Holiday Baking

There's a Christmas cookie party going on at jama rattigan's alphabet soup ("a children's writer offers food for thought & fine whining"). Here's another of my holiday baking traditions. My first two years of teaching were in a school in the Dallas Independent School District that was on a federal low-income list. It was like being in the Peace Corps. Every year I taught there, my student loans were reduced and deferred. If I would have made it 5 years, I would have erased my student loans. I lasted for two. But I'm proud of what I accomplished in that short time. I took my kids on a field trip, single-handedly, to the (then) brand-new Dallas Museum of Art. I taught with literature. And I started a tradition that lasted 20 years: I made gingerbread people for the students to decorate. Some of them had never decorated cookies. I made myself a promise that I would make cookies every year in case I ever had students who had not decorated cookies. After 20 years of gingerbread, I was ready for a change. I have an extensive collection of cookie cutters and only two were getting used. So, a few years back, I switched to sugar cookies. And, in a bold move that gave the whole event a new twist, I provided the kids with plain white butter frosting (yes, from scratch) and FOOD COLORING and let them make their icing colors. Here are some views from last year's event:

Holiday Traditions

There's a Christmas cookie party going on at jama rattigan's alphabet soup ("a children's writer offers food for thought & fine whining"). I'm going to join the party with a couple of my holiday baking traditions. First, the candy.

Today I finished up the last 40 bags of Christmas candy. Over Thanksgiving weekend, I made 60 bags. If you lived here, Kidlitosphere Friend, you'd be getting a bag.

There's not a lot in each bag -- three peanut clusters and three chunks of graham cracker toffee. I would tell you when I hand you the bag, that I intend it to be just enough for you -- you don't have to feel like you need to share it with anyone.

By the end of the day, you would probably make a guilty confession to me that the candy was all gone.

Next year, when I would hand you your bag, you would squeal with delight. My candy does that to people. I love that squeal. It's all I need in the way of thanks.

I give these recipes to anyone who asks. They are not a closely-guarded family secret. The key to making 100 bags of candy is the simplicity of the recipes.

Peanut Clusters
1 lb. white candy coating (at Kroger it is "Bark Coating")
12 oz. Nestle's semisweet chips
5 c. Planters Salty Cocktail Peanuts (almost 2 lbs.)

Melt chocolate and coating in microwave (3-5 minutes). Stir until smooth. Add peanuts. Drop on waxed paper by spoonfuls. Let set. Makes about 60 pieces. (20 bags)

Graham Cracker Crisps
Line a buttered 9.5 x 13.5 in. jellyroll pan with whole Keebler Original Graham Crackers. Combine 1 c. butter, 1/2 c. brown sugar, and 1/2 c. chopped pecans. Boil 3 min. Pour over crackers and bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes. Top with a 12 oz. package of Nestle's milk chocolate chips and spread when melted. Crack into pieces when cool. Makes about 30 big pieces. (I do 2 pans simultaneously for 20 bags.)

Happy Holidays! ENJOY!