Make sure you do peanut butter fudge! I used to make some to send to DS's work and they were nuts about it!
Can you make divinity? I love that stuff! Can't cook it worth a hoot.
I have a very good carmel recipe if you'd like it.
I do a candy bar cookie...man they are good. If you want I will type out that recipe too.But will tell you what they are first a crust sorta like shortbread, its cut into squares then a teaspoon of carmel on top of it and topped with a teaspoon of chocolate.
How about the dipped pretzel rods? Dip in melted carmel, let cool, then dip in melted chocolate and then drizzle with finely chopped pecans while the chocolate is still soft.
Take butterscotch almond bark and melt it. Put peanut butter on a Ritz cracker, top with another cracker and dip in the butterscotch candy coating! Delicious!! I've had the chocolate and white chocolate ones too but oh the butterscotch are the BEST! (IMO!)
At the MH in the kitchen is a recipe I posted for Salted Nut Roll bars (prob 3-4 pgs back) they are DD's favorite!
Now I will post some recipes I have here on the computer! LOL I haven't made these but found them online...I want to do the Graham Breakaways tomorrow. I need to get graham crackers!
Chocolate Graham Breakaways
Makes:
24 servings, one square each.
What You Need

12 HONEY MAID Honey Grahams, broken in half (24 squares)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks
1/2 cup PLANTERS Pecans, finely chopped
Make It

PREHEAT oven to 350F. Arrange graham squares in single layer in
15x10x1-inch baking pan.

PLACE butter and sugar in medium saucepan. Bring to boil on medium heat;
cook 2 min. Pour over grahams; immediately spread to completely cover all
grahams.

BAKE 6 to 8 min. or until sugar mixture is lightly browned and bubbly.
Sprinkle with chocolate chunks. Bake an additional 1 to 2 min. or until
chocolate is melted. Remove from oven; immediately spread chocolate over
grahams. Sprinkle with pecans; press lightly into chocolate with back of
spoon. Cool completely before breaking into squares to serve.

Mint Thins
Makes:
3 doz. or 12 servings, three coated crackers each
What You Need

1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate
1/4 tsp. peppermint extract
1 sleeve RITZ Crackers (36 crackers)
1 peppermint candy cane (6 inch), crushed
Make It

MICROWAVE chocolate in small microwaveable bowl as directed on package. Stir
until completely melted. Blend in extract.

DIP crackers in melted chocolate, completely coating crackers with
chocolate. Carefully scrape off excess chocolate. Place on waxed
paper-covered baking sheets; sprinkle with crushed candy.

REFRIGERATE 30 min. or until chocolate is firm.

Spiced Peanuts
Spiced peanuts with Cajun seasoning blend and cayenne pepper.
Ingredients:
a.. 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
b.. 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning blend or chili powder
c.. 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, ground
d.. 2 cups lightly salted dry roasted peanuts
Preparation:
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in seasoning and cayenne. Add
peanuts to skillet; cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Serve warm or at
room temperature. Store for up to 3 weeks in a tightly covered container.
Serves 8.

Peanut butter balls
Amounts are estimate:

Mixture of
crunchy peanut butter (8-12 oz.)
coconut (1 c.)
pecans (1 c.)
graham crackers (1 wax package)
powdered sugar (1 box)

Everything has to be crushed- I use the food processor.
Mix together and form into small balls. Freeze to make dipping easier.

Dip in chocolate cool, and enjoy!

I can't pick, I like them all!!

I always make chocolate covered pretzels, and sprinkle them with red or green sprinkles.

Use chocolate almond bark, melted in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave per package directions.
Drop 4 or 5 mini twist pretzels in and completly cover using a fork. Use the fork to take one out at a time and place on waxed paper. Sprinkle with the sprinkles before the chocolate cools and hardens.

These are so easy, and yummy, and no mixing, rolling, shaping or baking, and only 3 ingredients. A package of chocolate almond bark and a bag of pretzels makes alot, so they're pretty inexpensive too.

My other traditional favorite is shortbread cookies cut with a scotty dog cookie cutter, then pipe a red or green frosting bow on them. Very cute and simple.

My younger son likes Spritz with a candied red cherry half in the center. All my kids like the holly wreaths, a version of Rice Crispie Treats but made with green food coloring in the marshmallow mix and cornflakes as the cereal. You make a blob on waxed paper and then make a hole in the center with your finger to make a wreath. I try to make red hots stick to it for berries, but they don't stick. I wonder if some cut up gum drop would work. I like Springerles because they look so special when you roll out the pictures with the special rolling pin. I just use the recipe in The Joy of Cooking. And I do love iced sugar cookies, but other people's recipes seem to taste better than mine.

Carmel popcorn and peanut brittle.

Kinda sad though, I'll have some new veneers on my front teeth and I'm not taking any chances this year till they are broke in,,so to speak. So no peanut brittle or hard candy, at all. wahh

I love divinity candy, too. I have never tried to make it, but if someone would post a simple recipe for it, I would give it a try.

Once upon a time, I collected "knock your socks off" good cookie recipes. This is a different take on the old Sand Tarts, and it is one of my favorites.

Pecan Meltaways

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup cornstarch
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
Powdered sugar for rolling

Sift flour and cornstarch together and set aside. In large mixing bowl, cream butter and gradually beat in sugar; beat well. Add salt and vanilla; beat well. Stir in sifted dry ingredients; mix well. Add pecans. Refrigerate 2 or 3 hours. Preheat oven to 375°F. Shape dough into small balls, place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet, and bake 15-20 minutes. While cookies are still hot, roll them in powdered sugar, and again when cool.

When I was in high school (we're talking eons ago), my next-door neighbor made great Divinity candy. This is the recipe as I wrote it down back in the '60s. (And what a trip this was, to see my high school penmanship on a sheet of wide-ruled three-hole-punched notebook paper!)

Divinity

Ingredients

2-1/3 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped English walnuts

Method

1. Put sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt in saucepan and heat, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved

2. Boil, without stirring, until syrup mixture reaches hard-ball stage (265¨¬ F)

3. Remove from heat

4. Pour syrup mixture gradually into stiffly beaten egg whites, beating constantly with rotary beather or electric mixer at medium speed

5. Continue to beat until mixture holds its shape when dropped from a spoon

6. Add vanilla and chopped walnuts, and mix thoroughly

7. Put into lightly greased 9-inch pan

8. Cut into 1-inch squares

If preferred, Divinity may be dropped from a spoon onto waxed paper

Similar to, but slightly different than, Marilyn's recipe...

Pecan Snowballs

Cream together:
1 cup softened butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Add:
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1 tsp vanilla

Chill, then roll into small balls.

Place 2" apart on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes at 350º F. Roll in powdered sugar while still warm. Cool, then roll in powdered sugar again.

Makes 3 dozen.

A nice addition to your plate would be a sprinkling of chocolate-covered cranberries, Sandy. Just melt white almond bark and dip dry, washed, room-temp cranberries into it to coat and then let them harden up. A few of those on a plate of assorted cookies would be sweet and yummy and so easy to do.

Here is about the most easy/quick way to make a really good divinity

Can't Fail Divinity

1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
pinch of salt
1-pt. jar of marshmallow creme
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts

Boil sugar,water and salt to hard boil stage. 250 degrees
Put marshmallow creme in mixing bowl; stir in hot syrup. Beat until stiff and stands in peaks. Fold in vanilla and nuts.Drop by spoonfuls onto plate or waxed paper.

I've made this several times...and it is good.

You can use cherry flavoring and a dab of red coloring too.

another super easy (sounds almost too easy but we sure like it) is marshmallows dipped in chocolate and rolled in sprinkles , nuts or whatever you like. That's it. They are so good.

Last year I made them on sticks for the kids.

The white almond bark is good on it too. and the sprinkles show up better on that.

patti

Gosh I hate to keep posting...wish I'd think before I hit submit....lol

Anyway...pretzels make good sticks for the marshmallow...and it is less messy to dip them with a stick.

But if you don't want a pretzel sticking out...you can use a toothpick to dip them with then take it out.

patti (if I think of something else...I'll just sign
"annon"...)

Rum, Brandy, and/or Bourbon balls

3 cups crushed vanilla wafers (abt 75 or 1 12oz box)
1/4 cup cocoa. Most of the time I omit the cocoa because I like the looks of the lighter colored candy.
1/2 cup liquor of your choice
1/4 cup light corn syrup.
2 cups powdered sugar
Mix crushed wafers, powdered sugar, & cocoa,if used.
Stir in booze and corn syrup.
Shape into about 1 inch balls.
Press balls between 2 pecan halves.
Melt chocolate chips.
Dip pecaned balls halfway into chocolate and stand on wax paper till set.

These are so good and look real nice. Not sure if I'll make them this year unless I find a good buy on pecan halves.
Dottie

Black Walnut Cookies are easy to make...and everyone loves them.

BLACK WALNUT COOKIES

½ pound butter or oleo
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
3-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup black walnuts (finely chopped)

Melt butter and brown sugar. Beat in eggs, mix flour and other ingredients.

Line pan (9 x 5") with wax paper. Pack dough tight in pan. Refrigerate until ready to use. Slice very thin. Bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes.

Oh my GOSH! So many great recipes and ideas! I am getting anxious to make ... and of course TRY each of these! LOL

Thanks to all that have added...Patti, I won't give you a limit, post all you want to on here! =)

Any other ideas?????

Sandi - try these Beer Nuts - they are super easy, and guys LOVE them!

Beer Nuts
1 bag RAW peanuts
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottom skillet. Heat over medium heat until the water has evaporated and the sugar is clinging to the nuts - Stir frequently with a heat safe spatula. Towards the end, when the water is about gone - you need to watch it carefully and keep stirring gently.

Transfer to a large sheet pan with sides.

Bake at 300º for 30 minutes. Stir the nuts well after the first 15 minutes. Remove and let cool.

These are SO dang good. Get the bags of raw peanuts at Wal-Mart. They have lots this time of year, but don't wait. Sometimes they sell out.

I would make at least 4 bags worth, for 8 guys. I package them up in the holiday zippy bags, or for something really neat, put them in old vintage mason jars.

One I like and it soooooooo easy is Poor Man's/Woman's Turtles.
small pretzles twists
Rolo candy
whole pecans
Set 1 of the Rolos on each pretzel on a cookie sheet, and put in the oven at 350° for 3 or 4 min. Bring them out and put a whole pecan on the top while warm (I push them into the rolo a little) Let cool.
Leslie

Holiday cookies? My favorites are:
-The iced sugar cookies that my sleezeball cousin makes, but since we don't associate anymore, that's history.
-The "snowballs". The ones I make are Franco Palumbo's recipe and are great.
-Blondies with and without cashews on top.
-Rosettes & Krumkake. I'm Scandinavian. Lefse's not a cookie but it goes with the season!

So here's a few favorite recipes, though not necessarily "holiday" treats:

Graham Cracker Chewies
These are amazingly good and simple to make. They are a nice alternative to brownies.

Recipe from the Nantucket Open House Cookbook.

Crust
1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons all purpose flour

Topping
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs beaten

. Preheat oven to 350°

Prepare the crust: Mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, butter and flour in a mixing bowl until moist and crumbly. Press the mixture firmly and evenly in the bottom of a 9 inch square baking pan. Bake until lightly browned, about 20
minutes.

Prepare topping: Stir all the ingredients together until blended. Spread the topping over the baked crust and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool completely, then cut into 16 squares.

Note: Double the recipe and use a 13 x 9" pan. You won't regret it.

Haven't tried these yet but they get rave reviews:

SILLY TOFFEE SQUARES

1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup Rice Krispies cereal
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter melted
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk (NOT Evaporated Milk!)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1-1/4 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Combine first 6 ingredients and press into 8-inch square pan and bake at 350° F. for 10 minutes.
In heavy nonstick saucepan combine condensed milk, 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Bring to a low boil and cook 5 minutes, stirring continuously. Be careful not to burn. Remove from heat and pour over baked crust.
Melt chocolate chips over low heat. Stir in remaining cereal until well coated. Using two forks spread over caramel layer. Chill and cut into squares.

And a longtime favorite:

EZ BARS
AKA 7-layer bars are the epitome of easy (hence their alias, EZ bars). If you follow the traditional recipe, you don't even need a bowl. You melt butter straight in the baking pan in a preheated oven, then sprinkle on the other layers. On top of the butter goes a layer of graham cracker crumbs (not mixed in, just sprinkled on), chopped nuts, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut, and finally sweetened condensed milk is poured over the whole shebang. It's baked until just starting to brown on the top, all bubbly and delicious, which takes about 25 minutes. Nothing could be easier to bake. Very flexible too. I omit the coconut. You can use cookie crumbs like vanilla wafers or even crumbled sandwich cookies I imagine. Various nuts, combination of nuts, one kind of chips or combined kinds of chips. Doesn't really matter, they're greaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!

Krispy Karmallows
1 pkg of carmels
1 can of eagle brand
1 stick of oleo
Half box of rice krispies
pkg of lg marshmallows

In double boiler melt the carmels,oleo and eagle brand.
after melted, use a fork to pierce a marshmallow,dip it in the heated mixture till it's covered then roll in rice krispies. I use another fork to get the mallow off the other fork and put it on a piece of wax paper. Let set a little while. these are so good.