My family makes candy at Christmas every year to give away to family and friends. Here's 4 of the recipes we've done before. The first recipe has been in the family for a long time. It came from my grandmother. I'm not sure if it's her mother's recipe or if she found it somewhere. The next recipe came from a magazine in the mid-80s. The last two came from cookbooks. Hershey & Eagle Brand, respectively. I'm still trying to locate our chocolate peanut cluster recipe a friend of my mom's came up with. If I find it, I'll post. Enjoy!
Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Balls
3 lbs confectioner's sugar
3 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 lb (18 oz) jar of creamy peanut butter
1 lb margarine softened at room temperature
12-16 oz sewi-sheet chocolate chips (any chocolate chips are fine)
1 block of wax
1-Mix margarine with sugar by adding sugar a little bit at a time. Once sugar is in, add peanut butter. Mix well
2-Roll mixture into balls (size is up to you)
3-Melt wax in double boiler & add chocolate and melt
4-Dip balls into chocolate
5-Place on wax paper to dry and harden
Makes a lot of candy. We tend to cut the recipe down to half except the chocolate and wax. Recommended to use wooden skewers to poke into the peanut butter balls and swirl the balls in chocolate (less messy). Once on wax paper, remove the skewers and drizzle chocolate in the hole. If/when the dipping chocolate gets cool and starts to solidify, heat the wax/chocolate mixture in a microwave or on the double boiler. Candy is ready to eat once dry. Store in an airtight container. They don't have to be kept in the refrigerator (but you can).
Microwave Fudge (so easy to make)
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup butter or magarine cut into pieces
1-Combine all ingredients in a 2-quart glass bowl
2-Microwave at medium power (50%) for 4-5 minutes, stirring at 1 and a half minute intervals
3-Pour into a buttered 8-inch square dish
4-Chill at least 2 hours, cut into squares
Makes about 2 pounds of fudge. You can substitute any type of chips. We've done caramel fudge with caramel chips, white chocolate with white chocolate chips, peanut butter with peanut butter chips, etc. You can probably add add-ins too like walnuts. Store in refrigerator.
Hershey's Chocolate Peanut Butter Glazed Fudge (gorgeous & tastes wonderful)
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
Dash of salt
1 and 2/3 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup whipping cream
1-Line 8-inch or 9-inch square pan with wax paper
2-Melt chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk and salt in heavy sauce pan
3-Stir in 2/3 cup of peanut butter chips (do not stir them to where they have blended with the chocolate & you can't see the peanut butter color)
4-Pour chocolate/peanut butter mixture into pan
5-Melt 1 cup of peanut butter chips with 1/2 cup whipping cream. Stir until thick and smooth. Spread over fudge
6-Refrigerate for at least 2 hours
Fudge is gorgeous with peanut butter swirls inside the chocolate and a nice layer of peanut butter on top. Store in refrigerator.
Eagle Brand Choco-Peanut Pinwheels
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-Cut waxed paper into 15 X 10 inch rectangle; butter paper
2-In heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt peanut butter chips with 2/3 cup condensed milk. Cool slightly. With fingers, press evenly into thin layer to cover waxed paper. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
3-In heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips with remaning condensed milk. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Spread evenly over peanut layer. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
4-Beginning at 15-inch side, roll up tighly, jelly roll-style, without waxed paper. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
5-Chill 2 hours or until firm. Cut into 1/4 inch slices to serve. Store covered at room temperature (you can store them in the refrigerator too).
Rolling them isn't the most fun thing in the world. Go slow with it. The key is to make sure the layers are evenly spread. Cutting them isn't too bad.
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My ornaments
