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Coconut Macaroons

Posted on December 13, 2010 by amydeline

I had big plans for yesterday’s cookie endeavors. First, I’d whip up some Nut Lace Cookies, then move onto the Rainbow Cookies, and finish with the Macaroons. For a chilly Sunday afternoon, it seemed like a reasonable to-do list. Well, the day didn’t go exactly as planned. I always seem to forget how finicky those Nut Lace Cookies can be. The recipe is deceptively simple, but the execution is ridden with potential for frustration. After fighting with the Nut Lace Cookies, there was no way I was about to embark on the Rainbow Cookie adventure. Thankfully, the Macaroons are a cinch to make. So, I jumped straight to the stress-free Macaroons and finished up the day with some Dark Chocolate Holiday Bark and Chocolate-Covered Spiders.

I love adding macaroons to my holiday cookie collection each year. They’re quick and easy to make and I’m pretty sure that everyone loves them. For the past few years, I’ve been using a recipe from the cookbook, The Great Big Cookie Book by Hilaire Walden. My only adaptation is in using parchment paper instead of the original recipe’s suggested wax paper. I’ve had issues in the past with wax paper sticking to the bottoms of the macaroons. And there’s nothing I hate more than having to pick off tiny bits of wax paper from the bottoms of my cookies! Using parchment paper completely eliminated this issue.

I like to drizzle the tops of my macaroons with melted semi-sweet chocolate. A disposable pastry bag, fitted with a small, round pastry tip works well for this task, but a plastic freezer bag with a tiny bit of the corner cut off would do the trick too. In the past, I’ve dipped half of the macaroon directly in chocolate, but found that amount of chocolate to be overwhelming on the macaroons, even for a chocoholic like myself. Just a little drizzle of chocolate over the top adds the perfect finishing touch.

Chocolate-Drizzled Coconut Macaroons

Adapted from the Macaroons in The Great Big Cookie Book by Hilaire Walden

Ingredients

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 7 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
  • 2 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Grease the paper with vegetable shortening. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the coconut. Add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Stir until well combined. Drop rounded tablespoons of the mixture about an inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 20 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool.

Once cool, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or over a double boiler. Carefully transfer the melted chocolate into a pastry bag fitted with a small, round pastry tip. Drizzle the chocolate over the macaroons. Refrigerate until the chocolate has set. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 6 dozen

As far as those Nut Lace Cookies go, I think I’m going to hold off on posting that recipe. I’ve got a couple ideas for simplifying the process that I’d like to try first. Stay tuned!

Also, coming up… Rainbow Cookies and Two Chocolately Treats – Dark Chocolate Holiday Bark and Chocolate-Covered Spiders!

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Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Posted on December 12, 2010 by amydeline

When I sat down to make my list of cookies to tackle this holiday cookie season, I started with a few of my standard favorites; Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, Sand Tarts, Chocolate Covered Spiders, Macaroons, and Nut Lace Cookies with Chocolate. Then, I started thinking outside of my standards. I knew I’d make the Pfeffernüsse for my dad and I’ve been itching to make Rainbow Cookies for a while. After exploring a few other options, I got the idea in my head to make a Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookie; sort of combining the flavors of a peppermint patty with the texture of a chewy chocolate chip cookie.

I go weak in the knees for chocolate, especially rich, dark chocolate. And these cookies are exactly that; rich and chocolatey, with crisp edges and a chewy center. I started with a basic Hershey’s chocolate cookie recipe and proceeded from there. I went heavy on the cocoa, threw in some semi-sweet chocolate chips, and substituted part of the vanilla for a hefty dose of peppermint extract. The resulting cookie exceeded my expectations. I’ve definitely found a new yearly regular for my cookie collection.

Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Adapted from Hershey’s

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Flour
  • 1/2 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 2 sticks Butter, softened
  • 1 cup White Sugar
  • 3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 2 teaspoons Peppermint Extract
  • 1 (12-ounce) package Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Stir together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until creamy. Add the eggs and extracts. Beat for another minute or two, until well blended. Gradually blend in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Roll the dough into small balls (about 1″ diameter) and place about 1 1/2″ apart on a baking sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Cool for a couple minutes on the baking sheet before moving the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies


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Gideon’s Peanut Butter Fudge

Posted on December 11, 2010 by amydeline

When I was younger, my family had an Irish Wolfhound as a pet. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Irish Wolfhound breed, they are, on average, the tallest breed of dog. They are the size of small pony, with the most gentle, protective, and obedient personalities. Our Irish Wolfhound’s name was Gideon, named for the angel, Gideon, in the 1985 movie, One Magic Christmas. Sadly, as with many large dog breeds, their lifespan is not long and we lost him long before anyone was ready. It was an honor to have Gideon in our lives.

My siblings and I remember the day our family first met Gideon. He was a few months old at that point. The breeder, an older woman, had initially planned on keeping him, but quickly realized she didn’t have the stamina for another pony-sized puppy. As my parents and the breeder sat inside to discuss the purchase details, my siblings and I were send outside to play with the ‘puppy’. This ‘puppy’ was already the size of a full grown German Shepherd with all of the energy of an 8-week-old Labrador. He wanted nothing more than to romp around that yard and tackle me and my sisters. We shrieked and screamed and laughed.  And when the negotiations were complete, we took our new puppy home.

But this post isn’t really about Gideon. It’s about Gideon’s fudge. My mom has been making this fudge at Christmastime for as long as I can remember. Each year, she’d make a two-pound batch of the fudge, package it in a tin or plastic container, and place the fudge on a counter, along with the other annual Christmas goodies. Well, Gideon’s head was easily counter-height, a fact we too often forgot. You can imagine what happens next. My family arrived home one day to find Gideon, lying on the living room floor, moaning as his stomach furiously growled. It didn’t take long to find the empty container of peanut butter fudge. Thankfully, a call to the veterinary poison control center assured us that a dog his size would need to consume at least nine pounds of the chocolate-glazed peanut butter fudge to be in any real trouble. His bellyache eventually subsided and we all learned a valuable lesson about safe places to store food.

The origin of this recipe has long been forgotten, but to us, it will always be Gideon’s fudge. I’ve doubled the original recipe, since what are you going to do with an open can of undiluted evaporated milk anyway?? Otherwise, the recipe is the same as the fudge Gideon enjoyed years ago. It’s amazingly simple to put together and makes a great addition to any holiday treat collection. Store in an airtight container in a high place, safe from dogs, who will find the scent irresistible.

One more little note… I haven’t tried it yet, but I suspect this recipe would easily make a nice chocolate fudge by substituting chocolate chips for the peanut butter chips.

Gideon’s Peanut Butter Fudge

Ingredients

  • 3 1/3 cups Sugar
  • 1 1/3 cups Undiluted Evaporated Milk
  • 4 Tablespoons Butter
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 4 cups Mini Marshmallows
  • 3 cups Peanut Butter Chips
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla
  • 2 cups Chocolate Chips

Directions

Lightly butter two 8×8 inch baking dishes or one 13×9 baking dish. Combine sugar, milk, butter, and salt in pan over medium heat. Bring to a full boil. Cook 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low if the mixture bubbles up too vigorously. Remove from heat. Stir in the marshmallows, peanut butter chips, and vanilla until melted. Pour the fudge into the baking dish(es) and cool completely at room temperature. Slowly melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or over a double-boiler. Pour the melted chocolate over the fudge. Refrigerate until firm. Remove the fudge from the baking dish and cut into small squares. Store in an airtight container in a cool place.

Makes 4 pounds


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Choco-Cherry-Coconut Bars

Posted on December 10, 2010 by amydeline

We’re still working on building our Christmas cookie collection over here. Shamefully, I think I’m eating as many cookies as I’m saving for cookie platters. I have a sneaking suspicion that my weigh-in at my next prenatal appointment is going to be a shocker. Do you think I can blame it on the baby?? A wild holiday growth spurt, perhaps?

Though I may be taste-testing an excess of these holiday goodies, I’ve got to say they’re being thoroughly enjoyed. And if you’re going to indulge in holiday treats, these next cookies make it worth it! This recipe comes from my mom, whose recipe card notes that it originally came from a package of Durkee coconut. I’m not sure Durkee even makes coconut anymore, but my family has been making these delicious cookie bars for as long as I can remember. How can you go wrong with a mix of chocolate, cherries, and coconut? The best part is that these are cookie bars, which means you just press the dough into a baking dish, bake, and slice. No floured tables, no rolling, no cookie-cutting, no decorating. This is my kind of simple recipe!

I made a few tiny adjustments to the recipe, mostly related to the quantities of the fillings and the baking time. The original recipe also calls for chopped walnuts, which I omitted since one of my cookies recipients is allergic to nuts. If nut-allergies aren’t an issue in your home, go ahead and throw in about a half-cup of chopped walnuts! Finally, I like using a disposable aluminum baking dish for this recipe, since it gives you a little more flexibility in popping out the baked dough for slicing.

Choco-Cherry-Coconut Bars

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups Flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 2 sticks Butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups Sugar
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla
  • 3/4 cup Chocolate Chips
  • 3/4 cup Sweetened Flaked Coconut
  • 1/2 cup Marashino Cherries, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 13×9 inch baking dish with vegetable shortening. In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside. In another bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for another minute or two, until well-blended. Gradually blend in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips, coconut, and cherries. Press the mixture into the prepared baking dish in an even layer. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool completely in the baking dish. Then, carefully invert over a cutting board. Make 4 cuts lengthwise and 8 cuts across to form 32 cookie bars.

Makes 32 Cookie Bars


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Santa’s Favorite Cookie – Pfeffernussen

Posted on December 8, 2010 by amydeline

According to my father, Pfeffernüsse are Santa’s favorite cookies. As children, we took this statement to be truth, without question. Even now, though I’m grown, and have long understood that Santa exists more in spirit than in flesh, I still believe that Pfeffernüsse are Santa’s favorite cookie.

Christmas was always a magical time for me. I held on to my belief in Santa for longer than most children and cried tears of true grief when I discovered the truth. And though I felt briefly, but truly, heartbroken the year I found out about Santa, I am thankful to my parents for the magic they added to the holiday. As a parent, I am conscious about instilling an understanding of the true meaning of Christmas in my children. But, as much as I want them to understand the theological significance of the day, I yearn for them to feel the same swell of excitement I felt as a child on Christmas morning.

My first Christmas, post-Santa, was just as special, but for entirely different reasons. As the oldest of my siblings, I became the first to learn of and share in the traditions which made our Christmas so special. I giggled as my dad climbed up to the attic with jingle bells in hand, to stomp around in Santa fashion. I held my breath as I tiptoed upstairs with my mom to help gather the wrapped gifts from Santa. I enjoyed sips of my dad’s Christmas Eve eggnog. And best of all, once my siblings were sound asleep, I was allowed to sneak downstairs to help my parents decorate the tree.

The tradition of decorating the tree on Christmas Eve was my most favorite tradition of all. Weeks before Christmas, my family would select our tree. The tree would then wait outside until Christmas Eve, at which point, my father would set the tree in the stand and string it with lights. That was it. My siblings and I would go to bed, convinced we heard Santa on the rooftop, just as we drifted off with visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads. In the morning, we’d awake to a brilliant, fully-decorated tree, in a living room magically filled with gifts. By all appearances, Santa had come during the night, winked his eyes, and transformed our living room into a Christmas vision. There was nothing like that moment, peering down the stairs to see the tree, fully adorned, for the very first time on Christmas morning.

As much as the memories of that tradition fill me with joy, I’ve been reluctant to begin it with my own family. I just don’t have the self-control necessary to wait until Christmas Eve to put up our tree. My compromise with this issue has been to set up a small undecorated tree on our kitchen table, near our plate of Santa’s cookies, for Santa to decorate each year. And though I suspect that pfeffernüsse was more of my father’s favorite cookie than Santa’s, you can bet there will be some pfeffernüsse on that plate for Santa.

This was my first time making pfeffernüsse, which are a peppery German cookie, so I turned to a reliable source for cookie recipes; Martha Stewart. I made her recipe as written and it was fantastic. No alterations required. The dough comes together easily and the flavors are exactly as I remember. I’m certain that my dad (my childhood Santa) will enjoy tasting these delicious cookies.

Santa’s Favorite Pfeffernüsse

Slightly adapted from Martha Stewart’s Pfeffernussen

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups Flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon Allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1 stick Butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
  • 1/4 cup Molasses
  • 1 Egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1 cup Confectioner’s Sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the flour, cinnamon, allspice, pepper, cloves, nutmeg, and baking soda in a bowl. Set aside. In another bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, and molasses until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat for another minute or two until well-blended. Gradually blend in the flour mixture until a smooth dough forms. Pinch off pieces of the dough and roll balls, about 1″ in diameter. Place the balls on the lined baking sheet, about an inch or so apart. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the cookies are golden and slightly cracked. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Place the confectioner’s sugar in a container. In small batches, gently toss the cooled cookies in the sugar. Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 2-3 Dozen

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Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Craisin Cookies

Posted on December 7, 2010 by amydeline

It’s cookie time!

We’re on our fourth consecutive day of non-stop snow around here. They call this Lake Effect Snow, since it results from our proximity to the Great Lakes. It seems to appear without warning and quickly covers the area with mounds of snow, which are practically taller than my children. But, large snowfalls are nothing new to the area, so for the most part, people just move on with their business. Personally, I prefer to hole up in the warmth of my home until the snow stops.

The timing of this particular snow event is perfect though. I had nothing more planned for the week besides baking Christmas cookies. And so, as the snow continues to fall outside, we’re staying warm in the kitchen and beginning this year’s Christmas cookie collection. The tree is lit, the house smells of pine, and we’re well stocked with cocoa and candy canes. It’s time to get our Christmas baking on.

We’re starting with a personal favorite; oatmeal chocolate chip. This is a small variation on a recipe I’ve shared before, which is a slight adaptation of the recipe you can find on the inside cover of a barrel of Quaker Oats. In my opinion, these are truly the best oatmeal cookies ever. They’re perfectly sweet and buttery, with crisp edges and a slightly chewy center. I almost always add chocolate chips and typically some chopped dried apricot when I make these cookies. With the holidays approaching, dried cranberries felt a bit more festive, so we’re swapping the apricots for craisins.

Stay tuned during the next two weeks for more cookie recipes!

Oatmeal Chocolate-Chip Craisin Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups Flour
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 2 sticks Salted Butter, softened
  • 1 cup Light Brown Sugar, firmly packed
  • 1/2 cup White Sugar
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
  • 3 cups Quaker Oats
  • 1 cup Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
  • 3/4 cup Dried Cranberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside. In another large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the vanilla and eggs to the butter mixture. Blend until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture to the bowl and blend. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, and apricots. Form into small balls, about 1 inch diameter, and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for about 14-15 minutes, until the edges begin to brown and the center appears cooked. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a minute before transferring to a cooling rack.

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen*

*It’s actually more like 4 dozen, if you count the taste-testing cookies, that is… I’m firmly committed to quality control, you know.


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White Garlic Lasagna

Posted on August 4, 2010 by amydeline

For as much as I love food and all things food-related, there are whole worlds of food content that I’m entirely clueless about. Take, for example, the presence of a food blogging community. Prior to beginning my own blog, I had no idea that such a community of like-minded individuals existed. I emphasize the word, community, because it truly describes the support and camaraderie which exists amongst this group of food-lovin’, food-writing, food-photo-taking people.

And it’s through this group of food-focused people, that a whole other world of food knowledge has been opened for me. I’m talking about the world of food holidays; national days of observance devoted to food. Take, for example, September 26, which is National Corned Beef Hash Day or October 8 which is National Fluffernutter Day. And you can bet your bippy I’ll be celebrating National Bagels and Lox Day when February 9 rolls around. I found out, only after reading another food blogger’s blog, that yesterday was National Watermelon Day. I did an inner dance of joy for the accidental appropriateness of yesterday’s Watermelon Roll post. Then I started probing around for more information about food holidays, cause I’m all over the idea of celebrating food. And I found this link, with a comprehensive list of food holidays.

Turns out that today is Nationa Lasagna Day. How in the world is a girl supposed to let a special day like this go by without a little celebration? So, tonight I’m making a lasagna inspired by my favorite kind of pizza in the whole world; white garlic. My husband and I clash heads on this topic almost every time we order pizza. He asks what kind of pizza I want. I say White Garlic. He says Bleh. Occasionally he’ll agree to a garlic pizza, as long as we add some crumbled sausage on top. But I could eat white garlic pizza every time and never miss the tomato sauce.

You won’t miss the tomato sauce in this lasagna either. For the sauce, I made a basic white sauce, with the addition of minced garlic and a bit of asiago cheese. I could eat bowls full of this garlicky sauce as if it were soup. It would be seriously fantastic over pasta. Then, I threw a bit more garlic in the spinach mixture so the lasagna is absolutely oozing with garlic. For my hubby, I added some spicy Italian sausage to the lasagna, but it would totally work without it. I truly love how this lasagna came out. It’s like having a slice of garlic pizza, between noodles of lasagna.

Happy National Lasagna Day!

White Garlic Lasagna

Ingredients

  • 3 Hot Italian Sausages
  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 box No-Boil Lasagna Noodles
  • 1 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded*
  • 1/2 cup Fontina Cheese, shredded

    • For the Spinach Mixture

    • 1 16 oz package Frozen Chopped Spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
    • 1 15 oz container Ricotta Cheese”
    • 2 tsp Garlic, minced
    • 1/4 tsp Salt
    • 1 egg, lightly beaten

    For the Garlic Sauce

    • 3 Tbsp Butter
    • 1 Tbsp Garlic, minced
    • 3 Tbsp Flour
    • 2 cups Milk”
    • 1/2 cup Asiago Cheese, shredded
    • 1/2 tsp Salt
    • 1/8 tsp Cayenne
    • Pinch of Nutmeg

    *Reduced fat cheeses and milk would work fine with this recipe.

    Directions

    Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with cooking spray. Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a skillet. Remove the sausage meat from the casings. Add the sausage meat to the hot skillet and cook until fully-cooked, using a spoon to break it into small pieces. Set the cooked sausage aside.

    Combine the spinach with the ricotta cheese, minced garlic, and salt. Stir in the lightly beaten egg. The egg will help to bind the spinach-ricotta mixture.

    In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the 1 Tablespoon minced garlic to the butter. Cook for about two minutes. Add the flour to the mixture and stir. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking for 4-5 minutes, until the milk begins to thicken. Turn down the heat. Add the asiago cheese, salt, cayenne, and nutmeg. Stir to combine.

    Spread a very thin layer of the sauce into the prepared baking dish. Lay 3 no-boil lasagna noodles over the sauce. Spread half of the spinach mixture on top of the noodles. Sprinkle with half of the sausage. Drizzle with about a third of the sauce. Lay 3 more lasagna noodles on top. Spread the other half of spinach mixture. Sprinkle the other half of sausage. Drizzle another third of the sauce. Lay 3 more lasagna noodles on top. Drizzle with the remaining third of sauce. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and fontina cheeses. Cover the baking dish with foil. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes. Remove the foil. Bake for 10-15 more minutes, until the top begins to brown. Remove from the oven and wait 5 minutes before cutting.

    White Garlic Lasagna

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    Merry Christmas (in July)

    Posted on July 27, 2010 by amydeline

    I love Christmas. I mean, I really, really LOVE Christmas. Not like the way a normal person enjoys the holidays. Much more like an irrational crazy person. I love the lights and the carols, the smell of a fresh Fraser Fir Christmas tree, the warmth and aroma of cookies baking in my oven. I love shopping for the perfect gifts for my loved ones and wrapping beautiful packages with high-quality paper (I spend a lot of time thinking about the paper) and perfectly coordinated organza ribbons. I love the smiles on my kids faces as they see the tree filled with gifts for the first time. I love having a house full of people and cooking a big meal. I love planning the color schemes for our Christmas trees and dining room table; burgandy and gold or a peacock theme of bright blues, greens, and purples, or maybe silver with shades of green. Our storage room is overrun with bins of ornaments, lights, nativity sets, snowmen, and festive jeweled fruits. The entire season puts a skip in my step, a perpetual grin on my face, and an extra pitter-patter in my heart.

    Christmas Tree 2009

    My anticipation and yearning for the Christmas season is so strong that it physically pains me. I’m aching for it right now as I write this. You’ll never hear me complaining about stores decorating for Christmas in October or radio stations who start playing nonstop Christmas carols as kids are trick-or-treating. You can fully expect this blog to get a little Christmas crazy sometime in early November. I sure hope you won’t hate me for it.

    The Boys, Christmas 2009

    When I was younger, I took the idea of Christmas in July very seriously. Each December, I’d spend large chunks of my hard-earned babysitting money on Christmas decorations; cardboard cut-outs of wreaths and Santas, tinsel garland, and long strands of blinking, musical lights. I’d bathe my small pink room in Christmas. Then, I’d pack it up after New Years and wait. Until July rolled around. At which point, I’d drag out the bin and decorate every square inch of my room. My parents didn’t mind, as long as I kept the Christmas carols at a low volume and my door closed. I brought the bin with me to college, where I added a 6 foot artificial tree to my collection and had easily the most festive room in the whole dorm. Thank you freshman year roomie, wherever you are, for tolerating my insanity.

    Brie with Apricot Preserves, Christmas 2009

    I don’t decorate my house for Christmas in July. My husband wouldn’t be nearly as tolerant of it as my parents were. But, I couldn’t let July pass without celebrating just a little. So, I decided I’d cook something that reminds me of Christmas. I went through the mental list of all of the foods that remind me of Christmas. The huge turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and gravy my family makes every year. The pork loin with peanuts, ambrosia, and green bean casserole my grandmother-in-law would make. The roast beef with bordelaise sauce, ham with pilaf, scalloped potatoes and biscuits, or beef bourgignon with potatoes au gratin and quiche lorraine that I’ve made. Or perhaps a dessert, like my Dad’s apple pie or the Friendly’s Jubilee Roll my husband’s family enjoys each year. And then I started thinking about Christmas cookies…

    Baked Brie with Homemade Cranberry Orange Relish, Christmas 2008

    And that’s when I knew exactly what I wanted to make for our Christmas in July celebration. Something so incredibly simple and so irresistibly delicious. I’m pretty sure the only reason we don’t make them all year round is because they are so utterly addicting. These little treats may seem more appropriate for a Halloween celebration, but they ring Christmas to me. My grammy and mom make them every year as part of the Christmas cookie collection. And every year, they are the first cookies to go. Actually, they’re not really cookies at all.

    Chocolate-Covered Spiders

    They are Chocolate-Covered Spiders.

    I always thought of this recipe as my grammy’s special recipe. After running a search online, I now see that this recipe has been out there for a while. Sometimes called Haystacks and each recipe using slightly varying proportions of chocolate chips to butterscotch or peanut butter chips, the basic concept is the same. And I’ll always think of it as my grammy’s recipe.

    Chocolate-Covered Spiders

    Ingredients

    • 1 package Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
    • 1 cup Butterscotch Chips
    • 1 container Chow Mein Noodles
    • 1 cup Peanuts

    Directions

    Line a few baking sheets with wax paper. Melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips in a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring frequently. Fold in the chow mein noodles and peanuts until they are well coated in chocolate. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto the wax paper. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours, until the chocolate has hardened.

    Merry Christmas (in July)!

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