December!!!!!

December is here, which means its Christmas season in my book. Christmas is by far, my very favorite holiday and I look forward to it all year long!  There is something so magical about all the lights, decorations, yummy food and holiday spirit. Holiday baking is one of the things I absolutely LOVE about this season. I spent the day baking some of my favorite treats, including the molasses chews from a previous post. I added some banana bread, english toffee, and buckeyes to round things out a bit and have enough to share! I packaged some of these goodies up and brought them across the street to our neighbors who are always helping us out. They love to get any sweet treats I might be making and I try to always bring them something special. I am hoping my co-workers will also enjoy some yummy baked goods and candies this holiday season. My husband Steve is usually not a big fan of sweets, so there are usually plenty of extras!

Buckeyes

-adapted from allrecipes

1 1/2 cups peanut butter

1/2 cup softened, salted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

2 TBS crisco

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cover a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside.

Mix together butter, peanut butter, vanilla and salt until smooth. Add in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing well with hands. Once all powdered sugar is incorporated, roll mixture into 1 inch balls and place on baking sheet. Refrigerate for 1 hour. 

Melt crisco and chocolate chips in a double boiler until melted and combined. Insert a toothpick into each ball and dip in chocolate. Do not cover the entire ball. Set back on waxed paper and remove toothpick. Once all the balls are dipped, you can smooth over the toothpick holes with your finger, or leave them!

English Toffee

-adapted from Shugary Sweets

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1- 12 oz package of semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

1 cup natural almonds- coarsely chopped (I pulsed in food processor a few times)
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans 

Line an 11 x 7 baking dish with aluminum foil and then sprinkle almonds over bottom, set aside.
Heat butter, sugar, vanilla and salt in medium saucepan over med-high heat stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Continue stirring for about 6 minutes, until mixture is around 300 degrees and a nice golden color. Pour mixture into the prepared dish and set aside until completely cooled and set, about 2 hours.
Once toffee is set, pour the melted chocolate over and smooth the top. Sprinkle with chopped pecans.
Once chocolate is set, use the foil to pull the toffee out of the pan and onto a wooden, cutting board.
Cut/chop into desired size pieces and enjoy!

Note: Make sure toffee is at room temperature before cutting, if it is too cold, chocolate will separate from the toffee.

Bourbon Banana Bread

-adapted from Smitten Kitchen

4 very ripe bananas

1/2 cup salted butter, melted

1 cup light brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbs bourbon (I used this Blue State bourbon because it was on sale :))

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 1/4 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 3 mini loaf pans or 1 regular and 1 mini loaf pan, set aside.

Mash bananas in a large bowl, pour in melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and bourbon, mix well. Sprinkle with baking soda and salt, and then mix well again. Finally, add in spices and flour and stir until combined. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 40-50 minutes, until toothpick inserted into middle, comes out clean. 

Note: I like to leave some chunks in my bananas when mashing. The flavor those banana bits add is amazing! You may need to cover with foil if top is brown, but middle is still undone.  This recipe is an odd size for some but perfect for me...I like to have some banana bread to keep and some to give away!