Easy Chocolate-Mint (or Chocolate-Orange) Sandwhich Mints

These make lovely professional looking candies. Great for gifts! These are a simpler, quicker version of Sandwich Mints or Chocolate orange Sandwiches..

Ingredients

21 oz Milk Chocolate (we use Merkins Cocoa-lite Molding Chocolate or Guitard A'Peels Chocolate), Divide for two layers.

10 1/2 oz Merkins Light green, Merkins Orange,  or White chocolate/ Vanilla Coating. You will need to color the white coating.

Peppermint oil (Not extract) 7 drops in each layer.

** Optional for Orange Chocolates: Orange oil 10 drops in each layer.

Instructions

Prepare a jellyroll pan-- 17.5 x 12.5 with sides.  Cut wax paper about 2 inches longer than pan. Use your fingernail to crease all four edges so the wax paper will sit smooth and flat. put a thumb print size of chocolate at each corner between the wax paper and the jellyroll/sided cookie sheet pan. This will hold the wax paper firm.

You can pre-mark the edge of the pan with a sharpy every inch as a guide to cutting. Some like their squares about 1.5 inches. Others mark their pan every 1 1/2 inches along their long side and 1 3/8 inches along the short side of the pan, so the mints will fit in candy presentation boxes. Really, you can cut them any way you like, even rectangular. Just keep the size consistent!

Melting the Chocolate

As chocolate is melted it will hold its shape so it will need to be stirred. Be cautious and work with only the amount stated. Chocolate can burn, so melt it slowly and stir the chocolate. You will be working one layer at a time.

Microwave Method: Work half the chocolate/coating (10.5 ounces) at a time, place in a microwave bowl and heat for 30 seconds at a time and then stir.  Place back in the microwave and repeat until the chocolate is the desired consistency.

Stove Top Method: Work half the chocolate/coating (10.5 ounces) at a time, place in a bowl that is slightly smaller than your pan. Place water in the pan and heat and stir until the chocolate is the desired consistency.

Oven Method: set to lowest setting, put 10 1/2 oz chocolate in 3 separate bowls and heat for about 20 minutes. Stir. Turn off oven and leave the bowls you are not working with in the oven..

Layering the Chocolate

Work quickly~ the less you work you chocolate the better.It will look smoother. Once you pour the chocolate in your pan it begins to cool and set up, so do this quickly!!! Add the suggested amount of oil per layer and stir in. Pour chocolate zigzagging back and forth across the wax paper to get chocolate to the edges rather than clumping in the middle. Spread gently but quickly to the edges. Gently tap the whole pan up and down, as well as gently shake the pan until the surface is smooth. This brings bubbles to the top and evens the top into a smooth layer. Cool until the chocolate loses its shine, which means the chocolate is set up. If you wait too long in between layers they wont bond together. If this happens soften with blowing hot air from a blow dryer then let sit on counter just until the shine is gone and then move forward.

Do the same with each layer.

Cutting the Squares

As soon as the top layer loses its shine it is ready to cut. Use a sharp paring knife. Gently lift up ends of wax paper to loosen. Do not leave too long or it will harden too hard and cutting will just cause it to crack! Wearing disposable gloves at this point is a good idea, because it is easy to mar the surface with finger prints! Use a T square or make one from a yard stick to guide you in cutting your squares. Even if you pre-marked your pan edge, this step helps keep your lines smooth and straight. Take time to do this carefully so they look professional. lastly, take knife around edge to make sure chocolate does not stick to the edge. Reserve the jagged edges and freeze to add to homemade ice cream, to decorate desserts, or snacking.

Kitchen Aide, Chicago Cutlery, and other high end cutlery make good paring knives. Rada makes a strong sharp paring knife with a thin blade; they are inexpensive and work well.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Cocoa Macadamia Nut Brownies

This begins with a homemade dry mix.  This dry mix can be made ahead and dry bottle canned. This makes a great gift too.  Just put in a bottle and attach the recipe.
Ingredients
2 C Granulated Sugar
1 C Hershey's Cocoa
1 C All Purpose Flour
1 C Macadamia Nuts
1 C Chocolate Chips

Optional substitute pecans or walnuts in place of macadamia nuts.

Bottle in a mason jar and vacuum seal for convenience another day or make fresh! Store in freezer to keep macadamia nuts fresh tasting.

Brownie Ingredients
1 C Butter (softened)
4 Eggs
1 Jar Chocolate Cocoa Macadamia Nut Brownie Mix

Preheat oven to 325, grease a 9x13 baking pan.  Cream softened butter.  Add eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate after each egg is added. Add dry mix and beat until smooth. Pour and spread in greased baking dish. Bake 40 to 50 minutes.

Donna's Christmas Saltine Toffee (aka Ikea Crack)

I made some "Terribly Terrific Toffee." It is made with semi sweet chocolate chips.  I am not a semi sweet fan except maybe in our family's chocolate chip recipe. Someone on Pinterest called it "Christmas Crack," someone else called it "Southern Crack," because it can be addictive.  I played with the recipe and decided to use European milk chocolate bars from Ikea, instead of semi-sweet morsels. I like this the best!

Ingredients

40-42 Saltine Crackers

1 cup+ (2 sticks) Butter

1 cup firmly packed Golden Brown Sugar

3 IKEA 3.5 ounce Milk Chocolate Bars 

Directions 

pre heat oven to 350. Line a  jelly roll pan with heavy foil. Brush generously the bottom and sides of the foil with butter. Lay out saltine crackers edge to edge Place 2 sticks of butter in large pan on low heat.  Add firmly packed brown sugar and stir to dissolve.  Turn the heat to medium high and stir constantly until boiling.  Then turn the burner down to a low heat simmer.  Simmer four minutes.  Spread evenly over crackers. Some crackers will float.  It is OK for this hot mixture to get under the crackers then they are even more yummy! Just use your mixing spoon to push them back down and realign crackers side to side.  Bake in oven six to eight minutes or until the toffee is bubbly. Remove from oven, cool three to five minutes before sprinkling with chopped up chocolate. Let chocolate soften. Then use a spatula to spread chocolate evenly over the top of the toffee mixture.  Let sit to cool and firm. Cut and serve.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Sandwich Mints

My sister-in-law, Beatrice, made these for my wedding reception held at her home in December 1977.  These are creamy, three layer mint squares, and they are so yummy!

French Cremo Center Layer

(makes a double batch)

Ingredients

4 Cups Sugar

2 Cups pure Whipping Cream (preferably without carrageenan or other additives- as they can make the recipe grainy)

1/2 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar

Directions for French Creme Center

In a heavy pan, combine all ingredients and stir lightly to mix. Cook to boiling ( 228 degrees at sea level, adjust for altitude). Pour mixture on a clean marble slab or clean formica counter top. Do not touch for 30 minutes.  Eye drop 15 drops of oil of peppermint and 15 drops of green food coloring. Using a spatula, work like fondant by pulling and folding for about 20 minutes. Knead with hands when when solid.  If the fondant begins to crumble or powder, put hands in softened butter and knead into fondant. This should be spreadable like a thick frosting.  Store in an air tight container. These can be molded in silicon molds or can be used as centers for Sandwich Mints. 

Ingredients for Sandwich Mints

French Cremo center

1.5 lbs Merkin's Marquis Dipping Chocolate

Directions for Sandwich Mints

In a double boiler melt 1.5 lbs. of chocolate.  Place wax paper on cookie sheet. Pour melted chocolate on cookie sheet and spread evenly and thinly with a spatula. Cool. Spread a layer of French Creme over the chocolate. Spread a layer of melted chocolate over the French Cremo  center. Put a layer of wax paper over the chocolate. Let it sit until firm and cool to the touch. Remove wax paper and cut into squares with a sharp knife using a yard stick to measure squares.  

Optional 

For a marbled candy, swirl chocolate and French Cremo together and cut into squares.

Other colors and mint flavors such as wintergreen and spearmint, or other flavors can be used in this recipe, in place of the green and mint.

Creamy Chocolate Nut Surprise

These are delightfully delicate, messy to make, but well worth the effort!

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. Hershey Almond Bars or 24 ounces Hershey Kisses and 1/8 cup chopped Almonds
9 ounces Cool Whip
Vanilla Wafers finely crushed

Optional Ingredients: Substitute other nuts, such as pecans, hazelnuts or macadamia nuts!


Directions
Wear food handling gloves for this one.
Melt Chocolate slowly so it does not burn.
Mix with thawed Cool Whip. If you do not thaw the Cool Whip first the chocolate will not mix thoroughly.
Chill in the fridge one hour to firm up mixture.
Drop into spoonfuls of chocolate mixture into vanilla wafer crumbs by rounded teaspoon full.
Roll into balls.
Roll in more crumbs.
Chill till set. 

This recipe freezes well in an freezer jar.

Roger's Hershey Kiss Marshmellow Fudge

Ingredients
4 1/2 cup sugar
1 large can evaporated milk
1 stick butter (1/2 cup butter), cut into half tablespoon slices
24 ounces Hershey Kisses (currently, by size, this would be about 151 kisses!)
2- 7 ounce jars of marshmallow creme
1 cup coarsely chopped almonds or walnuts
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

Boil sugar and evaporated milk for 9-10 minutes. Place all of the other ingredients in the Bosch mixing bowl. Pour boiling mixture over other ingredients in the mixing bowl. Mix with dough hook for 2-4 minutes, until the mixture loses it gloss. Pour in buttered jelly roll pan, cool, and cut. We actually cut it and put it in the freezer!

Donna's Chocolate Raspberry Delight

We served this at my son, Jonathan's, wedding reception.

Ingredients:

1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix
2 small boxes instant Devil's Food pudding
1 -- 8 ounce package of cream cheese (softened)
12-18 ounces of fresh raspberries (rinsed and well drained)
16 ounce Cool Whip
Almond slices

Directions:

Bake cake in a jelly roll pan, according to box instructions (I use a pampered chef stoneware jelly roll pan and bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes). Cool cake completely. Prepare pudding according to pie directions. Blend in softened cream cheese. Rinse and thoroughly drain raspberries. Thaw cool whip. Place cake on the bottom, spread pudding cream cheese mixture evenly over cooled cake. Equally distribute raspberries over pudding layer. Spread cool whip over berries. Sprinkle almonds over top. Cut into squares, serve and enjoy!

This is best when assembled just before serving.

Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
¾ cups cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat 350˚. Mix butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, coca, baking soda, and salt. Mix in with creamed mixture... roll into 1" balls and place 2" apart. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Makes 4 ½ dozen.

Dad's Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is the basic recipe that my mother, Dorothy, and her mother, "Effie," used to make chocolate chip cookies. They were inclined to use half butter and half Crisco, and we use pure butter. Yes, these were the cookies that were in the tins that my grandma would serve us up from, and send home with us. My husband added the coconut and chopped nuts. This makes a chewy chocolate chip cookie. For a crunchier cookie just cook them longer.

Basic Ingredients:

4 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups butter OR 1 cup Crisco (shortening) + 1 cup butter
1 ½ granulated sugar
1 ½ brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2- 4 eggs (less eggs make cake like cookies, 2 works great!)
1 cup chocolate chips (or just eyeball to desires amounts!)

Optional Ingredients:

1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup coconut

Directions:

Sift and set aside flour, baking soda, and salt

Cream together butter (OR 1 cup Crisco + 1 cup butter), granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and 2- 4 eggs. Important Note see end note on cookie quality and type of fat used.

Combine flour mixture, liquid mixture, and eggs.

Add chocolate chips

Optional- Add chopped walnuts and coconut.

Drop by rounded teaspoon on un-greased cookies sheet. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes

Important Note: on butter, margarine, and shortenings...For health, taste, and product quality, I use pure butter. In this note I will focus on product quality. I will deal with nutrition in separate posts. I do not recommend margarine as many margarines have changed over the years and have more water and air whipped into them, and this changes the recipe, when cooked. If you have to use margarine or another brand of shortening, you will have to experiment, usually adding a 1/4 cup or more of flour. Even butter sometimes has problems if carregenan is added to thicken the butter instead of milk fat. Though carregenan is a natural thickener, it does not act the same in recipes.

Cyclops Cookies

Ingredients:

½ (1 stick) cup butter
½ cup peanut butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup (packed) brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 bag Hershey Kisses

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375˚

Cream the butter and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl. Then add in sugar and brown sugar. Beat till fluffy. Add egg milk and vanilla. Beat well. In medium mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Combine the flour mixture with the peanut butter mixture in the large mixing bowl. Beat well. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in sugar and place 2 inches apart on un-greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 -12 minutes. Immediately press a chocolate kiss atop each cookie. lift from cookie sheet and let cool. Makes 60

Double Fudge Brownie Mix and Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1 cup cocoa
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup chocolate chips
optional: 1 cup pecans, almonds, or walnuts

Directions:

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Double Fudge Brownies
makes 24

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
1 batch of Double Fudge Brownie Mix

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 325°F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. Using a large mixing bowl and an electric mixer, cream the butter. The add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the Brownie mix and keep beating until smooth. Spread mixture evenly in the prepared pan. Bake for 30- 40 minutes.

Double Chocolate Almond Ice Cream (and other flavors)

This makes a double batch and we make it in a 6 quart ice cream maker. This recipe can be halved for a smaller freezer.

Ingredients:

2 cups whole milk
3 eggs slightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups heavy whipping cream (straight cream without thickeners and without carrageenan is best, check local dairies Winder Dairies in Utah makes pure heavy whipping cream and it is less expensive than the supermarket)
2 teaspoons vanilla

For Chocolate Ice cream:

8 ounces Hershey’s syrup
8 ounce Hershey bar with almonds (chopped)

For Raspberry Ice Cream:

2 pints of whole frozen or fresh raspberries, rinsed. (Can use any type of edible berry) Lightly mash the berries after draining them, otherwise they will freeze in the ice cream and become hard chunks. Do not let the berries sit to let berry juice come from berries, this can add ice crystals to the ice cream, making it grainy. When you add the berries, do not add the juice. Some juice will come from the berries during the freezing process. This will impart a soft pastel color. Some people add a few drops of food coloring to impart a deeper color.

Directions for making Ice Cream:

Heat milk, sugar, and eggs, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar, and to keep eggs well mixed in, as they cook. Thicken until it clings to spoon and is thick. Strain. Cool in a bowl over ice, stirring, to keep mixture mixed and to aide cooling. When cool, add to ice cream maker container, place dasher in, add the rest of the ingredients. Cap ice cream maker and pack ice and salt around the can. Turn on ice cream maker, or start cranking. When ice cream is ready, pack into an airtight container and let ripen in the freezer.

Options:

Chopped Nuts
Peaches

Peppermint Ice Cream I love peppermint ice cream and think it is refreshing in the summer, yet the stores carry it as a Christmas flavor! Peppermint extract is not peppermint oil. Use the extract.