Sweetly Re-Done

Haystacks

During this time of the year, when you see that word it brings to mind the sweet crunchy treat made with butterscotch chips and crispy Chinese noodles.  My grandmother would make both chocolate and butterscotch "Haystacks" and I always wondered where the brown hay came from!

As with every other tradition, I made the butterscotch Haystacks every year.  They were usually the last thing left on the goody trays and were eaten as a last resort.  Something about them just didn't appeal to this new generation of sweet eaters.  Time to re-think and re-do those Haystacks!  Don't worry, they're just as easy as before!

Butterscotch Drops

1 pkg (11 oz) butterscotch flavored morsels

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

5 1/2 cups Special K Vanilla Nut cereal

Line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper; set aside.

In a large microwave safe bowl, melt the butterscotch morsels, uncovered, on medium-high, for 1 minute.  Adjust time accordingly until morsels are just melted.

Stir in peanut butter until smooth.  Add cereal and stir until coated.

Drop by rounded tablespoons (or use small cookie scoop) onto prepared baking sheets.  Refrigerate until firm.

See, they're just as easy as before!  Actually even easier because you don't need to chop any nuts! 

Let's see what else I can come up with today!  I get to pretty much stay in the kitchen again all day so I can get the goody trays made up.  So far today there's the smell of Blondies, Sweet & Savory Chex Mix and Nut Clusters.  Okay, Nut Clusters don't smell much but they sure are pretty!

Old Favorites

I can't remember the first time I made Toffee.  I know I was a child because the first time I made it I used the cookbook I got for my 7th birthday!  Although I've streamlined that recipe and made it as simple as it can be I remember standing on a step stool over the stove to stir it continuously while it boiled.

Now I only manage to make it around the holidays and every time I do I wonder why I don't make it as a special treat throughout the year.  I always have the ingredients on hand, it just never enters my mind.  Maybe now with the picture flashing by in the corner of my blog I'll provide a special treat more often.

Toffee
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Butter a square pan, 9x9x2 inches.  Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the bottom.

Heat the sugar and butter to boiling in a 1 quart saucepan, stirring constantly.  Boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 7 minutes.  Immediately spread mixture over pecans in prepared pan.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the hot mixture and place a cookie sheet over the pan until the chips are melted.  Spread the melted chocolate over the candy.

Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm then break into desired size pieces.

What I've learned over the years:  don't substitute anything for the butter; boil for exactly 7 minutes and not a second or two longer; once it starts boiling and you're on medium heat don't turn it up or down during the 7 minutes; run water in the pan immediately to prevent a hard and laborious cleanup; use a light weight wooden spoon to stir, you'd be surprised how heavy that spoon gets after 5 minutes!

Although simple in ingredients and preparation it seems that something invariably goes wrong with at least two batches a year! Not bad when I make anywhere from 10-15 batches! So far this year I've made five and only one had a little snafu. Not sure what happened but the sugar crystallized and it became soft toffee! Every morsel of that soft old favorite was eaten!

Goodies!

I love trying new things during the holidays!  This year I have an extra special reason to try some treats from afar - Hannah!  Hannah is from Norway and is spending the school year with us while participating in the Aspect Foundation Exchange Student program.  From the day we picked her up at the airport she has been a natural addition to our family.  What better way to say "I love you" than to bake something special just for her!

Norwegian Butter Squares

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 egg

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

Raw sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Chill a baking sheet in the freezer.  Do not grease or line the baking sheet.  Blend the butter, egg, sugar and salt together until it is creamy.  Add the flour and vanilla and mix using your hands until the mixture holds together in a large clump.  Still using your hands, press the dough out onto the chilled baking sheet until it is even and 1/4 inch thick.  Dust the top evenly with raw sugar.  Bake at 400F until the edges turn a golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes before cutting into squares.  Place on a wire rack to cool.

I was surprised how simple they were to make!  In fact, they were so easy I put them in the oven and whipped up a batch of toffee at the same time!  The toffee needs to cook, stirring constantly, for 7 minutes so it was perfect timing.  Poured the toffee, pulled the squares out of the oven and there you have it, two Christmas goodies simultaneously!

Taking the picture on the pot holder Hannah brought me from Norway just seemed like the natural backdrop!

Today I am being productive!

Simplicity

Mom always said the best things come in small packages.  I think the same can be said for food - sometimes the tastiest nibbles are the simplest of ingredients.  Simple is good!  Especially during the holidays when there are so many traditional treats that generally take a lot of preparation to make it just like grandma did.

I found a new treat this year that will definitely be on the goody trays from now on.  Simple!

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Bugles

1 bag of Bugles

1 bag of milk chocolates (I used Bliss)

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tbsp milk

Colorful Sprinkles (optional)

In a small bowl combine the peanut butter and powdered sugar.  Add the milk and stir until smooth.  Let the mix sit for 1-2 minutes then stir again and add more milk if necessary.  Using a piping bag, or ziploc bag with the edge snipped off, pipe the peanut butter mixture into the bugles.  Unwrap the chocolate and melt for 1 minute on 50% power.  Stir and repeat until chocolate is melted.  You may want to do the chocolate in small batches so it doesn't become hardened to quickly.  Dip the peanut butter end of the bugle into the melted chocolate then into the sprinkles and set on a wax paper lined baking sheet.  Place in the freezer until set.  Store in an airtight container or ziploc bag to prevent bugles from getting stale.

That's it!  Once you do a few of them you get the hang of the piping and dipping and you'll have a pile before you know it.  Well, as long as you can keep from munching on them as you go along!

Time To Play

It's now the time of year to PLAY in the kitchen!  I call it playing because it's all about pleasure and fun, sweets and candy, all the "good stuff"!  I start out the first week or so of December making samples of the goodies I will put on the Christmas Gift Trays.  This year has been no different even with the huge 50th Birthday Party and the Master Chef audition!

I started with possibly the best cookie I've ever made in my life!  And I've made a lot of cookies!!  The flavor is spicy and warm, the texture is chewy and crispy and trust me, you can't eat just one!  Rachel said they are perfect Christmas cookies because they sparkle like they have snow on them!

Ginger Cookies

1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add the egg and molasses and mix until combined.  Add the dry ingredients and mix until well blended.  Form, or scoop, balls the size of a walnut.  Roll in granulated sugar to coat.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet 2" apart.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Everybody took one bite and started grabbing more - I couldn't make them fast enough!  This recipe doesn't make very many either, depending on your scoop size, so you may want to double it right from the beginning. 

Be prepared to bite into the best cookie you've ever made!