Cookie Season!!

So part of the Ronhovde tradition is baking all our cookies together - and splitting them out between us all.  We had our "bake-off" yesterday, and it was a lot of fun!  Lots of these cookies remind me of "the olden days" - when my mom would get out her cookie dish - and put all the different cookies out.....and she would cover them but we would of course sneak and eat them before the guests arrived....and she would have to refill it!  OR she would run down to the basement fridge to get the PB balls - and they would oddly enough be almost gone....  :) 

It also reminds me of when the Feldmanns would come visit - us girls would play hide-and-seek in the basement and eat up the cookies that just happened to be near our hiding spot!!  That's right mom - I finally admitted where they went!! :)

Anyways - super fun day yesterday!!  These recipes have been passed down generation to generation - so I left some of the "terms" the same as I received them, but tried to explain what that translated to in 2010.  Love you Grandma!!

We even had one Gingerbread Man RUN AWAY!!  "Run, run as fast you can - you can't catch me, I'm the Ronhovde Gingerbread Man!"

Almond Bark Cookies

Melt 1lb almond coating in top of double boiler or heat up in mircowave (put in for 30 seconds, stir, and repeat until totally softened).

Add:
1 cup thin pretzel sticks (broken up)
1 cup miniature colored marshmallows
1 cup salted peanuts
1 cup captain crunch cereal
2/3 cup rice krispies

Mix lightly until well coated - then drop by spoonful on waxed paper.  Chill - then store in freezer in plastic bags.

Peanut Butter Balls

2 cup powdered sugar
2 cup crushed graham crackers
2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup softened butter
1 lb dipping chocolate (herseys bars softened)
Paraffin (kinda looks like wax...finely grate)

Mix together except chocolate - form ball in bowl - chill for 1 hour.  Make into 1 inch balls and chill in freezer for 1 more hour.

Melt chocolate and dip each ball on it - place on a buttered foil cookie sheet and chill.

Gingerbread Men

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup dark molasses

1/4 cup water

2 1/2 cup flour

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon soda

1/4 teaspoon ginger, nutmeg, and salt

Cream shortening and sugar.  Blend in molasses, water, flour, salt, soda, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.  Cover - chill for 2 hours.

Heat oven to 375.  Roll dough 1/4 inch thick - cut with cutouts - and place on ungreased baking sheet.  Place in eyes - and then bake 10 to 12 minutes.  Immediately remove from baking sheet - and trim with icing.

Christmas Wreaths

1/2 cup butter

30 large marshmallows

3 1/2 cup corn flakes

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon green food color

Melt butter and marshmallows in double boiler (or microwave every 30 seconds and stir).  Add color, vanilla, and corn flakes.  Blend while warm - drop on ungreased cookie sheet and shape into wreaths (while dipping fingers in cool water).  Decorate with candy.

Nut Goodie Bars

Large package chocolate chips

Large package butterscotch chips

1 cup peanut butter

6 oz peanuts

1 package miniature marshmallows

Butter jelly roll pan - pour nuts and marshmallows in pan.  Melt the choc chips, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter.  Pour melted mixture over the peanuts and marshmallows (stir it in so it all sticks better and y ou don't lose the peanuts).


Crisp White Sugar Cookies - from Grandma Green

2 cups flour & 1/2 teaspoon soda : sift 3 times

1/2 cup butter - work into flour till well blended.

2 eggs beaten, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon flavoring: mix and add to flour mixture

Roll thin and bake in 350 degree oven

Unbaked Chocolate Balls - from Grandma Green

Heat 2 packages of chocolate chips (or 1 large) and 1 can Borden's milk for 5 minutes.

Add:

17 crushed graham crackers

Vanilla and 1 tablespoon butter

Pour in pan and cool.  Then roll in small balls and in powdered sugar.

Pink and Green Bon-Bons - from Grandma Green

1/2 cup spry (crisco)

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 egg well beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups sifted flour

1/2 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (white powder)

Cream sugar and shortening.  Add eggs and extract - beat well.  Add dry ingredients.  Divide the dough and add redn / green food coloring.  Roll in balls and put on greased cookie sheet-  and bake slow at 350 degrees.

Fruity Santas

Ingredients

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

½ cup marshmallow cream

12 large fresh strawberries

12 fresh pineapple chunks or canned pineapple chunks (about 1 inch pieces)

12 frilled toothpicks

24 miniature semisweet chocolate chips

12 white fudge covered Oreos

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese and marshmallow cream together with a mixer on high speed until fluffy.

Place cream cheese mixture in decorating bag fitted with a #16 star tip.

Cut each strawberry in ½ crosswise.  Place a chunk of pineapple in center and secure with toothpick – repeat until done.

Press chocolate chips into pineapple for eyes – pipe cream cheese around top and bottom part of strawberry to form fur around the hat, then pipe cream cheese around pineapple to form Santa’s beard.

Refrigerate (no more than 2 hours).  Serve on white cream covered Oreos of a white cookie of your choice.

Pretzel Treats

1 bag pretzel Rings

2 bags Hershey’s Hugs

1 bag holiday M&Ms

Parchment Paper

Preheat oven to 250.  Place pretzels rings on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Put one Hershey hug in the center of the pretzel ring.  Bake 2 – 3 min.  Watch carefully.  The hugs should begin to melt down, but will not be fully melted.  Remove from oven and lightly press one M&M in the middle of the hug.  Do not remove from cookie sheet until fully hardened.  It works best to put them in the refrigerator for a bit.