Wednesday, October 18, 2006

My Sweet Tooth

I've had a bit of a sweet tooth lately, as noted by my reference to an Oreo McFlurry in my last post.. :) I usually try not to keep too much in the way of sweets in my house...it seems the more of them I eat...the more of them I want and you know where that goes....straight to the bottom...mine that is...:) But lately I guess I'm just getting in the mood for the yummy stuff the upcoming seasons bring....

Today a co-worker brought in these awesome homemade chocolate-peanutbutter-fudge topped brownies...completely decadent!! They were soooo good! and sooo Southern (some of you know what I'm talkin about :)) these are Christmas goodie good....probably put me right to sleep in a half hour or so...:)
Makes me wanna break out the recipes I usually reserve for the holidays and make something really yummy....which I've been comtemplating for several evenings already.

Our family has a few things we make at holiday time that are surrounded by tradition and memories. My kids beg for them and beg to make them each year. One is sugar cookies which aren't special in the recipe but everyone loves to cut out and decorate them and all my kids have participated since they were 3...this year will be Jada's turn to get involved in the making and maybe I'll get her Poppy in on it too. He's very artsy so he would turn out some holiday shaped masterpieces, I'm sure, all the while educating Jadabear on how its done...:)

Another traditional goodie we made, usually as a family, is one we creatively call "chocolate balls" lol....they are a timeless tradition in our family and waaay better than their boring name implies....we usually end up making several batches so that everyone can participate and so everyone gets some to take home...because we eat a lot along the way... :)

Here's the recipe..straight from my memory...well I did double check with my mom to be sure... :)

1 C graham cracker crumbs (if you don't use Nabisco Honeymaid they don't taste right)
1 Bx confectioners sugar
1 & 3/4 sticks melted butter, margerine works fine
2 Tbls peanut butter
3/4 C chopped pecans
3/4 C shredded coconut ( we leave this one out...no one likes coconut)
1 tsp vanilla
mix well and roll this mixture into small one inch balls
place on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper
insert a toothpick into each ball
freeze for 1/2 hour
meanwhile...
melt together 3/4 of a 12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and
2 oz. parafin in a double boiler
dip frozen balls into the melted mixture and set back on the waxed paper to harden, remove toothpicks.
makes approx. 100 pieces
YUM! we keep them in the fridge to keep the chocolate coating firm.
(Note: Parafin is wax...plain ole' candle wax, and can usually be found in the section carrying canning supplies or the baking section...it hardens the melted chocolate into a candy like shell)

Ouch, that sweet tooth is screaming! I may not be able to wait til its officially "holidays"..I may have to go home and make something tonight!

Do you have holiday cooking traditions or recipes you'd care to share?

10 comments:

Amydeanne said...

that sounds heavenly!
I usually make biscotti and popcorn balls! I can dig out the recipes if you want them.

Pat said...

I'm going to have to get back to you cuz I'm on my lunch break from work...can't wait to try this recipe though!
I don't have a sweet tooth, I have sweet teeth. My downfall for sure! Tonight I was going to make baked apples to try to satisfy that craving but not so harmful ~unless I top it with ice cream! :)

Gigi said...

Salted Nut Roll Candy
1 (12-ounce) package peanut butter flavored chips
3 tablespoons butter
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• ---
16 ounce dry roasted peanuts
1 10.5-ounce bag miniature marshmallows
Melt the first set....add the second...spread in a buttered 9 X 13 pan and allow to set

LOVE EM!!

Bek said...

sounds good! and cheryl!!! i don't need any help with my sweet tooth, trying to get off this baby fat! :) but, incase i DO make your recipe :), what is parafin? and for the autumn holiday, i did make the same yummy dessert two years in a row now (is taht a tradition) and boy was it delicious - pumpkin rice pudding!

Anonymous said...

I am going to try this receipe..but what is parfin???? Ooops, I just scrolled down and noticed someone else asked the same thing...thank goodness :)

BekABoo said...

Girls, parafin is a wax. It helps the chocolate have a better texture as a coating. You can find it on the baking aisle. Mom, I can't believe you're sharing a sacred family recipe! I may have to get on it though. We are trying to hard to make it fall here. It was still 90 today!

Gina said...

Now Cheryl you did have to go and post a scrumptious post didn't you!! Oh honey I DO know what you mean by Southern...as in down-home delicious! We have a "chocolate ball" recipe in our family too - how funny. Actually though it might be a little different - we put rice crispies in it with peanut butter and dip in choc. Technically I guess they're chocolate peanut butter balls.

jayjay said...

Ah, I do, I do, but reading through your recipe I see a problem converting to the southern hemisphere and vice versa. Something we always used to make for Christmas was 'White Christmas' - probaby because we don't get one down here. It's basically a Kremelta (wax) white chocolate confection filled with nuts and fruit, but already you can see the problem: Kremelta, icing sugar, 50gm blocks of butter. . .

SuburbanMom said...

I've had such a sweet tooth lately too. And b/c I've been running so much, I've been foolishly giving in to it. My tummy is definitely telling me that even with the running...I can't eat so many sweets!

Kimber said...

oooo - having that recipe could be very very bad for my diet - hee hee!!

Love it!

I love anything pumpkin this time of year - from pie, to pumpkin rolls, to pumpkin ice cream and pumpkin cheesecake - don't get me started please ;)