Day 12 of 12 - Turkey Cranberry Wreath

Well, we made it. Twelve Days of Christmas....it's over, and today is the day of leftovers. Thanks so much for sticking with me through the season. I hope you were able to try some of these recipes, I hope some of them were new. I hope some become your favorites and ones that you'll want to do for years to come. So, the day after Christmas, the eternal question is "What will you do with your leftover turkey?"  How will you eat it. Turkey Noodle Soup, Turkey Tetrazzini, plain old turkey sandwiches (don't forget to use the leftover Cherry Berry Mold on the bread.... yeah....). This one thing that we do every year. I only make it once a year, I don't know why. I'm imagining it's because we don't often have turkey leftovers!

Something you may not know about me is that I was a Pampered Chef Consultant for a while - this recipe is one that was in a very old catalog (2000 I think). And one of the reasons I continue to love their recipes! IF you have a pizza stone, great. If not, a large round pan - or lay out in one long loaf instead of a wreath.

Turkey Cranberry Wreath

2 pkgs (8 oz) Bueller's crescent rolls
1/2 cup Tate's mayonaise
2 Tbs Tate's honey dijion mustard
1/2 tsp coursley ground black pepper
2 cups cooked turkey, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
3 Tsp dried Parsley
1/2 cup Southern Grove dried cranberries
4 oz shredded cheese (they recommend swiss, I use cheddar b/c I hate swiss)
1/4 cup Southern Grove walnuts
1 egg separated


Preheat oven to 375. Unroll crescent dough and spearate into 16 triangles. With wide ends of triangles toward center, arrange 8 triangles in a circle on large round stone (or large round baking sheet). Corners of wide ends will touch and points will extend 1" beyond the edge of the stone. Match wide end with each remaining triangle to wide end of each outer triangle. Seal center seams using Dough and Pizza Roller. Points will overlap in center DO NOT SEAL.

In large bowl, place turkey, celery, parsley, cranberries, cheese and walnuts. Add mayonnaise, mustard and pepper. Mix well.

Scoop filling over seams of the dough. Fold triangles over (in order) over the filling. This creates the "wreath" Tuck the last end under the first when all the way around.

Separate egg, beat white. Brush over the dough. Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

Instead of doing as a wreath, you can also do as little pockets...use two cresents and seal together as rectangles. Fill in the center and pull edges up to create a packet. Seal edges together.

Enjoy

Day 11 of 12 - Cranberry Sausage Stuffing w/ Walnuts

(no pictures yet, I promise soon!!!

I created this recipe many years ago. It was our first Christmas in this house. It was the first Christmas that I hosted my whole family. I cooked a big turkey that year, and was thankful for an Aldi right around the corner. I believe we had 16 or so people that first year. It was amazing, and a lot of fun. I came up with the following recipe because I wanted to have an "it" stuffing. The one that everyone remembered. The one that the kids would crave when they were grown up and missing home. The one that put my Christmas on the map. It was my first time hosting "the family" Christmas dinner. The torch had been passed to me, even though I was not the oldest, because I was a cook...I loved to cook and loved to entertain. And it was true. It was a lot of fun to host that first year, and in subsequent years. And on the menu each year is this favorite, as requested by my husband. It is now officially not Christmas dinner without it! :)


Cranberry Sausage Stuffing

1 1lb tube pork sausage (bulk)
1 small onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 Tbs Butter
2 box Cornbread Stuffing Mix
2 1/2 Cups Fit & Active Chicken Broth
1 cup Southern Grove dried cranberries
1 cup Chef's Cupboard French Fried Onion Strips
1/2 Cup Southern Grove chopped walnuts

Saute onion & celery in butter in a large stock pot (4 qt at least). After 5 minutes, add bulk sausage and brown. In a saute pan, brown sausage. Add chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add cranberries and walnuts. Turn off heat and add stuffing mix and fried onion strips. Stir well and cover pot. Allow to cool completely if you're stuffing into the bird. If serving without cooking in bird, fluff with fork first.

This will stuff about an 18 lb bird.

YUMMY!!!!

Day 10 of 12 - Pumpkin Pie Dessert Squares

Another gem from Joyce. We would have this dessert every year at Thanksgiving. My husband and I would drive the 12 hours to spend Thanksgiving at their house every year. Up until we moved to AZ. And now that we're back, we go every year again to visit Joyce. Dad is not there anymore, and we miss him very much. But the joy that he brought, and the memories of him live on in our relationship with Joyce.

This recipe takes me back to the first Thanksgiving we spent there. What an amazing spread we had. I was so stuffed, I could barely move. I had never been a fan of pumpkin, and dessert came out and I was scared. The obligatory small piece, I could suffer through it and not offend. Well, the joke was on me. This was pumpkin like I had never had before! OH MY GOODNESS. So creamy and rich, crunchy and gooey, and oh. My. You just have to make it and try it for yourself.

My oldest daughter LOVES this dessert, and so, for her, I make it every year. I lie. I make it for me. :) And for the memories it brings back. Of a man and his wife, who would open their home every year for our visit. Kill the fatted calf, and share the bounty with us. Joyce, we love you!!! Dad, we miss you.

Pumpkin Pie Dessert Squares

1 Pkg Baker's Corner Yellow Cake Mix
3 Golden Hen Eggs (divided)
3/4 Cup Country Creamery Butter (divided)
3 Cup Happy Harvest Pumpkin (about 2 cans)
2 Tsp Cinnamon (divided)
1/2 Tsp Nutmeg
1/4 Tsp Clove (if you like that flavor)
2/3 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup Baker's Corner Sugar


Preheat oven to 350.

Grease bottom only of a 13" X 9" pan.

Reserve 1 Cup Cake mix for the topping, set aside in a bowl and mix with 1/4 Cup Sugar, 1 Tsp. Cinnamon and 1/4 Cup Butter.

Combine remaining cake mix, 1/2 Cup butter, and one egg in a medium bowl. Mix well. Press into the bottom of the pan.

Mix pumpkin, spices, 2 eggs and milk in a separate bowl. Stir well to remove all lumps. Pour over crust.

Crumble reserved topping over the pumpkin layer.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted at the center comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream, or ice cream. Some kinda cream. C'mon, you need that! :)

Day 9 of 12 - Cherry Berry Mold

Well, I'm straying a little from Aldi here - just one ingredient. I know, I've been sneaking them in a bit lately. I'm trying REALLY hard not to. I like to do as much as possible at Aldi. Well, they don't sell Cherry Jello - and they're not always stocked with whole berry cranberry sauce. THANKFULLY, they do have the cranberry sauce this time of year. If they don't have the whole berry, you CAN use the jellied - the texture will just be a little different. But the taste is just, unbelievably out of this world.

I got this recipe from my husband's step-mother, Joyce. What a wonderful woman. I love to hear her stories of growing up in Michigan. I love the stories she shares about her deceased husband, my father-in-law. I love the way she cooks. She would never exalt herself as a chef, and never take credit for the simple that she makes fabulous. It's not her style. But she makes a mean holiday spread! And this was always at the table, and now is on ours. And will be as long as I am alive to make it.

And lets just say, this makes a perfect spread for your after Christmas turkey sandwich!!!

Cherry Berry Mold

2 3 oz packages of Cherry Jell-O (you can use the Strawberry at Aldi, if you want to instead)
1 1/4 Cup Ice Cubes
1 Cup Boiling Water
1 Cup Happy Valley Sour Cream
1 Can Happy Harvest Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

Dissolve Jell-o in boiling water and add ice. Stir until thickens. Remove any unmelted ice. Break up cranberry sauce with a fork and stir into gelatin. Fold in sour cream until the jell-o is marbled. Pour into a prepared mold, chill for at least 4 hours.

Day 8 of 12 - Grandma Foster's Chocolate Squares

I have never met Grandma Foster. But she is an image in history I strive to emulate. A God-fearing woman, who knew how to feed the masses. With chocolate. There's the legendary Grandma Foster's Chocolate Cake, which is, apparently so rich it must be served in a bowl of milk. There's Sketties - where the pasta is cooked in tomato juice imparting a certain essence to it that cannot be imparted in water. There are others....too many to name, I think. But, by far, the favorite are these Chocolate Squares.

The recipe is done in stages, so I'll abandon my normal procedures and type it out exactly as it's written on the card, which was dictated to me over the phone by my mother-in-law. This recipe is one of procedure, so follow it!

For those of you who live in the north, you will know these by another name: Nanaimo Bars. Nanaimo Bars have a rich history, wonderful story, kinda an icon, really. Yeah, she stole 'em. And apparently she was unashamed. But, to her grandkids, they will forever be known as....

Grandma Foster's Chocolate Squares

Melt 1/2 Cup butter in a saucepan, add 1/4 Cup Sugar, 1/3 Cup Cocoa, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 egg, 2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1 Cup coconut and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.

Press mixture into 12" X 8" pan or 9 X 9 pan. Set aside.

Cream 1/4 Cup butter, blend in 2 Tbs vanilla instant pudding powder, 3 Tbs milk, 2 Cups confectioners (powdered) sugar. Spread this over the chocolate layer.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt 3 oz of semi-sweet chocolate chips with 2 Tbs butter. Spread over cream mixture.

Chill (literally, and figuratively), then cut in squares.

Don't expect leftovers. Make another pan, and just don't take it. :)

Day 7 of 12 - Almond Poppyseed Biscotti

We live right down the street from Byer's Choice. If you don't know Byer's Choice, they are figurine and collectibles company that specializes in Carolers and other things. We are going into our 5th Christmas in this house, and while this factory is a 1/4 mile from my house, I've NEVER EVER been there! I threaten every year to visit their Christmas Museum. In order to make it happen this year, I decided to invite a couple of my other homeschooling families to tour the museum and factory, and come back here for hot chocolate and cookies.

I'm a huge, huge fan of biscotti! Perfect for dipping in tea, coffee, hot chocolate, etc. I do recommend dipping, because it's so crunchy that you might just break a tooth! Well, if you have weak teeth like mine, you would! I've altered this recipe a little to suit MY needs. I added the poppy seeds - but you can definitely make it without if you want a strictly Aldi recipe. It's delicious, and it would make a great gift as well.

So, while the kiddies are drinking hot chocolate and downing chocolate chip, peanut butter and ultimate snickerdoodles, the ladies and I will be dipping our biscottis in tea!

:) Enjoy!!!

Almond Poppy Seed Biscotti

1 Cup Southern Grove Raw Almonds (purple bag), chopped
1 tsp Baker's Corner Baking Powder
1/8 tsp Sebree salt
2 Cups Baker's Corner Flour
3/4 Baker's Corner Sugar
3 Large Golden Hen Eggs
1 tsp Stonemill Classics Vanilla Extract
1/2 Tsp Stonemill Classics Almond Extract (only available this time of year)
1 Tbs Poppy Seeds (not available at Aldi - but I got mine at CVS for .99)

Preheat oven to 300, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, mix together eggs and extracts and set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, mix together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Slowly add egg mixture. Pour in almonds and poppy seeds.

Turn out onto a counter and form into two long thin log. Place on parchment paper. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack for about 10 minutes.

Transfer logs to cutting board and cut into 1/2" slices on the diagonal. Arrange evenly on a cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes, flip over, then bake 10 minutes more or until firm. Allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Day 6 of 12 - Almost Chocolate Wonders

A friend, and subscriber to my blog, makes these wonderful treats called "Chocolate Wonders". Now, technically, these are also called Haystacks. I believe the story goes that someone gave them a gift of Haystacks, but when her husband tried them, his response was "What are these Chocolate Wonders?" (Jennifer - please correct me if I'm wrong on the story!). The original recipe calls for chow mein noodles, which are not sold by Aldi. Well, not until Chinese New Year time rolls around! So, to keep this as close to Aldi as possible, I replace the chow mein noodles with broken mini pretzel pieces.

They are delicious, and they are wonders, but until Kevin tries them, I won't know if they officially pass! I also altered the level of chocolate chips and butterscotch chips because of the consistency called for it.

These would make wonderful (no pun intended) gifts!

Almost Chocolate Wonders

1 Cup Baker's Corner Chocolate Chips
1 Cup Baker's Corner Butterscotch Chips
1 Cup Southern Grove Unsalted Peanuts
1 Cup Clancy Mini-Pretzels, broken up

Melt chips in microwave in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth. Stir in peanuts and pretzel pieces. Drop on wax paper covered cookies sheets using a teaspoon. Place in refrigerator or freezer until firm. Serve. Eat. Hide them so no one else can eat them.

Day 5 of 12 - Ultimate Snickerdoodles

Okay, so.....I'm knee deep in baking. I took a little break yesterday to watch my oldest in her gymnastics meet, and the evening off to enjoy a date with hubby. We went to dinner at a friend of his house, the company and dinner was amazing. I'm hoping to get some of the recipes to share here on the blog. Dinner was, in short, amazing. :)

Well...after resting all day, I'm back to baking. I bake quite a few kinds of cookies for the holidays. My husband likes to take a tray to work to spoil his co-workers, and in recent years, likes to take them to his cigar shop buddies.

This cookie is my personal favorite, it's a snickerdoodle BUT it's jacked up a little with cinnamon in the batter as well as on the outside.

I hope you enjoy!

Ultimate Snickerdoodles

Batter:
2 sticks Country Creamery Butter, softened
1 1/2 Cup Grandma's Best Sugar
2 Golden Hen Eggs
2 3/4 Cup Grandma's Best Flour
2 tsp Cream of Tartar * (not at Aldi :( )
1 tsp Baker's Corner Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Sebree Salt
1 Tbs Cinnamon

Sugar mixture:
2 Tbs Spice Club Cinnamon
1/4 Cup Grandma's Best Sugar

In a large mixing bowl cream butter, sugar and eggs until fluffy, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and 1 Tbs cinnamon. Mix well. Add slowly to creamed butter mixture. Mix until well blended.

Refrigerate dough 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine remaining sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Roll dough into about 1" balls and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place on a cookie sheet about 2" apart. Bake about 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Remove to cooling rack and cool about 10 minutes.

The cookies will puff at first, and then flatten during baking. :)

Day 4 of 12 - Christmas Cookies

Okay, I'm cheating here a little bit. Just a little. This is borrowed from an earlier post...but used a different way. So, hoping that you won't be too upset with me and will let it count!

I tried, in vain, several ways to make these "cut out" cookies, but the dough was too soft, and was having no parts of being cut in any way. It much preferred being rolled into little balls and baked. :) Well worth it. The kids and I still had a blast frosting and decorating them today. Christmas memories, that's all I really care about. 20 years from now, they are not going to remember that these cookies were just circles. They'll remember Mom was with them, we did something fun together, and that they loved the cookies when they were done. I'll remember that I had moments with the 3 greatest gifts I've ever received. My children.


Christmas Cookies

1 Box Baker's Corner White Cake Mix (.89)
2 Eggs (.11/ea)
1/3 Cup Oil (.20 - sells for 2.29/quart)
1 container White Frosting (1.19)
1 container baker's Corner Holiday Sprinkles ($2.99 for a 6 way canister - but you use VERY little)

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix cake mix, eggs and oil together with an electric mixer. Mix well. Shape into 3/4" balls and place about 2" apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until they are puffed and golden.

Allow to cool completely.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt about half of the frosting. Gently spoon about a teaspoon and spread around on the top of each cookie. Immediately after, add sprinkles. When the frosting runs low, warm up the other half.

They taste DELICIOUS. And if you want an easy way of making Snickerdoodles, skip the frosting all together, but roll in cinnamon sugar before baking.

Day 3 of 12 - Cranberry Pecan Bark

I've been experimenting with candies this year (can you tell???), so I thought about what I'm going to give friends and such. I usually give some sort of food gift. I also make a cookie tray for my husband's work, and his cigar shop buddies. I thought it'd be fun to decorate with some homemade candies too.

This was a "using up" of ingredients I've used in other recipes (or will use, as we get closer to Christmas, I'll post my Cranberry Sausage Stuffing....so I'm saving some of the dried cranberries for that!).

This is an adaptation of an Ina Garten aka Barefoot Contessa recipe, using only Aldi ingredients of course!

Once broken in bits, it would looks so nice in a little candy box...

Cranberry Pecan Bark

4 bricks Baker's Corner White Almond Bark (.80)
2 Tbs. Southern Grove Chopped Pecans (.50)
2 Tbs. Southern Grove Dried Cranberries (.50)
1 brick Baker's Corner Chocolate Almond Bark (.20)

Chop white almond bark into small pieces, melt the in microwave in 30 second intervals until smooth and melted (stirring after each break). Pour chocolate onto wax paper lined cookie sheet and spread out to about 8 X 10 rectangle. Immediately sprinkle chopped pecans and dried cranberries on top.

In a separate microwave safe bowl, melt the 1 brick of chocolate almond bark the same way you did the other. Drizzle over the white bark.

Allow to set before breaking into bite sized pieces.

Day 2 of 12 - Grandma Normie's Apple Cake

(day late, dollar short - tomorrow I should have TWO recipes for you!)

Well, the holidays are fast approaching, and the household is buzzing. The tree is up (and even decorated!), the lights are outside, the stockings are hung over the fireplace, the Nativity is on the mantle. The countdown begins!

I love how Aldi obliges this time of year and gathers together the greatest, yummiest and easiest ingredients to make super cookies and confections! I had a hard time containing myself on my last shopping trip!!!! All the types of chips and chocolates and nuts and dried fruits, oh my.

One of my favorite memories of Christmas is baking cookies in my Grandmother's kitchen. Christmas began and Grandmom's and ended at Grandmom's. Christmas Eve started at church where I sung the Christmas Carols in the children's choir, then it was off to the nursing homes in the area to sing and bring cheer, then back to church for the midnight services. We were always allowed to open one gift on Christmas Eve, and it was always our ornament from Grandmom. She was always so good at picking something that really represented that year. Then we'd vainly tried to sleep while waiting for the sounds of Santa and his sleigh on the roof. I always fell asleep before I heard a thing. Grandmom would get up Christmas morning before we did - I always suspected that she loved the magic of Christmas morning even more than we did, we weren't allowed down the stairs unless the tree was lit, and the smell of coffee and breakfast was filling the air. And she was always downstairs at the crack of dawn, donned in her apron slaving over the bird.

This year is very bittersweet for me as we moved my Grandmom into an assisted living facility in April. She turned 87 this year in July. The transformation in her countenance since moving in there is remarkable. She is colorful and full of life again, she's even flirting with the gents. The only thing she misses, she says, is her kitchen.

My grandmother's kitchen was a magical place at Christmas time. I can still smell the burning oil of the motor and the bakealite cord of her Kenmore mixer, I can still hear it whirring away while creaming the butter and the sugar (a crucial step in most holiday baking!) Of course we made Chocolate Chip. Gotta be honest, I don't remember making any other cookie!!! I'm sure that we did, because it is hard for me to believe that my Grandmom with her many talents was a one-trick pony. But, I can't bake or eat a chocolate chip cookie without thinking of her. And well, we also need to face the fact that Aldi's got a pretty darned good recipe for these on the back of their chocolate chip bag, so it'd be kinda pointless to do a chocolate chip. So, the other thing I always remember making was the apple cake. Hours slaving over peeling apples are another memory of the kitchen. She sang the whole time. I believe that we baked at least a dozen of these leading up to Christmas Eve, possibly even more. It was a tradition that my mother kept up, and now, in her passing, my stepfather. Dense, rich, chewy, appley, delicious. It calls out to be eaten with tea, or coffee (sorry, can't stomach the stuff!), or even hot chocolate. We always called it "Jewish Apple Cake", but I'm not even sure why, and Gram can't remember either (well, she IS 87).

Grammy - this one's for you, I love you. Merry Christmas.

Grandma Normie's Apple Cake

3 Cups Grandma's Best Flour
2 Cups Baker's Corner Sugar
1 Tbs. Baker's Corner baking powder
1 tsp. Sebree Salt
1/4 Cup Happy Valley Orange Juice
4 Golden Hen Eggs
1 Cup Carlini Vegetable Oil
2 1/2 Tbs. Baker's Corner Vanilla

Apples:
5 medium to large apples
1/2 Cup Bakers Corner Sugar
2 tsp to 1 tbs Spice Club Cinnamon (or to YOUR taste)

Preheat oven to 375.

Peel, core and slice apples into sections - should get 12 sections per apple. Cover with sugar and cinnamon and marinate while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

In a large bowl combine dry ingredients. Add eggs, orange juice, oil and vanilla and mix well. If too dry, add more orange juice. The batter will be very thick...but you should be able to stir it!

Prepare a 10" Tube pan by buttering & flouring the sides (or using the Carlini baking spray which has both oil & flour already).

Pour about half of the batter into the prepared tube pan and top with about half of the apples, add remaining batter, add the rest of apples (if it looks like there's too many apples, you can hold some back....I prefer it with SOME apples, but not overflowing - my mom used to us 7 or 8 apples and you barely had enough cake to hold it together! but that's how she liked it! - my version is more to my Grandmother's actual recipe).

Bake for 2 hours. After about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours, make sure to loosely cover top with foil so that the top does not burn.

Remove from tube after about 10 minutes. You can leave on the base until ready to serve.

It is best enjoyed with tea or coffee.

Day 1 of 12 - Mock Turtles

The official kick off of 12 Days of Christmas Recipes begins today. It had to begin with a favorite of mine, it just had too. :)

I've been trying to find a way to Aldify this recipe for about a year now. I think I've done it, but I've called it Mock Turtles instead of Turtles, because, well....you'll see!!!

They're a little gooey, a little sweet, a little crunchy and a little salty. They are also, a little messy since the chocolate covered caramels available at Aldi have a slightly creamier caramel than a Rolo would. :) But...even though they are a little messy, they are well worth the time, effort, and wait for cool down.

Even though I used the paper mini-cupcake liners, I recommend using the tin-foil ones...I believe they will release more easily, and the oils won't soak into the paper.

Mock Turtles

24 Clancy's Mini Pretzels (.10)
24 Chocisserie Chocolate Covered Caramels (2.49 for bag of about 35 - so I'm going to say 2.00)
24 Pecan Halves (2.49/bag right now! - and you only use about half - so 1.25)

Preheat oven to 275.

Line a mini-muffin pan with foil mini-muffin cups. Break a pretzel up into the bottom of each cup. Unwrap and place a chocolate covered caramel over pretzels.

Place in oven for 5-7 minutes - or until the caramels seem glossy and oozy. (that's a culinary term!)

Remove from oven and immediately press one pecan half in each cup over the melty caramel. Let cool approximately 24 hours before attempting to eat! I swear! You'll be in for a mess if you try any sooner. :)

They work out to be about .14 each - which, again, is still cheaper than Godiva

P.S. Packaged in a pretty box or bag, these make wonderful gifts!

Chocolate Cheesecake Truffles

I am a part of an online Homeschooling community. This year we decided to host a virtual cookie exchange. Each mom is adding a tried and true holiday recipe. This one was added by MamaKittyCat. Hers were officially titled "Oreo or Nutter Butter Truffles". And while they are very truffle like, I used neither Oreos or Nutter Butters (partly because I refuse to pay full price for something I can get cheaper at Aldi!!!).

I retitled them after tasting, and my kids agreed, they have much more of a Cheesecake taste. I decided then not to name them after the cookie used, but after what they tasted most like. :) Feel free to substitute the cookie with a preferred creme cookie of your choice (make sure to only use about a lb of cookies, though so that you get the right texture for the inside). I would very much like to try these with a peanut butter creme cookie....I might do that soon!!!

Cheesecake Truffles

8 oz Happy Valley Cream Cheese (.89)
Benton's Duplex Sandwich Creme Cookies (1.49)
Baker's Corner Almond Bark (1.99) (I used both white and chocolate - these are only available this time of year)

Remove 14 cookies from the package and eat like a piggie (no, seriously, set aside to eat another time...you only need about a lb of the cookies).

In a food processor, pulse cookie in batches into fine crumbs.

Combine cooking crumbs and softened cream cheese until very smooth. (I used my KitchenAid Mixer on 4 until it was a very thick, smooth batter).

Roll into about 3/4 to 1" balls.

Melt 4 bricks of your choice of almond bark coating. (I used 4 bricks of chocolate, and 4 bricks of white in separate bowls). You will have a lot of leftover chocolate bark to use for other projects - some will be forthcoming on this blog! :)

Roll the truffles in the melted coating and set on a wax paper lined cookie sheet until the chocolate sets. We also sprinkled a little bit of sprinkles on some, and on others I dipped in the chocolate and then drizzled the white bark over top.

This makes about 48-60 truffles depending on size.

Due to the fact that you have cream cheese in them, I do recommend refrigerating. Oh...and btw...they cost about 6 cents each - so - a lot cheaper than Godiva (and better tasting in my opinion!!!).

Coming soon....

....I'll be counting down the last 12 days to Christmas with recipe each day for holiday enjoyment!

Each one will be a memory, old and new.

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hannukah (which by the way I hope you're enjoying!), or Kwanzaa....I hope you tune in for the treats!