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Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Peanut Butter Bon Bons and Chocolate Fudge

Verse(s) of the Day:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Matthew 25:35-40



Christmas is fast approaching and of course being a military family funds are limited SO for my daughter's teachers (she has 4! Yes 4!) and bus driver and bus aid this year we decided to do candy. I mean how can you go wrong with candy?


The first thing I decided to make was PB Bon Bons. They are also called buckeyes and chocolate peanut butter balls. I LOVE these things but this is the first time I have made them. They are super easy to mix up but I am gonna warn you they are a pain in the tookus to actually assemble!!


What you will need:
1/4 Cup or 2 ozs of Cream Cheese softened
1 1/2 Cups of creamy Peanut Butter (you can also use crunchy if you want more texture)
1 cup of Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/4 tsp of Salt (this is optional)
5 Cups of Confectioners Sugar
2 sticks of Butter (real butter not margarine) melted and cooled
12 ozs of Semi Sweet or Bittersweet Chocolate

Make the Filling:
In a bowl with an electric mixer beat the cream cheese and PB until blended. Add the graham cracker crumbs and beat until mixed. Add the sugar and butter and on low speed at first beat until sugar is not floating around on the top :) Then increase speed and mix until it is all combined. Scrape the bowl and mix again until combined. The mixture is going to be dry and very sturdy. This is perfect for shaping.

Make the chocolate coating:
Melt the chocolate either over a double broiler on the stove or in the microwave. Follow the instructions on the package if using the microwave.

Assemble the candies:
Line a pan or pans with parchment paper or tin foil. Take out slightly more than a tablespoon or you can use a small scoop, and roll them into a ball in your hand. Place them in the pan and repeat until all candies are rolled out. This is very time consuming! The candies can sit close to each other but make sure they are not touching. At this point I put them in the fridge for a bit because they are easier to roll once they are cool BUT you can skip this step if you are in a hurry. (if you do decide to let them get cool in the fridge be sure to wait and melt the chocolate when you are ready for it)

Using a fork or large skewer roll each candy until fully coated with the chocolate of if you want it to look like buckeyes make sure you leave just a small portion of the candy at the top uncovered. Place them back in the pan and repeat until all candies are coated. 

Chill for 30 minutes in the fridge or until chocolate is set. 

These will keep about 3-7 days in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer if they even last that long. This recipe was taken from several recipes that I found online. I took the best elements of each and combined them so this is PARTIALLY something I put together.


Now for the chocolate fudge. I wish I could take credit for this one but I can't. It is the classic Carnation Evaporated Milk recipe that my husband adores! I have tried several and this is his favorite. You can find the recipe here.

I did the milk chocolate version for Emily's teachers but if they sell the chip you can make that flavor of fudge :) I will be making Mint Chocolate fudge for a couple of my friends this year!

Well, the buckeyes and fudge are setting up in the fridge and I am off to feed my Bear lunch and then nap time!! Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and remember the reason for the season and that is Jesus Christ :)

Thank you Midget Momma for the help :)
















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