Christmas Candy Recipes

If you love throwing Christmas parties then you are, most likely, constantly seeking out new Christmas candy recipes. However, one quick Internet search and you probably find yourself overwhelmed with Christmas recipes that are either too complicated to try and make or you find yourself browsing through web page after web page only to find the same old candy recipes you've seen over and over again. I know because I've been there myself. As a result, I've come to rely on recipes for Christmas candy that have been passed down to me through my aunts, cousins, great grandmother, grandmother and mother.

So in the spirit of Christmas sharing, I've decided to dig into my grandmother's old recipe box and share with you just a few of the old-timey recipes hidden away inside my little treasure chest of candy recipes. I hope you enjoy these little treasures - the little handwritten cards the recipes are written on have been passed down from my grandmother, to my mother, and then to me. My mother hasn't made all of them. (There are way too many after all.) However, I've made enough, and eaten enough of them, for me to trust my grandmother's taste in homemade Christmas candy recipes. I hope you find them as amusing to make and as unique as I believe them to be.

1. SPICY FRUIT DROPS

This recipe uses something that, back in the 1950's, was referred to as "Crisco Cookie Mix". It's easy to make something similar. All you have to do is combine 6 cups of all purpose flour with 1 pound of vegetable shortening and 1 tablespoon of salt. There you have it; "cookie mix". And, you can store any left over "cookie mix" and use it in recipe number three below.

Ingredients:

Cookie Mix (2 cups)

Light Brown Sugar (1 cup)

Baking Powder (1/2 teaspoon)

Cinnamon (1 teaspoon)

Ground cloves (1/2 teaspoon)

Allspice (1/2 teaspoon)

Eggs (2)

Orange Juice (2 tablespoons)

Pecans (1 ½ cups, chopped)

Dates (1 ½ cups, chopped)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pull out a cookie sheet and either coat with vegetable shortening or spray with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Stir together the first six ingredients. Add in eggs and orange juice. Stir vigorously. Add in chopped nuts and chopped dates. Blend all ingredients together well. Drop cookies on to cooking sheet using a teaspoon - make sure to space well apart. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Number of cookies depends on the amount of dough dropped from each teaspoon. Remove from oven. Allow to cool and eat a few before your guests arrive.

2. CANDIED GRAPEFRUIT PEELS

Ingredients:

Large pink or yellow grapefruit (1 fruit)

White Sugar (1 ½ cups)

Water (1/2 cup)

Instructions:

Coat a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. Peel the grapefruit (set aside grapefruit wedges for some other occasion). You can make the peelings as thick or as thin as you like. Once the grapefruit has been peeled, using scissors, trim the peels into thin strips so they are approximately the same size and shape. Place the orange peels into a pot of water cooking over a high heat - bring to a boil and cook until tender. You may want to pour off the boiling water and add fresh cold water several times to ensure the peels have enough time to tenderize. Once tender, drain the peels. Next, boil 1 cup of sugar and ½ cup of water until mixture begins to "thread" (approximately the consistency of white glue). Add the peels and cook over a low heat until the syrup has been absorbed. Carefully removing each peel, roll each peel in the remaining white sugar to coat. Place on cookie sheet. Allow strips to stand until cool. Yummy!

3. CRISPY MOLASSES BALLS

Ingredients:

Cookie Mix (2 cups)

Light Brown Sugar (3/4 cup)

Baking Soda (1 ½ teaspoons)

Cinnamon (1 teaspoon)

Ground cloves (1/2 teaspoon)

Ground ginger (1/2 teaspoon)

Egg (1)

Molasses (3 tablespoons)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pull out a cookie sheet and either coat with vegetable shortening or spray with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Stir together first eight ingredients. Add in egg and molasses. Stir vigorously. Chill the dough in the refrigerator. Once cooled, using a spoon, roll dough into 1" balls. Brush the top of the balls with water and dip tops of balls into sugar. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool. Serve and enjoy!

Merry Christmas!