Crites Family Stuff

Ingredients for 15 servings

• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 tbsp butter
• 3 cups pecans

Steps

1. Mix the sugar, buttermilk, and soda together. Cook until candy thermometer is at soft-ball stage. Remove from heat and add the vanilla, butter and nuts. Stir until mixture begins to harden. Drop in small patties on wax paper.

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Description

My mom's caramels were a big tradition every Christmas. We all looked forward to them. I learned to make them and wrap them in wax paper like a Christmas gift. I now make caramels for my brothers and sister. My brother Richard said, "I appreciate you sending us the caramels for Christmas. It reminds me of mother."

Ingredients for 1 serving

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cups light corn syrup
• Few grains salt
• .5 cup butter
• 2 cups evaporated milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• .5 cup nuts (optional)

Steps

1. Boil together the sugar, syrup, and salt. When the syrup is very thick, add the butter. Add the milk gradually so that the mixture does not stop boiling. Stir constantly and cook until a few drops form a firm ball when dropped into cold water. This could take up to 45 minutes of stirring. Add the vanilla and nuts and pour into a greased square pan. Cool thoroughly and cut into squares and wrap. Keep in refrigerator until ready to eat.

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Description

This is the easy cookie recipe my children started their cooking debut with. It is an easy, almost instant cookie recipe. Even the boys could handle it.

Ingredients for 24 servings

• 2 cups sugar
• .5 cup milk
• .5 cup shortening
• 3 tbsp cocoa
• .5 tsp salt
• 3 cups quick oatmeal
• 1 tsp vanilla
• .5 cup chopped nuts
• 1 cup coconut

Steps

1. Combine sugar, milk, shortening, cocoa and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add the quick oatmeal, vanilla, chopped nuts, and coconut. Drop by spoonfuls on wax paper.
2. Annie Crites makes these but uses margarine instead of shortening and add 1/2 cup peanut butter, as well.

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Dorothy Farmer: This is my mother's recipe. No one in the world could make better taffy than she could. I have tried this recipe, but it didn't turn out nearly as well as hers. I have included this recipe for all the family who have tasted her wonderful taffy. She would start to pull the taffy when it was yet so hot that she would put butter on her fingers, so it wouldn't burn them. Good luck to those of you who might try this recipe.

Ingredients for 48 servings

• .5 cup light Karo syrup
• .5 cup real butter
• .25 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 cup water
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 cups sugar

Steps

1. Stir all ingredients together, and then boil until a spoonful of it poured into cold water will crack. Pour onto buttered plates and cool just long enough that it can be handled. Pull it until it is hard and brittle and then break into bite sized pieces. For a chocolate variation, melt two squares of chocolate with the butter before boiling. If a candy thermometer is used boil to soft-med crack stage - 280F, but adjust temperature to your altitude. Mother would vary the recipe, by adding different flavors of extract and adding different food colorings. Green peppermint was a favorite of mine.

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Jennifer Crites: This cookie was a treat for me growing up and I have made it almost every year since I've been married. It's not Christmas for my kids without this favorite cookie.
Janette Johnson: I remember making these cookies with Mom during the Holidays.

Ingredients for 48 servings

• 1 cup soft shortening (half butter)
• 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 1.5 tsp almond flavoring
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2.5 cups sifted flour
• 1 tsp salt
• .5 tsp red food coloring

Topping:

• .5 cup sugar
• .5 cup crushed candy canes or peppermint candy

Steps

1. Heat oven to 375F. Mix well shortening, sugar, egg and flavorings. Mix flour, salt and stir in. Divide dough in half. Blend red food coloring into one half of dough. Roll 1 tsp each color dough on lightly floured board into two strips about 4 inches long. Place strips side by side and press lightly together and twist like a rope. Put on ungreased cookie sheet. Curve top down for handle of cane. Bake 9 minutes or until barely golden. Remove and while still warm, sprinkle with the topping mixture of the crushed peppermint and sugar. Success Tip: Make complete cookies one at a time. If all the dough of one color is shaped first, the little rolls become too dry to twist.

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Ingredients for 36 servings

• 2.5 cups flour
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• .5 tsp salt
• 1 cup shortening
• 1.5 cups sugar
• 2 eggs

Steps

1. Cream shortening, sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Blend in dry ingredients. Roll mixture into walnut size balls, roll in a mixture of 2 tbsp sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 9 minutes at 375F.

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Ingredients for 40 servings

• .5 cup butter
• .5 cup peanut butter
• .5 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• .5 cup brown sugar
• .5 tsp vanilla
• 1.25 cups flour
• .75 tsp baking soda
• .5 tsp salt
• 10 oz (1 box) small Reese's cups

Steps

1. Cream butter, peanut butter and both kinds of sugar together. Beat in egg and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Blend into creamed mixture to make dough. Preheat oven to 375F. Shape dough into one-inch balls and place in ungreased 1-1/2 inch muffin tins or use midget paper cups in big tins. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately after removing, press mini Reese's cups into center of each cookie until only top of cup shows. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pan.

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Description

Dorothy Farmer: This is a festive, delicious cookie recipe given to me from Jennifer. She ended the recipe with the notation, "Mother, I love you, Jennifer"

Ingredients for 36 servings

• .33 cup peanut butter
• .5 cup sugar
• .5 cup butter
• .5 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• .5 tsp salt
• 1 tsp soda
• 1.75 cups flour
• 1 package of chocolate kisses

Steps

1. Cream first four ingredients, add egg and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients and combine into the mixture. Shape into balls and roll in white sugar. Bake at 375F for 8 minutes. Remove from oven, press in a kiss in the cookie center. Return to oven and bake 2 to 5 more minutes. Don't overheat the chocolate or it will burn.

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Ingredients for 18 servings

• .5 cup butter, creamed
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup sifted flour
• 1 cup grated pecans

Steps

1. Roll into balls. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Roll while hot in powdered sugar.

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This is a GOOD sugar cookie recipe. The cookies should be large soft and thick. I have made these cookies with grandchildren to enter in the fair in the "Grandmother-Grandchild" category and have won first place with them. My memory is dim, maybe it was second place, but anyway, we DID win a prize. I also have used this recipe to make Christmas cookies and have iced them with colored icing in Christmas colors. Fun to do with grandchildren!

Ingredients for 36 servings

• 1 cup shortening
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• .5 tsp baking soda
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 4.5 cups flour
• .5 tsp salt

Steps

1. Cream shortening and sugar together. Add eggs and beat. Add sour cream and vanilla. Sift together dry ingredients (baking soda, baking powder, flour and salt) and add to the shortening, sugar, egg, sour cream and vanilla mixture. Dough should be soft, but not sticky. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut in desired shapes. Bake in a 350F oven for 8-10 minutes. enjoy!

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