In the middle are Almond Strips, a new recipe this year. One I'm going to keep! Really like them. They remind me of a cookie from my childhood, but I can't quite put my finger on what it might have been.Upper left is a candy, Peppermint Ice. Crushed peppermint in almond bark and my mom used to make this. I can remember a time about 25 years ago when I stashed leftovers of it in a kitchen drawer and almost made myself sick one day with just one more piece. Just one more piece. Just one more piece. Since then, you can believe, I go easy on it.
Traveling clockwise to the right is a big tin of Peanut Clusters, then Toffee Bars which my dear dark-chocolate-lovin' husband talked me into making with bittersweet chocolate instead of milk chocolate this year. He's happy . . . but I think it changes the taste of them too radically and I don't care for them at all. (Do we see another batch made with milk chocolate coming?)
Next in line, bottom left, is another new recipe. Rum Balls. The jury is still out on these. I'm hoping they will change a little (mellow?) with age. Right now the rum flavor doesn't come through very well and they are a little too-too sweet for my taste.
I baked only the Almond Strips and made the Rum Balls today. (The Rum Balls were very putzy-putzy.) Yesterday I made the other three. I had plans for getting a lot more done today but we had drop-in company this morning which changed my schedule a little. That's okay . . . tomorrow is another day, and I'll do more then.
Right now, I think I've been absorbing sugar through my fingertips while making these goodies because I feel like I'm on a sugar overload (downer) as opposed to a sugar high (upper) and don't want to even look at them anymore tonight.
So what are you making in the way of Christmas goodies this year? Pictures, please!
9 comments:
Oooo, that looks so good.
I'm shaking things up this year-last year, all the neighbors ended up with roughly the same things, so I'm doing an assortment of fancy brownies. I know, I know-not very "Christmasy", but who doesn't like brownies????
Hi, Sue - Ain't nuthin' wrong with brownies! I kinda did something like that a few years ago. Baked a whole bunch of small loaves of sweet breads . . . you know, Cranberry Walnut, Blueberry, Orange Nut, Breakfast Spice Loaf, etc. . . . and gave everybody three little loaves. Figured they would be good for a quick family breakfast and/or sliced on a plate in place of cookies.
I think it's good to shake things up or step outside the box!
I haven't made rum balls in a few years, but I do remembering them getting better with age. I still have much to do, but I am taking the day off for the Vikings game! I have to say I am with your husband on this one, we love dark chocolate here!
Hey, Erin - You are right . . . the Rum Balls taste better already today. But the dark chocolate on the Toffee Bars? Blech.
Ha ha - I *LOVE* dark chocolate on my toffee bars. My grandmother always used mild chocolate, which I like as well, but now that I've switched to dark the milk chocolate ones seem too sweet.
I'd be happy to take some of those dark chocolate ones off your hands :)
Mom, ONE of these days, Dad, Tom, and I will finally convince you that milk chocolate is a perfectly good waste of cocoa beans.
;p
P.S. HA!!! Word verification is 'vermin'!
Hey, Jen - At the rate Roy is gobbling up the dark chocolate topped Toffee Bars, you'd get a hand broken if you reached for one!
Chicken Mama - You know I actually like some GOOD dark chocolates . . . you've converted me that much. But this bittersweet chocolate Dad likes is, like I've said before, . . . blech.
yum! everything looks and sounds so delicious!
Hi, Ruthie - Have you ever noticed when you make/bake a whole big bunch of goodies like this, you completely lose your taste for the stuff? Right now, I don't care if I EVER see anything with sugar in it again. Gimme a big bowl of homemade soup! ;o)
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