Sugar coated pecans

One of my favorites. This is great for a party snack too.

What you’ll need:

1 egg white
1 Tbl water
1 lb pecan halves
1 c sugar
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet and set aside. In a large bowl, whip together the egg white and water until it’s frothy. In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add pecans to egg white mixture and stir to coat the nuts evenly. Remove the nuts using a slotted spoon and add them to the sugar mixture bowl. Toss well to coat in sugar. Spread them onto the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Cost:
eggs – $1.09/ dozen
pecans – $3.00
sugar – $1.99/4 lb bag
cinnamon – $1.85
Total – $3.47

Chocolate covered cherries

You won’t believe how easy this is and your friends will be so impressed!

What you’ll need:

1 jar maraschino cherries with stems
1 Tbl butter, softened
1 Tbl corn syrup
2/3 c powdered sugar
5 oz chocolate confectioners coating

Drain the cherries and set on paper towels to dry. Reserve the juice if desired for other recipes (like Shirley Temple’s). In a medium bowl, combine butter and corn syrup until smooth. Stir in sugar and using your hands, knead to form a ball. If it’s too soft, refrigerate for about 10 minutes to stiffen it. Wrap each cherry in about 1 teaspoon dough and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. When all the cherries are covered in dough, refrigerate until firm, usually about 20 minutes. When the cherries are firm, melt the chocolate according to package directions. Dip each cherry by it’s stem and place back on the cookie sheet. When all the cherries have been dipped, return to refrigerator until completely set. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They can be kept up to a year (like they’ll make it that long!) if refrigerated properly and are actually better after about 2 weeks of sitting. Makes about 20 cherries.

Cost:
cherries – $1.12
butter – $1.75/pound
corn syrup – $1.29
powdered sugar – $1.69
candy coating – $2.69
Total – $4.26

Creative Christmas candy

This is so much fun for the kids to do but I always end up eating the candy while we’re working…

What you’ll need:

Assorted candies
Royal frosting

To make edible Christmas ornaments glue whatever candies you choose together with royal frosting. Use a piece of yarn as an ornament ‘hook’. You can make wreaths out of lifesavers for example. Let the kids imaginations run wild and create their own masterpieces. There will probably even be some you won’t want to eat because they turned out so nicely. You can also use royal frosting to glue candies onto your gingerbread men or gingerbread houses. It dries hard and is an excellent glue!

To make stained glass candy (or stained glass windows for that gingerbread house) use different flavors of jolly ranchers. Generously spray down metal cookie cutters in desired shapes with non stick cooking spray and place them about 2 inches apart from each other on a cookie sheet. Place several unwrapped jolly ranchers into each cookie cutter. How many depends on the size the cookie cutter is and how thick you want the candy to be. If you want it thick use more. Place in a 350 degree oven for 6 minutes. If you’ve used a lot of candy increase the time. Watch carefully and if it starts running out from underneath the cutters take them out of the oven. Remove from oven and let cool. Pick up the cookie cutters and gently break off any candy that is on the outside of them. Now gently push the candy out of the cutter. Ta da! This is really neat I think.

Royal frosting

What you’ll need:

2 c powdered sugar
2 tsp meringue powder
4 Tbl water

Whisk all ingredients together. Use immediately. Store any unused product in the refrigerator up to 4 days.

Cost:
candy – $5.00
powdered sugar – $1.69
meringue powder – $1.89
Total – $6.88

Buckeyes aka chocolate covered peanut butter balls

What you’ll need:

1 (18oz) jar of peanut butter
1 c of softened butter
1 Tbl vanilla
1 (1 lb) box of powdered sugar
1 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips
1 bar of paraffin wax (with canning supplies)
several cookie sheets faintly buttered to avoid sticking
wooden toothpicks

Mix jar of peanut butter, butter, and vanilla together until smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar mixing completely until its firm like cookie dough. Pinching off small pieces at a time, roll into 1 inch balls. After all dough is rolled into balls, shave paraffin wax, at least half a block. In a 2 quart boiler over low heat, slowly melt choc chips and paraffin wax until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stick each peanut butter ball with a toothpick and dip into melted chocolate mixture. Place on cookie sheets ¼ inch apart and set in freezer until they are set up. Store refrigerated in an airtight container.

Cost:
peanut butter – $1.59
butter – $1.75/pound
vanilla – $2.25
powdered sugar – $1.69
chocolate chips – $2.50
paraffin wax – $3.00
Total – $9.23

Submitted by Cynthia Wilson

Mini ice cream cone candies

I love these things! A little time is needed but is a fun & easy recipe that even the kids can enjoy doing.

What you’ll need:

1 bag of plain bugles
1 jar peanut butter
1 block of chocolate or bag of chocolate chips
1 sheet of wax paper (size as needed)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) fill open ends of bugles with peanut butter

2) melt chocolate until smooth n creamy (microwave is fine)

3) dip peanut butter filled ends in chocolate

4) place on wax paper to cool

5) eat & enjoy

Cost:
bugles – $1.79
peanut butter – $1.59
chocolate chips – $2.50
Total – $5.88

Submitted by Heather B.