Almond Bark

This is definitely the easiest and quickest yummy that we make. It takes about 10 minutes, not counting chilling time and it's one of my FIL's favourites.

Almond Bark
1 package semi sweet chocolate chips

2 T shortening

1 1/2 cups whole almonds

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 T shortening

Melt chocolate chips with shortening.

Stir in almonds.

Spread as thinly as possible on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper.

Melt white chocolate with second amount of shortening, until runny. Drizzle over chocolate. Use a wooden skewer to blend white chocolate in with dark chocolate.

Chill until set. Break into irregular pieces.

Ting-a-lings

This is an old family favourite. While some of our Christmas baking recipes have been acquired over the past few years, I remember enjoying tingalings each year when I was a little girl. They are simple and delicious!

Tingalings
1 pkg butterscotch or peanut butter chips

1 pkg chocolate chips

1 can chow mein noodles

1 cup salted peanuts

1. Melt both chips, stirring constantly, then add noodles and peanuts. Stir to coat.

Drop by the spoonful on a cookie sheet and refrigerate until set.

Rice Krispie Roll

This recipe is my Grandma V's recipe. I grew up loving it. Since Grandma has been gone, my sweet cousin Em has carried on the tradition by making two logs each year for our family reunion. One for me and one for the rest of the family. It's the best!

Grandma's Rice Krispie Roll
3/4 cup corn syrup

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup peanut butter

4 1/2 cups Rice Krispies

1/3 cup butter

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

2/3 cup cocoa

1. Heat corn syrup, sugar and peanut butter over medium until smooth and runny. Stir into rice krispies. Spread as thinly as possible on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Chill.

2. Sift together icing sugar and cocoa.

3. Melt butter. Pour into icing sugar and cocoa mixture. Stir until well combined. Spread over rice krispies, as thinly and evenly as possible.

Roll into a log. Chill and cut into 1/2 inch slices.

**After writing this post, and hearing from Lisa, I realized that the directions for this step were not clear enough.

If you DO try to make it, I suggest cutting it in half before rolling it, to make two smaller rolls rather than one large roll. Cut it in half down the middle so you have two squares rather than one large rectangle. Then, roll from the inside toward the outside edge so the chocolate layer will be enclosed in the rice krispies. It will work out better and look nicer. In the picture below, half of the sheet has already been cut off and rolled and the part that is currently being rolled is just one half of the original sheet.

Also -- if possible, try to do the rolling when you have an extra set of hands around. It is helpful to have one person rolling and one person piecing the log together as you go, or else it might fall apart and look very patch-like.

If you are having trouble with the rice krispies sticking to your fingers, you might want to place a cup of cold water beside you, so that you can dip your hands into it occasionally as you roll.

Make an extra one, just in case you've got someone like me hanging around :)

Raspberry Chocolate Crumble Bars

This one is hubby's choice. My mom started making it a few years back and now it's a must have each holiday season.

Raspberry Chocolate Crumble Bars - Mom
Crumble:

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Filling:

1 can sweetened condensed milk (or make your own)

1 300g pkg semi sweet chocolate chips, divided

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup raspberry jam

1. Combine butter, flour and brown sugar, mixing until crumbly. Press 2 1/2 cups crumble mixture in a greased 9x13; reserve remaining crumble. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, until golden.

2. Heat sweetened condensed milk and 1 cup chips until smooth. Spread over crust.

3. Stir walnuts and remaining chips into reserved crumble.

Sprinkle over filling.

Heat jam for about 30 seconds and stir until smooth and runny.

Drizzle over top.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until set.

Let cool and cut into bars. Makes about 40 bars.

Peanut Butter Balls

Peanut Butter Balls

1 cup peanut butter

2 T butter

1 cup icing sugar (this is the Canadian term for powdered sugar or confectioners sugar)

1 6 oz bag semi sweet chocolate chips

2 T shortening

Mix peanut butter, butter and sugar. Place in freezer for 1-2 hours.

Once nearly frozen, form peanut butter mixture into small balls.
Put back in freezer for a few hours to harden.

Once your balls are hardened (um....why is balls such a funny word?), melt chocolate with shortening in a small pot over low heat on the stove.

Drop balls, a few at a time into chocolate. Use a fork to fully coat them. Pick up, allow excess chocolate to drip off and place on a tray of somesort.

Allow peanut butter balls to chill in the fridge or freezer for a few hours until chocolate is hardened.

Makes 2-3 dozen, depending on the size.

Shortbread

Shortbread is definitely my favourite Christmas treat. I have already eaten my quota for the entire holiday season!

Shortbread
1/2 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup icing sugar (icing sugar is the Canadian term for powdered or confectioner's sugar)
1 cup flour
3/4 cup butter, softened

1. Mix together dry ingredients.

2. Blend butter in with your hands until dough forms loosely into a ball.

3. At this point, I usually pop the bowl in the fridge for 15-20 minutes for the dough to chill a bit. You don't want to leave it in there too long, though, or you will have hardened dough that is impossible to work with.

4. Sprinkle a surface lightly with flour. Take a small chunk of dough and roll/flatten to about 1/4-1/2 inch thickness. They are a fragile cookie, so thicker is better to prevent breakage.

5. Cut into desired shape. Decorate as you will. Try not to think about what those odd, edible metalish things are as you decorate your Christmas trees.

6. Bake at 300 for 10-15 minutes. In my mom's oven I have found that 12 minutes is too short, 15 minutes is too long and 13 minutes is exactly right.

7. Allow cookies to cool for 5-6 minutes on the baking sheet and transfer to wire cooling rack.

Makes about 2 dozen. I often double this recipe and it works great.

This recipe is being shared at Tasty Tuesday, Tuesday's at the Table and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chip Cookies

If you read my personal blog, you may know that I am a lunatic put up my Christmas decorations and tree this weekend. Among those decorations is this sweet little snowman cookie jar that I got from my MIL for Christmas last year.

I love him because he has two compartments - one on the top in his hat and one on the bottom in his head. That means I can make TWO kinds of cookies!

I didn't want him to get lonely, so I thought I better make some cookies to fill him with.

I couldn't decide if I wanted chocolate chip, oatmeal or peanut butter cookies so I decided to go with all three

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chip Cookies
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
2 cups quick oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Cream together butter and sugar.

2. Add egg, vanilla and peanut butter and mix.

3. Add oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix to combine.
4. Fold in chocolate chips.

5. Shape into small balls and arrange on cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for 4-5 minutes on cookie sheet before transfering to wire cooling rack.

Makes 2 1/2-3 dozen cookies.

It's not going to be long until my sweet snowman is all empty and sad again so I'm sure I'll need to make some more cookies in the very near future.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

There is nothing better than some good old fashioned chocolate chip cookies. The Fabulous Dude is not really a cookie fan, so I don't make them at home a lot. Last week when I was visiting my parents, my mom was having ladies from her church over so I made a batch of her chocolate chip cookies to serve. Yum yum.

Mumma's Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 1/3 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2-2 cups chocolate chips

1. Mix together shortening, sugars, eggs and vanilla.

2. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt until well combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

3. Drop by the spoonful onto a cookie sheet.

4. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. I always take them out right at 8 minutes and then let them sit for a few minutes on the hot baking sheet before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.

Makes about 4 dozen.

This recipe is being shared at Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday and Tuesday's at the Table.