Tag Archives: rolos

Twelve (More) Days of Christmas Cookies: Turtle Pretzel Snaps

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DAY 11: Technically, these are a candy, not a cookie, but they still make a great addition to any holiday cookie tray. Sweet & salty; crunch & chewy. A great combination of tastes and textures.

These candies are a simple, fun alternative to traditional Turtle Candies. They are also an easy treat to make with kids. They can do almost all of the work themselves.

The base of these treats is a Pretzel Snap: the square criss-crossed shaped pretzels that look kind of like a window pane. Place the pretzels in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. You can use a Silpat, parchment paper or foil to line the pan. Top each pretzel with half of a caramel. Instead of a caramel, you can also use a Rolo candy. I prefer the flavor of the plain caramel, topped with a bittersweet chocolate chip. Using plain caramels also allows me to make some “chocolate free” candies for Little A. But the Rolos do save you one step.

12-1-10 003-1Bake the caramel topped pretzels for about 5-7 minutes, until caramels (or Rolos) are soft. Remove from oven and immediately top with a chocolate chip.  I like the Ghirardelli bittersweet chips, for both the flavor and the fact that they are slightly bigger than normal semi-sweet chocolate chips. (If you are using Rolos, you don’t need to use any chocolate chips) The chocolate will melt by the time you have finished putting one on each caramel. Press one M&M or toasted pecan half into the soft chocolate. Let candies cool completely before moving from baking sheet. 12-1-10 014-1

RECIPE:

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Turtle Pretzel Snaps

Pretzel Snaps (criss-cross shaped)
Caramels or Rolos
Chocolate chips (if using plain caramels); I like the larger Ghirardelli bittersweet chips
Peanut M&Ms
Whole Pecans, toasted (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Lay pretzel snaps in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat, parchment paper or foil. Cut caramels in half and place one half on each pretzel (Alternately, top each pretzel with a Rolo candy). Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until caramels are soft. Remove from oven and immediately top each caramel with one chocolate chip (omit chocolate chips when using Rolos). When chocolate is soft, press an M&M or pecan half into the chocolate. Let chocolate harden before moving to a serving plate.

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS COOKIES (2010) RECAP:
DAY 1: Raspberry Crumb Bars
DAY 2: Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
DAY 3: Chocolate Nutella Cookies
DAY 4: Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
DAY 5: Almond Macaroon Brownies
DAY 6: Trail Mix Cookies
DAY 7: Cream Cheese Cut-Out Cookies
DAY 8: Chocolate Revel Bars
DAY 9: Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Cookies
DAY 10: Caramel Pecan Bars

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Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Two Great Cookies from One Easy Dough

Chocolate Rolo Cookies
Andes Chocolate Mint CookiesDSC04950-1

DAY 9: I first tried this dough in the Andes Mint version at a cookie dough exchange (thanks Jaimee!). The original recipe is from Recipezaar. Finding myself wanting a similar cookie, but not having any Andes mints in the house, I adapted them to make Chocolate Rolo Cookies. This is my favorite way to eat them now!

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Chocolate Rolo Cookies

Makes 5-6 dozen cookies

¾ cup butter
1 ½ cups packed brown sugarclip_image002
2 Tbs water
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 large eggs
2 ½ cups flourclip_image002[1]
½ tsp salt
1 ¼ tsp baking soda
Rolos

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a saucepan over low heat, combine butter, sugar and water. Heat until melted and add chocolate chips until mostly melted. Remove from heat and stir until completely melted. Pour mixture into large mixing bowl. Let stand 10 minutes to cool slightly. Beat in eggs one at a time on high speed. Add flour, salt and baking soda; mix on low speed until well blended. Dough will be very soft, almost liquid. If desired, chill for 1 hour for easier handling (you can usually use the dough in less than an hour).

Take about 1 Tbs dough and wrap it around a Rolo (use just enough dough to completely cover Rolo). Place on baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes (Do not overcook; cookies will still look a little underdone). Cool on baking sheet 1-2 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

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Andes Chocolate Mint Cookies:

The original recipe uses regular Andes, but when I make these I prefer the Andes Parfait, that have the 2 green layers on the outside and a chocolate middle layer. It makes a nice contrast with the chocolate cookie.

Prepare dough as above (for Rolo cookies). Roll into balls and place on baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. Place half of an Andes mint  on top of each hot cookie. Allow to melt slightly and swirl with a toothpick.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies (the original recipe says that it makes 2 dozen, but I got almost double that. Maybe my cookies are small?).

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TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS COOKIES RECAP:
DAY 1:
Swedish Peppar KaKar
DAY 2: Mint Oreo Cookies
DAY 3: Christmas Chocolate Chip Cookies
DAY 4: Cherry Nut Mudslides
DAY 5: Snickerdoodles
DAY 6: Raspberry Almond Linzer Cookies
DAY 7: Peanut Butter Kisses
DAY 8: Peppermint and Vanilla Butter Cookies

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