Best Buckeyes (Peanut Butter and Chocolate Candies)

I make about 30 varieties of cookies and candies during the holidays and these are the most requested. They are fairly easy and delicious. I serve them on a tray in miniature muffin liners. I have tried many different buckeye recipes, but this one, given to me years ago, is the best one I have used. It's a keeper.

1 (18  ounce) jar creamy peanut butter 
1/2  cup butter or margarine (softened) 
1  lb confectioners' sugar 
1  tablespoon vanilla 
12  ounces chocolate chips (milk or semi-sweet) 
3-4  ounces paraffin wax 

80 Buckeyes 45 minutes prep time

1. Cream peanut butter and butter.
2. Add sugar and vanilla and mix well.
3. Form into 1 inch balls and refrigerate.
4. Melt chocolate chips with parafin wax in a double boiler.
5. Dip balls into chocolate with a toothpick about 3/4 of the way covered.
6. Place chocolate side down on waxed paper.
7. Let set at room temperature or refrigerate.

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Pecan Pralines Southern Style

Southern decadence at it finest! These are enough to make a New Orleans native like me homesick. Cook time includes cooling time. Recipe from Foodtv.com (but its almost as good as MawMaw's recipe)

1  cup pecans 
1/4  cup heavy cream 
1/4  cup unsalted butter 
1  cup light brown sugar, plus 
2  tablespoons light brown sugar 
1  teaspoon vanilla extract 
1  teaspoon bourbon (optional) 

24 pralines 1 hour 20 mins prep time

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Christmas Hard Candy Recipe

Easy to make Christmas candy.

4  cups sugar 
1  cup Karo syrup 
1  cup water 
2  teaspoons cinnamon oil or oil peppermint extract 
 red food coloring or green food coloring 
 powdered sugar 

1 Batch 20 minutes (10 mins prep time)

1. Mix first 3 ingredients and boil to hard cracker stage, 300ºF degrees.
2. Add oil of cinnamon or peppermint and food coloring.
3. Pour into foiled lined cookie sheet.
4. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the candy while its still warm.
5. Break candy in small pieces when it is cool enough to handle.

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"Kissin' Cousins"

These melt-in-your-mouth cookies have a surprise inside! Our favorite
cookie, anytime, but I always make these at Christmas. So easy to
make and your young ones will love helping. -- by Susie in Texas

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups pecans, finely chopped
1 (9 ounce) bag hershey milk chocolate candy kisses
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

   1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   2. In large bowl, combine butter, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla; beat
until light and fluffy.
   3. Add flour and pecans; mix until dough forms.
   4. Chill dough for 30 minutes.
   5. While dough is chilling, remove wrappers from chocolate kisses.
   6. Mold one scant tablespoon of dough around each chocolate kiss
making sure it is completely enclosed in the ball of dough.
   7. Place balls on ungreased cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.
   8. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes until set and bottoms
of cookies are just beginning to slightly brown.
   9. Carefully remove from cookie sheet; place on wire racks to
cool for 10 minutes.
  10. Roll cookies in powdered sugar.
  11. When completely cooled, re-roll in powdered sugar.

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  "Lorraine's Luscious and Lovely Limoncello"

My friend Lorraine B gave me this wonderful recipe when I was looking
for an interesting hostess gift. One of the best things about this
recipe is that it only takes one week to infuse, as opposed to up to
a month that I've seen in other recipes. I actually made a quadruple
recipe and got 6 bottles to give as gifts (I kept one for myself, of
course!). At last night's preliminary tasting (2 hours after
bottling) I can tell you that this is a very refreshing tipple! I'm
also going to try this with oranges this winter.  -- by Mirj

750 ml vodka
6 lemons
1 3/4 cups sugar
750 ml water

   1. Wash the lemons, using soap, rinse well.
   2. Peel the lemons. I used my Microplane Zester and got lovely
lemon zest, but you can also use a potato peeler. Make sure not to
get any of the bitter white pith.
   3. Place the peel into a bowl and cover with the vodka. I used a
large Tupperware bowl with a cover.
   4. Let the lemons infuse in the vodka for one week.
   5. Line a strainer with paper towels and strain the lemony vodka
into a bowl that will hold more than twice its volume.
   6. Mix the sugar with the water in a pot and let it come to a boil.
   7. Boil for 2 minutes, giving it an occasional stir.
   8. Let cool.
   9. Add the sugar syrup to the lemon vodka and mix.
  10. Place in your favorite bottle.
  11. Keep the Limoncello in the freezer (it won't freeze).

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