Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

Ingredients: 1 egg white

1 teaspoon cold water

2 cups whole almonds

3 T white sugar

3 T brown sugar

1 T ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Beat the egg white and water until frothy with a whisk in a medium bowl. Add the almonds, and stir until well coated. Mix the sugars, salt, and cinnamon, and sprinkle over the nuts. Stir the nuts until they are well coated. Spread the almonds evenly on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper or a Silpat.
Roast the almonds for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes or so. Your house will smell amazing!
Allow to cool, then store in airtight containers.

Peppermint Patties

Ingredients:
Cookies:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
Cooking spray

Filling:
30 hard peppermint candies, crushed (about 1 cup)*
3 cups vanilla low-fat ice cream, softened

Directions:
To prepare cookies, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Combine sugars and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add vanilla and egg, and beat well. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, and beat at low speed until well blended.
Lightly coat hands with cooking spray. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a 6-inch log. Wrap logs individually in plastic wrap; freeze 1 hour or until firm.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Cut each dough log into 24 (1/4-inch) slices; place cookies 1 inch apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 11 minutes or until set. Cool completely on wire racks.
To prepare filling, place candies in a shallow bowl. Spread 2 tablespoons ice cream onto flat side of each of 24 cookies. Top with remaining cookies, flat sides down, pressing gently. Lightly roll the sides of each sandwich in candy. Wrap each sandwich tightly in plastic wrap; freeze 4 hours or until firm.
*The peppermint candies should be coarsely crushed in a large zip-top plastic bag by lightly tapping them with a rolling pin or heavy skillet (a food processor would just pulverize them). You can substitute regular unsweetened cocoa powder in the cookies.

Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup canola oil
4 ounces 99% unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
5 candy canes-crushed up

Directions:
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the oil, chocolate and granulated sugar and blend on medium speed. With the mixer running, add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. There may be some small clumps of sugar in the batter at this point. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed, stopping once to scrape down the sides. Mix until just incorporated, 2 to 3 minutes. The dough will be sticky.Gather the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.Position the racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper.Pour the crushed candy canes onto a plate or into a shallow bowl. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and roll each ball into the candy cane pieces, so that all sides are covered. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets.Bake for 10 minutes for soft, chewy cookies, or 12 minutes for crisp cookies, rotating the pans halfway through baking. The cookies do set up, so if you want them soft, take them out at 10 minutes. Let cool completely on cooling racks. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.

Candy Cane Sugar Scrub

Ingredients:
2-1/2 c sugar
2 c vegetable oil
Oil from 2 Vitamin E capsules
10-12 drops essential peppermint oil
2 (16 oz) glass containers with lid

Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl until well blended. Using a spatula, transfer mix into the container and secure lid. Contents will settle, mix before using. Scoop a teaspoon or two of the scrub on your hands and gently massage in circular motions onto your skin. Leave on for 3 to 4 minutes before thoroughly rinsing. The scrub will tighten on your skin.

Candy Cane Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup margarine
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy canes
1/2 cup white sugar for decoration

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream together sugar and white sugar and confectioner's sugar. Beat in the egg, vanilla and peppermint extracts. Combine the flour and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until well blended. Cover or wrap dough and chill for at least one hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease or line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Divide dough into halves. Color one half red by mixing in the food color. Roll a small amount of each dough into 4 inch strips. Roll them together in a twisted rope and curve the end like a cane. Place onto prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8-10 minutes. In a small bowl, mix together the crushed candy cane and remaining white sugar. Roll hot cookies in the sugar mixture.

Snowman Donuts

Stick a baby carrot into the center of a powdered donut. Make eyes and mouth with candies or chocolate chips.