Holiday Candy Gift Platters made with Love

Do you give out tins of home-baked cookies for Christmas? Me, too. I can remember one year in particular, when Kiddo and I spend an entire weekend hand painting sugar cookie cutouts. Wow, I just looked at the pictures of Kiddo’s cookie artwork – that was seven years ago! Where did the time go?

These days we don’t do much in the hand painted cookie realm. Most of the cookies are drop cookies or thumbprint cookies or crisscross. You know, cookies that don’t take days and days to decorate. Besides, I have two sisters that bake a ton of sugar cookies.

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Another nice gift from the kitchen are candies. I like to pick up those cheap laminated chargers from the Dollar Store to use as a plate, then wrap the whole thing up in Cellophane and tie it all together with a bow. These are what I like to call gifts from the heart.

Holiday Candy Gift Platters
Red or Gold Chargers as needed (party supply store or Dollar Store)
Holiday Cellophane Wrap as needed (Bakery Supply Store)
Holiday Ribbon as needed (Fabric Store)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Meltaways
Holiday Fantasy Fudge
White Chocolate Candy Cane Oreo Truffles
Chocolate Cashew Clusters
Chocolate Raisin Clusters

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Meltaways
12-oz package White Chocolate Baking Chips
1 cup (6 oz) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Chips
1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
2 tablespoons Shortening
5 dozen Mini Baking or Candy Cups
Assorted Sugar Decorations
1 tube Wilton Decorating Icing, white

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the baking chips, peanut butter and shortening. Cover and microwave on HIGH for 90 seconds. Remove from microwave, stir, then continue to microwave in 30 second intervals, string between each, until the mixture is smooth.

Separate and arrange the mini baking lingers on a 10-inch by 15-inch jelly roll pan. Carefully pour the melted chocolate mixture into the liners, filling almost completely full.

Note: You can pour the mixture into a glass measuring cup with a spout for easier pouring.

Place the candy into the refrigerator to chill until set, at least an hour.

When ready to decorate, peel off the Sugar decorations, one at a time. Turn over, dab a little decorating icing on the back to act as the “glue” and press as desired onto the meltaway.

Store candies in the refrigerator.

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Holiday Fantasy Fudge
3 cups  Sugar
3/4 cup  Butter
5 oz. can Evaporated Milk (about 2/3 cup)
12 oz package Semi-Sweet Chocolate chips
7 oz jar Marshmallow Creme
1 cup  chopped Walnuts
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Note: Do not use sweetened condensed milk!

Line 9-inch square pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Lightly butter the foil.

Note: A 9-inch square pan will yield thick chunks of fudge. If a less thick piece of fudge is desired, use a 9 x 13-inch pan.

Bring sugar, butter and evaporated milk to full rolling boil in 3-quart saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook 5 minutes or until candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees F, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Off heat, add the chocolate and stir until the chips have completely melted. Fold in marshmallow crème; stir until no streaks of marshmallow cream remain. Add nuts and vanilla; mix well.

Pour the fudge mixture into the prepared pan; spread to cover the pan completely.

Note: Work quickly as the fudge will set up in no time.

Cool completely at room temperature. Use foil handles to lift fudge from pan and transfer to a board. Peel off foil before cutting into squares.

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White Chocolate Candy Cane Oreo Truffles
36 Mint Oreos
8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
16 oz. White Chocolate Chips
1 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1/4 cup crushed Candy Canes

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Place the Oreo cookies in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the cream cheese and pulse until the mixture is well combined and smooth.

Using a cookies scoop, scoop the mixture into balls about 1-inch in diameter. Place the cookie balls on the baking sheet. Once all the balls have been created, place in the freezer until well chilled, at least 1 hour or as much as a day.

When the truffle balls are ready, combine the white chocolate chips and oil in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring between bursts, until just melted and smooth. Do not overheat. Stir in the crushed candy canes.

Remove truffles from freezer and dip in melted candy-cane chocolate. Return to baking sheet, and allow chocolate to set.

Store the truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

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Chocolate Cashew Clusters
1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 cup Milk Chocolate Chips
1 cup Cashews

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Set aside.

In the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water, melt chocolate, stirring frequently. Once melted, remove from heat.

Stir in the cashews, coat well. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of clusters onto the line baking sheet.

Let cool to room temperature on the counter, then chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator to fully set.

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Chocolate Raisin Clusters
8 oz Milk Chocolate Chips
1 cup Raisins

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Set aside.

In the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water, melt chocolate, stirring frequently. Once melted, remove from heat.

Add Raisins and stir until completely coated in chocolate. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of raisin clusters onto the lined baking sheet.

Let cool to room temperature on the counter, then chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator to fully set.

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Oh, and one more thing – those little sugar decorations for the meltaways are great for decorating an ugly sweater cake. Just a thought . . .