Coconut Yule Trees

Okay this is my last Christmas post, I swear!  Nothing more shaped like Christmas trees until next Christmas!  But these little coconut yule trees are worth it.  This is one of my dad's old recipes that he used to make to give to people at Christmas time, so I decided to do it too.  My mom helped me out like she used to work with him, so it was a fun and special evening for us.

Recipe-wise, these are very easy.  You simply mix together coconut, confectionary sugar, butter, cream and almond extract.  Then it gets a little sticky when you have to form the mixture into triangles (tree shapes, obviously!).  They chill for a bit, and then you can decorate.  We decorated them with some green sprinkles, and wanted Red Hot candies for ornaments but the store didn't have them, so we used some other sprinkles.  And, if you're feeling fancy, you can add trunks and coat them in melted dark chocolate - we thought that was unnecessary.  Either way, they were cute.  My mom said these were the best candies we made, and they definitely made a good addition to our candy gift boxes.

Tonight is the first night that I am both back to work and cooking dinner.  It's hard to get back into the routine!

Recipe:

coconut yule trees
from Dad's old orange recipe folders
yield about 2 dozen trees

Ingredients:
3 cups flaked coconut
2 cups confectionary sugar
1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 cup light cream
1 teaspoon almond extract
green sugar and Red Hot candies

Instructions:

1) In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients and mix well.  Drop by tablespoonfuls not a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet.  Chill for 1 hour.

2) Shape into trees.  Decorate with green sugar and candies.

Gingerbread Fudge

This was the second candy I made to give to people for the holidays.  It was very quick and embarrassingly easy (no cooking at all unless you count melting things in the microwave, and no candy thermometer!).  Unfortunately I never tried it, and the only person who did before I packed it up and gave it away was Jesse, who informed me he doesn't like ginger.  So I can't tell you much about it... except that it sounded great!  Its base is sweetened condensed milk and white chocolate, but it's flavored with ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.  It certainly looked creamy and smelled spicy and sweet.  Then to make it as festive as possible, top with some Christmas sprinkles for an extra added crunch.  Isn't it pretty?

I can't believe I am sharing Christmas recipes still.  It feels like the holidays were years ago now that I am back to work!  My tree is still up and being lit every day (can I please keep it up forever?), but I know the holiday season is long gone.

In other back-to-work news, can we discuss how exhausting it is to work every day?  I'm not back in the swing of things yet.  I have taken naps after work two out of the three days this week.  And today, there's still time...

Recipe:

gingerbread fudge
from Sweet2Eat Baking

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
12 ounces white chocolate, chopped
2 - 3 teaspoons ginger, sifted
1/2 - 1 teaspoon cinnamon, sifted
1/2 - 1 teaspoon nutmeg, sifted

Instructions:

1) Pour the condensed milk and white chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl.  Heat for 2 - 3 minutes, or until the white chocolate chips are almost completely melted.  Don't overheat!  Stir until completely blended, melted and smooth.

2) Immediately add the spices and combine thoroughly.  Transfer to an aluminum-foil-lined 8x8-inch baking pan.  Top with sprinkles if desired.  Leave to set.  Once set, cut into cubes and store in a cool, dry place in an airtight container.