By popular demand...

Alright alright - so you want the rest of the recipes I mentioned ... here you go - here are a few from my Christmas Treats arsenal...

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
1/2 cup margarine
2/3 cup peanut butter
2 cups icing sugar
6 handfuls (3 cups) rice krispies

Mix together into 1/2-1" balls (the mixture can seem dry - you need to wash your hands, roll up your sleeves and really get in there and mush it together - then roll into balls). Once all rolled, use spoon to dip balls into melted chocolate and drop onto waxed (or parchment) paper - then freeze. (Key here is to not make your balls too big - because dipping them in the chocolate makes them even larger - you want a 2 bite max treat)

My tip: don't use just any chocolate here - go to the Bulk Barn and buy some Merkens dark chocolate wafers. Merkins is the BEST chocolate to use for molds and this type of thing - great wax content (which means shiny finish) and yes, the dark is yummier than the milk chocolate for these balls. Also looks prettier. And no, Nestle is not better, or even on par - go MERKENS.

Cherry Surprises
1-3/4 cups icing sugar
1/2 cup margarine (you can use butter in a pinch - but margarine works better - just don't think about the ickiness of it all)
1-1/2 cups fine shredded coconut
1 tsp orange juice
3 dozen maraschino cherries (red or green or both - but not the pieces - you want full cherries)
Vanilla crumbs (can also use graham cracker crumbs - but vanilla oh so much better)

Dry off cherries with paper towel - you don't want them dripping in syrup. Mix ingredients together. Take 1 tablespoon and shape around cherry to form balls. Roll in vanilla crumbs. Freeze well.

White Chocolate Christmas Fudge
12 ounces white chocolate (can use any white chocolate - but again I reco Merkens)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (Eagle Brand - yum)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pistachios (green)
1 tbsp grated orange peel

Line a 8" square pan with foil with ends extending over sides. Microwave chocolate and milk in large bowl on medium until almost melted (or melt on stove - I prefer this method). Stir until chocolate is completely melted - add cranberries, nuts and orange peel. Spread mixture into prepared pan. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm. Store in fridge up to 3 weeks - do not freeze (although I have and it's fine - but whatevs, this is what my recipe says).

For the Homemade Turtles - there isn't a recipe - just go to a local bulk store where they sell chocolate molds and pick up some turtles. Then, using Merkens chocolate (melted) - line a thin layer of chocolate on the molds, add softened caramel in the belly and pecans in the legs - then top with more melted chocolate and freeze. Pop out of the molds and voila - homemade Turtles. I DO NOT make these - these are my Mom's obsession and she fiddly-asses around with them for a few weeks to make a few batches to share out. Very time intensive and not on my list of "to make" at holiday time (I just steal hers... ha!).

Happy baking peeps!

xxoo.S