Confession: I do love Christmas candy. Yesterday and today found me cooking it.
Today I spent the morning at my friend Cynthia’s house, learning the ropes of a teach-me-in-person kind of recipe that’s been in her husband’s family for generations. It’s a sweet, creamy stick with tri-colored layers: fresh coconut candy! That one you’ll have to ask her to pass on.
The treat I made yesterday, while kids hovered at my elbow and Pandora carols blared and joy and sorrow wrapped around my heart, is the one I want to share with you.
Besides party mix, it’s our only other must-have Christmas treat, and comes from the opposite side of the family. I got the recipe from Ryan’s mom back in the days when I called her Loila–that’s the name written in the corner of my worn 3×5 card. With the recipe came the tacit understanding that if I were to become a Zook in deed and in truth, I must cook
buckeyes!
For nine years now, I’ve obliged, and I’ve never looked back. After the first year, I discovered that I was making them for me as well as for him. Oh yeah. Let the games begin.
1 and 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
2/3 cup margarine
1 Tbsp. vanilla
3 and 1/2 cups powdered sugarMix by hand until smooth. Shape into 1″ balls or smaller. Chill until hard. Dip in melted chocolate, using toothpicks. Chill two hours before eating. (Yeah right. Good luck with that…) Patch holes.
Yield: at least 75 candies
This year I tried something new–I dipped a few in white melting chocolate. They are delicious!
But I’m sure the rest of you won’t notice a thing.
Thanks, all you Zooks, for letting me become.
My son’s girlfriend makes these at Christmastime and so I never have, but I’m tucking this away so I will now know the secret of this deliciousness myself.
Anyone who can create tasty and beautiful Christmas candy has my deepest respect.
I just came in from a walk and I’m starving. Did you have to tempt me with such good-lookin’ candy?? 🙂
Glad to welcome you in! 🙂 Our “Christmas buckeyes” are almost gone already. Guess we’ll have to make round 2. We won’t mention who’s eating most of them. We cover all our eye w/ chocolate tho. Guess we like it too much!
My boys just asked me tonight when I’ll be making these. Soon, boys, soon!—but I prefer to make them by myself so that no one knows how many I eat! And like the previous commenter, I dip mine ALL the way in chocolate. 🙂
There was one year that I sincerely regretted making buckeyes…it was the year I was hugely pregnant with Kendric. When we went to the hospital, I took along a container of the candy for the doctors & nurses. A few hours later, I was really wishing that I hadn’t…there I was, in serious labor, not allowed to eat anything…and every time a nurse came in my room, the tantalizing scent of PB & chocolate accompanied them. 🙁
beautiful and delicious looking treats, and I love the albino buck eyes!! = ) We have been so blessed by your joining the family, so blessed!!! (I’m thinking Daddy may like the coconut candy…he loves coconut!! Hope there’s some left when we get there).