Buttercreams and Bon-Bons

My column in this issue of the Dairy Star is about making Christmas treats — and memories. [I'll post the link when the online version is published.] [Read the column here.] For now, here are the recipes I wrote about and a few photos to go along with them.

[Can you guess which helper had the red sprinkles?]

Peanut Butter Bon-Bons and Turtle Bon-Bons

Peanut Butter Bon-Bons

This recipe is my less-sweet version of a Buckeyes recipe that we got from our good friends. I dipped the bon-bons like Buckeyes this year for simplicity's sake, but they can be completely covered with chocolate, too.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups (16-18 oz jar) creamy peanut butter
2 ½ cups instant dry milk
3 cups powdered sugar
2 cups milk or dark chocolate chips

Mix butter and peanut butter together until smooth. Combine dry milk and powdered sugar. One cup at a time, add dry ingredients to butter/peanut butter. Dough will be very stiff at end. Roll into one inch balls. (I use a small cookie scoop to measure.) Chill balls for several hours, or freeze. Dip balls in melted chocolate. Place on wax paper-lined pan. Decorate with sprinkles immediately after dipping. Chill to set chocolate. Store in fridge. Makes about 8 dozen.

Turtle Bon-Bons

I created this recipe after seeing a similar recipe in one of my mom's cookbooks.

3 cups finely chopped pecans
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk or dark chocolate chips

In heavy saucepan, mix first three ingredients. Over medium heat, cook and stir for 8-10 minutes or until mixture forms balls around spoon and pulls away from side of pan. Cool 10 minutes. Shape into one inch balls. Chill. Dip balls in melted chocolate. Place on wax paper-lined pan. Decorate with sprinkles. Chill to set chocolate. Store in fridge. Makes about four dozen.

Buttercreams

This recipe came from Land O'Lakes. I tweaked it a little.

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 3 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 tsp orange extract*
2 tsp raspberry extract*
couple drops red food coloring*
one drop yellow food coloring*
4 cups powdered sugar**
1 cup real semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup real white chocolate chips (these are getting harder and harder to find)***

Mix butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add extracts and food coloring; continue beating until well mixed. Gradually add powdered sugar. Chill. Roll into one inch balls, then flatten into patties with the bottom of a glass. Place on wax paper-lined pans, cover with plastic wrap and chill again, at least two hours. Dip half of each candy in melted white chocolate. Chill to set chocolate. Dip other half in dark chocolate. Chill to set. Store in fridge. Makes 5 dozen.

*Substitute vanilla, almond, rum, mint, just orange or any other flavor extract. Adjust food coloring to match flavoring.
**These candies are very sweet. Substitute instant dry milk for up to half of the powdered sugar to make them less sweet.
***To tint white chocolate, add a tsp or two of coconut oil or vegetable shortening (not butter, unfortunately) to prevent chocolate from seizing.

Enjoy! Merry Christmas!