Sometimes you just don’t have time to dig out the recipes and make holiday cookies. For others, you just don’t have the desire to be Susie Homemaker. I have a solution to make wonderful holiday cookies and fudge with very little effort.
Chocolate Chip Kiss Cookies
Buy a roll of the chocolate chip refrigerated cookie dough. Follow the directions on the package for cutting and placing the dough on a cookie sheet. Before baking, using your index finger make a little well in the center of each cookie. Place a chocolate kiss into the well and form the dough around to hold it in. Bake as directed on the package. Try using the kisses with peanut butter too. Everyone will think you slaved in the kitchen for hours making this wonderful treat.
Decorated Sugar Cookies
Once again we will be using the sugar cookie rolls from the refrigerated section of the market. Follow the directions on the package for cutting and placing on the cookie sheet. Now the fun of decorating can begin. If you choose to decorate with colored sugar before baking, just use cute little stencils (bought or ones you make) to hold over the cookie while you add red or green sugar crystals. Want to get fancy, instead of the sugar crystals, just push different colored m&m;’s into the dough before baking. Bake as directed on the package.
If you want to have some fun with the kids, bake the cookies first, and let them paint the decorations on after they cool. You can make a simple frosting, separate it into small bowls, add food coloring, and let them use new craft paint brushes to paint their own designs. If I can make this frosting, so can you. Mix 4 cups powdered sugar, ½ cup shortening or butter, 5 tablespoons milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a large bowl. After you divide it into the small bowls, add a few drops of food color and mix. Be sure to have the kids wear old clothes because the food color might stain some materials.
Quick and Easy Chocolate Fudge
I use this recipe when I want to make fudge, but don’t want the hassle of constant stirring and candy thermometers. In heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt 3 Cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips with 1 Can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk and a Dash of salt. Remove from heat and stir in 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla and ½ to 1 Cup chopped nuts (optional). Spread evenly into wax paper lined 8 or 9 inch square pan. Chill 2 hours or until firm. Turn fudge onto cutting board, peel off paper and cut into squares.
This can also be done in the microwave. In 1 quart glass measure or bowl, combine chips with sweetened condensed milk and salt. Cook on 100% power (high) 3 minutes or until chips melt, stirring after each 1 ½ minutes. Remove from microwave and proceed as above.
For a few variations on this same recipe, you can use replace 1 Cup of the semi-sweet morsels with milk chocolate chips or peanut butter chips. For creamier fudge, just add 2 Cups of miniature marshmallows when melting the chocolate chips and milk.
Put a few of the cookies and pieces of the fudge into a little cellophane bag to make a great gift for teachers. You can dress them up on little plates, canisters or cute containers to make great last minute gifts for the office.
Whether you give these as gifts or serve them for the holidays, everyone will think you’ve been baking for days. Don’t worry, I won’t tell your secret.
