Down Home Cooking Recipe #04 - Amazing Truffles

This is a family favorite my grandma use to make them for Christmas every year, now I make them along with 6 other candies for all our friends and family. You can find these truffles in bakeries for .75 a piece. You can make a batch of 50 for less than $4! Whats even better you can change the flavors and coating to suit your needs.

I made 500 brown and pink of these truffles to serve at our dessert buffet at our wedding. They were a HUGE hit! 

What You Need:

1 (8oz) package of softened cream cheese

3c confectioners' sugar

3c chocolate chips (you can use any type: white, caramel, dark, etc.)

1 1/2 tsp flavoring (examples: vanilla, raspberry, orange, mint, etc.)

1/4c sprinkles (you can also use powdered sugar, chopped nuts, or you can dip them in almond bark)

How to Make:

1) In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add in confectioners sugar until smooth and blended. 

2) Melt chocolate chips in 30 sec intervals, stirring occasionally until smooth. Mix in with cream cheese and sugar. 

3) At this point you can divide the mixture to make various flavors from one batch. Add flavoring to each batch. Stir until well blended.

4) Refrigerator for an hour. Roll into balls, then roll each ball into sprinkles or any other coating.

Keep Refrigerated

Down Home Cooking Recipe #03- Best Ever Chocolate Cookies

These cookies are a household favorite; they disappear almost as quick as it takes to bake them! What is even better is I always have the ingredients on hand and they are easily adaptable. You can omit the cream, pudding and white chocolate chips, or add raspberry extract or jam like thumb print cookies. Whatever your tastes take you, they turn out great. Like a soft, moist brownie fresh out of the oven. YUM!

Yield: 36 servings

What you Need:

• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup baking cocoa
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 pkg of chocolate pudding
• 2 tbsp cream (I use my hazelnut creamer)
• 2 eggs
• 1 16oz pkg white chocolate chips 

How to Make:

1) In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and cream. 


2) Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, pudding and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Add White chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle. 


3) Roll into 1-in. balls. Place on ungreased baking sheets. You can flatten the cookies with a fork at this point, but is not necessary. Bake at 350 degrees (f) for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are firm. 

Down Home Cooking Recipe #02 - Cake Balls

This past Christmas I decided to give out candy tins to all our neighbors, family and friends. With having to make about 30 tins full of candy I went on a search for easy recipes that yielded a lot without breaking the bank. 

I stumbled across this recipe, which is wonderfully adaptable to any taste and design. I made two types: Birthday Cake Cake and Frosting with White Chocolate Coating and Dark Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Frosting and Chocolate Coating (It tasted just like Hostess!). This coming 4th of July I am thinking about making red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting with white chocolate coating with blue/red stripes! 

What is really great about this recipe is that it makes about 50 candy pieces for under $3. 

What You Will Need:

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package cake mix
• 1 (16 ounce) container prepared  frosting
• 1 (3 ounce) bar of confectioners coating or almond bark
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• How to Make:
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• 1) Prepare the cake mix according to package directions using any of the recommended pan sizes. When cake is done let cool for 30 minutes, crumble while warm into a large bowl, and stir in the frosting until well blended. Place mixture in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
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• 2) Melt chocolate coating in glass bowl in microwave, or in a double broiler over the stove, stirring occasionally until smooth.
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• 3) Roll the dough into grape size balls using a melon baller or your hands. Dip the balls in melted chocolate coating using a toothpick or fork to hole them. Place on wax paper to set. 
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• 4)Once set drizzle the top with offsetting color coating or while the coating is still setting you can add sprinkles.

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