Author Archives for SweeterThymes

Christmas Spritz Cookies

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pritz cookies not only taste amazing but are fun to make as well. If you don’t have a cookie press you can use a pastry bag with a large piping tip, but you have been warned they are not as much fun as pulling the trigger on a cookie press. A perfectly shaped cookie shoots through the disc in a second. You can make bakery-style cookies just as quickly as you can fill a barrel and pull the trigger. I realize this description makes baking cookies sound like an old western movie standoff. Bake these cookies and you will soon see how much fun making cookies can be.

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Cheaters Fudge

Fudge

y grandmother was a domestic goddess. She took homemaking to a whole new level and made it look effortless. So, it will come as no surprise that at my grandmother’s funeral a fudge story was included in her eulogy. My grandmother was a young girl during the great depression. Food was rationed and butter was a valuable commodity. One day my grandmother was questioned as to where the week’s rations of butter had gone. My grandmother was quick to boast that she had used the last pound of butter to make fudge. That was the beginning of a legendary candy maker, that I am proud to call my mentor. The patience that great woman possessed resulted in smooth, never grainy fudge perfection.

My grandmother would turn in her grave if she knew I was sharing a cheaters fudge recipe that involves using marshmallow creme. My grandmother did not take shortcuts when making fudge. Her recipe, however, is NOT for beginners or the novice fudge maker. By adding marshmallow creme to the fudge mixture you coat the sugar crystals, keeping them nice and small. Small sugar crystals equate to smooth non-grainy fudge. I have over the years tampered with versions of marshmallow creme fudge recipes, adding more and more butter until I created a version as rich as my grandmother’s original.

I can definitely see how I am genetically related to a woman who honestly felt the last pound of butter she had should be used to create fudge. However, in this busy modern world…I think we all deserve to cheat a little. Enjoy this recipe as the perfect compromise between classic hand-turned flavor and modern-day convenience!

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Chocolate Coconut Haystack

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his is quite simply the easiest recipe you will ever make. It only requires two ingredients…but two perfectly paired ingredients. Even people who think they hate coconut, love the nutty flavor of toasted coconut in mounds of milk chocolate. It is amazing how crunchy the coconut stays completely enrobed in chocolate.

Any candy store I visit is immediately scoured for coconut haystacks. Every box of chocolates I receive is instantly searched for a coconut cluster. They are classic flavors you can never go wrong with. Sometimes a truffle or cream center can be disappointing, but never a haystack.

This is without a doubt the quickest candy to make, which is helpful as it gets so many requests. It is hard to explain just how good these mounds of chocolate are without popping one in your mouth. The oil from the toasted coconut gives the milk chocolate a beautiful crisp sheen. The only thing that rivals how amazing they look is just how great they taste!

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Extra Creamy Sea Salt Caramels-

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h, the love-hate relationship we have with homemade caramels at our house. We love to give these requested caramels to neighbors as Christmas gifts but oh, how we hate to wrap each individual caramel.

When caramel making day arrives we cut hundreds of little squares of parchment to individually wrap each buttery, soft mass of goodness. This process requires patience and several really good Christmas movies. The girls and I make and pour the trays of caramel. While the caramel cools and sets up we cut the squares of parchment. Now, comes the most important step… Pop in a Christmas movie and start wrapping. We usually start with “Christmas Vacation” but very often supplying the whole neighborhood with irresistible caramel requires the entire Tim Allen “Santa Clause” series.

Try these rich, buttery caramels and you too will transform family movie night into family caramel wrapping movie night…enjoy!

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Buttery Peanut Brittle

eanut brittle is hands down my favorite homemade Christmas candy. It was never my favorite as a child, it seemed to taste like burnt baking soda. As I got older and learned to make my own, altering the recipe one ingredient at a time, it soon became my absolute favorite holiday treat.

The key to peanut brittle is a little corn syrup to prevent crystallization and a whole lot of butter to enhance the peanut flavor. This recipe is packed with a full cup of butter. This is not common in peanut brittle recipes, but certainly gets credit for the caramel shards of peanut packed goodness! Now, I still add baking soda to create all of the signature air bubbles, just not enough to flavor the brittle.

Try this recipe and you will quickly see why it makes the perfect neighbor gift. This salty-sweet confection packages perfectly and lasts longer than baked goods. With simple ingredients and classic flavors, it is easy to see why peanut brittle has lasted the test of time and is still a holiday favorite!

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Sea Salt English Toffee

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have to pay homage to my amazing grandmother who instilled in me a love of handmade candy. The holidays would not be the holidays without a tray of homemade candy to munch on while playing board games at the dining room table. The buttery crunch of handmade toffee with rich milk chocolate perfectly accented by salty almonds…no commercial candy bar can even come close!

I understand the hesitation when it comes to making homemade candy. Arent the holidays busy enough without the stress of making candy? This toffee is definitely worth it! We are taking the fear out of candy making by providing tips and tricks paving the way to perfection.

For most of the calendar year ease and convenience takes control of my family’s menu. Not during the holidays. The flavors and foods we eat are as much a tradition as the ornaments on the tree. Make this year special as friends and family gather with the traditional flavors that make lasting memories.

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Christmas Crack

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ecember is here and that means it is officially time to make Christmas Crack. This sweet and gooey Chex mix goes by many names…my kids call it crack. Their friends now request crack, and the name has just kinda stuck!

One Christmas about twenty years ago a neighbor brought a version of this recipe to our door. I tried it, and I am ashamed to say that as much as I liked it, I instantly thought of ways I could make it better. The mixture had great flavor but the texture was crunchy. I thought it should be soft and gooey. Over the years I have changed the nuts from almonds to cashews. Added coconut, then decided to toast the coconut. Changed the syrup to include honey and then finally added pretzels. This recipe has evolved so many times, it barely resembles the original.

I am warning you, there is a reason people joke that this snack mix should be called crack…it really is incredibly addicting! I can’t think of a single time I have made just one batch of this mix. I always make multiple batches that cover my kitchen island. Although we still affectionately refer to it as Christmas Crack. Let me warn you that this will soon become New Year’s Crack…Valentine’s Day Crack…Easter Crack…etc. In no time at all you will be requested to bring this to every gathering you are invited to. We have often joked that we get invited places just to bring the Chex mix. It is seriously that good!!! Pin this recipe as you will soon find yourself needing it over and over.

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pie

or those of you who have ever made a Nestle toll House pie, you know that there are few things in life better than a warm slice. The gooey center is the adult version of eating cookie dough straight from the bowl. One day while making peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, I decided this world needed a peanut butter version of this pie. I scoured the internet for a recipe to no avail. I began experimenting and making test pies. Although the journey to the final product was delicious this version was the clear winner. The only thing that can make this pie better is to serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top…enjoy!

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No-bake Cherry Cheese Pie

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he countdown to Thanksgiving has begun and there is little time left for pie baking. I am sharing our quickest pie in the recipe box. This pie is so delicious that your friends and family will never know what little effort went into its preparation. It is beautiful on the table and a sure crowd-pleaser. Most no-bake cheesecakes involve cool whip…well those are two four-letter words that are not allowed in my kitchen. This cherry cheese pie combines cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk for a silky smooth texture. I like to add vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract to this recipe. The vanilla bean seeds give an elegant look to the pie filling…people will think this dessert is not as simple as it truthfully is!

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Lemon Sour Cream Pie

emon Sour Cream Pie is my mom’s all-time favorite pie. When I was little she would take me on lunch dates to a local restaurant that served a similar, but layered pie. One Thanksgiving I wanted to surprise her and worked to replicate this pie as closely as I could. Now, I am of course biased but I think this version is better than the original. It isn’t layered like the one I had as a child…rather the sour cream is incorporated throughout the lemon. This pie is not too sweet, not too sour and creates the perfect compromise for everyone who loves lemon pie but hates the mounds of cooked egg whites on lemon meringue. This filling is so versatile that my daughter, Maddie has started making mini tarts with it. So, from our lemon lovin family to yours…ENJOY!!!

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