Easy Sugar Cookie Icing

I am sure most of you know what Royal Icing is. Well this is basically the exact same thing, only way easier to make. I found this recipe in the Food Network Magazine and wanted to try it on my sugar cookies. It was super easy and it turned out perfect. My favorite part is when you iced your cookie you didn't have to get it perfect, any imperfections or smudges quickly smoothed out on it's own once you put the icing on. It isn't runny, but just the right consistency to slap some on and it evened out to a pretty smooth finish no matter how messy you were with the icing. My kinda icing. I hate futzing with it and ending up with a lumpy smudgy icing after all that work. Sprinkle with pretty sprinkles or make some with food coloring and decorate with various colors. I have never made royal icing but Mom made a batch to compare to this icing. After watching her make it- I won't be making it. Too much effort compared to this one and once they were done you couldn't tell them apart. Also- the meringue powder was easier to find that I thought. I found a can of it in the specialty baking area at Wal-Mart by the arts and crafts/scrapbooking area, it is a little high but it will last you forever since you don't use much to make a batch of icing, and we iced at least 2 dozen cookies with it, if not more. 

Iced Sugar Cookies Icing Recipe

 From: Food Network Magazine

3 3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 T meringue powder
6 T water

Sift the powdered sugar and meringue powder together in to a large bowl. Beat in 6 tablespoons of water with a mixer on medium speed until soft, glossy peaks form. Spread onto the cookies and decorate. Let sit about 1 hour. (we didn't.. we ate them right away! LOL) 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

I found this recipe on pinterest (where else??) and decided to try it at our baking with the family night. They were voted by several people the best thing made all night. Wow are these good. Especially if you like raw cookie dough.. these are pure evil. they were super easy to make too, which you all know I love. It takes a little time as you have to chill them for an hour, then freeze them for half an hour, but other than that the actual time it takes to make them is very little and super easy. Gotta love that. And this recipe makes quite a few too! I think we made at least 2 dozen truffles and they are kinda rich so they go a long way. 1, maybe 2, per person would be plenty. Trust me. Make these. You will love them! 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

By: Love and Olive Oil via pinterest

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla (tad less if using pure vanilla extract!) 
1/3 cup milk or cream (I used milk) 
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 package chocolate almond bark 

Beat butter and sugars in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add milk and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt and mix on low speed until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. 

Cover and chill in fridge for 1 hour. 

When dough is firm enough to handle (it may help to lightly flour your hands) form dough into 1" balls and arrange on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Place sheets in freezer and let chill for 30 minutes. (make sure your baking sheets are not too wide for the freezer.. I did not check and had to transfer them all to plates before freezing them!) 

Melt chocolate almond bark in a double broiler ( I used my fondue pot) or in micorwave according to package directions. Using forks or dipping tool (I used my fondue forks) dip cookie balls into bandy doating to cover. Tap fork on side of pan to remove excess coating, and return to waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Chill until set. Store, chilled, in an airtight container for up to 1 week. (I didn't let them chill the final time. As soon as they were dipped and the chocolate cooled they were ready to eat. 

White Chocolate Pretzels

I absolutely love white chocolate covered pretzels. It was an easy sweet dish I could make when I was younger so at Christmas time I would make them and feel like I was contributing to the sweet table. But now that I am older it isn't Christmas without the white chocolate pretzels. So every year I melt almond bark and start dipping. I have to make quite a few for the crowd that we have during the holidays so I stand and dip FOREVER. Well I saw on pinterest a much easier way to make them and decided today to try them to see if they were as good as the traditional ones. They taste EXACTLY the same and are SO much easier to make. Yep. I won't be standing and dipping pretzels for hours this year! Yay! Last year my Sister-in-law, Jamie, made a recipe from pinterest where you take a pretzel, place an unwrapped rolo on top and melt it, then finish it off by squishing a pecan half down on top gently. Ta-da you have turtles pretzels. They were so good we couldn't stop eating them. This is the same concept except you use the HUGS Hershey's kisses- the white chocolate ones- and you can either squish another pretzel on top, or top with a pecan.. whatever you like. I had a handful of pecan halves left so I did some both ways. I really like pecans so I prefered the ones with the nuts. I also had the idea to do the same concept with Andes Mints on pretzels. Some I left alone after they melted and some I topped with pecans. again- it was even better with the pecan on top, if you ask me. Anyway.. as you can imagine any chocolate candy that would get soft in the oven can be used, and you can top them with just about anything. I have seen them with nuts, m&ms, red hots, you name it. I saw the peppermint kisses on pretzels with red m&ms squished on top.. the possibilities are endless. 

  Anyway, I am just glad to have found a MUCH easier and faster way to get my white chocolate pretzels without all the frustration and time. Sorry the picture below isn't very pretty- I was impatient and started moving the candies to a plate before they had cooled so they ended up oozing chocolate everywhere.. hard to get a good picture then. Anyway.. can't wait for Christmas to make these!! 

White Chocolate Pretzels

From: Pinterest

Pretzels (preferably the square ones) 
Hershey's HUGS (white chocolate kisses) 
Pecan halves (optional) 

Preheat oven to 200. Spread pretzels onto baking sheet. Unwrap HUGS and place one on to each of the pretzels, centering them as much as possible. Place in oven for 2-3 minutes or until the chocolate is starting to get very soft and melty. Take them out of the oven and carefully top with either a pecan half, or another plain pretzel square. Push down just enough to sandwich the chocolate without it oozing out the sides. Let cool and serve! 

This is one from Merletta. She emailed me this a couple years ago and this is what she wrote: 

I just now made this and it is PERFECT.. don't burn it on med. when you are waiting on a boil, then boil on med. for 5 min. .STIR it ALLLLL THE TIME.. worth it though.  I filled ours with pecans and then one on top of each piece.

Creamy Chocolate Fudge

1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow cream

1 ½ cup white sugar

2/3 cup evaporated milk

¼ cup butter

¼ teaspoon salt

2 cups milk chocolate chips

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

½ cup chopped nuts

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Direction

1. Line a 8 X 8 pan with aluminum foil.  Set aside
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine marshmallow cream, sugar,

Evaporated milk, butter and salt.  Bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

3. Remove from heat and pour in semisweet chocolate chips, and milk chocolate         chips, stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.  Stir in nuts and vanilla.  Pour into prepared pan.  Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours or until firm.

This is the best recipe I have found for fudge

Orange Juice Candy

Orange Juice Candy

From: Merletta

3 cups powdered sugar

 

1 stick melted butter

 

1 lb. box vanilla wafers crushed to powder fine

 

6 ounce can thawed frozen orange juice

 

1 cup pecans chopped

 

7 ounces coconut

 

mix well..... roll into balls, roll in powdered sugar to coat.

 

Let set in frig. till firm.

Mrs. Ray's Date Candy

This was sent to me from Merletta, who has been searching for this recipe for years. Finally got it and was nice enough to pass it along! 

Mrs. Ray's Date Candy

From: Merletta- Via Mrs. Ray

 2 1/2 cups sugar, 1 small can evaporated milk, 2 Tbls butter, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 lb dates (chopped) and nuts optional. She didn't say how much nuts. add all ingredients in a pan & cook to soft ball stage. Remove from heat & beat till firm. (I think I would add the nuts after boiling) Roll in damp cloth. She used a flour sack dishtowel. Chill and slice

Divinity

This is an old recipe that I had Merletta send to me this past Christmas. This is the way she and Mom always make it.. soooo good. 

DIVINITY

From: Merletta & Judy

2 1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup white syrup

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water

2 room temp. egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla

*fine chopped pecan to put in mix

*pecan halves for top each piece

*can add food colorings

***  = optional....

Combine sugar, syrup, salt, and water. Candy thermometer... cook about 30 minutes, slow simmer, moving boil, to hard ball stage (260 degree), stirring only until sugar dissolves.  Meanwhile,in largest glass bowl, beat egg whites to stiff peaks.  Gradually pour syrup mixture over egg whites, beating at high speed with electric mixer.  Add vanilla and beat until candy holds shape.  4-5 minutes.  WORK FAST, quickly drop from teaspoon onto waxed paper.  Makes about 40 pieces.