6 red apples
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup light corn syrup
red food coloring
cinnamon or vanilla flavoring
6 wooden skewers
Wash and dry apples; remove stems. Insert skewers in stem end of the apples.
Combine sugar, corn syrup, and a few drops of red food coloring in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture boils. Then cook […]

2 cups water
4 cups sugar
1/4 cup instant espresso
2 cups vodka
2 Tbl. chocolate liqueur
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and instant espresso. Stir until dissolved. Let cool 10 minutes.
Stir in vodka and chocolate liqueur. Pour into a […]

2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
2 cups chopped pecans
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
3 Tbl. light corn syrup
1/4 cup + 2 Tbl. bourbon
Sifted powdered sugar
Combine the vanilla wafer crumbs, pecans, 2 cups powdered sugar, and cocoa; mix well.
Combine corn syrup and bourbon; mix well, and stir into crumb mixture. Shape into 1″ balls and roll […]

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 Tbl. melted shortening
1/2 cup orange juice
2 Tbl. hot water
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
1 cup cranberries, cut
grated rind of one orange
Sift dry ingredients together.
Blend together beaten egg, melted shortening, orange juice, and hot water. Add to dry ingredients and stir only […]

Hershey’s helps with gift giving:
A video with suggestions of ways to package your cookie gifts
Printable gift tags and gift coupons
Crafts with Hershey Kisses
Land O’Lakes also has gift labels, holiday coloring sheets (to keep the kids busy while you’re waiting for the cookies to bake!), and plenty of cookie recipes.

Chocolate Crackles

We made these over the weekend so we’re still waiting for them to dry completely. Once that is done, we’ll string ribbons through the holes and hang them or attach them to gifts.
Cinnamon Clay Ornaments
1 1/2 cups ground Cinnamon
1 cup Applesauce
1/3 cup white School glue (like Elmer’s)
Ribbon
Mix cinnamon, applesauce, and glue together in a […]

It’s time to begin making my list of Christmas cookie recipes. These are the ones that I’m planning on making this year:
Childhood Thumbprint Cookies
Chocolate Crackles
Eggnog Cookies
Peanut Blossoms
Soft Molasses Cookies
Holiday Spritz Cookies
Forgotten Cookies
2 egg whites
pinch of salt
2/3 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 c. mini chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat egg whites until […]

Bon Appétit - Thanksgiving Dish by Dish
Food Network - Thanksgiving 2007
Butterball - Guide for First-Timers
Crisco - Fried Turkey and All the Fixings
Kraft Foods - Holiday How-To Center

Check out the interactive holiday cookie jar for an assortment of cookie and candy recipes.
Fruit Rugelach
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup butter, cut into pieces
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups apricot preserves
1 cup chopped almonds, toasted
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Pulse first 4 ingredients in a food processor until […]