Peppermint-Fudge Thumbprint Cookies: Lesa Holstine

So last week my 'mystery' friend Lesa Holstine posted this photo of these Peppermint-Fudge Thumbprint Cookies she made for a Library holiday party. Oh my, they looked delicious and my favorite combination--chocolate and peppermint! So I asked for the recipe. Lesa told me that it is a Betty Crocker Recipe. I always say there are some wonderful recipes on 'food' websites, and this is one of them. You can always tweak the recipe to make this your own. As always use the very best ingredients. These cookies are perfect for the holidays, don't you think? Thanks, Lesa!

Peppermint-Fudge Thumbprint Cookies 
(Lesa Holstine, per Betty Crocker)

Ingredients 

Cookies
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
crushed hard peppermint candies

Fudge Filling 
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 cup milk chocolate chips.

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In large bowl, beat sugar, butter, vanilla, and egg with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon, until well blended. Stir in flour, cocoa and salt until dough forms.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. On ungreased cookie sheets, place balls about 2 inches apart. Press thumb or end of wood spoon into center of each cookie, but do not press all the way through.

Bake 7 to 11 minutes or until edges are firm. If necessary, quickly remake indentations with end of wooden spoon. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, heat whipping cream over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until steaming. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate chips until melted. Cool about 10 minutes or until thickened.

Spoon filling into indentation (about ½ teaspoon) in each cookie. Top with crushed peppermints.

Layered Mint Chocolate Fudge Recipe: Lesa Holstine

Many of my friends have Chocolate Holiday traditions. In 2011 I asked  Lesa Holstine, librarian, mystery reviewer and good friend, to share her recipe for Layered Mint Chocolate Fudge. Here's a reprint, because it's become one of my own traditions! Of course, I covet her teapot, too!


If you follow this blog, you might remember that Lesa has been a guest before with her fabulous Buckeyes.  For Christmas, her mother, Elizabeth Growel, always makes Layered Mint Chocolate Fudge.  Her Mom uses mint instead of peppermint because that's the flavor the family likes best. As Lesa says, "It's the Perfect Christmas Fudge."

Lesa Holstine writes an awesome blog, Lesa's Book Critiques. She has been a library manager/administrator for over 30 years, in Ohio, Florida, Arizona, and Indiana. She is the Winner of the 2011 Arizona Library Association Outstanding Library Service Award. She is a contributing Book Reviewer for Library Journal, Mystery Readers Journal, The Strand Magazine, and various websites. And, she loves Chocolate!

Layered Mint Chocolate Fudge

Ingredients
2 cups (12 oz pkg) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 ounce) can Eagle Brand Condensed Milk, divided
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 ounces white confectioners coating or 1 cup (6 oz) premium white chocolate chips
1 Tbsp peppermint extract (Mom uses mint)
Green or red food coloring (optional)

Directions

Line 8- or 9-inch square pan with wax paper or foil
Melt chocolate chips with 1 cup sweetened condensed milk in heavy saucepan over low heat; add vanilla. Spread half the mixture into prepared pan; chill 10 minutes or until firm. Hold remaining chocolate mixture at room temperature.

Melt white confectioners' coating/white chocolate chips with remaining sweetened condensed milk in heavy saucepan over low heat (mixture will be thick). Add peppermint or mint extract and food coloring, if desired. Spread on chilled chocolate layer; chill an additional 10 minutes or until firm.

Spread reserved chocolate mixture on mint layer. Chill 2 hours or until firm. Remove from pan by lifting edges of wax paper; peel off paper. Cut into squares.

Layered Mint Chocolate Fudge Recipe: Lesa Holstine

Several of my friends have Chocolate Holiday traditions, so I thought I'd ask if they'd like to share on Dying for Chocolate. First up is Lesa Holstine with a recipe for Layered Mint Chocolate Fudge.

If you follow this blog, you might remember that Lesa has been a guest before with her fabulous Buckeyes. Although she lives in Arizona now, she hasn't forgotten her Ohio roots. This past week, she's been visiting with her family in Ohio, an early Christmas visit, where among other family traditions, her mother, Elizabeth Growel, made Layered Mint Chocolate Fudge.  Her Mom uses mint instead of peppermint because that's the flavor the family likes best. As Lesa says, "It's the Perfect Christmas Fudge."

Lesa Holstine writes an awesome blog, Lesa's Book Critiques. She has been a library manager/administrator for over 30 years, in Ohio, Florida, and Arizona. She is the Winner of the 2011 Arizona Library Association Outstanding Library Service Award. She is a contributing Book Reviewer for Library Journal, Mystery Readers Journal, The Strand Magazine, and various websites.  And, she loves Chocolate!

Layered Mint Chocolate Fudge

Ingredients
2 cups (12 oz pkg) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 oz) can Eagle Brand Condensed Milk, divided
2 tsps. vanilla extract
6 oz white confectioners coating or 1 cup (6 oz) premium white chocolate chips
1 tbsp peppermint extract (Mom uses mint)
Green or red food coloring (optional)

Directions

Line 8- or 9-inch square pan with wax paper or foil
Melt chocolate chips with 1 cup sweetened condensed milk in heavy saucepan over low heat; add vanilla. Spread half the mixture into prepared pan; chill 10 minutes or until firm. Hold remaining chocolate mixture at room temperature.

Melt white confectioners' coating/white chocolate chips with remaining sweetended condensed milk in heavy saucepan over low heat (mixture will be thick). Add peppermint or mint extract and food coloring, if desired. Spread on chilled chocolate layer; chill an additional 10 minutes or until firm.

Spread reserved chocolate mixture on mint layer. Chill 2 hours or until firm. Remove from pan by lifting edges of wax paper; peel off paper. Cut into squares.

Guest Blogger Lesa Holstine with Buckeyes

Buckeye Candy

Lesa Holstine whom I follow on Twitter and on her Blog Lesa's Book Critiques (Books and Authors, with an emphasis on Mysteries) just blogged on Mystery Lovers' Kitchen about her Buckeye Candy. I knew what a buckeye was, but not buckeye candy! Most of you know that I have cross-over passions for mystery and chocolate. So I was thrilled when Lesa Holstine who reviews just about everywhere and now for Mystery Readers Journal sent me a link to her guest blog on Mystery Lovers' Kitchen. I knew she needed to be guest blogger here. It's all about the Chocolate! Her buckeye candy sound scrumptious.

DyingforChocolate welcomes Lesa Holstine and her Buckeye Candy.

Janet always has such wonderful chocolate recipes here, that it's an honor to include my Buckeye Candy recipe. I'm not really a cook. I'm a librarian, book reviewer and blogger at Lesa's Book Critiques. But, anyone can make this simple candy recipe. And, if you want a simple recipe that husbands and kids will rave about, one that tastes better than peanut butter cups, this is it.

I'm always surprised when people say they haven't heard of buckeyes. I’m originally from Ohio. I’ve lived in Florida and Arizona, and the only people I knew in both states who made buckeyes were from Ohio. If this isn’t the state candy, it should be. But, first a little history.

The Ohio Buckeye tree is a deciduous tree from the Horsechestnut Family. The Forestry site for the State of Ohio says, “The name “Buckeye” was derived from the Native Americans who noticed that the glossy, chestnut-brown seeds with the lighter circular “eye” looked very similar to the eye of a buck (male) deer.” They also roasted, peeled and mashed the buckeye nut which they called Hetuck into a nutritional meal. The poisonous and bitter taste can be eliminated by heating and leaching. But, remember, this is a poisonous nut! Some believe that the buckeye relieves rheumatism pain. The symbol of General William Henry Harrison's presidential campaign was a string of buckeyes and a log cabin decorated with raccoon skins. His campaign song called Ohio the bonnie Buckeye state, as a result citizens in Ohio became know as "Buckeyes ." On October 2, 1953 the buckeye tree officially became the state tree.

And, here’s the sports connection. Ohio State teams are known as Buckeyes, and, OSU fans always say buckeyes are poisonous to Michigan Wolverines. (And, of course, Michigan fans say Buckeyes are just a bunch of nuts.) We even make necklaces out of buckeyes, and wear them on game day.

Naturally, the candy called buckeyes, that look like the nut, are popular throughout the state. And, those of us who love our Ohio State Buckeyes have taken the candy throughout the nation. Now, I have the chance to pass the recipe on to you.
You can find all kinds of recipes for them online. Here’s the one my mother passed on to her daughters (all Ohio State fans).

2 sticks oleo (Some recipes say butter. I find the oleo keeps the peanut butter together better)
1 ½ cup peanut butter
3 cups powdered sugar
Mix together and roll into balls and dip in chocolate with a toothpick, leaving a little of the peanut butter showing. Mom melts the chocolate in a double boiler.

Chocolate mixture –
1/3 bar paraffin
1 2/2 c. chocolate chips
½ stick oleo

This gives a nice shiny color to the buckeyes, just like the nut. However, I do these the lazy way because I just can’t keep those peanut butter balls on a toothpick. I refrigerate the dough so it sets, and then roll the dough in about 1 inch balls, and dip them in Baker’s Dipping Chocolate, instead of using the chocolate mixture. They might not be quite as shiny, but the buckeyes are eaten just as quickly!

Makes about 4 dozen!

You can serve buckeyes on Saturdays at parties during football season. They also make a wonderful Christmas candy. Or, serve them at Halloween parties. If you want to make them look like eyeballs for Halloween parties, add black food coloring or chocolate chips for eyeballs. Even little black cats like Josh are interested in buckeyes.

I hope you try buckeyes. Your family will thank you for them.

And, I thank Lesa for her very 'enlightening' guest blog!