Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy Recipe

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With just 3 ingredients, these scrumptious treats take just moments to whip up and will be enjoyed by kids and adults alike! If you have little ones visiting for the holidays, have them help you with the stirring. Holly Demers sends the recipe from Abbotsford, British Columbia.

This recipe is:

Quick

• 20 Servings
• Prep: 10 min. + chilling

Ingredients

• 1 pound white candy coating, coarsely chopped
• 2 cups (12 ounces) HERSHEY’®S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1-1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

Directions

• In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Repeat with chocolate chips. Stir peanut butter into candy coating. Thinly spread onto a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with chocolate chips. Cut through mixture with a knife to swirl the chocolate. Chill until firm.
• Break into pieces. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Yield: about 2-1/2 pounds.

Packaging Items For Sale

Cookies and snack mixes will sell even faster at your bake sale if you put them in a pretty package.

Gluten-Free Snack Mix

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• Bake Sale Recipes
• Secrets for Perfect Cookies
• Tips for a Successful Bake Sale
• Secrets for Successful Bars and Brownies

• Choose packaging for your treats that coordinates with a theme. For example, use holiday wrap or plastic bags at Christmas time or primary colors for back-to-school.
• If you are selling pieces of pie or cake, put them on a small paper plate and cover with plastic wrap. Gather all of the plastic wrap on top and cinch with a colorful ribbon to add an extra-special touch.
• Cut a roll of clear plastic wrap in half to use for individually wrapping homemade granola bars, brownies and cookies. Instead of one wide roll, you end up with two narrower rolls of the perfect size wrap.
• For crisp cookies, the general rule is to store them in a container with a loose-fitting cover. If you prefer soft cake-like cookies, store in a container with a tight-fitting cover. However, if the weather is humid, you should store crisp cookies in a container with a tight-fitting cover. Using waxed paper between the layers should keep them separate and from sticking together.
• Remember to always cool cookies completely before storing them. Warm cookies stored in a sealed container can cause an entire batch to soften from the steam they create. And don't mix soft and crisp cookies in the same container. The moisture from the soft cookies will cause the crisp cookies to soften.
• Little dressing up is needed when you fill inexpensive clear jars with colorful snack mixes and individually wrapped candies. Simply tie a festive ribbon around the top.
• Instead of discarding potato chip cans, coffee tins or shortening cans, wash them, decorate the outside with wrapping paper or Con-Tact paper and fill with cookies or candies. Attach a bow to the lid and close.

Gift Exchange Centerpiece

Have your guests make your party centerpiece as they arrive for your white elephant gift exchange, secret santa party or ornament exchange party

When hosting an ornament exchange, let the wrapped boxes and gift bags brought by guests serve as your centerpiece. The various shapes of boxes and bags and the variety of wrapping paper will add visual appeal and color in an instant.

• Because most of the boxes brought to the party will likely be small, you may want to wrap a large empty box to serve as the anchor for the display.
• Before the party, cut a long ribbon for each guest you're expecting. Then attach a number to each of the ribbons. Put the same amount of numbers on a separate piece of paper in a container and set aside.
• As guests arrive, tie a numbered ribbon to each of the packages. Have guests select a number from the container (be sure it's not the same number you just assigned to their gift!). Set the boxes and bags around your large wrapped box. Position the ribbons so the numbers are visible.
• When you're ready to begin the ornament exchange, have each guest look for their number and follow the ribbon to their gift. Have each person take a turn to unwrap their new ornament. 

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Holiday---Celebration-Recipes/Centerpieces/Gift-Exchange-Centerpiece

How to Make Candles

Make your own candles for this year's holiday centerpiece by recycling milk containers for candle molds

These lacy-looking candles are easy to make using wax and candle dye...or even old candles! They take a few days to dry so make them well in advance of your party.

1. Wash and dry the inside of wax-coated paper cartons. (We used half-pint milk cartons and 64-ounce juice cartons.) Place on a cookie sheet.
2. In a double boiler over low heat, melt clear wax and add candle dye in the color of your choice. (You can also melt candles in the color of your choice; remove and discard the wicks.)
3. Estimate how much wax you'll need to fill each carton half full. Having too much wax is better than not having enough.
4. Add a few drops of melted wax to the bottom of a carton. Immediately place a taper candle in the color of your choice into the wax. Let the wax set.
5. Fill the carton half full with pieces of ice in different sizes and shapes. Pour enough melted wax into the carton to cover the ice.
6. Let stand until the wax is hardened and the ice is melted. Pour out the water; carefully tear the carton away. Let the candle stand a few days to dry completely before using.
7. Be sure to place the lighted candle on a holder to collect the wax as it melts.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/How-To-Cook/How-to-Make-Candles

Cupcake Decorating Station

Have a cupcake decorating party featuring Santa cupcakes and reindeer cupcakes, then display everyone's Christmas cupcakes

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  St. Nick Cupcakes

  It's easy to make these holiday cupcakes with ingredients commonly found at your local grocery store. Perfect for…View this recipe

When hosting a party for children, there's no need for a fancy dessert. Just have some plain, baked cupcakes on hand!

As a fun food craft during the party, have kids frost the cupcakes, then decorate with assorted toppings, like colored sugar, sprinkles, chocolate jimmies and small candies.

Or for a little more creativity, have guests put on a happy holiday face by making St. Nick or Reindeer Cupcakes.

Here's how:

St. Nick Cupcakes. Start with 2 cups (or one 16-ounce can) vanilla frosting. Place 2/3 cup in a bowl; tint with red food coloring.

Frost part of the cupcake top with white frosting for the face and the other part with red frosting for the hat. If desired, pipe white frosting to create the fur band of the hat. Press a miniature marshmallow on one side of the hat for pom-pom.

Add chocolate chips for the eyes and a red-hot candy for the nose. Gently press flaked coconut below the nose for the beard.

Reindeer Cupcakes. Frost cupcakes with Classic Chocolate Frosting or chocolate frosting of your choice.

Add chocolate chips for the eyes and a red-hot candy for the nose. Break apart large pretzel twists; add two pieces for antlers.

For a mouth-watering centerpiece, display the decorated cupcakes in a tiered cupcake stand.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Holiday---Celebration-Recipes/Centerpieces/Cupcake-Decorating-Station

Blooming Gift Boxes

Delicate paperwhites in gold wrapping paper highlight these beautiful holiday wedding centerpieces or Christmas table decorations

By dinnertime on Christmas Day, all of the packages under the tree have been opened and the pretty wrappings have been discarded.
Enjoy the sight of pretty packages a while longer by creating this lovely arrangement.

1. First, chose a color theme for the wrapping paper, ribbons and flowers, making sure the colors work with your dishes and table linens.
2. For an elegant look, we chose green and gold wrapping paper and ribbons. Then we selected pretty paperwhites to pop out of the packages.
3. Next, look for boxes in varying sizes. We made three stacks with two boxes each. The largest boxes were used in the center of the display.
4. Then find narrow glasses or vases that are roughly the same height as each stack of boxes.
5. For each stack of boxes, wrap the top and bottom of the largest box separately. Then wrap the bottom only of the next largest box. Set the smaller boxes on top of the larger boxes.
6. With tape or a stapler, secure ribbons at the top and bottom on each side of the stacks.
7. With a utility knife, cut a large "X" in the bottom of the top box and through the lid of the bottom box.
8. Carefully fill each glass or vase with floral marbles if desired and water. Insert the glass or vase into each stack of boxes, making sure it's resting within the bottom box. Add flowers.
9. In the top box of each stack, fill in with tissue paper and gold angel hair or raffia, covering the glass or vase as much as possible.
10. To continue with the gift box theme, we set smaller decorated boxes at each place setting. The boxes could be empty or filled with a party favor, such as an ornament or candy.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Holiday---Celebration-Recipes/Centerpieces/Blooming-Gift-Boxes

Tabletop String Trees

earn how to make string art crafts by creating these cute Christmas tree string sculptures

For a country-style centerpiece, try your hand at these jute string and raffia Christmas trees. Tuck in a few branches from your evergreen, then add a little garland or some ornaments for a tabletop "forest" in a flash!

Supplies Needed

• Styrofoam cones in assorted sizes
• Parchment paper
• Three-ply natural jute string
• Green raffia
• Commercial stiffener
• Large, medium and small
• 1/8-inch-thick natural wooden star cutouts
• Gold metallic acrylic craft paint
• Small flat paintbrush
• Craft glue

Steps

1. Wrap each cone shape with parchment paper, using straight pins to secure paper to cone.
2. Soak jute string and raffia in stiffener as directed by manufacturer.
3. Wrap jute string around cone shape in a spiral pattern. Add raffia in the same way.
4. Continue to add jute and raffia alternate
4. y until desired look is achieved, making sure the bottom of the cone is level. Secure any loose ends with straight pins. Let dry.
5. Carefully insert a table knife between the cone and parchment paper; move the cone around to loosen.
   
6. Carefully remove parchment paper from the jute and raffia. Paint all sides of each star gold; let dry.
   

Glue a star to the top of each tree.

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Step 1

Wrap each cone with parchment paper, using straight pins to secure.

Step 2

Wrap jute string and raffia around cone in a spiral pattern until desired look is achieved. Let dry.

Step 3

With a table knife, remove parchment paper from the cone. Carefully separate the parchment paper from the jute and raffia.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Holiday---Celebration-Recipes/Centerpieces/Tabletop-String-Trees