I usually start making cookie dough now and then freeze it until a few days before I bake when I remove it from the freezer and place it in the fridge to thaw. I wrap each dough in wax paper, then place it in a zip lock freezer bag. You can place more than one in a bag and label each dough. I've kept them frozen for several months before baking them and they turned out fine. I don't recommend that for special occasions, but for your own use they should be fine. I included a note in the recipe that I don't put in the freezer; they might be OK, we just haven't tried it with that particular cookie. Basically, butter-based cookie recipes do well in the freezer. Cranberry Lemon Cookies A wonderful cookie I discovered at Gail's Recipe Swap. It is now one of the "must have" cookies in our family at Christmas time. They freeze well, but you should thaw them before you frost them. * 1/2 C butter * 1/2 C sugar * 1/3 C brown sugar * 1/2 tsp. lemon zest * 1 egg * 2 tsp. vanilla * 1 C flour * 1 tsp. baking powder * 1/2 tsp. cinnamon * 1-1/2 C chopped pecans (I use walnuts) * 1-1/2 C chopped fresh cranberries Cream butter, sugars, and lemon zest. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Gradually beat into butter mixture. Stir in nuts and cranberries. Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden. Let cool slightly before removing to cooling racks. Frost when cool. ICING: Whisk together 1 C confectioner's sugar, 2 Tbsp milk, and 1/4 tsp. lemon zest. *********************************************** Walnut Acorn Cookies Hubby remembers his mom making these cookies when he was a kid in Ohio, and it remains as one of the "must have" Christmas cookies in his family. * 1 C melted butter * 3/4 C brown sugar, firmly packed * 1 C finely chopped walnuts (chop first, then measure 1 cup) * 1 tsp. vanilla * 2-3/4 C sifted all-purpose flour * 1/2 tsp. baking powder * 1 C (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips Stir together melted butter, brown sugar, 3/4 C walnuts and vanilla. Sift flour with baking powder and stir into butter mixture; blend well. [At this point, I let it cool then wrap it in waxed paper and then a freezer bag and keep in the fridge until ready to bake. Let come to room temperature before forming into cookies.] Shape cookies by pressing dough firmly into a teaspoon (not a measuring spoon), slightly mounding the dough to form the shape of an acorn. Be sure the dough is firmly formed on the spoon. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet in 375F oven about 13 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool. Meanwhile, melt chocolate over warm water in double boiler. Dip large end of cookie in melted chocolate, then in remaining walnuts. Cool on wax paper. Store in air-tight containers. Makes 4-5 dozen cookies. **************************************************** Mexican Wedding Cakes A tender, buttery cookie rolled in powdered sugar. * 1 C softened butter * 1/4 C confectioner's (powdered) sugar * 1/8 tsp. salt * 2 tsp. vanilla * 2 C sifted flour * 1 C chopped pecans or toasted almonds Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add salt, vanilla, flour and nuts; blend well. Shape into roll, 1-1/2" in diameter. Wrap in wax paper and chill. Slice in 1/4" slices and shape. Place on ungreased cookie sheet, bake in 400F oven 6-8 minutes for slices, 8-10 minutes for balls. Roll in confectioner's sugar while still warm. ************************************************* Happy baking! :-) Jen

Here are the recipes I have under Habanero Gold: Hot 'N Sweet Confetti Jelly Double recipe of Annies Habanero Gold 1 cup minced dried apricots (1/8" dice) Note: Could use dried peaches or pears instead. 1 1/4 total cups minced red sweet pepper and minced red onion (1/8" dice), approximately half-and-half. 1/4 cup Habanero peppers Note: For extra-hot, increase Habaneros to 1/2 cup and reduce red sweet pepper/red onion combination to 1 cup total. 1 1/2 cups white vinegar 6 cups sugar 1 3-oz. pouch liquid pectin (I used Ball, which I've decided I like better than Certo.) Prep apricots, peppers and onion. Place in a large, stainless or other non-reactive pot. Add sugar and vinegar. Bring to the boil and cook 5 minutes. Pull off the burner; allow to cool, cover and let sit overnight. Stir occasionally if convenient. Note: 4-6 hours would be plenty, so the time doesn't need to be any greater than the soaking time for apricots in the original recipe. Next day, bring the mixture back to the boil. Stir in liquid pectin. Boil hard 1 minute. Pull off the heat. If necessary, skim foam. (I did need to skim a bit.) Let cool 2 minutes, stirring to distribute solids. Pour into jars. Stir to distribute and remove air bubbles. Do the usual with the jars and lids, BWB 10 minutes. When jars are sealed, "agitate" to distribute solids throughout the jelly. Yield: 6 8-oz. jars. If you read the recipe, there's also an option to add more habaneros and less sweet peppers or onions, if you want more heat than then seeds and membranes give you. Habanero Gold Jelly from Annie Moore 1/3 cup finely sliced dried apricots 3/4 cup white vinegar 1/4 cup finely diced red onion 1/4 cup finely diced sweet red pepper 1/4 cup finely diced habanero peppers, including seeds OR 1/4 cup diced, combined jalapeno and Scotch Bonnet peppers 3 cups granulated sugar 1 pouch Bernardin liquid pectin or Certo Cut apricots into 1/8 inch slices. Measure into a large deep stainless steel saucepan with vinegar; let stand 4 hours. Individually, cut onion and seeded peppers into 1/8 inch slices; cut slices into 1/4 inch dice. Measure each ingredient; add to apricots. Stir in sugar. Over high heat, bring to a full roiling boil. Stirring constantly, boil hard 1 minute. Remove from heat. Immediately stir in pectin, mixing well. Pour jelly into hot jar, dividing solids equally among jars and filling each jar to within 1/4 inch of top rim. Wipe rims. Apply lids. Process 10 minutes in BWB. Cool upright, until lids pop down, about 30 minutes. When lids are concave but the jelly is still hot, carefully grasp jar without disturbing lid and invert, twist, or rotate each jar to distribute solids throughout jelly. The jar can be inverted temporarily but do not allow it to stand upside-down for prolonged periods. Repeat as necessary during the cooling/setting time, until solids remain suspended in the jelly. Cranberry Jalapeno Jelly Serve this jelly with cream cheese on crackers or use as a condiment with meat or poultry. 3 cups cranberry juice -- (or cran-raspberry juice) 1 cup jalapeno peppers -- chopped and seeded 7 cups sugar 1 cup vinegar 2 pouches liquid fruit pectin (Certo) -- 3 ounces each 10 drops red food coloring -- optional Prepare your jars and get all canning supplies ready (you'll need 8 half pint jars). Place cranberry juice and peppers in a blender; cover and process until peppers are fully chopped. Strain through a double thickness of cheesecloth. Pour the strained juice into a large kettle; add sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in vinegar and pectin; return to a full rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; skim foam. Add food coloring, if desired. Pour into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust caps. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling-water bath.

I have used this on multiple occasions substituting different fruit. When I make Lemoncello, I always candy the peels after and dip them in choco. Boozy candied lemon peel. Ingredients 6 thick-skinned Valencia or navel oranges 4 1/2 cups sugar, plus extra for rolling 1 1/2 cups water Directions Cut tops and bottoms off of the orange and score the orange into quarters, cutting down only into the peel and not into the fruit. Peel the skin and pith of the orange in large pieces, use the orange for another recipe. Cut the peel into strips about 1/4-inch wide. Put the orange peel in a large saucepan with cold water to cover, bring to a boil over high heat. Then pour off the water. Repeat 1 or 2 more times depending up how assertive you want the orange peels to be. (Epicurious test kitchen liked the texture of a 3 time blanch best, it also mellowed the bitterness. But it is a matter of preference.) Remove the orange peels from the pan. Whisk the sugar with 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 to 9 minutes (If you took the sugar's temperature with a candy thermometer it would be at the soft thread stage, 230 to 234 degrees F.) Add the peels and simmer gently, reducing heat to retain a simmer. Cook until the peels get translucent, about 45 minutes. Resist the urge to stir the peels or you may introduce sugar crystals into the syrup. If necessary, swirl the pan to move the peels around. Drain the peels, (save the syrup for ice tea.) Roll the peels in sugar and dry on a rack, for 4 to 5 hours. Dip in melted choco and dry again.

Your description of the candy texture sounds very much like a candy that the Sun Harvest store carries, called "Halvah". But it is made with Sesame seeds. Finely ground, I think. I have done a Google search for Halvah recipes, but didn't find any made with peaunt butter. But I imagine you could substitute peanut butter for the Tahini or ground sesame seeds in one of the recipes for the sesame Halvah. I'll be watching this thread to see if anyone comes up with your recipe. I dearly love the Sesame Halvah, but don't indulge very often, it is quite rich, and very addictive! Rusty