Winter Wonder Bars

12 ounces white chocolate
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup white sugar
3 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped macademia nuts, toasted

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease one 9 inch square baking pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and set aside. Chop 1/2 of the white chocolate into very small pieces. Chop the remaining white chocolate and the bittersweet chocolate into large chunks, set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Do not allow the butter to bubble or to color. Remove from the heat and add the finely chopped white chocolate. DO NOT STIR the chocolate in, set aside.
Beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla together until thick and lemon colored, about 5 minutes. Lower the mixer speed and add the butter mixture. Mix just to blend. Add the flour mixture and mix just until the flour is mixed in. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the two chocolates and the nuts. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake at 325 degrees F until the brownies are just set, about 30 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with moist crumbs still attached. As with all brownies it is better to underbake than to overbake. Allow to cool about 1 hour then cut into squares.

Oh Henry Bars

4 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup melted buttter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup brown sugar
FROSTING
1 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup peanut butter

Mix oatmeal, sugar, butter, vanilla and brown sugar. Pat into a 9x13 in pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Frost while still warm with chocolate chips and peanut butter melted together in microwave.
- DeeDee

Black Forest Cheesecake

Crust
1 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
3 tablespoons margarine -- melted
Filling
2 packages cream cheese -- (8 ounce) softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 package semi sweet chocolate pieces -- (6 ounce) melted
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Topping
1 can cherry pie filling -- (21 ounce)
Frozen whipped topping thawed

Combine crumbs and margarine; press onto bottom of 9 inch springform pan. Bake at 350degrees F for 10 minutes.
Combine cream cheese and sugar, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in chocolate and extract; pour over crust. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.
Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan. Chill cheesecake. Top cheesecake with pie filling and whipped topping just before serving.
- DeeDee

Carmelita Squares

1 cup flour
1 cup quick oats
3/4 cup brown sugar -- firmly packed
1/2 teaspoon soda
3/4 cup melted butter or margarine
1/8 teaspoon salt

Topping
1 small chocolate chips -- 6 ounce
1/2 cup walnuts -- chopped
3/4 cup carmel ice-cream topping
3 tablespoons flour

Combine first six ingredients, and press 1/2 to 3/4 of the mix into a greased 9 X 13 pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
Sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts over top of crust evenly. In a small mixing bowl mix 3/4 cup of carmel ice cream topping with the 3 tablespoons of flour until smooth. Pour over top of chocolate chips and nuts, then sprinkle with the remaining crumbs from crust mix.
Place back in the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes . Cool and cut into squares.

- DeeDee

Unbaked Chocolate Squares

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg -- beaten
1/2 box graham crackers -- broken up into small pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter, add sugar, cocoa and egg. Bring to a boil, simmer for 1 minute. Add vanilla, nuts and wafers. Mix well and press into a well greased 8 x 8 pan.
Cool and frost with chocolate icing, sprinkle a handfull of chopped walnuts over top. Slice into squares.

Cream Cheese Mints

1 3-oz pkg cream cheese at room temperature.
4 drops food coloring
(mint - green, lemon - yellow, strawberry - pink)
1 tsp flavoring extract as above
1 T milk

Stir the above together until well mixed then add 1 lb confectioner's sugar

Mix all the sugar into the cream cheese mixture, kneading it with your hands.
When completely mixed, roll into a large sausage. Break off small amounts and
roll into balls, about 1" diameter.

Place balls on waxed paper, and press flat with fork dipped in confectioner's
sugar. Let dry until tops are just dry, then flip and dry out underside.
Store in airtight container so they don't dry out any further.

Yields 80-90 mints.

- Marcia

Chocolate Butterscotch Clusters

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch flavored chips
2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
4 cups rice crispies

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. In a double boiler, melt together the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter. Add the rice crispies and stir until well coated. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto the waxed paper and cool until firm.

Blood Sausage Candy

1 pound of milk chocolate
1 square of unsweetened chocolate
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup of chopped nuts, any kind will do
1 pound of powdered sugar, approximately

In double boiler melt chocolates together. In a little bowl beat the egg and than add to melted chocolates.
Add the teaspoon of vanilla, nuts, and powdered sugar. Mix in enough powdered sugar to make a soft, but not sticky dough. Hands work best in mixing in the powdered sugar.
Roll into logs, about an inch around. Place on wax paper on cookie sheets and refrigerate untill firm. Slice into thin slices. Freezes very well.
Makes a generous 2 pounds.
- Ruth Hoefs

Oatmeal Brittle

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted
2 cups oats (any kind - I like the whole or Old Fashioned type)
2 cups sugar (remember, this is a confection...)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon flour
2 lightly beaten eggs
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Heat your oven to 350. Prepare cookie sheets by covering them in aluminum foil and set them aside. Melt the butter in a glass container in a microwave set to half power. Meanwhile, in a medium-large bowl combine oats, sugar, salt and flour. Pour the melted butter (it must be very hot) over the dry ingredients and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in the beaten eggs and vanilla, mixing until thoroughly blended. Note: the batter, or mixture, will be quite loose.

Drop by scant spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets, one to two inches apart. The batter will spread even more in the oven, so do not completely cover the cookie sheets or the brittle will burn around the edges before cooking in the center. This cooks in 8 to 10 minutes.

Taffy Apples

2 cup White sugar
2 cup Light corn syrup
1/3 cup Cinnamon candies (hearts)
1 cup Cold water
1/2 tbs Red food coloring
1/2 tbs Cinnamon
6 Red apples McIntosh or Delicious
6 Popcycle Sticks

In heavy saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup and cinnamon candies with 1-cup cold water. Cook over medium heat until sugar and candies are dissolved, but do not boil. Add the food coloring and the cinnamon and bring up to boil. Boil until it reaches 300 F on a candy thermometer. Meanwhile, wash and dry apples, remove stem and insert wooden sticks firmly enough into the apple that you can hold them firmly. Remove syrup from heat when it reaches 300 and dip each apple into syrup. Swirl to coat apple. Place coated apples onto greased cookie sheets to cool and harden. Let stand at room temperature until ready to serve. Make 6 taffy apples.

Chocolate Coconut Drops

2 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate
1 can (15 ounces) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1/2 pound flaked coconut (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350. Melt chocolate in saucepan over low heat; remove from heat and stir in milk, coconut and walnuts. Drop mixture by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. Place in oven; turn off heat. Leave in oven about 15 minutes or untill candy has glazed appearance. While warm, remove from baking sheet. ABOUT 4 DOZEN CANDIES

Mexican Coffee Balls

1 box (9 ounces) chocolate wafers
1/2 pound ground blanched almonds
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons instant coffee powder
1/3 cup coffee flavored liqueur
1/2 cup light corn syrup

Mix chocolate wafers crushed into crumbs, with ground blanched almonds, unsweetened cocoa powder, and sugar. Dissolve instant coffee in coffee liqueur and stir into crumb mixture with light syrup. Shape into 1/4" balls and roll in cinnamon sugar. Store in refrigerator.

Cherry Rum Balls

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup rum
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup confectioners' sugar
24 red candied cherries, halved

Melt the chocolate chips and stir in the rum and corn syrup. Stir together the vanilla wafer crumbs, pecans and 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar. Drizzle the chocolate mixture over the crumb mixture and stir until blended. Shape mixture into 1 inch balls. Roll balls in the remaining confectioners' sugar. Place cherry half in center of each cookie, pressing down lightly. Store in an airtight container for several days to develop flavor.

Black Walnut Balls

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups chopped black walnuts
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C). Blend together butter, flour, white sugar, salt, and vanilla. Add black walnuts and mix well. Shape into 1 inch balls. Bake for 25 minutes on ungreased cookie sheet. Remove from oven and let cool. Roll in powdered sugar. Store flat - not stacked on top of each other.

Taffy Candy Canes

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons butter
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
Red Food Coloring

1. Combine the sugar, water, vinegar and
butter in the medium saucepan.
2. Cook over medium heat until sugar
is dissolved,stirring constantly.
3. Lower the heat and continue to cook without
stirring,to 260 degrees on the candy
thermometer or until a small amount
of syrup forms a firm ball when dropped in
very cold water.
4. Remove from heat and stir in the peppermint
extract.
5. Pour half the mixture into the buttered pan.
6. Color the remaining half with red food coloring.
Allow to cool a few minutes.
7. With clean, lightly buttered hands,
pull the taffy until it begins to feel
a little stiff (about 6 to 8 minutes)
8. Take one strand of white and one of
red and twist together,then form into
candy-cane shapes. Allow to cool on waxed paper.

Variation: Use a variety of food coloring to make
the taffy, then make all sorts of shapes and designs
for the holiday.

Makes 2 dozen

Microwave Peanut Brittle

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 to 1-1/2 cups roasted, salted peanuts (with or without skins)
1 tablespoon margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda

Combine sugar, syrup, and salt in a 2-quart mixing bowl. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Stir in nuts and microwave for 3 to 5 more minutes. (watch so nuts don't burn) Stir in butter, vanilla, and baking soda until mixture is light and foamy. Spread on a well greased cookie sheet. Cool and slam cookie sheet on counter to break up into small pieces.

Old Fashioned Christmas Potato Candy

1 small potato, boiled in skin (or nuked about 4 minutes until done)
3/4 box confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup peanut butter (may use chunky or smooth)

(1) Peel potato and mash it while it is hot.
(2) Sift sugar and add to potato gradually to from a doughy mixture.
(3) Add vanilla and then knead the mixture with your hands.
(4) Dust waxed paper with powdered sugar, then roll dough out about 1/4 inches thick and spread with peanut butter.
(5) Roll up like a jelly roll, wrap in waxed paper, and chill. When ready to serve, slice into 1/4 inch slices.