Snow Balls 350* 20 min
¾ C butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbl water
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 C sugar
1 ½ C flour
1 C choc chips
1 C chopped nuts
Cream butter, vanilla, water, sugar and salt. Add flour and mix well. Add chips and nuts. Form into 1” balls. Bake at 350* for 20 minutes. Cool for a few minutes. Roll in powdered sugar while still warm. Makes about 3 doz. (unless you eat lots of dough:)
Looks like Pecan Sandies to me! YUM! via: isawtoday
Peppermint Bark Popcorn, via OurBestBites
(you'll need twice the amout of almond bark shown, I just made a half-batch for pictures)
Peppermint Bark Popcorn
16-20 C popped popcorn (fresh, or about 2 bags microwave popcorn)
1 lb Almond Bark
1 6oz box candy canes, crushed. (About 1-1 1/2 C total and Bob's are the best! Don't use Spanglers!)
2 tsp. peppermint extract
3/4 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
*one bag microwave popcorn has about 10 cups in it, so if you're air-popping, do about 20 cups.
Place popcorn in a very large mixing bowl.
Unwrapping the candy canes to crush them is the most labor intensive step of this easy treat, so you can do that ahead of time if you want too. I put my candy canes in a large zip-lock bag and have a whack with a heavy marble rolling pin.
Place popcorn in a very large mixing bowl.
Unwrapping the candy canes to crush them is the most labor intensive step of this easy treat, so you can do that ahead of time if you want too. I put my candy canes in a large zip-lock bag and have a whack with a heavy marble rolling pin.
One they're crushed, dump them into the bowl with the popcorn.
To melt the almond bark, follow the instructions on the package. I just break it up and put it in a glass measuring cup and microwave on 1 min intervals until it's nice and smooth.
When your almond bark is melted, add the peppermint extract. It will seize a little bit (get kind of lumpy) but it's totally fine. Pour over popcorn and candycanes.
Stir it up really well until the candy is evenly distributed. Pour the popcorn out onto a piece of waxed paper, parchment, or foil. Spread it out into an even layer and leave it alone!
While the popcorn is setting, place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth. I really like dark chocolate to counter-balance the sweetness of the almond bark, but I know there's a lot of dark haters, so do what you want!
Drizzle the melted chocolate over the popcorn. You can use a fork, or put it in a zip-lock bag with the corner cut off.
Leave it until the almond bark and the chocolate is hardened. If you need to hurry it up, do this whole process on lined cookie sheets you can pop in the fridge.
When chocolate is hardened, use your hands to break up popcorn into chunks. Toss in a bowl, a jar, a cute package, or in your mouth :)
Makes: 2 gifts (22 ounces in all)
Total time: 45 minutes
What You Need
* 12 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate
* 2½ cups mixed nuts
What to Do
1. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (but not in) a saucepan of gently simmering water, stirring occasionally.
2. Spread the chocolate evenly on a parchment-lined 9-by-13-inch baking pan and sprinkle with the nuts. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
3. Break the bark into pieces. Keep at room temperature for up to 1 week.
How to Package Your Gift
1. Line two tins with wax paper or food-safe colored tissue. Try the Metallic Tins available at jampaper.com (six by 2½ inches, $3.50 each).
