Peanut Blossoms

Another delicious choice for our Christmas plates. These were great. My only caution is: do NOT bake them too long... Yum... Wishing it was Christmas season again and not the season to incorporate more veggies :)

Peanut Blossoms

½ c. sugar
½ c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 ¾ c. flour
1 tsp soda
½ tsp salt
½ c. butter
½ c. peanut butter
1 pkg Hershey kisses

Cream butter and sugars – adding egg and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Roll into balls. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes at 375°. Then put kiss gently on each cookie. Bake 3 minutes longer.

Recipe source: SistersCafe

Peppermint Bark

I promise that I am not trying to wreck anyone's new year resolution to eat healthier. I meant to post these recipes during the holiday and things were a wee busy... :) More recipes to follow...

Ashley, this recipe is for you! :) 

(If we put crushed oreos instead of peppermint we'd make our own cookies and cream candy bars... yum!)

If you like white chocolate and peppermint, this is the holiday treat for you. It's simple, impossible to mess up and goes as a great flavor and aesthetic contrast to the pecan buttercrunch toffee. This recipe is fun b/c it has rice crispies in the white chocolate to give it a light crunch. I love peppermint and white chocolate, so I was a big fan of this. As for my husband... not so much. He said that it's good, but not his favorite. With Doug, it's a triumph to get him to say he liked anything with a mint flavor. Usually he says he's eating toothpaste. Hehe. According to Doug, mint is for freshening breath, not for dessert. I disagree... but each to his own. I let my kids have some, so I didn't eat it all, and they liked it.

Peppermint Bark


1 pound white chocolate, chopped*
2 cups puffed rice cereal
6-10 candy canes, unwrapped and crushed (You can use starlight mints, but they are about 10x harder to crush)
1/2 teaspoon peppermint oil



Spray a 10-by-15-inch rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; line with a piece of waxed or parchment paper.


Melt white chocolate. I melt mine in the microwave. Place white chocolate in microwave and cook 1 minute on full power. Stir. Return to microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Continue stirring every thirty seconds until it's smooth.

Stir in rice cereal and oil.

Transfer mixture to prepared pan; with a spatula, spread to edges of pan.

Sprinkle with crushed candy; with a piece of waxed paper covering the entire surface, press in gently (paper prevents hands from sticking to candy and chocolate). Chill until firm, 20 to 30 minutes (no longer, as candy will begin to soften).

Peel waxed paper off. Break bark into pieces. Store at room temperature in an airtight container, up to 1 week

*Martha Stewart's recipe says not to use chips, but I did... and it was delicious! Use whatever you can melt successfully.