Crites Family Stuff

Ingredients for 12 servings

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp light whipping cream

Steps

1. Cream together all ingredients. Shape into balls. Dip in melted chocolate.

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Ingredients for 36 servings

• .5 cup and 2 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 14 oz shredded coconut
• Almonds
• Chocolate, melted (for dipping)

Steps

1. Mix together the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Add powdered sugar, a little at a time. Stir in coconut. Mixture will be very thick. Grease a 9 x 13 pan. Press the mixture tightly into pan. Place the pan in fridge until mixture is firm, about 24 hours. Cut into little rectangle bars, put almonds on top and dip in chocolate. Place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and allow to set.

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Description

I made these for my dad for Father's Day. As usual, he didn't get many of them because he forgot they were in the fridge but everyone else remembered!

Ingredients for 60 servings

• 60 maraschino cherries
• 3 tbsp butter, softened
• 3 tbsp corn syrup
• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1 lb chocolate confectioners' coating

Steps

1. Drain cherries and set on paper towels to dry.
2. In a medium bowl, combine butter and corn syrup until smooth. Stir in powdered sugar and knead to form a dough. Chill to stiffen if necessary. Wrap each cherry in about 1 tsp of dough. Chill until firm.
3. Melt confectioners coating in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Dip each cherry and place on waxed paper lined sheets. Chill until completely set. Store in an airtight container in a cool place.

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Ingredients for 50 servings

• 1 package regular Oreos
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 package white chocolate chips

Steps

1. Use food processor to crush Oreos until they are powdery. Mix with cream cheese and form into balls. Put into freezer for about 20 minutes, until firm but not frozen solid. Dip the Oreo balls into melted white chocolate chips and set on wax paper.
2. Optional: Sprinkle with colored sugar or sprinkles, or drizzle with alternately colored chocolate.

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Ingredients for 120 servings

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups light corn syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Pinch salt
• .5 cup butter
• 2 cups heavy cream

Steps

1. Warm cream and butter over low heat in a small saucepan. Keep warm.
2. Bring to a boil the sugar, syrup, and salt in a large pan and cook until it thickens. Add the cream mixture in a thin stream so that boiling doesn't stop while stirring. Cook, stirring constantly until it reaches a firm ball stage (228 on a candy thermometer). Add vanilla and pour into a well buttered 9x13 pan. Cool, cut, and wrap with wax paper.
3. I don't use a candy thermometer anymore. I use a small bowl of ice water to drop a little of the hot caramel into. I begin testing the caramel when it starts to darken in color slightly and thicken on the spoon. When the caramel hits the cold water it hardens quickly, but will harden more as it sets so be careful not to cook the caramels too long or you will have harder caramels. We like them to be firm, but soft. I've made them so much that this process isn't too difficult anymore. Use the thermometer to be more accurate until you are more comfortable if you are unsure of yourself.

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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

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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Ingredients for 1 serving

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup real butter
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Chopped nuts (optional)

Steps

1. Place ingredients in a large bowl (the mixture will foam up). Microwave 5 minutes on high. Stir. Gradually stir in condensed milk. Cook 9-15 minutes, depending on how soft you want them and what temperature your microwave reaches on high. Stir every 3 minutes. When it begins to get thick, drop some of the mixture into a cup of cold water. When it forms a firm ball, it is finished. Add vanilla and chopped nuts and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Let it set until it is easy to cut into squares and wrap in wax paper or cellophane square wrappers. Store in the refrigerator.

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Description

Jennifer Crites: This is the toffee that I make for family gatherings and for Debbie at Christmas! I sent her a Christmas tin of toffee many years ago and she has faithfully sent back the empty tin year after year for refills!

Ingredients for 1 serving

• 1 cup butter (I prefer using Blue Bonnet margarine)
• 1 tbsp light corn syrup
• 1.33 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp water
• 2 (8 oz) Hershey Milk chocolate bars
• 1.5 cups sliced almonds, divided

Steps

1. Combine the butter, corn syrup, sugar, and water in a medium sauce pan. Cook to 300F or hard crack stage on a candy thermometer, stirring constantly. Pour out onto a non-greased cookie sheet that is somewhat flexible (easier to remove hardened candy from). When cooled and hardened, melt 8 oz chocolate and spread evenly over the toffee and immediately sprinkle with half the almonds. Refrigerate to harden the chocolate. Turn the candy over and repeat the process. Break into pieces when all the chocolate is set, then send some to Debbie!

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