Holiday Sweet Treats

COOKIES COOKIES COOKIES!

I adore Christmas cookies.  Growing up, my mother had these magical tins that only appeared in December and when you opened them they contained sweet goodness.  The sheer number of the different kinds of cookies she would make was amazing and we all had our favorites.  Personally, I preferred the giuggiulena, spritz, and pecan cups.

Giuggiulena

The giuggiulena are a bit of a beast to make.  You boil sugar and honey together then add sesame seeds and blanched almonds.  The mixture needs to be worked while it's still warm, otherwise you'd break your arms trying to roll it out and then cut it into pieces.  Of course, working with it warm has its downside.  It's still sticky so the board, rolling pin, and knife all have to remain wet to prevent the giuggiulena from sticking to it.  When all is said and done though, you have these rock hard sweet toffee treats.  They are the kind that you have to bite into with your back teeth and no holiday cookie dish is complete without them (in my never humble opinion).

My brother's favorite is the almond paste...no argument here, they are pretty fantastic as well.  Over the years we've added a few new ones to our baking repertoire.  The latest addition, which has also found its way to my favorites list, is the Mounds cookies (the ones in the center of the dish pictured at the top).

The newspaper my mother clipped the recipe from called them Chocolate Dipped Peter Pan Mounds. I've seen other versions, usually named Peter Paul Mounds bars, floating around the internet.  I think the version my mother uses is way better, so I thought I would share.

Chocolate Dipped Peter Pan Mounds

Ingredients:

3/4 c. mashed potatoes (my mother makes the mashed potatoes the way she would make any regular mashed potatoes, with milk and butter.  My suggestion is to do the same.)

4 c. powdered sugar

4 c. coconut flakes

12 oz. chocolate chips

1/2 bar paraffin wax (please make sure it is food grade!)

Directions:

Make the mashed potatoes and set aside to cool.  Once they have cooled completely, mix with the powdered sugar and coconut.  Chill for 30 minutes.

Form into bite-sized balls.  My preference is to shape them like Mounds.  Chill for an hour.

In a double-boiler over medium heat, melt paraffin wax.  Add chocolate chips and stir.  Keep over warm to keep chocolate thin.

Remove the as yet to be dipped Mounds from the refrigerator.  Dip each one using a fork into the chocolate.  The newspaper directions also suggest using a toothpick, but I am not confident a standard toothpick can handle the weight of these bad boys.  Use the fork to stay on the safe side.

Place on wax or parchment paper and let set in cool room or put back into the refrigerator for an hour.

Store in a covered container in the refrigerator (if they even last that long).