I made a batch of these and took them to Thanksgiving Dinner. People descended on them, saying Oh my grandma used to make these and I loved them. Straight from the Sixties and Seventies, folks. Or Eighties. Or Nineties. Or the Aughts. Guess that’s what makes them a classic! It is tempting to roll out the candy mixture and treat it like cookie dough. Does not work well, as the small mints are difficult to handle and quickly become distorted beyond recognition. I tried! The stars and Christmas trees on the plate were the result. Total result! At least, that remained recognizable. And they took as much time as the rest of the mints put together. Your mileage may vary, but I found the roll and press method far more efficient and consistently better looking. Leaving the mints ... [Read More]
candy
Ritz-y Rolos
This could not be any easier to make. You only need 2 ingredients – a package of Rolos and a couple of sleeves of Ritz crackers. Melting chocolate or white chocolate and a few sprinkles are a bonus. Place the crackers on a baking sheet, add a Rolo in the middle and heat in a 350 degree oven for five minutes until the Rolo is soft. Remove from oven and press a second Ritz on top to sandwich the melty chocolate caramel goodness between the two salty crunchy crackers. Let cool and enjoy. But you know bloggers always have to take things a little further. Drizzle chocolate on top. I am obviously a novice at that as you can plainly see. However, in my defense it does add that little extra bit of color and, importantly, more chocolate. Here’s what I learned: Whatever type of ... [Read More]
Cookies and Cream Muddy Buddies
Cookies and Cream Muddy Buddies are a quick and super easy addition to holiday gifts and snack trays. It takes about 10 minutes to measure, melt and mix the ingredients. Ready to eat! Packaging takes a little longer depending on your degree of fanciness! This recipe can easily be made by older children. Younger children might need some supervision for stirring melted chocolate into the cereal, but they will be stellar at shaking the bag to coat the chocolate covered cereal with Oreo crumbs and powdered sugar! These are not low carb by any means. However, if you add them to a party table, the servings will be generally small--about 1/4 cup with 18 carbs. A nibble of just a few will be considerably fewer carbs than that and will satisfy your sweet tooth just as well as a ... [Read More]
White Chocolate Ting A Lings
When I ran across Ting A Lings, the name caught my attention with visions of swirly skirts, pillbox hats and pearls, straight from a Fifties movie. I knew this would have to be a part of this year's Christmas Treats. I did a little research and, sure enough, Ting A Lings were a Fifties thing. Originally, Wheaties provided the crunch stirred into melted chocolate. Someone replaced the cereal with crunchy chow mein noodles and Ting A Lings would never be the same. Numerous variations have been shared, but the enchanting name remains. Quick to make, topped with colorful sprinkles and with their unique taste and crunchy texture, they add charm to any collection of Christmas treats. This recipe could be called 1-2-3 Ting A Lings. 1 cup nuts, 2 cups white chocolate and 3 cups chow ... [Read More]
Crispy Candy Easter Baskets
Our Easter dinner had three attendees – Wheels, Bytes and me. That was okay. We had celebrated a couple of weeks before with a big egg hunt for the littles and a potluck for thirty –ish people at my sister Bee’s home. For our dinner, I planned ham – but glazed ham balls instead of a big ham. Sweet potatoes, green beans, salad, apple dessert and a bunny centerpiece. But something was missing. The dinner needed just a little bit more to make it festive and fun. We couldn’t eat a whole batch of Easter Treats when the recipe was sized for twenty five instead of three. Two of us are low carbers and don’t need candy anyway. Just a Little Bit to celebrate was okay, though. Why should we miss out on a little fun and good cheer? Just a Little Bit sounded just right. You know, ... [Read More]
Festive Peppermint Bark
Peppermint bark is a seasonal favorite everyone loves! This super easy recipe assembles quickly and looks spectacular with little effort. The secret to outstanding peppermint bark is in the quality of chocolate. You can pick and choose – if your crowd is mainly teens who eat quickly and move on, use the easiest available chocolate such as almond bark or melting wafers. If you are gifting pepper mint bark or serving it to, say, your boss and co-workers, anyone who will savor and appreciate the creamy texture and holiday flavors, choose a higher quality. If you prefer, you can use all dark, semi-sweet or all white chocolate for this recipe. Festive Peppermint Bark Print Prep time 15 mins Total time 15 mins Crushed peppermint chunks and smooth, creamy ... [Read More]