A cheesy snack to bake and give

 If you've been reading either of my blogs long, you know that kitchen gifts are among my favorite things to make and give.  I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to kitchen gifts.  From fudge to cookies to gift breads to drink mixes to frozen casseroles, this is a type of gift I always enjoy sharing.  Snack mixes are especially nice.

In addition, I've been thinking lately that I'd like to learn to make crackers.  Most of the crackers available in stores are the epitome of processed food.  Highly processed food, at that.

I recently went looking through my list of links to use in Christmas in July posts and found this one:  Cheesy Pizza Crackers.  These crackers are made with tomato paste, two kinds of cheese, and all sorts of pizza-y flavorings like oregano and garlic powder.  The dough is rolled out 1/8 inch thick and cut into one-inch squares, then baked  at 400º for 16 minutes or so.  They sound so delicious, and I'm thinking a tin of these would make a great kitchen gift for more than one person on my Christmas list.  What do you think? 

Vintage-y recipe leaflet

 

 I just came upon this treasure and listed it in my Etsy shop, but decided to post it here while I'm thinking of it.  It's not super old, likely from  the 1980s, but it has some delicious looking chocolate and peanut butter recipes -- six of them, to be exact.

The leaflet (see it unfolded below) likely came in a bag of Gold Medal flour, but also features recipes using Skippy Peanut Butter, Hershey's Cocoa, and Fleischmann's Yeast.  There's a yeast-raised coffee cake, three kinds of cookies and two kinds of bars.

And on the back side ...

Below are the recipes:

 

One of these might be just the ticket to bake on a blustery March day, to try out for a future kitchen gift!  I may be doing just that myself.  The hard part will be deciding which recipe to try first.

A sweet vintage find

 

Going through paper treasures found at the family homestead to sell in my Etsy shop, I found this striking vintage Christmas card front.  The scene is so familiar, yet so unusual.  I have never seen a church scene exactly like this one.  It's clearly evening (I believe I can glimpse the moon behind the clouds) and likely intended to depict a Christmas eve service.  Either snow or ice (or a wintry mix) has covered the ground and even the trees. I have seen trees look like that when rain or mist freezes on them quickly.  And there are so many icicles on the church.

The entire scene has a moody, cloudy vibe that I find very unusual in a Christmas card.  Yet folks are bundled up and making their way to the warmly lighted church for an evening service.  There's a parable in that!

As I looked closer at the card, thinking it was an entire card and planning to list it on Etsy, I realized that it was only a card front and that it had been repurposed as a gift tag.  Clearly, it had been taped to a tin of Bessie's Mix by my great-aunt.  The card was even still slightly curved from having been taped to a can!

Such a sweet memory.  I am so happy that I found this!

The actual 2025 candy list

 

So now here is the actual candy list from 2025.  I had seven kinds of candy on the tentative list, all of which I have made in years past.

We actually made only four kinds of candy:

Heavenly Delight (chocolate peanut butter fudge, pictured at top of post)

Salted Caramel Fudge

Special Holiday Fudge

Chocolate-Dipped Orange Slice Candy

However, we did make multiple batches of each kind of fudge -- and I think we made 3 or 4 batches of the Heavenly Delight, which is a huge favorite with many people.

That's the actual candy list, complete with links!

The actual kitchen gift list

 

 Regular readers know that in addition to the tentative lists I post before Christmas, I also like to post again after the holiday to share what I actually made for kitchen gifts, cookies, and candy.  So here is my update on the kitchen gifts list.

Recall, this was the tentative list:

So here is what I actually made, with recipe links for those who are interested:

Eggnog Log Cookies
Sacher Torte Cookies (updated version here)
Special Holiday Fudge
Chocolate Mint Crisps
Christmas Granola
Little Apricot Cakes
Barbecue Spiced Pecans

That last one wasn't on my list but I found it in an old magazine and it seemed meant to be.

I also tried out Pecan Pie Bark, but that isn't on my actual list because I didn't make it as a gift, just took some to a game night at church.  I think I would give it as a gift another year, though, as it was delicious.

And so that is 2025's actual kitchen gift list!

Maple Barbecue Sauce

 

 I promised to post this last year after Christmas, I think, but apparently never found the time.  So,  here we go with the recipe for 

HOMEMADE MAPLE BARBECUE SAUCE

2 cups plain tomato sauce (this would be 16 ounces, or two 8-ounce cans)
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup molasses
2 Tblsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. each garlic powder, smoked paprika, Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. each salt, pepper, onion powder

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat.  

Continue to stir and simmer for 10-15 minutes so flavors can meld together.

Transfer to a jar and store in the refrigerator for up to several weeks.

(Maybe be frozen for longer storage.)

This barbecue sauce, free of white sugar and high fructose corn syrup, is so good.  We love it and it makes a wonderful kitchen gift.

The tentative kitchen gifts list for 2025

 

Yes, here is our tentative list of kitchen gifts for this Christmas.  As usual, it is likely to be added to or possibly subtracted from.

You may wonder why there are cookies on this list.  It's because we give gifts of specific cookies to certain people who love particular ones: Eggnog Logs and  Sacher Torte Cookies, and Chocolate Mint Crisps.  I put the cookies for nearby recipients on pretty Christmas or winter plates that I either pick up on after-Christmas clearance the year before, or at the thrift store throughout the year.  I found some beautiful ones for this year's cookies, and they are washed and stashed away ready for use.

Cookie recipients who don't live nearby get their cookies in festive tins I've purchased in similar fashion or saved from a previous year.

Holiday Special Fudge will be winging its way to Nevada as a seasonal kitchen gift.  This chocolate fudge contains nuts and raisins and tastes a bit like a Chunky candy bar.

 My walking partner loves the Golden Apricot Cakes so much that I will make them just for her.   These are fun to make in tiny loaf pans.  Then I will wrap them individually in something pretty: colored foil, or the printed parchment paper I recently found at Hobby Lobby.  Below you see wrapped loaves from a previous year.

 
Christmas Granola is just my Homemade Granola with dried cranberries and shelled pistachios added.

The Spicy Peanuts is a recipe I tried last year for some of the men on my gift list.  They were good but I may try to find something different for this year. 

I made a batch of our favorite Maple Barbecue Sauce as a kitchen gift last year, and it was well received.  So I am planning to make that again.  (Recipe coming soon to a Christmas blog near you.)

And one more possibility that I blogged about back in July: Pecan Pie Bark.  This didn't make it onto my list, but it looks so good.  I may try to adapt it using maple syrup; we will see.

That's why I always make a tentative list!

A sweet find -- "Merry Christmas" parchment paper

 

This week I made a second foray to Hobby Lobby -- a place I first visited only this fall!  I had a few things I was looking for -- mostly components for gifts, and I did find some of them -- but then I spied this sweet "Merry Christmas" parchment paper.  

It is packaged wrong side up, so the "Merry Christmas" isn't readable, but I rotated the scan of the back of the package so you can see it below:

 

I love it when I can find special wrappings for my kitchen gifts!  This will be so nice for lining gift tins or wrapping little loaves of bread or fruitcake. 

Cheeseburger Macaroni -- a wonderful freezer meal

 

 I mentioned this back in April, and even included it in a post.  But I'm going to schedule it for the end of October, as Lucie commented that November is the time to be sure we have meals stashed in the freezer.  This is a good one to share with others so they too will have something hearty and good ready for those busy days approaching the holidays.  I often give a pan of this to families with a new baby, or those with a houseful of holiday guests.

CHEESY BEEF MACARONI BAKE

1 onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
15-ounce can tomato sauce (the Contadina kind that includes herbs is wonderful!)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups elbow macaroni, boiled and drained
1 cup whipping cream OR half & half
2 1/2 to 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cook the crumbled ground beef and onion and garlic in a large skilled until beef is no longer pink.  Stir in the tomato sauce and seasoning, salt and pepper.  Spread this mixture in the bottom of a greased 13x9-inch baking pan.

Heat the cream in a medium saucepan; when it bubbles a bit around the edges, stir in the shredded cheese and whisk until smooth.  Mix the cooked macaroni into the cheese sauce and spread this mixture over the meat sauce in the pan.

If you like you can sprinkle with chopped parsley or a bit more shredded cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350º for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

This freezes well and reheats nicely.  If you freeze it, thaw it out (take out of freezer and place in fridge the night before) before baking it.

Will serve about 6.

A nifty kitchen gift -- Pecan Pie Bark!

 

I recently came upon this Pecan Pie Bark recipe, shared by Chahinez at Lifestyle of a Foodie.

It sounds so scrumptious!

Made with a base of graham crackers, topped with homemade butterscotch and toasted pecans, one can just imagine how it will taste.  The butterscotch topping is made with unsalted butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt.  It bakes for 10 minutes.  Sounds like a lot of delicious flavor for a minimum of time and ingredients!

Photo by Chahinez at Lifestyle of a Foodie

I can think of quite a few people on my Christmas list who might enjoy having a tin of this pecan pie bark.   I'll bet there are people on your list who need this bark in their lives!

Thinking back to the 2024 miscellaneous cooking & baking list

 

 As I mentioned back in December, I have never made a list like this before, though I often gift food to random people who are not on my "kitchen gifts" list.  The recipients might even vary from year to year.  But I think it's a good idea to have such a list.  

So heading up my list is a cheese log and crackers that we took to a Christmas party along with a cookie tray, just as a help to the very busy hostess rather than a "hostess gift".  I talked with her a few weeks ahead of time and asked if we could help out in this way.  I find that it helps people if I just make a suggestion up front as to what I might bring, and they are often relieved not to have to decide what to ask for.

Friends of ours who live exceedingly busy lives often have a houseful of guests over Christmas.  When this happens, I like to help them out by preparing some frozen entrees, some breakfast foods, and an assortment of cookies.  In 2024 I made granola, a cranberry coffee cake, two frozen lasagnas and two pans of cheeseburger macaroni.  We also gave them an assortment of cookies in a large plastic container to keep in the freezer and bring out as needed.

Here is the Cheeseburger Macaroni recipe:

CHEESY BEEF MACARONI BAKE

1 onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
15-ounce can tomato sauce (the Contadina kind that includes herbs is wonderful!)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups elbow macaroni, boiled and drained
1 cup whipping cream OR half & half
2 1/2 to 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cook the crumbled ground beef and onion and garlic in a large skilled until beef is no longer pink.  Stir in the tomato sauce and seasoning, salt and pepper.  Spread this mixture in the bottom of a greased 13x9-inch baking pan.

Heat the cream in a medium saucepan; when it bubbles a bit around the edges, stir in the shredded cheese and whisk until smooth.  Mix the cooked macaroni into the cheese sauce and spread this mixture over the meat sauce in the pan.

If you like you can sprinkle with chopped parsley or a bit more shredded cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350º for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

This freezes well and reheats nicely.  If you freeze it, thaw it out (take out of freezer and place in fridge the night before) before baking it.

Will serve about 6.

I have shared the freezer lasagna recipe before, but this is the newest tweak.  I honestly don't think I will tweak it again after this; I have now developed a meat variation in addition to the vegetable one.  I use both of these and the macaroni bake over and over in my volunteer work preparing meals for work crews, so they are absolutely tried and true!

VEGETABLE LASAGNA to freeze

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely minced (a total of about 1 teaspoon)

16 ounces frozen chopped broccoli (or spinach), thawed

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 1b. ricotta cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided use

1 egg

3 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese


1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon oregano (or Italian seasoning)

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 jar Alfredo sauce (16 oz.)

9 uncooked no-boil lasagna noodles

Additional parmesan if desired 

In a large skillet, cook the onions and garlic in the olive oil until soft.  Add the thawed vegetables and the Italian seasoning.  Stir to combine, cover the skillet, reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes.  Turn off heat and set aside.

In a large bowl combine ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, egg, parmesan, and seasonings.  Mix well.

Grease a 13x9 foil baking pan.  Pour a thin layer of Alfredo sauce in the bottom of the pan.  Layer on 3 noodles.  Spread half of cheese over the noodles.  Spread half of the vegetable mixture over the cheese layer,  then evenly drizzle about 1/3 of the Alfredo sauce over the vegetables.  

Repeat layers: 3 noodles, half of cheese mixture, half of vegetables, another 1/3 of sauce.  

Top with 3 noodles and spread the remaining third of sauce over them.  Cover with remaining 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella.  Sprinkle with additional grated parmesan if desired.

Cover tightly with foil and freeze.  

The night before you want to serve it, remove from freezer and leave it in the fridge overnight.  

1 1/2 hours before serving, bake the lasagna, covered, in a preheated 350º oven for 1 hour 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let stand, still covered, for 15 minutes before serving.

CLASSIC MEAT LASAGNA to freeze

1 Tablespoon olive oil 

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely minced (a total of about 1 teaspoon)

1 pound more or less of ground beef (can also use ground pork or sausage)

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 1b. ricotta cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided use

1 egg

3 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon oregano (or Italian seasoning)

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 jar spaghetti or marinara sauce (24 oz.)

9 uncooked no-boil lasagna noodles

Additional parmesan if desired 

In a large skillet, cook the onions, garlic, and crumbled ground meat in the olive oil until meat is no longer pink.  Add the Italian seasoning and cook a minute or two more.  Turn off heat and set aside.

In a large bowl combine ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, egg, parmesan, and seasonings.  Mix well.

Grease a 13x9 foil baking pan.  Pour a thin layer of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of the pan.  Layer on 3 noodles.  Spread half of cheese over the noodles.  Spread half of the meat mixture over the cheese layer,  then evenly drizzle about 1/3 of the spaghetti sauce over the meat.  

Repeat layers: 3 noodles, half of cheese mixture, half of meat mixture, another 1/3 of sauce.  

Top with 3 noodles and spread the remaining third of sauce over them.  Cover with remaining 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella.  Sprinkle with additional grated parmesan if desired.

Cover tightly with foil and freeze.  

The night before you want to serve it, remove from freezer and leave it in the fridge overnight.  

1 1/2 hours before serving, bake the lasagna, covered, in a preheated 350º oven for 1 hour 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let stand, still covered, for 15 minutes before serving.

As you can see, these are assembled in the same exact way.  I will often double the filling recipe and make two lasagnas at the same time.  

 Well, this has morphed into a longer post than I intended, but I hope it will be helpful to readers!

 

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!

Maple Candied Walnuts

 

At Thanksgiving, I made a salad (along with other dishes) to take to dinner at our daughter's home.  She had requested a green salad with dried cranberries, walnuts, and feta cheese.  I usually make these Candied Walnuts from Taste of Home to serve with a salad like this -- and they are good -- but I was just coming off a sugar fast and thought I'd like to find a recipe using maple syrup rather than brown sugar.  The photo below is of my regular candied walnuts, but I must say it looks just like the maple ones.

A simple search turned up these Maple Candied Walnuts from Texanerin Baking.  Aside from the nuts (pecans can be used instead of walnuts, if preferred), this recipe calls for only three ingredients: maple syrup, vanilla, and salt.  It was much, much easier than I expected.  These came out really well and I was so happy to be able to make candied nuts with a natural sweetener that happens to be extremely delicious.

I would recommend either of these candied nut recipes as a gift from your kitchen this Christmas!

The miscellaneous cooking/baking list

 

 This is a new list for this year.  I haven't actually written out a list like this before, but I think that I should because I always end up cooking and baking some things that fall under this category.  And the older I get, the less I can rely on my memory for mental lists.

This list will likely be added to along the way, but these are the miscellaneous things I'm planning as of now.

We'll be attending a Christmas party this weekend.  My hubby volunteered to bring a large tray of his famous cookies, and I offered to bring a cheese log and crackers.

Friends of ours who live exceedingly busy lives will be welcoming a houseful of guests over Christmas.  When this happens, I like to help them out by preparing some frozen entrees, some breakfast foods, and an assortment of cookies.  So this year I plan to make granola, some muffins or coffee cake, two frozen lasagnas and two pans of cheeseburger macaroni.  We will also give them an assortment of cookies in a large plastic container to keep in the freezer and bring out as needed.

Maybe you've never thought of making a miscellaneous list like this.  But you just might need one!

Tentative Kitchen Gifts list for 2024

 

 And today, here is my list for kitchen gifts.  Again, it is likely to be added to.  

Some special people get gifts of cookies: Eggnog Logs and  Sacher Torte Cookies, and Chocolate Mint Crisps.  I put the cookies for nearby recipients on pretty Christmas or winter plates that I either pick up on after-Christmas clearance the year before, or at the thrift store throughout the year.  I found some beautiful ones for this year's cookies, and they are washed and stashed away ready for use.

Cookie recipients who don't live nearby get their cookies in festive tins I've purchased in similar fashion or saved from a previous year.

One person loves the Golden Apricot Cakes so much that I will make them just for her.   These are fun to make in tiny loaf pans.

The little cakes cooling (with Eggnog Logs in the background)

Apricot cakes wrapped and ready to gift

 
 And seeing those little loaves reminds me of some other recipes I'd love to make for gifting:

This chocolate chai tea loaf, for one. 

Triple chocolate quick bread, for another.

And I remember a fruitcake recipe from Cook & Tell that included chocolate chips.  Hmmm .., I may be sensing a theme here!

Christmas Granola is just my Homemade Granola with dried cranberries and shelled pistachios added.

The BBQ pecans are just a want-to-try that I hope to make for some men on my gift list.  And that's why my lists are always tentative to start with...

The tentative candy list for 2024

 

 Inevitably, the tentative candy list for this year's gifting and sampling must follow on the heels of the cookie list.  (Unless it comes first, but I almost always make the cookie list first thing.)

 This list is very tentative.  My hubby has already made a batch of Heavenly Delight fudge,  and there will be more.

  

Arlene's Easy Fudge and  Easy Salted Caramel Fudge are candies that will likely get made during our annual Christmas crafting and candy spree with four local grands.

   The  Chocolate-Dipped Orange Slices 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.  I often have the grandkids prepare these, but I think I may need to do them myself since they may be needed sooner than the kids can get here.

Another yearly must on my candy list is Special Holiday Fudge, which is chocolate fudge filled with nuts and raisins.  It tastes somewhat like an old-fashioned Chunky bar. This year I'm going to experiment with using marshmallow fluff instead of the marshmallows it calls for.

I may or may not make the Date Confections, always called Oddballs in my family as I was growing up.  They are good, but I don't think they are necessarily favorites of anyone on my gift list.  When I do make them it is mostly for old times' sake.

 Other candies may find their way onto the tentative list.  We will see!

Another recipe to try -- Orange Creme Brownies

 

 As I mentioned in a previous post, some time ago I winnowed out the hundreds of scribbled down or clipped out recipes I had stashed here and there in my kitchen and cookbooks.  I found places to file them, sorted some to sell on Etsy, and ended up with a large envelope of them that I didn't quite know what to do with.  I couldn't seem to make up my mind whether to keep them or throw them away.

While planning for Christmas in July, I decided to pull out a recipe from this envelope -- I would pick the first one I came to that sounded the least bit Christmasy!  Living dangerously.  That worked out so well I decided to try it a second time.  And up came this newspaper clipping for Orange Creme Brownies.

Regular readers know I'm pretty partial to the festive flavor combination of orange and chocolate.  

So it seems as if these brownies would make a wonderful addition to Christmas cookie trays or as a kitchen gift on their own.  And hey, wouldn't a selection of orange/chocolate goodies be fun -- the chocolate dipped orange slices, some chocolate orange cookies, some chocolate orange muffins and these brownies -- or any combination thereof?  You can find all of the recipes here: Christmas recipes featuring oranges.

The clipping is hard to read, I know, so I'll type out the recipe.  I have no idea who to credit for this, but I've had the clipping for a very long time.

ORANGE CREME BROWNIES

3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut in small pieces
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325º.  Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square pan with foil, allowing it to overhang the edge of the pan slightly.  Butter the foil and set the pan aside. 

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt onto a square of waxed paper.  

In a small saucepan, combine chocolate morsels, butter, sugar, and orange juice; cook and stir over very low heat until chocolate and butter are melted; remove from heat.  Stir in orange peel and vanilla.    Let cool 10 minutes.  Using a wire whisk, beat in eggs one at a time.  Add reserved flour mixture, beating until smooth; stir in nuts.  

Spread in prepared pan.  Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes.  Cool completely on a wire rack.

When cool, spread with Orange Creme (recipe follows) and refrigerate until firm -- about 15 minutes in the fridge or 5 minutes in the freezer.  Spread warm Chocolate Icing over the Orange Creme.  

Using a knife, mark chocolate layer in about 36 squares (1 1/2 inches square).  Refrigerate until chocolate icing layer is firm, about 25 minutes, or place in the freezer for a shorter time.  Lift the foil edges to remove the brownies to a cutting board; cut in squares along marked lines.  Makes 36 brownies.  Refrigerate up to 4 days, or freeze up to 1 month.

    ORANGE CREME

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 teaspoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

In the small bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy.  Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy.  Beat in orange peel, milk, and vanilla.

CHOCOLATE ICING

1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon vegetable shortening

In small saucepan, combine chocolate morsels, butter and vegetable shortening.  Stir over very low heat until melted.

These sound delicious!  They do sound like quite a bit of work, as well.  I would most likely double the recipe to make it worth my while.

I'll definitely be trying these with an eye to Christmas gifting.  How about you?

Chocolate Graham Toffee Clusters -- a fun kitchen gift to try now

 

Photo from Inside BruCrew Life

 Here's a nifty snack that would make a wonderful kitchen gift.   I've shared so many recipes found on Jocelyn Brubaker's Inside BruCrew Life, and I've mentioned that Jocelyn has never steered me wrong.  I've never tried a recipe of hers that hasn't turned out well and been delicious.  I'm sure this Chocolate Toffee Graham Clusters recipe (which I haven't yet tried) will be no exception!

This simple recipe has only four ingredients: Golden Grahams cereal, dry roasted peanuts, Heath toffee bits, and chocolate melts.  It looks easy and so scrumptious!

You could package this in a number of ways for kitchen gifts.  Tins, either square or round, would work well, or you could use paper bags like the type coffee is packaged in, only with a cellophane window to show off the contents.  You can find tins in the dollar store, Walmart, craft stores, and even thrift stores.  

(A quick note that wherever you buy your tins, you will need to wash and dry them before packing kitchen gifts in them.   Wash it like any dish, but to dry it place both tin and cover in the oven and set the oven temp at 290º or so.  Less than 300º, anyway.  When the oven reaches temperature, turn it off.  Leave the tin, or tins, there until the oven cools down.  It is now ready to use.)

Here's one source on Amazon for the kraft coffee bags with windows: Coffee bags for kitchen gifts.  I'm sure they can be purchased in many other places as well.  Here's a screenshot:

 

Happy snacking and gifting!