Peppermint Pretzel Marshmallow Fudge

I'm sure you already know that I'm a chocoholic. The richer the chocolate, the better. But until now, I've never made fudge...in fact, I rarely get the chance to eat it! *gasp*
When I see fudge in shops—you know, those giant blocks of homemade fudge in all kinds of flavors—my eyes get wide and I hang around, hoping for a sample.
When I see fudge at parties, I go straight for it, ignoring any casualties which may be an effect of my extreme focus on that fudge.

But now I have made my very own, very chocolatey, very Christmasy fudge. It's good. So good that I cut it into unusually small pieces so that I can eat two (or more) pieces with less guilt.

This fudge is perfect for Christmas. And yes, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "Maddie—isn't Christmas over?"

Yes, yes it is. But you see, I made this fudge on Christmas Eve. Then I had to wait all the way until Christmas Day to take pictures and eat it (torture), and since then, I haven't had time to write about it. I've had cats to feed, games to play, babies to babysit...you get the picture.
But so what? It's still December, so I can still justify eating and blogging about this oh-so-yummy fudge. Plus—peppermint is always a good thing, right? Yes? Then make this fudge!

As you can probably tell from the pictures and the name (yes, I know it's a bit of a mouthful, but no ingredient here should be understated), this fudge has peppermint, pretzels, and marshmallows in it.
The peppermint pieces are what make this fudge perfect for Christmas. The sweet little chunks pair perfectly with the chocolate, complimenting the chocolate's richness with its bright flavor—the two were made to be together.
The pretzels bring a crunchiness that balances out the smoothness of the chocolate and the ooey-gooeyness of the marshmallows, and a saltiness that calms the intense burst of sugar from (again) the marshmallows and the chocolate.
The marshmallows take this fudge over the top. Not only are they sprinkled throughout the fudge, but they are METLED INTO IT. So yeah, the marshmallows make the fudge extra sweet and extra good, reminding me of hot chocolate (another winter thing that I am in love with); marshmallows are the essential gooey factor.

One more thing—I think that you will be happy to know that there is not one, but two peppermint-pretzel-marshmallow layers. Yum.


Peppermint Pretzel Marshmallow Fudge
Recipe from: http://joythebaker.com/2014/12/peppermint-pretzel-marshmallow-fudge/

Buckeyes

These simple chocolate-covered peanut butter balls are a crowd pleaser for sure! Especially in Ohio...

Every year there is one Christmas cookie that we must make: pepparkakor, a.k.a. Swedish gingerbread. They're a tradition, they bring us back to our Swedish roots. Buuuuut this year there were no pepparkakor for us. None. We could find neither dark corn syrup nor cloves—two essential ingredients—in the stores in Taiwan, but since we still needed to make one more Christmas cookie, we decided try a new one.

Enter buckeyes.

We simply excluded the M&M's from the recipe on Sally's Baking Addiction, and the result was traditional buckeyes: creamy sweet peanut butter encased in a shell of rich crunchy chocolate.

(...ours aren't quite as chocolate-covered as they maybe should be to look like buckeye nuts, but we had a bit of chocolate trouble.)

A few notes on the recipe and process.

Use white, milk, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate to cover the buckeyes. Chocolate chips do not melt very well, and are not suggested—however, in a pinch, they do work. Whatever you do, do NOT add milk or water to the melted chocolate to 'loosen it up'. Trust me, it doesn't work. Instead, adding a little vegetable oil (about 1tsp. per 1 cup chocolate) to the chocolate before melting it will help it stay smoother. On the other hand, the chocolate will also take a little longer to firm up. There is no need to temper the chocolate if you are keeping the buckeyes chilled.

Making the peanut butter balls is super easy, but covering them in chocolate takes some time and practice. Use a toothpick or a dipping tool to dunk the buckeyes in the chocolate.

If you used toothpicks, after finishing chocolate-covering all of the balls, use your finger to rub over the tiny holes in the tops until they disappear.

How about a little buckeye background...

Buckeyes are made to look like horse chestnuts, also known as buckeyes. The buckeye tree is Ohio's state tree, and so it comes as no surprise that the buckeye candy is beloved in Ohio. Buckeyes are especially popular in the Christmas and football seasons.

Now, I don't really understand the Christmas part. Sure buckeyes are yummy, but are they Christmasy? Not really. I'm a strong believer in festive desserts at Christmas, especially those including peppermint or old traditions. So, I give you permission to make and eat these buckeyes whenever you want. Where does my authority come from, you may ask? Well, don't ask, just eat.

After all, don't you also think they would make a perfect cold snack on a warm day?

Buckeyes

Makes about 35 1-inch balls

Notes:

*Using chocolate chips for coating is not recommended, but works. A small amount of vegetable oil (about 1 tsp. per 1 cup chocolate) may be added to make the chocolate smoother. Using pure chocolate is best. Semi-sweet, milk, bittersweet, and white chocolate all taste good.

Recipe from: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2015/06/22/peanut-butter-mms-truffles/

Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes

Packed with flavor, you can't go wrong with these festive cupcakes!

I've been missing cupcakes a lot lately. Last year with the cupcake business, I had cupcakes coming out of my ears, but since starting college I haven't been able to make any. Cupcakes are a labor of love in time and ingredients! However, I do have all of my supplies with me, just in case.

Thus, my holiday baking list includes: church windows, buckeyes (coming soon!), and the delicious peppermint mocha cupcakes that I saw on Sally's Baking Addiction. I picked a morning, and whipped these cupcakes up. It actually took a really long time because I knew where nothing was in my mom's new kitchen... But a few hours and two sore feet later I had a nice row of fresh cupcakes with pretty swirls of pink and white frosting. Well, some swirls were pretty—it was my first time doing two-toned frosting.

The frosting was actually some of the best I have tasted. I don't know if it was the use of cream instead of milk, the type of butter I used (salted cream), or what, but it was SO good! I may have licked my frosting spatulas clean ;)

Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

Notes:

*Use instant coffee, not coffee granules.

*It is alright to use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. Cake flour will make the cupcakes slightly softer.

*Buttermilk is essential. If you do not have real buttermilk, you can make a substitute:  mix 2 teaspoons white vinegar or lemon juice with 1/2 cup milk. Let sit for 5 minutes to curdle.

*Instead of heavy cream, milk or half-and-half can be used, but the frosting will not be as creamy.
*Immediately before serving, sprinkle on crushed candy canes; if done too far in advance, they will melt.

*To learn how to make swirled frosting: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/how-to-make-swirled-frosting/

Recipe from: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/11/24/peppermint-mocha-cupcakes/

Church Windows

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..."

Wait...no it's not. I'm visiting my family in Taiwan right now, where it's 70ºF and Christmas isn't really celebrated, except for a few lights. However, inside our apartment, Christmas season is in full swing: tree, presents, decorations, music, movies, and, of course, baking.

First up on the baking list was church windows, my sisters' favorite Christmas cookie. Their namesake, stained glass windows, are one of my favorite parts of visiting big old churches. Those and the pipe organs. Unfortunately, these cookies are just about the only church windows I'll find in Taiwan. There are plenty of temples here (quite cool to see, but also a little creepy), and there are a few modern churches, but it's nothing compared to Europe. But these cookies appear on our Christmas cookie plate every year almost without fail.

However, sometimes getting these cookies onto the cookie plate is a bit of a struggle. To get the stained glass design, you need mini colorful marshmallows. Not a big deal, except that they are difficult to get ahold of overseas. Hence, we have to have visitors send them at Christmas, or we resort to cutting up large marshmallows into smaller pieces.

This year, the cutting-up method did not go very well. Elena and I dumped the marshmallow pieces into the very hot chocolate mixture, started to stir, and stood there in shock as we realized that the marshmallows were melting, ruining the church window effect. After panicking for a minute, we quickly rushed the pot over to the freezer and stuffed it in before any more marshmallows could melt. Luckily we saved them just in time, and we ended up with rich, delicious, marshmallow-stained glass church windows. Lesson learned!

This recipe from my grandma Faber is simple, quick, cute, and oh-so-tasty. Even the cat was curious to see what all the fuss was about!

Church Windows

Ingredients:
12 oz. chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
1 pkg. colored mini marshmallows*
1 cup chopped nuts, such as walnuts (optional)

Directions:
In a medium pot, melt the chocolate chips and butter together.
Let cool for about 3 minutes before stirring in the marshmallows and nuts so that the marshmallows don't melt.
Pour the mixture onto two sheets of plastic wrap in a log shape. Roll the plastic wrap around the logs, set on a cookie sheet, and chill in the refrigerator. Cut into 1/2 inch slices.

*If you do not have mini marshmallows, cut colorful large marshmallows into small pieces, about 1 cm in length and width.

Recipe from: Janet Faber

Pink Peppermint Snowcaps

Even after eating way too much food on Thanksgiving (and afterwards, thank you leftovers), I was ready to get down to Christmas decorating on the weekend. Our four nativity scenes went up (yes, four, you read that right), the stockings were hung, the tree was trimmed—and while I was helping put up our favorite ornaments, I was also starting off the Christmas baking.

Peppermint is my favorite Christmas flavor—well, peppermint and chocolate, really. They were just made to go together. Maybe that’s why when someone says “Christmas cookies”, these Pink Peppermint Snowcaps are one of the first two cookies that come to mind (the others are Swedish pepparkokker). Of course, I can never remember their name and just end up trying to describe their yumminess instead, but ultimately failing to do them justice. Anyway, for as long as I can remember, at Christmastime these cookies have been around at my house.

I don’t know about you, but I like to lick the spatula spotless. And since these were peppermint cookies—and, as I have already explained, that is my favorite Christmas flavor—I was happily licking away at a spatula covered in pink, ooey-gooey, peppermint flavored yumminess, dancing away to Christmas music. But then I realized it.
You know what I’m talking about—IT. That cookies have raw eggs...usually this wouldn’t concern me (what’s two raw eggs if I only eat a spoonful of the batter?), but this was no normal cookie dough. This was raw MERINGUE, which is, in its very essence, raw eggs!!! After realizing this, I poked my tongue out for one last guilty little lick, then dutifully, but sorrowfully, put down the spatula.

A few days later, I’m still alive, but, even if I had died, death by peppermint cookie doesn’t sound too bad—I mean, it could have been worse (death by raw salmon? no thank you, Russia).

I’m glad I survived, though…it finally snowed this week! While Michigan has already had three snow days, Russia has barely had a flake of snow in the same time. Hopefully it won’t be a repeat of last year’s rather pathetic winter. After all, I’ve only ever thought of Russia as snowy – insanely snowy (before moving here, that is). Maybe Russia will live up to the stereotype this year!

In the meantime, you need to make these cookies—before you get buried in gift wrapping.

Pink Peppermint Snowcaps
Makes: 24

Ingredients:
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp. peppermint extract
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
dash of salt
red or green food coloring*
3/4 cup granulated sugar
6 oz. chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 225ºF. Prepare a baking sheet by covering with parchment paper.
2. Beat egg whites, peppermint, cream of tartar, and salt until soft peaks form.
3. Add food coloring until mixture turns the desired shade of pink or green.
4. Add sugar gradually, beating until stiff, glossy peaks form.
5. Gently fold in chocolate chips.
6. Transfer to a pastry bag and squeeze teaspoon-sized amounts of batter onto prepared baking sheet.
7. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, until dry but not brown. Turn oven off and allow meringues to remain in the closed oven for a few more hours until completely cool.

*gel food coloring is preferable—liquid food coloring works as well (about 7-8 drops), but it may cause the meringue to be liquidy, so that peaks will not form as well.