Chocolate Peppermint Stirring Spoons

I am one of the room moms for our twins' 5th grade class, and this Friday is their Christmas party.

My kids are lucky, they still get Christmas parties... I have talked to many friends, and their kids have "winter" parties.  I LOVE singing Christmas Carols and singing the kids all dressed in their Sunday best at their programs.

I am thankful my kids go to a Catholic school.

We are doing this cute craft I found on Pinterest

and having a hot cocoa bar!

My daughter and I made these cute Chocolate Peppermint Stir Spoons!

They couldn't be easier to make and so good in hot cocoa!!

Want to make your own cocoa mix?

CLICK HERE

Chocolate Peppermint Stirring Spoons

48 plastic spoons

6 candy canes crushed

2 cups chocolate chips

2 teaspoons crisco

Crush your candy canes.

Line cookie sheets with waxed paper. Rest spoons on edge of cookie sheet.

Melt chocolate chips in microwave for about 1 minute and then 30 second intervals until you can stir them smooth, add crisco and stir until incorporated.

**I used a glass 2 cup measuring cup ... worked great to pour the chocolate into the spoons!**

Pour chocolate into spoon well, and tap the spoon to make the chocolate pool evenly in the spoon.

Add crushed peppermints and place in the refrigerator to set up.

Swirl it through some hot cocoa and Relax....

Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

I made a housewarming gift basket for my brother and his family last weekend, and it turned out super cute!

I'll blog about it AFTER the holidays ... but the cute basket included this homemade hot cocoa.

I searched Pinterest, and read different recipes, but found this one from a blog that I love called wonkywonderful.com   You have seen recipes from Nicole on my facebook page, she shares there every now and then, and her stuff is always AMAZING.

So hers it was!

rich and thick and stirred into hot milk ... no water here, friends!  

Do you have a Tuesday Morning where you live?  I love going in that store, it's sort of like digging for buried treasure.  It's where I found this "Chalk it up" Glass jar.  I love how it looks like a barrel.

This is one of my favorite mugs, given to me by my dear friend, Traci.

(aint that the truth??)

Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix

wonky wonderful

1 cup cocoa

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup instant coffee creamer

1/2 cup Ovaltine

Combine and store in an airtight container.

Add 3-4 Tablespoons to a an 8 ounce cup hot milk and stir.

Chocolate Mint Candy Cookies

These are my contribution to my cookie exchange this year.
I made a "test batch" about 2 weeks ago, and they lasted all of 10 minutes, I swear!!

My sister-in-law, Karen, used to make these every year.
They are my niece, Leah's favorite cookie.

You don't have to sprinkle the candy canes on them, but I thought it made them more festive!

St. Patty's Day Version

Chocolate Mint Candy Cookies

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 Tablespoons water

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/4 teaspoons soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 packages Andes Mints

Crushed Peppermints or candy canes (optional)

In a saucepan over medium heat, cook sugar, butter and water, stirring occasionally until butter is melted.  Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips until melted. Let cool for about 10 minutes.

In your mixer, pour the chocolate batter.  Add and beat each egg one at a time.  Stir in flour, baking sod and salt.  Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Roll dough into walnut sized balls and place two inches apart.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. 

DO NOT OVER BAKE.

Place one Andes Mint on top of each cookie, let sit for about a minute to let it get all melty.

Swirl with the back of a spoon.

Top with crushed peppermint if you desire.

Eggnog Fudge

One of the first bloggers I ever "met" was Joan from Chocolate, Chocolate and More Chocolate.
Her blog is full of amazing sweet, most times chocolaty, goodness.
This recipe for eggnog fudge she posted last year is no exception.
 I wanted to make it then, but found I ran out of time!

It was on my holiday MUST BAKE list, and we are all happy that I did! :)
Make sure you pop over and see what Joan has baking in her kitchen, you will always be glad you did!

Eggnog Fudge

Chocolate, Chocolate and More

1/2 cup butter

2 Tablespoon heavy whipping cream

3/4 cup eggnog minus 2 Tablespoons

2 cups sugar

1 - 10 ounce bag white chocolate chips

1 - 7 ounce jar marshmallow fluff

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Line a 9x9 baking dish with foil and butter well.

In a medium saucepan combine butter, eggnog, cream and sugar.  Bring to boil over medium heat stirring occasionally.  When it boils, reduce the heat and continue cooking until candy thermometer registers 234 degrees. (soft ball stage)  Remove from heat and stir in white chocolate chips.  Stir until combined, add marshmallow, nutmeg and vanilla, stir until smooth.

Spread into prepared pan, garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg on top.

Let cool at room temperature and then place in refrigerator.

Store in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Double Chocolate Peppermint Puppy Chow

My kids love puppy chow, but my husband hates it!
He hates peanut butter... (I KNOW RIGHT?!? --- gasp!)
So this fall I made some Pumpkin Spice Muddy Buddies and they were a hit!  I started thinking about other ways to make puppy chow for the holidays.  Then I saw the White Chocolate Peppermint Kisses and M&Ms and the idea came to me.

Double Chocolate Peppermint Puppy Chow

2 cups white chocolate peppermint kisses, melted

1 - 14 ounce box of chocolate chex cereal

2 cups powdered sugar

1 package white chocolate peppermint M&M's

Melt kisses in the microwave in 30 second intervals until you can stir them smooth.

They are so pink and pretty! :)

Pour over cereal in a big bowl and stir to cover completely.

Top with powdered sugar and stir to coat.

Add the bag of Peppermint M&Ms!

How To: Hosting a Holiday Cookie Exchange

I have hosted a Cookie Exchange for the last 16 years.

It's been a lot of fun and has totally evolved throughout the years.

When I started, we all had little kids and I had it with my stay-at-home-mom friends.

Everyone would come to my house, and I would have breakfast food, the kids would play and the moms would have coffee and chat.

As the kids got older, I would still have it in the morning, some would be in pre-school/grade school and some were home.  People that came could make with at some point, with or without their kids.

Now, many of my friends have gone back to work, we all have school aged kids or our kids are out of school and we just want to go OUT.

So, for the last few years I have had my Cookie Exchange at my Sister-in-Law (to be)'s Wine Store.

Yes. Wine + Cookies= HAPPY WOMEN

Every year I have good intentions of taking photos of the event, and every year, I start having fun and completely forget.

I did manage to find a couple of photos from last year, and incorporated some cute ways to package cookies for gifts or an exchange.

Links to the yumminess, too!!

So, I will type up here on this post what I do to organize the event, so maybe you and your friends can have one, too!

Hosting your own Holiday Cookie Exchange

The month of December always fills up fast for everyone.  I always try to get my date on the calendar by mid-November.

Since the invention of facebook, I typically do a facebook event, almost all of my friends have facebook, and the one that doesn't, well it just gives me an excuse to chat with her on the phone! *smile*

I always try to select my date as close to Christmas as possible, my exchange typically falls somewhere between the 18th and the 21st.  That way guests have goodies for their family and friends during the holidays.

Each guest RSVP's with what cookie/candy they plan to bring.  I try REALLY hard to not get duplicates, or "all chocolate" or too much mint, or too many things with nuts.

Many of the people that come only bake for this, and when they return home with all of their goodies, I don't want their platter of treats to be all brown because everything is chocolate. *wink*

I want there to be a nice assortment of flavors and colors for everyone's cookie platters.

So, it's a first come first serve thing.  If you planned on making peanut butter kisses, and someone else signs up first, you go back to the drawing board and find something else.

The number of people changes every year.  Some years I have had as many as 15 people, other years there are only 8.  Whatever number of people in attendance there are, that's how many dozen cookies you will bring of your cookie.

Caramel, Toffee and Pecan Fudge boxed with a bow

For example, there are 10 of us coming, myself included, and  I am making sugar cookies, I bring 9 dozen of my cookie to the party.  Friend A brings peanut butter kisses, 9 dozen, friend B is bringing fudge,  9 dozen pieces, and so on.

Great Aunt Vern's Sugar Cookies in a tin

Everyone brings their candy/cookie wrapped/boxed with one dozen per package.  Some place theirs in bags, some boxes, some on plates and some in tins.  Whatever they decide.  On their packages, they attach their recipe for their baked good inside.

gift or bring candies like Peanut Brittle in mason jars with ribbon attached

Up-Cycled Pringles cans I made with recipe attached for my exchange last year

Turtle Bark in a tin

Everyone brings their own baked good (all 9 dozen) in a big box or basket.  I line them up, and at the end of the evening everyone takes one package from each guest (except themselves) and then leaves with 9 dozen different kinds of cookies, and all they did was make one kind.

See?

Everyone is welcome to bring an appetizer to share, and we sip wine and relax.  

Who doesn't need to relax a little by the middle of December??!!

One other fun thing we added a few years back, is we do a gift exchange.

Everyone brings a wrapped gift (dollar amount is about $15) and we place them on a table.  

We draw numbers and start at 1 and that person opens a gift.

Person number 2 can either steal the gift from the person who opened it, or open their own.

If there are 10 people, we play from 1 up to 10 and back down to 1 so everyone gets a chance to steal.

But the gift can only be stolen twice.

It's a lot of laughs!

Toni got a great HUSKER bag...too bad she's a huge Iowa State fan! Ha!

It's a fun activity, and there always seems to be something new and creative!

Fun to shop for , too!! 

So in a nutshell that is how I do my cookie exchange.

I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I enjoy hosting it!

girlfriends cookie exchange 2012

Peanut Clusters

Every year my God-Mother, my Aunt Janette, makes these for me for Christmas.

I bake and bake and bake all season long, and mostly,

once I look at stuff for so long it's not even appealing to me!

But NOT THESE!!

I can't leave them alone, and the only thing that makes them better is to eat them out of the freezer!!

I made my own this year to share with friends and family, 

and thought I would share them with YOU!!

Peanut Clusters

8 squares chocolate almond bark

1 - 12 ounce package of semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 - 10 ounce packages of salted blanched peanuts

Melt almond bark and chocolate chips in the microwave for about 2 1/2 minutes.  Stir.  It may take a few seconds longer to get them completely melted, depending on your microwave.

Add peanuts to mix and combine well with the melted chocolate.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.

Refrigerate until set.

Makes about 5 dozen small clusters.

Peanut Brittle

If you would have told me that I would ever be posting a recipe for peanut brittle, 

I would have told you that you were NUTS!!

(don't mind the pun...)

For whatever reason, I have always been told how difficult it is to make and therefore I have always been a little chicken to try it.

Well, I am here to tell you the one thing you need....

a good candy thermometer!!

peanut brittle

Follow these directions and you will have peanut brittle success just like I did!!

put in a jar for a great gift!!

Peanut Brittle

from Taste of Home Magazine

3 cups sugar

2 cups water

3/4 cup light corn syrup

3/4 cup dark corn syrup

2 cups salted Spanish peanuts

2 Tablespoons butter

1 Tablespoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large heavy duty pan, combine sugar, water and corn syrups.  Bring to a boil stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar.  When mixture reaches a full boil, continue boiling without stirring over medium heat until candy thermometer reaches 260 degrees or the "hard ball stage."  Stir in the peanuts and the butter, stirring frequently until the mixture reaches the "hard crack stage" or 300 degrees.

Remove from heat, stir in the baking soda and the vanilla, mixture will become foamy.  Pour onto lined baking sheets and spread out as thin as possible.  

Cool completely and break into pieces.

Coconut Macaroons

Chocolate Drizzled Coconut Macaroons

Always a favorite on my holiday trays.  

These sweet little coconut morsels are drizzled with just a little bit of chocolate fudge!

My friend, Toni, made these for my cookie exchange many years ago.

My father in law LOVES them!!

I always seem to have extra coconut left after I make my husband's 

Chocolate Macaroon Tunnel Cake 

for his birthday, so I whip these up at Christmastime!

Coconut Macaroons

4 c flaked coconut

1 cup sugar

1/4 c + 2 Tbls flour

1/3 t salt

6 egg whites

1 t vanilla

melted chocolate fudge canned frosting for drizzle

In a medium bowl, combine coconut, sugar, flour and salt, mix well.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites and vanilla til blended.

Pour egg mixture over coconut mixture and blend well.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool.

Drizzle with melted chocolate frosting.

White and Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark

White and Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark

gorgeous on any holiday platter

The best of both worlds come together with both kinds of delectable chocolate and the crunch of the peppermint candy canes!

This is one of my favorite things to put on cookie platters, 

because it's just so darn pretty!!

yes, please.

White and Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

8 ounces premiere white chocolate

10 candy canes, crushed

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract, divided

Melt over low heat, white chocolate, remove from heat and add 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract.

Spread onto a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper.

Place in freezer for about 10 minutes, or until hardened.

Melt dark chocolate, over low heat, remove from heat, add 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract.

Spread over the top of the white chocolate.

Top with crushed peppermint, pressing into warm chocolate.

\

Return to freezer until hardened.

Break or cut into pieces.
I prefer to break mine, I like the randomness of the look of the broken pieces!

White Chocolate Peppermint Kiss Martini

Not really sure why I never blogged this recipe?

It wasn't until today when I was asked for it by a fellow foodie, that I remembered that I hadn't!

So thanks for that.... because this is one worth enjoying!!

whipped cream on that?

We started a tradition in December of 2010, of a holiday get together at our house with a few of the couple that we run around with.

It's now referred to as "Holiday Frolic."

It's Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, FUN!

By mid-December, we are all ready for a BREAK, aren't we??

ain't that the truth?

So, everyone brought an appetizer to share, and the martinis were shaken!

"shake it honey!"

White Chocolate Peppermint Kiss Martini

Decorate the inside of a martini glass with a swirl of chocolate syrup.

In an ice-filled martini shaker add:

1 shot of Vanilla Vodka

1 shot of Bailey's 

1 shot of Godiva White Chocolate Liquor

1/2 shot of  Peppermint Schnapps

a splash of cream

Shake well and strain into glass.

Top with whipped cream, and add a candy cane for stirring.

Cheers to the holidays and to Girlfriends!!

Holiday Highlights from An Affair from the Heart

all packaged up for delivery

I have been busy busy baking and baking. Then Tuesday night I had my cookie exchange.  

Wednesday morning,  I spread my platters out on my kitchen table and began filling them up.  

We made 5 huge platters, two small containers and several little plates of goodies.

My twins and I loaded them up and off we went to deliver!

I decided to share with you the holiday things that I have been making in one spot.

So, here you have a Holiday Recap!

Holiday Recap 2011

Spice Cookies with Pumpkin Dip

Candy Bar Fudge

Caramel Toffee and Pecan Fudge

Almond Raspberry Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies

My Great Aunt Vern's Sugar Cookies

Candy Coated Crispix Mix

Click on the Crispix Mix to see this cute way to decorate a Pringles Can for your cookie Exchanges.  How cute are these?!?

Grandma Davis' Frosted Sugar Cookies

Karen's Gngerbread

Rainbow Cookies

Pecan Caramel Bark (Turtle Bark)

Festive Cherry Pie Jell-O

Home Made Sugar Scrubs

From myself and my family,  to all of you who take the time to follow my blog and facebook pages, 

Happy Holidays!  It means so much to have you here with me! 

Cheers to 2012!