CHRISTMAS EVE MICE,CHOCOLATE OREO MICE &HALLOWEEN CANDY COOKIES

CHRISTMAS EVE MICE

Christmas, a time of lights, presents, carols and chocolate mice. Assembling these merry mice is so much fun that the kids will definitely want to help.

INGREDIENTS:

24 double-stuffed cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies
1 cup (6 ounces) HERSHEY’®S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
2 teaspoons shortening
24 red maraschino cherries with stems, well drained
24 milk chocolate kisses
48 sliced almonds
1 small tube green decorative icing gel
1 small tube red decorative icing gel

DIRECTIONS:

Carefully twist Oreo cookies apart. Set aside the ones with the cream filling on them; save plain halves for another use.
In microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth.
Holding cherry by stem, dip in melted chocolate, then press onto the bottom of a chocolate kiss.
Place cherry and kiss onto the cream filling of the cookie. Let stem extend over the edge.
Make ears for your mouse by placing sliced almonds between the cherry and the kiss (before the chocolate sets).
Place in refrigerator until chocolate sets.
With green decorative gel, pipe holly leaves on white cream of cookie by the mouse.
Pipe holly berries between the leaves with the red gel.
Pipe eyes on each chocolate kiss.
Store in airtight container at room temperature.

TIPS:

You can use almond bark or Hershey's candy bars in place of the chocolate chips, eliminating the need for shortening
Maraschino cherries need to have stems and be well-drained.
Keep chocolate hot by putting in a bowl over a steaming pan of water. after melting chocolate in microwave.
You can use a clean eyebrow tweezers or something else to grasp the cherries by the stems to dunk in chocolate.
Make extras because everyone at your party will want one to take home to show around and to use as a pattern to make their own!
Make sure your cherries have stems and are well drained. Do check the jar label. Some maraschino cherries have stems, some don’t.

CHOCOLATE OREO MICE

INGREDIENTS:

Wilton premium candy melts- Use the dark chocolate, but you could make a cute family of mice using the white and milk chocolate
Double stuff Oreos (or the holiday ones)
Licorice
Hershey kisses
Sugar eyes (get the icing eyes from Country Kitchen Sweet Art) or you can pipe on frosting dots
Sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS:

Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl.

Cut the licorice into small tail length strips

Carefully cut the bottom 1/4 of the Oreos.

Affix the tails by sticking the licorice into the frosting between the two cookies.

Use a small spatula or knife to coat the two sides and top curve of the Oreo. Place on waxed paper to set

While the chocolate is still melted. Attach Hershey kiss at the base.

Place on almond ears.

If using sugar eyes, then use a dab of frosting to attach eyes.
Recipe from Smart Mama Blog

HALLOWEEN CANDY COOKIES

Chop leftover Halloween candies and tuck the pieces into cookie dough in lieu of chocolate chips. Almost any candy will work—Butterfingers, Heath Bars, Milky Ways, Snickers, Kit Kats, M&Ms and even Twizzlers, gum drops, and jelly beans.

INGREDIENTS:

3 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 to 3 cups chopped candy bits
(such as Butterfingers, Baby
Ruths, Heath Bars, Reese’s
Peanut Butter Cups, Twizzlers,
jelly beans, M&Ms, Lifesavers)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugars together with a mixer until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture and mix just until combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Stir in candy bits.
Drop dough by tablespoons onto baking sheet. Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
Recipe from Relish Halloween