Holiday treats are one of my favorite things of the season.  I love all the chocolates, caramels, cookies, homemade candies and breads...who doesn't?  My favorite is the ginormous box of assorted chocolates.  And guess what?  The rest of my family doesn't really like the chewy, creamy, nutty, or fruity fillings, but to me, they are just right.  So I eat the whole box.  It's not healthy, (and I usually regret it afterwards and vow to eat healthier in the new year), but it sure is fun.

The best treats though are the ones that come from neighbors and friends. There's nothing better than coming home and finding a plate full of cookies and toffee on the porch.  I love this neighborly tradition, but it seems like people are losing it.  Is it just me or are you getting less neighbor treats?  When I was a kid, we knew exactly who was going to bring plates of treats, and what they would bring. It always felt so good to know the neighbors were thinking of you and wanted to spread some holiday cheer.

As much as I like this tradition, I'm guilty of not always following it.  Life is so busy during the holidays.  You know how it is.  This year though I wanted to do something.  My mom always made cinnamon roll wreaths. They were amazing and so much fun to make, and I thought about baking some myself this year.  But they are way too time consuming for my life right now. 

I'm all about simple and easy these days.  These two delicious treats are just that. 

Holiday treat #1:

Chocolate dipped oreos are so, so simple to make.  They are one of those things that kills me to pay up the yin yang for at chocolate shops, and yet I still do it...becausethey are that good. 


Ingredients:
1. Chocolate chips. Any kind- semi-sweet (my fave), milk chocolate, or white chocolate.
2. Oreos.  Lots and lots of oreos.


Here's what to do:
1. Lay out a long piece of wax paper for drying.
2. Melt chocolate chips in microwave.  Deep, narrow containers work best.
3. Dip oreo half way into melted chocolate. 
4. Shake off excess chocolate.
5. Place oreo on wax paper.
6. Repeat process until oreos or chocolate are gone.


They are so very easy, and so very irresistible.

*********

Easy treat #2 are these crunchy sweet almonds. They are a little more involved, but still very easy.

Ingredients:
4 cups whole almonds
Butter (to grease pans)
1 egg white
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread almonds in single layer on baking pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until lightly toasted.  Remove from oven and cool completely (about 30 minutes).  Reduce oven temp to 300 degrees F. Generously grease 2 baking pans. In a large bowl whisk egg white until foamy. Whisk in sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.  Stir in almonds and toss until well coated.  Divide nuts between pans, spreading out in a single layer.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven, stir, and separate nuts. Return to oven and bake another 10-12 minutes, until nuts are pale golden brown and appear dry.  Remove from oven and let sit for 3 to 5 minutes.  When nuts begin to harden, quickly loosen them from pan with a metal spatula, and spread out on wax paper to finish cooling.  Store in airtight container up to 1 week.




Enjoy these easy holiday treats. You will love them, and your neighbors will love you. 

Whoopie Pies to Celebrate

Happy Valentines Day!

  I hope you all enjoyed celebrating with your loved ones.  

 

My sweet husband surprised me with a large box of chocolates.  It was wonderful, however,

the longer I go without eating sugar daily, the more I feel my body's intolerance to it.  I get shaky and sick. So, when I saw the beautiful red heart shaped box wrapped up all pretty, I knew I was doomed.  You see, chocolates are my favorite, favorite, favorite sweet treat to eat.  All of those gooey, chewy centers put a smile on my face. 

  

Those gooey, chewy centers took that smile off my face too.  I had a major tummy ache, the kind you are always warning your kids about.  I should be more mature than this right?  Ya, well, I really can't resist the chocolates.

 By dinner time, I felt so sick, and I only ate 2, 3, or  was it 4 chocolates?  I lost count, but really it wasn't more than 4, I promise. 

All I wanted was some good nutritious veggies, and that's what I got in the delicious stir-fry my husband made. (On a side note...he has definitely been holding out on me as far as his cooking abilities.  After 10 years of marriage, he's starting to whip up these awesome dishes that blow my socks off.  I didn't know he had it in him....we'll talk more about this later.)

Wholesome food made my tummy feel so much better, but I was doomed once again.  Do you want to know why?

Because of these:

  For weeks I had been planning to make these RED VELVET WHOOPIE PIES for my family on Valentines Day.  I baked my little heart out all afternoon, and I wasn't about to let this day pass, without eating one.

So I did, eat one

 or at least 3/4 of one before  I was back to tummy ache and now wanting to puke.  But let me tell you, that whoopie pie was so very delicious, I wouldn't change a thing.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

2 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 C butter, softened

1 C sugar

2 eggs

1/2 C sour cream

1 Tbsp red food coloring

1 1/2 tsp white vinegar

1 tsp vanilla 

2 1/4 C flour

1/4 C baking cocoa

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

Filling:

8 oz. cream cheese softened

1/2 C butter, softened

2 1/2 C confectioners' sugar

2 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

In microwave, melt chocolate; stir until smooth.  Set aside.

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, sour cream, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.  Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.  Stir in melted chocolate.

Drop by tablespoons 2 in. apart onto greased or parchment lined baking sheets.  Bake at 375 degrees F. for  8-10 minutes or until edges are set.  Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

For filling, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Beat in confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth.  Spread filling on the bottoms of half of the cookies. Top with remaining cookies.

*This recipe comes from the Feb/Mar 2011 issue of Taste of Home Magazine.

p.s. I ran out of red food coloring, so they don't look very "red velvety", but they sure tasted it.

p.p.s. Please don't make yourself sick like I did.