Holy Christmas! It finally feels like the holidays are here - probably because they actually are! We have officially started a family tradition with my immediate family. The day began with our holibaking lists - a mixture of fudge, chocolate peppermint bark, chex party mix, and cutouts and continued the night with a bowl full of chili and the Holidazzle Parade downtown Minneapolis. Then, we ended the night with creating our own gingerbread houses and sipped some hot chocolate. We had fabulous fun times and we plan to make this a yearly event. We have always attended the Holidazzle Parade, but this was the first year we've baked together and busted out our decorating skills with gingerbread houses.
I knew I needed to go into this Christmas prepared so I didn't have any mess ups with eating things I can not have, so I planned for a few gluten-free holiday treats on my holibaking list. I didn't want to be left out of all the holiday goodies! First up was a great, timeless option - fudge. I've never made fudge before but my Grandma Arlene always made yummy stuff and said it was pretty easy to make. Since Grandma's always tell the truth, this recipe was so easy that it amazed me.
Prep Time: 30 minutes; Chill Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes
2 cups (12 oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 ounces white confectioners' coating*
or 1 cup (6 oz.) premium white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon peppermint extract
Green or red food coloring (optional)
Line 8- or 9-inch square pan with wax paper.
Melt chocolate chips with 1 cup sweetened condensed milk in heavy saucepan over low heat; add vanilla. Spread half the mixture into prepared pan; chill 10 minutes or until firm. Hold remaining chocolate mixture at room temperature.
Melt white confectioners' coating with remaining sweetened condensed milk in heavy saucepan over low heat (mixture will be thick). Add peppermint extract and food coloring, if desired. Spread on chilled chocolate layer; chill an additional 10 minutes or until firm.
Spread reserved chocolate mixture on mint layer. Chill 2 hours or until firm. Remove from pan by lifting edges of wax paper; peel off paper and let sit for a bit. Cut into squares.
*Confectioners' coating can be purchased in candy specialty store.
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cool Time: 10-15 minutes
My mom is so sweet - she chose to make chex mix and researched how to ensure each ingredient was gluten free so that I could have it. She decided on the chocolate variety because she knows chocolate is one thing that I truly love! This Chex Mix was so tasty and ooey-gooey, we wanted to make two batches, but ran out of ingredients. It was determined that since it will be a staple tradition in the Kroenke Family Holiday Extravanga going forward, one batch would be plenty for all the 2009 Holiday festivities.
8 cups Chocolate Chex® cereal
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup white vanilla baking chips
Into large microwavable bowl, measure cereal; set aside. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper.
In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave brown sugar, butter and corn syrup uncovered on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until melted and smooth. Stir in baking soda until dissolved. Pour over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Microwave on High 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Spread on cookie sheet. Cool 10 minutes. Break into bite-size pieces.
In small microwavable bowl, microwave vanilla baking chips uncovered on High about 1 minute 30 seconds or until chips can be stirred smooth (bowl will be hot). Drizzle over snack. Refrigerate until set. Store in tightly covered container.
Cannot wait to try the chex mix!!!
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