The actual 2024 Kitchen Gifts list

 

 Above you see the tentative Kitchen Gifts list from this year.  We did multiple batches of the Eggnog Logs and  Sacher Torte Cookies, and Chocolate Mint Crisps   so we would have plenty for various giftees.

I made a batch of the Golden Apricot Cakes and found that using the bakeable paper loaf pans I got on sale at King Arthur worked very well.  I was able to make 4 little loaves (and really, they're not all that little).  As I mentioned previously, I liked these paper pans a lot.  They were easy to work with and fill, nice and sturdy, and the cakes baked well in them.  When cooled, it was an easy matter to just wrap them in foil -- not plastic wrap and then foil, as I would do with cakes baked in ceramic or metal pans and removed to cool on racks.   

I made two double batches of Christmas granola, I think, and gave two jars and one tin away as kitchen gifts.  

Holiday Special Fudge winged its way to Nevada as a seasonal kitchen gift.

I had BBQ Pecans on my tentative list, but then I found a recipe for Spicy Peanuts that looked easier and less expensive, so shifted gears on that one.

And I needed one more gift for a grandson who enjoys spicy condiments (like barbecue sauce) but buying one was iffy because he can't have high fructose corn syrup.  So I made him a jar of our favorite maple barbecue sauce (recipe to follow here at some point) and he seemed quite pleased with it.

And there we have the actual Kitchen Gifts list!

The actual 2024 Christmas candy list

 

-- Photo from a few years back -- Josiah making buckeyes, one of his favorite treats, in his own home kitchen --

I always like to review my lists and compare the tentative list I made before the holidays to what I actually did end up doing.

So below is my tentative candy list:

As you can see,  I had six different candies on this list.  Of these, we made only four: 

Multiple batches of Heavenly Delight fudge,  and there will be at least one more, since my hubby has a half can of evaporated milk to use up.

He made one batch of  Easy Salted Caramel Fudge which lived up to his original nickname for it of Tasty Disaster Fudge.  It's delicious though and everyone loves it, so he's planning to make another batch.  (Sugar fast on the horizon!)

He also made Special Holiday Fudge, a chocolate fudge filled with nuts and raisins.  It tastes somewhat like an old-fashioned Chunky bar. This year we experimented with using marshmallow fluff instead of the marshmallows it calls for.  It actually worked out better, so that is going to be a permanent change, and the Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme is available at the dollar store, which helps with cost too.

Of course we had to make Chocolate-Dipped Orange Slices since they have become such a favorite.  So easy!  Just dip orange slice candies from the supermarket into melted dark chocolate.  These are always a fun addition to a cookie tray. 

And we tried one candy that wasn't on the list: the ones made with a small pretzel topped with a Rolo candy.  AllRecipes calls them Rolo Pretzel Turtles.  We just used the recipe from the Rolo bag.  Mr. T and granddaughter Ari made these.  We used the square waffle style pretzels.  We didn't want to put pecan halves on every one, so we used red and green M&Ms on some.  They were very easy to make and very good, but the Rolos were outrageously expensive, so we probably wouldn't do that again unless we found a great sale.

And that was our Christmas candy making for this year!

Happy New Year!

  

A warm thank-you to everyone who visited my Christmas Kitchen in 2024, and especially during the busy and wonderful month of December!  I hope that each of you will have a happy, healthy, and spiritually prosperous new year.

Isn't the border around the vintage greeting above just precious?  Look at all of the little vignettes!  I love the skaters, the deer in the woods, and the lighted candle in particular.

I believe that God has already given me a word for the coming year, and will be sharing that once I've had time to get my thoughts in order concerning it.  And --like most of us -- I have many goals for the coming year, and I hope to articulate them and blog about them either here or over at my Kitchen Table blog.  One of my goals is to spend more time in my Christmas Kitchen in 2025, sharing projects, ideas and inspiration with all of you.  See you again soon!