RECIPE: PEPPERMINT HOT CHOCOLATE

Brrr... there's a chill in the air and the holidays are right around the corner. No matter if you're just cuddled up in a blanket watching Christmas movies or coming in from holiday shopping, make up a mug of this fast and super rich hot chocolate! Check out the variation at the end... a shot of something extra to warm you up fast!

PEPPERMINT HOT CHOCOLATE

Makes 2 large mugs

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups milk (use whole or skim, whatever you like)

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

3 tablespoons sugar

6 squares (3 ounces) 60 % Cacao dark chocolate, chopped 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

dash salt

4 soft peppermint candies or 2 soft peppermint sticks, crushed fine + 2 peppermint sticks for garnish

1/2 cup heavy cream or whipping cream

DIRECTIONS:

Put the candies in a plastic bag and crush them using a rolling pin or mallet. Set aside. Put the milk in a saucepan. Slowly bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Put the cocoa in one of the mugs. Add a bit of the hot milk and stir until it becomes smooth, adding more milk to thin it out. Add it back to the saucepan. Next, add the chopped chocolate and stir until it is completely melted. Let the chocolate heat through, stirring constantly. Add the crushed candies and stir until they are melted. Pour into mugs and drizzle a little heavy cream on the top. Garnish with a peppermint stick, whipped cream, a dusting of cocoa, marshmallows, or even more crushed candies... whatever you like and your diet can afford!

Variation: Add a shot of brandy, vanilla vodka, chocolate or white chocolate liqueur, coffee liqueur, or peppermint schnapps to your mug for some extra warmth!

FOR A CROWD: I make the hot chocolate in a pot and then transfer to a slow cooker for serving. Makes temperature control and serving so easy!

RECIPES: MY MOM'S TOTALLY ADDICTIVE HOLIDAY FRUITCAKE COOKIES

One of my favorite holiday traditions with my mom was starting our holiday baking the day after Thanksgiving. We always made spiced fruit cake cookies but we'd have to buy the ingredients over a few weeks so we could afford them. I remember the anticipation of watching the shelf fill up with the candied fruit: pineapple, cherries (yes, even the green ones) and how excited I was when we finally got the last ingredient. I still love those cookies... and they hold so many memories for me. 

I know. You hate fruitcake. I'm pretty sure I don't like most of them but I promise you these gorgeous little fruitcake gems are so addictive and delicious, you will not want to wait a whole year to make them again. These are the same mugs we used for Christmas Eve cocoa way back then.

MOM'S HOLIDAY FRUITCAKE COOKIES

Makes about 6 dozen depending on how large you make them.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound candied red cherries

1 pound candied pineapple

1 pound candied green cherries

6 cups pecans, roughly chopped

1 pound dates, chopped

2 tablespoons dark run (optional- but you need to up the orange juice if you omit)

3 cups plus 1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup Crisco shortening

1 cup granulated sugar

slight pinch kosher salt

3 teaspoons baking soda

3 tablespoons milk

4 eggs (room temperature)

1 tablespoon orange juice

1 teaspoon nutmeg

INSTRUCTIONS

The day before: chop the dates into small pieces and put them in a glass bowl. Add rum. Cover with plastic wrap. Let sit overnight to absorb the rum. You can leave this step out if you want but I find it makes the dates more delicious and the cookies have more flavor.  

Preheat oven to 375. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper. Get out 2-3 cooling racks.

Dice the candied fruit into small pieces and place in a very large bowl; I use the top of my cake carrier. Roughly chop the pecans and add to the fruit. Add the dates. Add one cup of the flour. Toss well to coat all of the pieces and break them up so they are not sticking together.

Next, whisk the baking soda into the milk and let it dissolve.

Mix the Crisco into the fruit. Add the remaining ingredients: sugar, remaining flour, salt, nutmeg, eggs, orange juice and milk with baking soda into the mixture.  Mix together with your hands but just until you no longer see the flour. Try not to over mix. The batter will be very dense. Use a small ice cream scoop or two teaspoons to drop the cookies onto the prepared pans, about 1 inch apart. 

Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on the wire cooling racks.

RECIPE: SOUTHERN PECAN DIVINITY

One holiday tradition I grew up with is Pecan Divinity. I can remember standing on a kitchen chair at the counter, two teaspoons in hand, waiting for the moment my mom said “go” and I’d start dropping those little puffs of sugar onto the wax paper in front of me. It was something we did every year from as far back as I can remember… and we’d often package up the treats to swap with family and friends.

Pecan Divinity is a classic Southern holiday item... we only have it at Christmas. That's probably because it does not turn out well when it is humid outside.

Divinity is nothing but sugar and egg whites… it is hard to imagine that something so simple can be that delicious but there are a few tricks to getting it just right. If you notice in the photo, the ones on top are smooth and pretty- the ones on the bottom are more craggy. That is because I let the mixture cool too much before dropping the candy. You have to work quickly to get the pretty, silky looking texture. Here are my secrets to making it look and taste just right:

1. Cook divinity on a day with no rain and no humidity. Let dry completely before storing. At least one hour.
2. Make sure you have an accurate candy thermometer. It is important to get it to exactly 260 degrees (hard ball stage) before you mix the sugar into the egg whites.
3. Work quickly. The candy looks best (somewhat shiny, not craggy) if you drop them while still hot. Once the candy cools off, it doesn’t hold the shape as well and looks rough, not smooth on the exterior. It still tastes good, just doesn’t look as pretty.

 SOUTHERN PECAN DIVINITY RECIPE

*You will need a candy thermometer for this recipe and wax or parchment paper. 

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup white Karo or light corn syrup

1/2 cup water

2 egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

DIRECTIONS

Prepare two baking sheets with wax or parchment paper.

Toast pecans on a baking sheet in the oven just for a few minutes. Allow to cool completely. Set aside.

Add sugar, salt, syrup and water to a large heavy 2 quart saucepan.  Stir. Attach candy thermometer to the side of the pan but don’t let it touch the bottom. Over medium high heat, cook the sugar mixture to the hard ball stage or 260 degrees. Don’t stir it but you can swirl the pan around until the sugar dissolves, then just leave it alone. Watch the sugar carefully. It will take about 15 minutes to get to 260 degrees. While you are waiting, use a mixer to beat the egg whites to stiff peaks, beating constantly on high speed, about 4-5 minutes.

When the mixture reaches 260 degrees, remove it from the heat. With the mixer on the lowest setting, very slowly stream the hot sugar mixture into the egg whites. Add vanilla. Then turn up the speed to high and beat constantly until the mixture holds its shape, about 5-6 minutes. Quickly fold in the pecans. Work rapidly and drop the candy by teaspoon onto the prepared baking sheet.

Let cool and dry at least one hour before storing the candy in an airtight container.