Art of Simple

Christmas Traditions

In search of magical traditions that warm up the Christmas holidays with cheer, BayouLife has teamed with Taylor Bennett for tried and true ideas that bring family and friends together to make memories.

It’s a Hot Cocoa Christmas – With All the Trimmings!

When the weather dips below 70° in the south, we call that hot chocolate weather at our house. Hot cocoa brings memories of time spent around a fire, watching Will Ferrell’s Elf on repeat and laughing until our sides hurt.

Taylor Bennett has created the perfect hot cocoa board with delicious add-ins for the ultimate hot chocolate mug. Create your own cocoa board using peppermint candy canes, mini and large sized marshmallows, butterscotch and chocolate chips, crushed white chocolate and peppermint bark, gingerbread men and homemade whipped cream.

Christmas with a Punch

Quick! Twenty of your best friends just showed up at your front door and have commenced to carol to their hearts content. You know they must be parched from singing, and you invite them in for sip. You know you have pineapple juice, cranberry juice, ginger ale, limes and cranberries in your fridge, so with your trusty kids at your side you combine all the ingredients together with a healthy dose of ice for an instantly cheerful and colorful Christmas Punch. The added benefit? Plenty of Vitamin C to keep all your friends’ immune systems boosted as they make their way around the neighborhood sharing the sounds of the season.

Candy for Giving

Some of BayouLife publisher Cassie Livingston’s fondest memories at Christmastime were spent with her mom making Christmas candy, like delicious, coconutty Martha Washington Candy Balls, for sharing with friends. Now she carries on that tradition with her two little girls, who love getting elbow deep in chocolate — but who doesn’t?

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls

Makes about 2 dozen
Prep Time: 30 minutes + 5 minutes of cooking

Ingredients:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 Tbsp salted butter softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Mix the peanut butter and softened butter together in a mixing bowl. Gradually stir in powdered sugar until fully combined. Cover and place in the fridge for about 15 minutes to firm up.

Using your hands, shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place the balls on a baking sheet, cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes (this will help each ball hold its shape for dipping).

Melt the chocolate chips according to package instructions.

Using a fork, dip the peanut butter balls one at a time into the melted chocolate. Allow the excess chocolate to drip off. Place the chocolate balls onto wax paper, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chocolate option:
If you prefer, you can use dark chocolate chips for a less sweet chocolate coating for the Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls and/or the Martha Washington Balls.

Martha Washington Candy Balls

Makes about 5-1/2 dozen
Prep Time: about 45 minutes + chilling time

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
2 cups chopped pecans, toasted
6 cups (36 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup shortening

Directions:
In a large bowl, beat butter, confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla until blended. Stir in coconut and pecans. Divide dough in half; refrigerate, covered, 1 hour.

Working with half the dough at a time, shape mixture into 1-inch balls; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate 30 minutes longer.

In top of a double boiler or a metal bowl over barely simmering water, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Dip balls in melted chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Return to waxed paper. Refrigerate until set.

To Make Ahead: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Freezer option: Freeze candy, layered between pieces of waxed paper, in freezer containers. To use, thaw in refrigerator 2 hours before serving.

Pro Tips:
For this recipe, make sure to use sweetened condensed milk. Evaporated milk is concentrated in the same way, but doesn’t contain added sugar.
To toast pecans, spread them in a baking pan and bake at 350° until golden brown, stirring often. Generally, nuts will be toasted in 6-10 minutes. Timing will depend on how finely the nuts are chopped and the thickness of your baking pan.

All the Christmas Feltings

Kelly Moore Clark crafted these whimsical felt Christmas sloth and narwhal ornaments using an easy-to-follow pattern you can download at www.bayoulifemag.com. Using a needle, a few colors of thread
(black, white and pink) and grey, white, pink, blue and black felt, Kelly stitched together some cute new memories to go on her handmade ornament tree this year.