Peppermint Patties

2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 TBS light corn syrup
4 1/2 - 5 cups confectioner's sugar
2-4 drops peppermint oil*
2 1/2 pounds dark chocolate candy coating (I used the brown almond bark)

In a mixing bowl combine milk and corn syrup. Gradually beat in confectioner's sugar and peppermint oil. Mixture will be very stiff**. Shape into balls and flatten. Put in freezer to harden. Melt coating. Dip peppermint disks in coating, then place on waxed paper. Refrigerate in air-tight container.

*Put as much or as little peppermint oil in as you want. The more you put in the stronger the peppermint flavor

**We used my Kitchen Aide mixer. We found when we got all the powdered sugar in, it was easier to mix with the dough hook.

We usually make a double batch of this, because it then uses a whole can of sweetened condensed milk. Otherwise, you have to figure out what to do with the rest of the sweetened condensed milk. Plus, you can never have too many patties. These also freeze well.

Maple Peanut Delights

I found this recipe from Country Woman November/December 1999 magazine. This is the 1st year I have made them, but they are pretty good!

Maple Peanut Delights

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
6 cups confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon maple flavoring
2 pounds dark chocolate candy coating (I just used the brown almond bark)
1 cup chopped peanuts

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, confectioner's sugar, and favoring until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Shape into 1 inch balls. Melt coating. Dip balls into coating then sprinkle with nuts. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate. Yield: about 8 dozen.

Our Notes: We found that the balls need to be stuck in the freezer and frozen really hard before dipping. It worked a lot better. Not sure it actually makes 8 dozen. But they are pretty good.

Oreo Truffles

I got this recipe from the 30 day Gourmet. It is one of my favorite things to make in the winter time, with all the other sweet stuff I like to make. But they are WONDERFUL anytime of the year.

Oreo Truffles

Recipes:	1	2	3	4	5	6
Makes:	4 doz.	8 doz.	12 doz.	16 doz.	20 doz.	24 doz.
Ingredients:
Oreo cookies, crushed	1 lb.	2 lbs.	3 lbs.	4 lbs.	5 lbs.	6 lbs.
Cream cheese, softened	8 oz.	16 oz.	24 oz.	32 oz.	40 oz.	48 oz.
Vanilla flavored candy coating	1 lb.	2 lbs.	3 lbs.	4 lbs.	5 lbs.	6 lbs.

Assembly Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine the crushed cookies and cream cheese to form a stiff dough. Roll into 1-inch diameter balls. (Using a small cookie scoop makes this easier!) Place the cookie balls on a waxed paper covered cookie sheet and put them in the freezer for 15 minutes. When the 15 minutes is about up, melt the vanilla coating in the microwave in a deep microwave-safe dish. Remove the tray from the freezer. One at a time put the cookie balls on the tines of a fork and dip them until covered in the melted coating. Allow the excess coating to drip off, and put each completed truffle on a waxed paper covered cookie sheet until the coating is set.

Freezing Directions:
When the candy coating is set, put the truffles in a freezer bag or rigid container. Seal, label and freeze.

Serving Directions:
Thaw truffles for a few minutes on the counter, and serve. Keep any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Variations:
You can use peanut butter in place of the cream cheese. Try chocolate coating or chocolate chips in place of the vanilla coating. You can also use your favorite cookie instead of the Oreos.

Soft Pretzels

I found this recipe for soft pretzels from The Sister's Cafe. They are so good!!

Soft Pretzels

1 1/2 cup warm water

1 pkg yeast (or 1 Tb)

1 Tb sugar

1 tsp salt

4 cups flour

Add sugar to warm water then sprinkle yeast on top. Let float for a minute then stir to dissolve the yeast. Let sit for 10 minutes as yeast activates and starts to foam. Add salt and flour and knead 5-10 minutes; adding more flour as needed to reduce stickiness. Divide dough in to 12 pieces and roll each piece into a long rope or "snake". Twist into pretzel shape and place on nonstick baking sheet. Make an egg wash with one egg and a Tb of water, lightly beaten together. Brush pretzels with egg wash then sprinkle liberally with Kosher salt. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

*Soft pretzels just aren't the same the next day. They are still good but not as soft and fresh tasting. I'll tell you a secret though... brush them with melted butter, sprinkle on Parmesan cheese, and toss them under the broiler for a minute and you have a delicious cheesy pretzel snack! Yum!!

**The boys loved helping make them. We made alphabet pretzels. I have also made them into breadsticks. Greg even liked them, he said they were not true pretzels. I just LOVE them!!!