Gooey Butterscotch Bars

I'm sorry I have no picture for these, but I am going to share the recipe for them anyway since I loved them. They were pretty easy to whip up, so if you need a last minute treat to share, give these a try.

• 1 pkg. (17 1/2 oz.) sugar cookie mix
• 1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) instant butterscotch pudding mix
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 pkg. (14 oz.) caramels
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 2 cups peanuts or cashews
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup butterscotch chips

In a large bowl, combine the sugar cookie mix, pudding mix, butter and egg. Press into an ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake at 350* for 15-20 minutes or until set. I thought the time was a little long, so watch them closely.

In a large saucepan, combine caramels and milk. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until melted. Remove from the heat. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Pour over crust. Sprinkle with butterscotch chips. Cool completely. Cut into bars.

Santa Shakes

These are soooo yummy. My co-worker, Lezlee, told me about them. Evidently they are a tradition in her house every Christmas. I think they might be in my house from now on too. :)

There is really no set amounts for it. You just put peppermint ice cream and eggnog in a blender, and 'voila. You can vary the amount of eggnog depending on how thick you like your milkshakes. I use a little more ice cream than eggnog. I put a little bit of whipped cream on top with a candy cane for the pretty and festive effect.

Fondue

Hannah wanted fondue for her birthday dinner, so I did a cheese fondue for dinner and a chocolate fondue for dessert. They were both delicious. I am including the chocolate recipe here. I got it from Allrecipes, and I noticed one of the commenters said since the batch made so much, you could use the leftovers to make truffles. I think I might try that, I have a tremendous amount leftover.

You will notice in the picture, I have no fancy fondue accessories, but we had a good time. For the cheese fondue dippers we had broccoli, cauliflower, steak and french bread. And, then for the chocolate fondue sauce we had pound cake, cheesecake, marshmallows and bananas. MMMMMMMMM. Yeah, it was THAT good. :)

CHOCOLATE BAR FONDUE

32 ounces milk chocolate, grated
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/3 cup hot water

Directions
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the chocolate with the heavy cream. Mix in the instant coffee, vanilla extract, sugar, and hot water. Continue to heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is smooth.