Dessert Recipe: Buckeyes!!!

So most of you know about these. You don't have to be from Ohio to love them (ahemm, sorry Michigan fans). These are really easy to make, but take some "hands on" and refrigerator time.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of butter
• 36 oz. of creamy peanut butter (jars usually come in 18 oz)
  
• 3 lbs of powdered sugar
• 24 oz chocolate chips
• chunk of paraffin wax (My mom and I use the brand Gulf Wax, which comes in four sheets that total one pound. You really only need 1/4 of one sheet for each batch, maybe a little less)

Directions:
1. Mix butter, peanut butter, and powdered sugar (I usually end up mixing with my hands). The batter should be smooth and stiff.
2. Roll in balls about teaspoon or tablespoon size (you can make them as big or as small as you want) and drop onto cookie sheet covered with wax paper. You can layer these as high as you want as long as you have wax paper in between each layer. Refrigerate until firm 3-5 hours or overnight.
3. Melt chocolate in double boiler with the wax (make sure the wax is fully melted). Using a toothpick dip each of the peanut butter balls into the chocolate until covered 3/4 of the way. Drop onto cookie sheet covered by wax paper. You can layer these the same way with wax paper in between. Refrigerate until set (3-5 hours).

**These are always a crowd pleaser!! If you are short on time you can always use the freezer to set these up.

Dessert Recipe: Fudgy Bonbons

This is the favorite cookie recipe of the holidays!! There's triple chocolate in these! (If you don't eat these freshly out of the oven, microwave them for 5 seconds and they taste all warm and gooey again)

Fudgy Bonbons:

• 1 12 oz package of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped nuts
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 60 milk chocolate kisses (unwrapped)
• 2 oz white chocolate
• 1 tsp shortening

Directions:
1. Preheat oven 350
2. In medium saucepan combine chocolate chips and butter
3. Cook and stir over very low heat until mixture is smooth
4. Add condensed milk (be careful not to scald), mix well
5. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup and level off
6. In medium bowl, combine flour, nuts, chocolate mixture, and vanilla. Mix well
7. Shape dough around each chocolate kiss, covering completely and into ball shape
8. Place each ball one inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet (best thing about this recipe is that you can fill a cookie sheet up and bake them all at once if you have a large cookie sheet)
9. Bake 6-8 minutes (cookies will be soft, but harden as they cool). Cool on wire rack
10. In small saucepan melt white chocolate and shortening. Drizzle over cookies.

**I added a picture of the ones I made for the cookie party last weekend (the white chocolate was not as drizzly as I wanted it to be)

Side Dish: Hawaiian Yams

This is something I learned to make in my high school foods class, that has since been used as our Thanksgiving side dish tradition. Super easy and uses only the microwave (can also use the stove too, but will take longer)

Hawaiian Yams:

Base:

• 2 cans (1 lb 2 oz each) of yams or sweet potatoes drained
• 1 can (8.5 oz) crushed pineapple (do not drain)
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp of cinnamon

Topping:

• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

Directions:
1. Slice the yams into 1/2 in thick pieces.
2. Combine with pineapple, butter, sugar and cinnamon in 2 quart
microwavable casserole dish.
3. Microwave on high for 4 minutes. Stir well.
4. Sprinkle top with pecans and brown sugar.
5. Microwave on high 2-4 minutes or until topping is hot and melting.

Dessert Recipe: Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Hi All! Sorry for being a little behind posting new recipes. The holidays are always so busy. Nadia, Steve, and I had our annual "Every Belly Needs a Cookie" Party last weekend and I know a lot of you want the recipes from the cookies we made.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars:

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 tsp margarine (softened)
  
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
  
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 pkg milk chocolate chips(divided)
• Sugar sprinkles (any color)

1. Beat peanut butter, margarine, brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla in large mixer bowl until creamy
2. Beat in eggs
3. Beat in flour
4. Stir in 3/4 cup chocolate chips
5. Bake in preheated oven (350) for 20-25 minutes or until edges are lightly brown
6. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with remaining chips
7. Let stand for 3-5 minutes and then spread evenly. Sprinkle with colored sugar sprinkles

**You can use any kind of chocolate chips for this...the best part is eating these right after the chocolate has melted!
Happy Holiday Baking all!