Yes! It is that time of year when some of us hunker down in the kitchen to prepare sweet treats for the holiday season. I guess I can ....sort of.... count myself among those ranks.

My mother puts everyone to shame in this department, though. In a house where there are only 2 people (her & my father) she bakes, no joke, about 10 different varieties of Christmas cookies. Starting the week after Thanksgiving, her freezer is jam packed full of christmas cookies. What does she do with them all? Usually she makes little gift bags/baskets to bring to people's homes when she visits in December, but most of the time she just sets them out on a tray on Christmas day where they go stale because everyone's too full from the giant dinner she's prepared to even look at the cookies!

And of course every year I get the phone calls, "What kind of cookies are you making this weekend?" She's assuming that *I* am actually baking as many cookies as her, I'm not sure if this is an attempt for her to not feel like the oddball baking almost 100 dozen cookies, or her way of making me feel guilty that I'm not.

Every year, though, there is one candy that you can expect to be available in the -Wan house: Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy. My has declared that she made it up herself. It's possible, she's no baking slouch. And these candies is one of the best recipes in her arsenal.

So this year, in honor of cookie baking season I'm presenting 2 recipes. The first is my mother's "famous" chocolate peanut butter balls and the second is a new one I just tried this year and am hooked on. They might as well be named "Crack Cookies" because I don't have high hopes that these will even survive to see Monday...

Lastly, I am a choco-holic of the worst kind. I recommend using the highest cocoa content chocolate you can get. I personally love the Ghiardelli 60% Bittersweet chips for these recipes, but I'm sure semi-sweet will work as well. Just be warned, the less you pay & less cocoa content in your chocolate the more WAX will be in them... (go for the good stuff!!)


CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CANDIES

2 Cups Confectioner's Sugar
1 16 oz. jar of crunchy/chunky peanut butter (I LOVE Skippy "Natural" Super Chunk)
2 Cups Rice Krispies Cereal
1 stick of butter
2 bags of bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. MELT the butter over low heat. In a large bowl, COMBINE the sugar, peanut butter, rice krispies & melted butter. Using a cookie baller (1 Tablespoon size works great) scoop out approximately 60 small balls. Line them up on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.

2. MELT 1/2 a bag of chocolate chips over low heat. I like to use a small double boiler for this (email me if you need to know how to make a double boiler...). Stir until smooth.

3. Bring out your peanut butter balls & DIP them into the melted chocolate - coating them completely all the way around. I use non-stick tongs so I don't burn my fingers in the chocolate. Keep the heat low during this process or you'll melt your peanut butter, too!! You will obviously need to continually ADD more chocolate chips to the melted chocolate as you go through this process. I use approximately 1 1/2 bags of those Ghiardelli chips.

4. CHILL the balls until chocolate is hard set. Takes a couple hours. Sometimes I like to melt 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips & drizzle it over the hardened candies just for "decoration".



MINT CHOCOLATE COOKIES

3/4 Cups semi-sweet OR Bittersweet chocolate chips
1 Cup white chocolate chips
1 3/4 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 Cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1/4 Cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I'm VERY generous w/my vanilla...so let it overflow!!)
1/2 teaspoon mint or peppermint extract (again, let it overflow...)
2 eggs
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1. MELT the chocolate chips in a small saucepan OR in a gentle double boiler over low heat. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat & let cool to room temperature.

2. COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, granulate sugar, brown sugar, vanilla & mint extracts in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in melted chocolate. Gradually beat in flour mixture (unless you like the "ghost of xmas past" look). Stir in the white chips & a bit of the chocolate chips (will be about 12 oz. total) and the nuts if you're using them. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet.

3. BAKE in preheated 350F oven for 8 to 12 minutes or until sides are set but centers are still soft. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.


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What can I say? We consume a lot of chocolate around the holidays!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go run to Arizona - my sugar/caffeine high has finally hit from licking chocolate off my fingers, off the spoons, the bowls, the mixer, and of course you have to taste test everything.......