time flies

This holiday season was a week shorter than usual and boy, oh boy, am I feeling it. Three days before Christmas and I’m not done shopping. Three days before Christmas and I’ve barely put a dent in my planned holibaking list. I mean, really… I haven’t even made a single cookie! My brain keeps screaming, “but I’m not ready!” Unfortunately… the calendar pays no attention and time keeps on spinning past.

So, what was supposed to have been a gangbuster holiday season… well, it’s turned out to be a bit of a bust.

But! (There’s always a but, right?) This is the perfect opportunity for me to share with you three dead-easy Christmas candy recipes. Perfect, I might add, for those of you who are scrambling for last minute treats to share or gifts to give… or just a little bite of the holiday season.

Peanut Butter Fudge
1/2 cup butter
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup milk (skim is fine)
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

Over medium heat, melt butter in a medium saucepan. Stir in brown sugar and milk. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove pan from heat. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Place confectioners sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat in peanut butter mixture until smooth. Pour into an 8×8 inch dish. Chill until firm and cut into squares.

Peppermint Bark
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 bag (12 ounces) white chocolate chips
6 regular sized candy canes
1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract, divided
1 teaspoon vegetable oil, divided

Line a baking sheet aluminum foil, allowing foil to hang over the sides slightly to assist with easy removal.

Melt the bittersweet and semisweet chocolate on low heat in saucepan. When halfway melted, add 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract and 1/2 teaspoon of the vegetable oil. Stir thoroughly until melted. Pour evenly onto prepared baking sheet and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, unwrap candy canes, place into a ziploc bag, and crush using a hammer or rolling pin.

When dark chocolate has cooled to solid, place the white chocolate chips in a small saucepan and melt over low heat until half-melted. Add remaining 1 teaspoon peppermint extract and remaining 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil, stirring thoroughly. When chocolate is fully melted, spread evenly over the cooled dark chocolate and sprinkle the crushed candy on the top. Place baking sheet in the refrigerator until cooled. Peel away foil and break into pieces.

Layered Mint Chocolate Fudge
(recipe courtesy of Eagle Brand)
2 cups (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk), divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 ounces white confectioner’s coating (candy melts) or 1 cup (6 ounces) premium white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon peppermint extract
Green or red food coloring (optional)

In heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt chocolate chips with 1 cup sweetened condensed milk; add vanilla. Spread half the mixture into wax paper lined 8- or 9-inch square pan; chill 10 minutes or until firm. Hold remaining chocolate mixture at room temperature.

In heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt white confectioners coating with remaining sweetened condensed milk (mixture will be thick). Add peppermint extract and food coloring (optional).

Spread on chilled chocolate layer; chill 10 minutes longer or until firm.

Spread reserved chocolate mixture on mint layer. Chill 2 hours or until firm. Turn onto cutting board; peel off paper and cut into squares. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

perfect for a potluck… the pumpkin cream cheese muffin

For those of you wondering where the Christmas goodies are, stay tuned… my annual Holibaking extravaganza is about to begin! In the meantime, surely with all of the office holiday parties going round, you’ve been asked to bring something for a potluck, right? Well, for those taking part in breakfast-themed potlucks, skip the commercially made stuff and wow your friends and coworkers with these muffins. They’re deceptively simple, wonderfully moist, and oh-so pretty!

When I say simple, I mean it. After remembering at 9:30 at night that I needed to have enough muffins for sharing by 7:30 the next morning, I pulled out this old favorite and got to work. And, I’m happy to report, that I managed to pull off three dozen of these beauties (double the recipe below) AND still get into bed at a semi-reasonable hour. (By the way, if you’re not a fan of cream cheese, you can certainly skip it. Though I loved the added flavor and texture that the cheesecakey top added, these muffins would be equally wonderfull without it.)

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons brown sugar

4 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
dash of nutmeg
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons chopped pecans

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin
1/3 cup olive oil
3 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour 18 muffin cups, or use paper liners.

Make the filling:
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until soft. Add egg, vanilla and brown sugar. Beat until smooth, then set aside.

Make the streusel topping:
In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Add butter and cut it in with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.

Make the muffin batter:
In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Add eggs, pumpkin, olive oil and vanilla. Beat together until smooth.

Fill muffing cupes approximately 1/2 full with pumpkin mixture. To the middle of the batter, add one tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle on the streusel topping and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean.