Looks like you all had a grand time!! We're up for trying the double chocolate kisses!! They sure look YUMMY!!!

Megan White said...

I love making "thumbprint cookies" You make a basic sugar cookie recipe, roll the dough into balls, dip in egg yolk, then nuts...press your thumb in, and lastly add jam. SO yummy!!!

Megan97364(at)hotmail(dot)com

Dustin said...

Looks like a LOT of fun! I dont have just one Christmas recipe I love to make, but I adore this site for xmas recipes! There is games, printables for the kids, etc.

http://www.northpole.com/Kitchen/

allison said...

The pretzel twists are even better if you use Rollo's or caramel kisses instead! those are our favorite.

Casey's trio said...

Your girls are adorable! I love the peanut butter blossom cookies...Pretty easy to make and always a hit!

Anonymous said...

I also love to make thumbprint cookies. I see another poster left the recipe for you. They are great to make with young kids and you can alter the "filling" for the middle of the cookie. Sometimes we use Hershey's chocolates and sometimes I pipe in colored frosting (after the cookies are cooled of course!). Happy Holidays!
Mary
mgotway@cox.net

Anonymous said...

I am going to make Shortbread Cookies:
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingreadients with hand until dough is soft. Pat it evenly into a 9-inch round cake pan. Prick dough in mamy places.
Bake for 45 minutes. While still warm, cut shortbread into 12 wedges and cool them on wire racks. If desidered, drizzle chocolate on top.

Happy Holidays to all! Happy 2010!!
A.J.
anajuliaa26@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

I guess we started last year with the recipe that you gave everyone with the mini muffin cookies with reeses in the middle. We usually use chocolate chip cookies instead of peanut butter and we will put different chocolate candies in them. We made them for Santa last year and we eat them regularly.
lv3kitties@aol.com

Amy said...

I like the traditional sugar cookie cutouts frosted with Betty Crocker frosting and simply decorated with sprinkles. Everyone always loves them.

Thanks for sharing your testing results with us.

Amy Gillen
gillensny@aol.com

Michal said...

My new favorite Christmas recipe is for Snowy Cocoa. It's delicious and so easy.
In a crock pot, combine 2 cups heavy cream, 6 cups of milk a bag of white chocolate chips and 1 1/2 tsp vanilla, put the crock pot on low and let it all melt together- takes about 2-2 1/2 hours. Remeber to stir occassionally and make sure the adults save some for the kids!

Diana said...

I am loving reading the other recipes:)
I make the pretzel ones each year but can not wait to try the chocolate ones. They look and sound WONDERFUL:)
I always make the PB ones with the Kiss in the middle so this is a variation on that with the icing:)
I bought a bag of the peppermint ones last night and they are my favorite..(this time of the year I probally should have left them at the store as I do not need them but....

kah said...

oh yum!! Thanks for the ideas, and the opportunity to win!

My favorite pic is the deep sniff! :)

And my favorite cookie recipe also uses Hershey's kisses (actually, hugs): http://www.bettycrocker.com/Recipes/Recipe.aspx?RecipeID=44261&WT.mc_id=taf_recipe_BC

-Ana

kmholt7 said...

I have made the pretzel thing with Rolos and a pecan half shoved in the middle after they're melted.

Another fun one is Reindeer Cookies made with Nutter Butters. I found this recipie in "Family Fun" magazine last year. Here is a link where I list the ingredients and have a couple of pics. Note: this was created for my reference so I didn't worry a lot about the quality of the pics.
http://www.keithandkarenholt.com/ReindeerCookieRecipe.html

karen dot holt at charter dot net

Mary, Jason, & Maya said...

We make the creme de menthe brownies. They are delicious!

Liz said...

Our favorite dessert for Christmas is pumpkin spice cake with chocolate chips!!

PinkDevora said...

As a celebrator of Chanukah, I like my spicy sweet potatoes latkes. Mmmmm.

Jules said...

my fave are peanut butter balls-someone above posted a recipe although mine doesn't use Rice Krispies and now i'm intrigues . . .

carroljuatohsudotedu

Anonymous said...

My children love to make the old fashioned sugar cookie cutouts. In fact, we made them this weekend! The amount of time they put into frosting the cookies and artistically adding the sprinkles amazes me. It also makes me think they have a long enough attention span to clean there rooms! HA :)

blessed-with-3

Steve and Mellissa said...

We bake cookies every year with Grandma and we make peanut butter blossoms with Hershey kisses. Last year we used the carmel ones. Maybe this year we will try the pepermint ones.

Nancy Jones said...

Along with all the usual Christmas cookies, we love to make Oreo Balls, which are kind of like a refrigerated truffle made with nothing more than a package of crushed Oreos mixed with a softened 8oz bar of cream cheese. I crush the Oreos in a ziplock bag, then dump the whole thing in the Kitchen Aid and mix on low with the cream cheese. Roll with your hands into small 1" balls, refrigerate on a tray, then dip half the ball into the melted chocolate of your choice. I use melted milk chocolate. Yum!

Nancy in Redmond, WA

Bless4 said...

I have another good pretzel recipe. Melt white chocolate, place pretzel rings on a cookie sheet & fill the center of each pretzel with white chocolate. Place a christmas colored m&m in the center. Place in fridge until the white chocolate becomes hard.
A nice bite sized treat, for kids & adults!

ahodges070501@live.com said...

New to your Blog and LOVE it!!
Our favorite holiday treat would be: Pistachio FLUFF

1 pkg Pistachio pudding
1 can pineapple (crushed)
1 jar Marischino cherries (halved)
1 bowl Cool Whip
Mix ALL the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. The juice from the pineapple bits mixed with the Pistachio pudding give it the wetness and the cool whip gives it such a Light taste. So easy and SO DELICIOUS! Even if I don't win, please give it a try. you will LOVE it!! xoxo

Dawn said...

Aww Those Girls! :) Im diggin the pretzel hershey kisses!

We make chocolate peanut butter cracker cookies! (Weird I know but SO good!

Ritz Crackers with peanut butter in the middle. Dipped and covered in chocolate. decorate with sprinkles if you choose. Let chocolate harden in fridge for about 5 minutes. Then enjoy!

Yum-o! My kids LOVE them!

~Dawn
plentiofsunshine at yahoo dot com

Tony and Rett said...

One of our faves (because we're chocoholics like you!) is fudge!

SIMPLE recipe...

1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk

3 cups choc. chips (your choice semi or milk...we combo them)

pinch salt

3-4 drops peppermint oil (optional)

---
Microwave chips till melted (one minute at a time). Remove and add remaining ingredients. Stir and then spread out in a foil lined pan (we sprayed w/ cooking spray). Let set up in the fridge for a half hour. Then, we use small cookie cutters to cut out fun shapes. The girls LOOOVE these! And truth be told, I do too! YUM!

wendy said...

my favorite is to melt the kisses in the micro with a small amount of heavy cream, dip apples on a stick in the melted choc. then dip them in nuts, then choc. again, then melted caramel, then choc. again, letting them cool in between each step, then the very last is drizzling white choc. or darker choc on them, wrap them in cellophane and you have a nice gift!

Tony and Rett said...

Ok, I blogged and Twittered about the giveaway too! I want to win!!!

www.tonyandrett.blogspot.com

IzzyBeth said...

My favorite holiday recipe is FUDGE. And I use the recipe on the back of the Marshmallow Creme jar, except I use a bag of chocolate chips instead of the semi-sweet chocolate blocks.

Tip - USE A CANDY THERMOMETER.

Unknown said...

Our favorite holiday treat is chex mix. This year I actually found the chex mix flavoring already in a packet! Whoo all I had to do was mix together the chex, nuts & pretzels then add the flavor packet to some melted butter. Ooooh, wouldn't tiny Hershey kisses be neat to add (AFTER mixing all the other items)?!

Amanda said...

This is my favorite recipe...

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/desserts/amanda-amazing-sugar-cookies-ii/

Great giveaway!

Blessings-
Amanda

Crystal Oh said...

I love making Christmas Cake!
http://www.northpole.com/Kitchen/Cookbook/rec1046.asp

crystal0911@gmail.com

Joanna & Tim said...

These look like fun recipies. One of my favorite recipies is actually the peanut butter tart one that was on your blog last year. Super easy and YUMMY!
joannadumas@hotmail.com

Beverly said...

My favorite recipe NOW is cheese apples. They're great as a side with a breakfast casserole or with Christmas (or Thanksgiving) dinner. They are simple to make and OH SO GOOD. I don't have the recipe with me but if you're interested email me at bevwalks@aol.com, put cheese apples in the subject and I'll send the recipe to you. It takes canned sliced apples, flour, sugar and velveeta cheese.

Anonymous said...

It looks like you guys had lots of fun! My grandma always made these yummy cookies and they are so easy to make!! They are No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies and of course I ALWAYS use Hershey Cocoa to make them ;o)

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
½ cup butter
¼ cup cocoa
½ cup milk
2 cups sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla
½ cup peanut butter
3 cups oats

Heat the butter, cocoa, milk, sugar, vanilla and peanut butter in a large pan until it comes to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook at a full boil for 1 minute, then remove from the heat and stir in the oats. Spoon out onto wax paper and enjoy! Store in a tightly sealed container.

Have a Merry Christmas!
Barbara
allpraiseforhim@hotmail.com

Melinda said...

i love peanut butter blossoms honestly...fav! but this is good too - canolly dip:
Cannoli Dip:

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup 10x sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups choc. Chips (or mini choc. Chips)

Mix first 4 ingredients until creamy and then fold in chips.
Refrigerate for a few hours.
Serve with graham cracker sticks or whatever desired.

Anonymous said...

Hey M3!

My favorite holiday recipe from my mother's kitchen is definitely pumpkin bread! Mmhmm, delicious stuff. I can't remember the recipe, but if you really want it you can email me at kendallregan@yahoo.com and I'll get it for you when I'm home this Christmas!

~Kendall

Karen said...

We love to make peanut butter kisses. Delicious

Lani said...

I LOVE rolls! I guess it's not just a holiday thing... but that seems to be the only time I make them!!!
http://ohdeliciousness.blogspot.com/2009/11/potato-rolls.html
As far as cookies go, the classic sugar cookie is my favorite... I'm still working on getting it added to my recipe blog!
lw4photos at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

My favorite holiday sweet is Seven Layer Cookies. I think they go by a catchier name but that is what we call them. Layer in this order:
butter
graham crackers
sweetened condensed milk
chocolate chips
butterscotch chips
chopped pecans
coconut
Bake

Yum!
Heather
homccutchen@triad.rr.com

Amanda said...

One of my favorite things to make each holiday season is Fantasy Fudge. It's a no fail recipe I got from the back of a jar of marshmallow creme years ago. I found it recently on the Kraft website. Here's a link to it:
http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/fantasy-fudge-51833.aspx

Anonymous said...

Hi! Looks like some fun baking over at your house.

My favorite holiday treats are homemade truffles and swedish ginger thins. Those are cookies that are super thin, super crisp and very gingery.

I can always come back and give the recipe if you so wish. :)

YoBeckyShop @ gmail.com

Ann Harrison said...

My FAV holiday cookie is the Walnut Cookie. So wonderful!

Preheat oven 350.

Butter the baking sheet.

Blend on low speed 1 c. Butter & 1 c. chopped walnuts. Stir in 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 1/2 c. Confectioners Sugar, pinch of salt & 2 c. Flour.

Wrap in plastic & chill for 3 hours.

Roll into balls & bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

When slightly cool roll in Confectioners Sugar.

Enjoy!

annharrisonATcomcastDOTnet

Haydensmommy05 said...

We arent the best cooks ever around our house so I usually try to get the most simplest recipies possible so here is one for something called cereal candy it is so yummy and easy!!
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup
6 cups frosted flakes

In a pun put the sugar and corn syrup on med. heat bring just to a boil then remove add the peanut butter and stir until blended and the add the frosted flakes stir until all flakes are coated then place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper allow to cool for a while then just break into pieces and eat!!

haydensmommy05@hotmail.com

Haydensmommy05 said...

I tweeted!
http://twitter.com/Haydensmommy05/statuses/6472273122
haydensmommy05@hotmail.com

kimmie said...

I love pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! YUMMM

http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/detail.aspx?ID=12833

and I love your blog! Ro and Ree are too cute!! :)

kimkchang at gmail dot com

missris said...

I love making saltines bark. Its so yummy and easy to make! I like the combination of sweet and salty.

Saltine crackers
3/4 c. butter
3/4 c. sugar
1 (12 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips
Crushed nuts (optional)
Layer jelly roll pan with foil, then with saltines, touching each other. Cook butter and sugar on top of stove in saucepan until mixture is thick and boils, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes, or until it turns a caramel color. Pour over crackers. Bake in 350 oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overcook. Cool slightly, then sprinkle with chocolate chips (not quite the full bag). When chocolate is shiny, spread out with dinner knife. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. Place in freezer for 1/2 hour. Remove from freezer and lift out foil. Break into bite size pieces.

Unknown said...

We like to dip all kinds of things in chocolate! We melt the chocolate and then dip pretzels, nuts, cookie, fruits, marshmallows, just what ever sounds good at the time!
jedoggett@embarqmail.com

Joy said...

I like making orange chocolate chip cookies...take choc chip recipe and add orange zest!
mjharvey26 at yahoo dot com

Jennifer said...

What a great giveaway! One of my favorite Christmas cookies is called “Melting Moments”. It's a great recipe because you can bake the cookies right away or you could freeze the unbaked cookies and bake them later when you just need a little Christmas (even in July!) And it's easy enough for your little helpers to, well, help LOL!

Melting Moments

1 cup unsifted flour
1/2 cup unsifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup + 1 heaping Tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup butter, softened
Food coloring, optional
Sugar (colored with food coloring if desired), nuts or shredded coconut

Sift flour, powdered sugar and cornstarch together. Blend in butter until dough is formed. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring to the dough (separate the dough into chunks if you want more than one color). Shape into small balls and roll them in the sugar, nuts or coconut. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 300 degrees for 10-15 minutes. After baking, leave on sheet for about 1 minute, then transfer to paper towels. The cookies are very delicate, so handle carefully. Makes about 8 dozen.

If you’d like to freeze the dough for later, roll them into the balls and dip into the coating, then freeze on cookie sheets for several hours until firm, then pack them into containers or freezer bags. Then later, bake the frozen balls as directed (it usually takes just an extra minute or two than if baked fresh).

Enjoy!

Anne said...

These were cookies I adapted for a cookie exchange party! Recipe is there!
http://molinofamilys.blogspot.com/2008/12/cookie-exchange-party.html

Anne said...

contact info:
annemolino at hotmail dot com


tweet
http://twitter.com/amolino/status/6499612720

Our Crazy Life said...

Our favorite holiday treat is large stick pretzels dipped in carmel and then covered in chocolate.
To easy for a recipe, just melt everything and dip away- you can add sprinkles or nuts before the chocolate gets too hard. Way yummy and even I can do that one!!

Karina said...

I just love making holiday treats.

karina@ussery.net

Anonymous said...

Yum!!

greglee87@gmail.com

Catrisha T said...

Here is a very easy and cute one that is a favorite amongst people that live in Ohio since our mascot for the OSU team is a buckeye.

Buckeyes

Yield: 3-5 dozen depending on ball size

Ingredients:
Candy balls:
1 pound or 16 oz jar creamy peanut butter
3 sticks butter, melted
2 pound bag confectioners’ sugar (powdered)

Dipping chocolate:
4 tablespoons shortening or 1/8 bar paraffin wax (in baking aisle)
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preparation Line baking sheet with wax paper. Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix peanut butter, butter, and sugar with hands to form a smooth stiff dough. Shape into balls using 2 teaspoons of dough for each ball. Place on prepared pan and refrigerate.

Melt shortening or wax and chocolate in the top pot of a double boiler over simmering (not boiling) water. When chocolate mixture is smooth, remove balls from refrigerator. Insert wooden toothpick into each ball and dip into melted chocolate. Return to wax paper, chocolate side down and remove toothpick. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.

ENJOY!!

catrisha{underscore}tittle{at}yahoo{dot}com

Najwa said...

Love the pretzels with kisses, so cute and looks easy enough to do with the kids! Thank you

eemster2009 said...

I love making Dorie Greenspan's World Peace cookies (recipe at http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/recipes/dessert_peacecookies.shtml). Sooo chocolatey!

siu00001@gmail.com

Jrsygurl4life said...

I love a traditional apple pie!!

michelebweller@gmail.com

Becky said...

Wow--what awesome recipes (and adorable children!). I've been copy and paste-ing like crazy. Our favorite recipe is my Grandma's peanut brittle. The secret part to making it wonderful is not the recipe--you can use any standard recipe--but when you pour it out, then use a fork and pull it like taffy. That makes it thin and not sticky. This is on my list of things to make today!

I'm new to your blog, but I'll be back. Thanks!
goin2games at yahoo.com

Artistic Cook said...

our fav is simple sugar cookies with festive sprinkles

artisticbaker at gmail dot com

pat said...

I love peanit butter cookies with the hershey kiss on top

Linda Stewart said...

Easy Monkey Bread

3 containers (8oz Tube) Refrigerated Biscuit Dough
1 1/2 cup White Sugar, separated
3 Tablespoons Cinnamon
1/2 cup Butter or Margarine Melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix together 3/4 cup sugar and cinnamon

Quarter each biscuit using a pair of kitchen shears. Dip shears in water between each cut to keep the biscuit from getting too sticky.

Dip biscuits into sugar/cinnamon mixture and place in a greased tub pan. Do this until all biscuits are used.

Melt butter or margarine and mix in the remaining 3/4 cup sugar. I add any of the sugar/cinnamon mixture that may be left over too!

Pour mixture over biscuits.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes.

Serve warm

Kimberly/Mom in the City said...

There are a gazillion and one variations, but sugar cookies are still my favorite holiday treat. kc@mominthecity.com

Shauna said...

One of my favorite things to do is get nutella and those meltable chocolate baking wafers, melt them together in the microwave. I get chopped hazenuts and almonds, add them to the mix. Then dip (plain, make sure not garlic flavored!) italian breadsticks and dip them in. It's sort of like homemade pocky!
I think I've commented about this before but I love Ro and Ree's aprons!

My e-mail is slteirler@yahoo.com.

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh, these photos made me laugh and smile. Your girls are so cute!!! Lol, loved the pics! It's not really a "holiday" cookie, but we like to make Monster Cookies, which is basically cookies just loaded with the works ;) (Don't worry mom,it sounds messy, but it's a recipe that can all be made in *one* bowl! yay!)

A link to the recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Monster-Cookies-VI/Detail.aspx

Thanks!
shevilkenevil1 at aol dot com

Anonymous said...

Tweet:
http://twitter.com/lipstickncandy/status/6554907679

shevilkenevil1 at aol dot com

Wehaf said...

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mexican-Cookie-Rings/Detail.aspx

That's my favorite cookie recipe; I love them!

urchiken at gmail dot com

Kelsey said...

Go to my blog, I just posted some of my most recent favorite recipes for the Holidays...
www.courageousmother.blogspot.com

Thanks!
Kelsey Kim

Heather! said...

We make Buckeyes every year, and it's a huge family event. We take peanut butter and powdered sugar, roll it into balls, then dip them in melted chocolate. Chill in the fridge for a few hours and you will be amazed at the deliciosity. Yes...'deliciosity'. :)

h4schaffer at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

We're pretty fond of chocolate coated anything, including pretzels...never thought of making it that simple.

Thanks for the tips!

Susan

potandkettle at gmail dot com

Robyn said...

I don't make any holiday dishes but I love to eat everyone elses!

em-jay said...

My husband and son just made these, and they were delicious!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cinnamon-spiced-hot-chocolate-cookies-recipe/index.html

joyful.too at gmail dot com

Laura @ LPC Interiors said...

My husband makes his bbq sauces for x-mas gifts and the house sells so yummy! He also smokes a ham!!

DG said...

your little girls are adorable! loved this post a lot! :)

My favorite holiday recipe is:

peanut butter marshmallow fudge!

2 cups milk
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 (7 ounce) jar Marshmallow Crème
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir sugar into milk over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, leave on medium heat without stirring until mixture reaches soft ball stage (it will start to turn a pale gold color).

Remove from heat; immediately stir in peanut butter, Marshmallow Crème and vanilla extract, in that order. Stir rapidly because mixture will thicken quickly.

When it is completely mixed and thickened, pour out into a buttered 8-inch square pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then cut into squares.


This is a recipe I found online 3 years ago and it's delicious!


dreamzz12{at}aol{dot}com

DG said...

blogged

http://the-prestigiator.xanga.com/718160538/hersheys-kisses-chocolate-holiday-recipes-giveaways/

dreamzz12{at}aol{dot}com

DG said...

http://twitter.com/DeeGee13/status/6610397909

tweeted!

dreamzz12{at}aol{dot}com

eileen marie said...

Ok, I feel stupid with this simple recipe, but it's a sure crowd-pleaser, easy to make for kitchen idiots like myself, & kid-friendly for the adorable Ro & Ree. Oh and it panders to the folks @ Hershey's as it requires their product, even though it's a real pain in the patootie to unwrap all of those candies!

So you get some of those round pretzels, then you stick a Hershey kiss in the middle and put them in the oven on low heat just until the chocolate melts. (It works best to lay the pretzels out on cookie sheets on top of wax paper). Take them out of the oven, press an M&M (I know-a competitor's candy!) in the center of each one (red & green for Christmas!) and put them in the fridge for at least an hour to set. The quantity of pretzels you need kinda depends on how many Kisses survive until baking time. A bit similar to one of the recipes you tried, but I'll take an M&M over sprinkles any day! Enjoy & happy holidays!

budgles@juno.com

Mindy said...

This one:
http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/specialty/nth-detail-occc.aspx

Except no nuts and m&ms instead of chocolate chips. Yum!

mdmerenghi@gmail.com

Mindy said...

Blogged
http://mindymerenghi.blogspot.com/2009/12/blogher-special-offers.html

mdmerenghi@gmail.com

Tuesday Girl said...

I LOVE peanut butter balls, they are my fav!
tuesdayef at aol dot com

Lori A. said...

We normally only make sugar cookies to decorate. After seeing some of these Hershey kiss recipes we might have to add to that! :)
ljatwood at gmail dot com

Lori A. said...

tweeted
http://twitter.com/ljatwood/status/6663917041
ljatwood at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

Our family holiday tradition turned spicy once we returned home from China with our spice loving daughter. My husband loves peanut brittle for the holidays and so I threw in some ground chili power in a batch and it was a hit!

sara
2.old.redheads at gmaildotcom

Martygrn said...

Your girls are so cute cooking. My recipe is easy. No-bake cheesecake
1 pkg cream cheese, soften
1 can sweeten milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
mix the first 2, add the second 2 and mix till smooth. Pour into a graham crust and chill for 2-3 hours. Decorate with anything you want or leave plain.

wendy said...

BLOGGING ABOUT THIS CONTEST!
allaboutari.blogspot.com

Blue Girl said...

I want to start a tradition of making a gingerbread house with my kids!

bluegirl1423@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

My kids love to dip things in melted chocolate and wrap them up for gift giving: pretzles, gramham crackers, gingerbread cookies, died apricots, marshmallows...it's wonderful sticky fun!

mm.helen.volz at gmail dot com

Nancy said...

Your girls look like they had a lot of fun baking.

My favorite recipe is for homemade fudge that has been handed down from my great aunt. It takes a lot of time, but is good!

Missybeez said...

I love making Peanutbutter Blossom cookies and Decorated sugar cookies.
honeybeez80@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Hey M3,
While I know that this giveaway is only open to residents of the US of A, I just have to share this, despite my Canuck status! My own Jiangxi Girl loves it - I am sure your girls will too! Izzy is a bit younger than your girls, but even last Christmas when she was 2 1/2 she thought these were fab:o) I will try and explain the best I can as the only pic I have is from a magazine:o( For those of you who like minimal prep or baking these are a MUST for the holidays - no baking required!! Fun for all ages;o)

Marshmallow Snowmen:
You will need - big marshmallows, individually wrapped caramels, chopped up heath bars and/or nuts, coconut, whatever strikes your fancy, stick pretzels, and mini chips or M&Ms.

Here is what you do:
- unwrap the caramels (put them in the freezer for a few minutes, it helps the wrappers come off) - melt them in a pot or microwave...careful not too high a heat - medium low should do it

-set out the chopped up bars or nuts or coconut onto plates

-take a marshmallow and cut it in half - smoosh it onto the top of another marshmallow - this is the body of your snowman:o)

-dip the bottom of the snowman into the caramel - swirl it around to cover the bottom and up the sides a bit. Then, roll this in your topping of choice (chocolate, nuts etc)

-set the little guy on a piece of wax paper - give him pretzel stick arms, and use the caramel to stick his eyes (m&ms, choc chips)on.

- Believe it or not, this is it! But your little ones may have more decorating to do - buttons, scarves made of licorice etc., the possibilities are endless:o) Mostly it is just a fun activity with the kiddos that they will be proud to share...and devour! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Christine P
Kamloops BC Canada

sweepstakesjeanie@yahoo.com said...

Chocolate Chip cookie recipe

Ingredients

* 1 cup butter, softened
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 cup packed brown sugar
* 2 eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 teaspoons hot water
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
* 1 cup chopped walnuts


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
3. Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

It is real yummy. I have used this recipe before.

Jeanette Huston
chewysmum79@yahoo.com

sweepstakesjeanie@yahoo.com said...

I blogged this giveaway here

http://mommyblessingsinsmallbundles.blogspot.com/2009/12/chocolates-holiday-recipe-sweepstakes.html

Jeanette Huston
chewysmum79@yahoo.com

sweepstakesjeanie@yahoo.com said...

I tweeted this giveaway here http://twitter.com/gijeanie/status/6842766268

Jeanette Huston
chewysmum79@yahoo.com

Princess Golden Hair said...

TROPICAL FRUITCAKE COOKIES

Start to finish: 1 hour 15 minutes

Makes 24 cookies

• 1/2 package (81/4 ounces) store-bought, refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

• 1/4 cup chopped dried mango

• 3 tablespoons well-squeezed canned crushed pineapple, juice reserved

• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Heat the oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, mix together the cookie dough, pecans, mango and pineapple.

Place the coconut in a large, wide bowl. Drop the dough, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, into the coconut, turning each ball until well coated. Place the cookies 11/2 inches apart on a large, ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden. Let the cookies stand for several minutes to firm up before transferring them to a rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together the powdered sugar and enough of the reserved pineapple juice (about 1 tablespoon) to make a thick glaze. With a fork, drizzle lines of the glaze across the cookies. Let them stand until the icing has set, about 15 minutes.

teechbiz at gmail dot com

Spawns of Seaton said...

This is hilarious, because I JUST got threw making my rolo/pretzel concotion. Same idea with your kisses but with rolo's instead!! I have SO many sweet yummies I make but the one MUST have is Jena's Chocolate cake (hershey's cocolate chips included in the icing) It's oh so good!!

Heather C said...

Don't know the offical name but it's graham crackers, chocolate, toffee and almonds. you layer it all and then break it up like bark. Super easy to make and I usually end up eating the whole batch.

frogguru@yahoo.com

Orchids and Ladybugs said...

I make Irish Potato Candy every year.

2 (1 lb.) boxes powdered sugar
1/2 c. hot mashed potatoes, drained
1 sm. jar crunchy peanut butter

Mix sifted sugar into potatoes a little at a time by hand. (Don't panic when potatoes liquify as the first sugar is added. This is what it's supposed to do. Just keep adding sugar until it is pastry consistency.) Sprinkle wax paper with additional powdered sugar. Take baseball-sized ball of mixture and roll out like pastry. Spread with peanut butter and roll like a jelly roll. Wrap rolls in plastic wrap; chill and slice.

I also substitute Soy Butter for the Peanut butter.

Tracy said...

Oh Fun. I don't know the official recipie, but twice this year I've had pretzles with a bit of carmel and chocolate on them. Oh are they delicious. And I would guess easy peasy.

Anonymous said...

I love your site and all the cool crafty things you do with your girls. I bought the ingredients for the pretzel cookies but have yet to find time to make them. Time is running out for Christmas. One of my favorite Christmas recipes was the Christmas Wreath Cornflake cookies I use to make as a child.

Tricia
darrell@sharontelephone.com

Julie said...

Hi! I'm pretty sure I did not enter this giveaway already-tried to check through the entries.

One of our favorites is 7 Layer Bars. SOOO easy!

Melt 1/2 c butter, pour in 9x9" baking pan. Cover butter with 1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs (I buy the box of already crumbled-so much easier). Then layer 1 1/3 c coconut, 1 c chocolate chips, 1 c butterscotch chips and cover all with one 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. So good!

Anonymous said...

My absolute favorite holiday cookie is by far the peanut butter cookies with the hersey kiss on top. FYI...when you eat them hot out of the oven....well let's just say it does not get much better than that!

Stace

FunnyGal KAT said...

My favorite holiday recipe is chocolate-covered peanut butter balls. I already saw a few variations on it in the comments, so I won't list the recipe. Instead, I'll give you a warning... they are extremely messy to make. (My husband loves to eat them, but groans when I mention I'm making them because he knows the kitchen will be covered with drips of chocolate by the time I'm done).

Kris said...

The favorite in our house is:

Make a peanut butter sandwich using 2 Ritz crackers. Dip in either melted choc of some form (white, dark, milk or almond bark). You can sprinkle with various decorations. Let dry. The hardest part: not eat them all in one day.

Anonymous said...

My favorite holiday recipe is melting white chocolate into pastry bags and dying it different colors then pouring and decorating them into molds. This year I made green Christmas trees with red ornaments and a red star on top, Red Santa with green gloves, white beard, white trim on his suit and a black belt, and white snowmen with green ear muffs, scarves and mittens.

I look forward to trying the pretzel twist recipe, it looks simple and so delicious. I am a sucker for chocolate covered pretzels, and adding sprinkles; how creative and festive!

Sincerely,

kcsalmi@gmail.com

Meredith said...

The pretzels look good. I will have to try them.

I like to keep it simple, I like to make Muddy Buddies with Chex cereal. Yummy!!!

Happy Holidays!

Meredith
Me722811 @ aol . com

Eryn said...

I love love love my grandmother's recipe for gingerbread. It's perfect for eating soft in cookies, or letting sit for a house!

email is @gmail plus "homeschooledyear"

Eryn said...

twittered it here: http://twitter.com/Leighbra/status/6994275237

email is @gmail plus "homeschooledyear"

Shannon said...

We do a variation on the pretzel thing. You put pretzels on a cookie sheet and top with Rolo. Then you bake at 325 for about 5 mins. You want the rolos gooey, but not melted. While they are still gooey you push either a walnut half or an M&M into the rolo. Cool and eat. YUMMMM.

Unknown said...

I am going to make the pretzel twists today! I made these cookies for my office party and they liked them so much they hid them so only chosen people could eat them!!!

http://www.landolakes.com/mealideas/ViewRecipe.cfm?RecipeID=11342

Anonymous said...

I always make the Jif peanut butter cookie recipe, but I add a bit more peanut butter than it says. We love peanut butter at our house.

Anonymous said...

We love to make 7 layer bars (also called magic bars). Thanks for the entry! Happy Holidays. Shivani

trlfan1 at hotmail dot com

Carolyn G said...

One of our favorite things is popcorn with parmesan cheese and garlic.

You mix some garlic poder with parmesan cheese and add to the popcorn. YUMMO

Carolyn G said...

tweeted http://twitter.com/carogonza/status/7019550768

Deb Anderson said...

My favorite thing to make at the holidays is pecan snowballs. Some people call them wedding cookies. They are really easy to make and taste wonderful!

Deb Anderson said...

tweet
http://twitter.com/tnshadylady/status/7024685523

Deb Anderson said...

blog link
http://tnshadylady.blogspot.com/2009/12/salsa-reviews-hersheys-kisses-and.html

kimberly musselwhite said...

The girls look like they are having a lot of fun! My grand daughter is just one so very soon we'll start working in the kitchen together! Next Christmas I plan to get her an apron that matches mine.

Julie said...

One of my favorite Christmas treats are the Russian Tea Cakes that my mother in law makes. I tried to make them one year,well, that was a disaster :)

Your daughters are darling-

aunteegem@yahoo.com

Tania said...

We like to take Pretzel Rods and dip them in chocolate and white chocolate and then put sprinkles on them. Next you put them in the fridge and let the chocolate harden. These make cute gifts in little Christmas baggies tied with a pretty bow.

kaety_scott@yahoo.com

JC said...

My favorite holiday recipe is S'more Chippers
INGREDIENTS
1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated chocolate chip cookies
16 large marshmallows
8 oz chocolate-flavored candy coating, chopped

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Shape cookie dough into 36 (1-inch) balls; on ungreased cookie sheets, place balls 2 inches apart.
2. Bake 9 to 13 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Meanwhile, with kitchen scissors, cut each marshmallow in half crosswise. Immediately place 1 marshmallow half, cut side down, on top of each hot cookie.
3. Bake 1 to 2 minutes longer or just until marshmallows begin to puff. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets. With fingers, gently flatten marshmallows.
4. Melt candy coating as directed on package. Spoon about 1 teaspoon candy coating over marshmallow on each cookie, swirling with back of spoon to nearly cover marshmallow. Let stand until candy coating is set, about 30 minutes. Store between sheets of waxed paper in tightly covered container.

JC said...

http://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/7053656127

JC said...

Blogged.http://tcarolinep.blogspot.com/2009/12/giveaway-salsa-reviews.html

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