It’s the time of year when we gather with friends and family…and eat really good food, of course! Here are some ideas of treats to take to your next party.

 

Christmas Cookies with a Kiss

These were my favorite Christmas cookies as a child. I especially loved helping my mom take the wrappers off the Hershey Kisses. My mom would always have to buy extra kisses because I would sneak a few into my mouth instead of on the cookies. This year we tried something festive with the peppermint white chocolate kisses and they are surprisingly delicious.

½ c. peanut butter

½ c. butter

½ c. sugar

½ c. brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

1 1/3 c. flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

24 Hershey Kisses (unwrapped)

 

Preheat oven to 350. Put all ingredients in a mixer and beat until smooth. Roll into small balls and bake for 10-12 minutes. Once cooked place a Hershey Kisses (chocolate or peppermint) in the center of each cookie. Yummy!

Other healthier options: The Disappearing Veggie Tray

Every year we all get wonderful gifts from our neighbors. Typically, they are secret family recipes which are very delicious. The only issue is that sometimes we feel a little bit of a sugar overload. We have received some great gifts over the years but one of our favorites came last year from our neighbors. They delivered a plate of veggies, dill pickles, olives and ranch dip. Who would have thunk with all the cookies, fudge and goodies that were in our house that our kids would have eaten all of those veggies in minutes (no seriously, it was like 4 minutes till gone!). We had to run to Lee’s for more veggies because they were so good.

 

Grandma Spelts’ Honey Butter Popcorn

Ryan’s mom makes some amazing dishes and this is one of Ryan’s favorite treats during the Holiday’s because it is the perfect amount of sweetness (not too overwhelming) and buttery goodness. When our family gets together it means a lot of mouths looking for something to munch on. This makes a batch big enough to please the masses :).

 

First, pop your corn, make sure and remove all the un-popped kernels. Seriously!! This is a very important step. This stuff is so yummy and your family will eat it with such enthusiasm that someone will break a tooth if they hit a kernel. So go through it again.

 

We use 5 scoops (of the little lid on top) of kernels in our air popper

2 c. butter

1 c. honey (we like the Cox delicious cream honey – unfiltered)

4 c. sugar

1 c. whipping cream

 

Add butter, honey, sugar and whipping cream in a pot and bring to a boil until you get to a *soft ball stage” (235° – 240°) At this temperature, if you drip a small amount of the syrupy mixture into cold water, it will form a soft, flexible ball. If you remove the ball from the water, it will flatten like a pancake after a few moments in your hand. This is how you will know that the mixture is ready. This is the perfect temperature to keep the caramel soft and delicious.

Stir into the popcorn.