Edible Wedding Favors Made With Love

Grandma Orth’s Peanut Butter Balls
Courtesy of Nancy Lee Zimpleman of Sumter, SC

2 cups of peanut butter
2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
1 stick of butter, melted
1/4 block of paraffin wax
1 package semi sweet chocolate chips

Mix peanut butter, powdered sugar and butter. Chill until firm. Roll into balls and chill again or freeze until ready to coat with chocolate. Melt paraffin wax in a double boiler. Add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Using round toothpicks, dip the balls into melted chocolate and place on wax paper. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Wedding Cake Cookies
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus some for dusting
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
Royal icing or cookie glaze for decorating

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time. Add the almond extract and mix slowly until blended. Slowly add the flour mixture and fold with a spatula until a ball of dough forms. Transfer half of the dough to a well-floured surface. Store the other half of the dough in the refrigerator to keep cool until ready to use. Cover the dough you’re going to roll out with waxed paper over half of the dough and roll out to about 1/4 inch thick. Using a butter knife, cut the dough into rectangle pieces that graduate in size for to make a three-tired wedding cake shape when placed next to each other. Place cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes. Leave on the cookie sheet to cool. Decorate as desired. Repeat with the other half of the dough.

Lemon-Raspberry Mini-Cakes
1 box lemon cake mix
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
6 tablespoons raspberry jam
1 container of classic white cake icing
Rolled fondant icing

Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease bottoms and sides of two 12-cup muffin pans and lightly flour. Make cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil and eggs. Pour batter into baking pan about 1/3 full. Wisk jam in a small bowl just until is it is smooth. Spoon raspberry jam into the middle of the cups, then cover with more batter up to 2/3 of the cups. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans; remove cakes from pans to wire rack. Cool completely. Once cooled, turn the cupcake upside down and trim the sides until they are even . Cover the cake with a then layer of icing to help the fondant stick. Roll out a circle of fondant that is 2 to 3 inches in diameter larger than the cake. Cover the cake with the fondant and smooth any creases with a fingertip dipped in water. Decorate as desired with more fondant or gum paste decorations. Store covered in refrigerator.

Christmas Cocktail Mix Up Party

Gingerbread Eggnog
1 1/2 oz. caramel Irish cream
1 1/2 oz. Vodka or brandy
Eggnog
Ground ginger

Shake caramel Irish cream and Vodka in a cocktail shaker half full with crushed ice. Strain into small glass mug. Fill remainder of mug with eggnog and stir. Garnish with ginger.

Champagne Red Rooster
2 bottles of chilled champagne
4 containers of frozen cranberry juice concentrate (undiluted)
1 cup orange juice
Fresh oranges or candy oranges

Mix the punch just before serving to retain the champagne bubbles. Place cranberry juice into punch bowl. Pour champagne over the frozen juice. Wisk in the orange juice. Serve chilled and garnished with a sugared slice of orange on each punch cup. This can be served with breakfast to start if the party goes on past midnight. This can also be made with non-alcoholic champagne.

Hot Apple Toddy
2 oz. whisky or brandy
1 tsp honey
Hot apple cider

Pour whisky and honey into tall glass mugs and stir. Pour in hot apple cider into each mug. Serve garnished with a cinnamon stick or whole cloves.

Peppermint Martini Recipe
5 ounces of vodka
2 ounces of white Creme de Menthe (green)
1/2 ounce of Peppermint Schnapps
Candy cane sticks and crushed candy cane pieces

Pour all vodka, Crème de Menthe and peppermint schnapps into a shaker half full of crushed ice. Shake vigorously then let the shaker rest for a few seconds. Strain into chilled or frosted martini glasses. Add a candy cane stick and crushed peppermint in each glass to garnish.