Carmelitas

This is Mom's recipe, and apparently she used to make them a lot when we were little, but I don't remember them very well. We made them this weekend, and they are delicious! I think they are going to have to be re-included in the holiday baking routine!

Basic Chocolate Cookie Dough

1/2 cup butter - softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

2 envelopes (1 oz each) premelted chocolate

1 cup chopped pecans

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Mix butter, sugar, egg, chocolate, milk and vanilla. Mix in remaining ingredients on low speed to form a soft dough. Wrap dough in wax paper and refrigerate until firm - approx. 2 hours.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Unwrap 18 carmels and cut them in half. Wrap the chocolate cookie dough around each 1/2 piece of carmel to form a small ball. Place on ungreased cookie sheed. Bake about 7 minutes or until set. Cool.

Chocolate Sauce

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 envelope premelted chocolate

2 Tablespoon light corn syrup

2-3 Tablespoon hot water

In a small bowl blend sugar, chocolate, corn syrup and water. Dip top of baked cookies in chocolate glaze, then dip in ground nuts (walnuts or pecans).

Makes about 3 dozen.

Peppermint Bark

This holiday treat is delicious and so easy (easy seems to be my theme with recipes these days). I actually have to give credit to Lauren who found the recipe and made it first. Between the two of us, we have made it several times already so far, and we always get requests for the recipe!

Ingredients:
2 bags milk chocolate chips
2 bags white chocolate chips
2 tsp. peppermint extract
8 peppermint candy canes (preferrably red and green striped)

Directions:
1. Line a large cookie sheet with foil
2. In a microwaveable bowl, melt milk chocolate chips, stirring every 30 seconds. When melted, add peppermint extract and stir until blended. Spread chocolate over cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 30 min.
3. Crush candy canes in a bag with a rolling pin.
4. Melt white chocolate chips in microwave, stirring every 30 seconds. Add 1/3 - 1/2 of the crushed candy canes to melted chocolate. Spread over the top of the hardened milk chocolate.
5. Sprinkle the remainder of the candy canes over the white chocolate, and press in.
6. Refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours before breaking apart. If it's not refrigerated long enough, the bark will not break apart well. When it has refrigerated long enough, press a knife into the bark and it should break into nice large pieces.