hootin N hollerin

it's beginning to look a lot like Fritmur!

making Fritmur goodies!

hedgehogs, porcupines and mice oh my!

 "PEANUT BUTTER SNACKS"
1 cup peanut butter 
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup non-instant powdered milk

Mix ingredients to make a stiff, malleable dough. 

Add more powdermilk or honey as needed to get the right consistency. Chill it in the fridge.

Form into 1" balls (I used a 1 tsp. measuring spoon) - make them pointy on one end. 

For mice: peanut ears and zante currant eyes, and a snip of fruit roll-up for a tail.  

For porcupine: sliced almonds for spines

For hedgehog: blanched slivered almonds for spikes

Store these critters in the fridge.


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What to do with leftover candy canes:
MINTY BLONDIE BITES

(These are stupid easy, but no one would know.  I'm all about the lazy way out.)

1 stick butter (unsalted)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup chocolate chips or chunks

Melt the butter and sugar together in a saucepan over low heat.

Stir until the sugar is no longer grainy.

Take it off the heat.

Fork-beat the egg in a small bowl (I remove the white stringy thing)

Then stir in a little of the butter sugar mixture, a spoonful at a time, to "temper" it.

Then add the egg mixture to the butter/sugar in the saucepan.

Stir in the vanilla and the flour.

Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a loaf pan, and up two of the sides (you want them to be handles to lift out the brownies with).

Spread the mixture evenly in the pan and the push the chocolate pieces into the batter, one for every bite (1" apart).

Bake at 350° for 22 - 25 minutes

Cool in the pan for 5 minutes then use a knife to cut around the edge.

Lift the whole thing out with the paper, and place on a cutting board.

Cut into 1" squares, but don't separate them yet.

When they are cool, drizzle on the icing and sprinkle on the candy cane bits.

Icing:
1/2 teaspoon powdered egg white ("meringue powder")

1 teaspoon water

1 teensy drop of peppermint extract, and I mean TEENSY. That stuff is strong. Use a toothpick so you don't get too much.

2 - 4 Tablespoons powder sugar, as much needed to make a thick, drizzly icing.

 (this only makes a few spoonfuls of icing, but that's all you need for this recipe)

Let the meringue powder and the water stand until dissolved (you can "help" it with spoon).

Then beat the reconstituted egg whites until nice and frothy. I beat mine with a tiny little battery operated cappucino whisk that my twin sent me. He sends me new gadgets for Christmas and I always say "WTH is this?" but then they turn out to be really useful.

Put the icing in the corner of a sandwich bag, twist it off like a pastry bag, and snip off a tiny corner. Pipe the icing out and drizzle it over the blondie bites.

Sprinkle the candy cane bits on whilst the icing is wet.

Cut the cookies again and separate them. Put them in little mini papers to dress them up, and gift them in an empty re-cycled candy box:

MERRY FRITMUR!!