Christmas Chocolates

What is Christmas without some chocolate? Chocolate is everyone's favorite Christmas treat, asides from milk and cookies. There are many fun ideas you can use to make some Christmas chocolates.

Every year I make several little homemade fabric covered boxes and put four of these chocolates in each to give to friends and acquaintances. They are eagerly anticipated. Try them for yourself and then make some for your friends. They are delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 package (20 ounces) maple cream-filled sandwich cookies
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 15 ounces white chocolate (melt able chocolate wafers/candy)
• 12 ounces milk chocolate (melt able chocolate wafers/candy)
• food coloring (optional)

Instructions:

1. Put the cookies in a blender, cover and process until finely crushed, or if you don't have a blender, put them in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin or heavy can.
2. Next, beat the cream cheese and crushed cookies in a small bowl until well blended together.
3. Roll into 3/4 inch balls, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour to help make sure they don't fall apart.
4. Melt white chocolate in a sauce pan over low heat, stirring until smooth. (Note: I usually heat my chocolate in the microwave, following the same directions as noted for melting chocolate chips.)
5. Dip half the balls in the white chocolate till completely coated and put on wax paper to harden.
6. Next, heat the milk chocolate, dip the remaining balls till completely coated and put on wax paper to harden.
7. Drizzle the remaining milk chocolate over the white chocolate balls and the remaining white chocolate over the milk chocolate balls.
8. Optional: Mix some red or green food coloring in the remaining white chocolate and drizzle over any of the balls to make them look more christmasy.

This recipe makes about 6-7 dozen chocolates.

Another easy Christmas treat is to just use cookie cutters (in Christmas shapes, of course!) as molds for melted chocolate. Chocolate is easy to work with because if it doesn't work the first time, you can just re-melt it and try again. Once your chocolate molds have dried, which will take about 30 minutes if you put them in the refrigerator, decorate them with frosting, sprinkles, nuts, fruit, candy, or anything you can think of. Then wrap them up and give them to your friends as a special Christmas treat.