By Kelby Wingert

Ingredients

3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

¾ cup full-fat coconut milk

Orange Cranberry Bread

2 tablespoons coconut oil

¼ cup crushed candy canes 

Place chocolate chips in a bowl. In a small pan, bring coconut milk and oil to a boil. Pour over chocolate chips and let sit for two minutes, then whisk until smooth.

Line a mini-muffin pan with paper liners and spray liners with cooking oil. Fill each liner with chocolate mixture. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Freeze for one hour or refrigerate for 2-3 hours, or until set. 

Note: Recipe can be made dairy-free using dairy-free chocolate chips. Also tastes good sprinkled with flaky sea salt.

Orange Cranberry Bread

Peanut Brittle

By Linda Sanck, of Fort Dodge

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1 cup Spanish peanuts

1/4 cup light corn syrup (white)

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/8 teaspoon baking  soda 

Line an electric skillet with a double layer of heavy duty foil. Put sugar, water, syrup, butter in frying pan. Set on highest temperature.  Stir occasionally  using back of spoon.  Cook until golden  brown, about 13 minutes.  Turn off heat.  Quickly  stir in soda, add peanuts.  Lift out candy and foil. Place on cookie sheet, spread  as thin as possible. Let cool and break into pieces.  Store covered in a cool place (not  the refrigerator.) Makes 1 pound.

I have had good success each time with this recipe. My husband really likes it!

Snack Pretzels

By Linda Sanck, of Fort Dodge

1 pkg. small twist pretzels

1 pkg. ranch dressing powder

3/4 cup oil

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon dill weed

(Add more or less garlic and dill, to taste)

Mix dry ingredients with oil and pour over pretzels. Frequently rotate/flip container to coat pretzels.

They can be quite addicting! My granddaughter loves them.

Creamy Orange Pineapple Salad

By Dawn Farr, of Fort Dodge

1-8oz can crushed pineapple 

1-3oz pkg orange jello

1-3oz pkg cream cheese

1 c heavy whipping cream 

1 carrot grated (1/2 cup)

Drain pineapple reserve juice, add water to juice to make 1 cup. Put in pan bring to boil. Stir in Jello until dissolved. Add cream cheese, best with rotary beater until smooth, cool stirring occasionally. Whip cream. Fold cream, pineapple, and carrot into cooled mixture. Pour into serving dish and chill until firm.

Taylor Swift’s chai cookies

(Kelby’s Version)

Blue ribbon winner at the Webster County Fair

1/2 cup softened butter 

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup white granulated sugar 

1/2 cup powdered sugar 

1 large egg, plus 2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

3 chai tea bags 

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt 

Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, beat the softened butter until fluffy. Add oil and beat until fully combined with butter. Add granulated sugar, powdered sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix to combine. Take 3 chai tea bags and just rip ’em open. Pour the dry tea leaves into the batter and mix. Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix. The dough will be soft, so chill it in the fridge for at least an hour.

When ready to bake, heat that oven to 350F. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop balls of dough and place them on a lined baking sheet at least 2 inches apart, because they will spread. (For some added crunch and sweetness, roll the balls of dough in some white sugar before putting them on the baking sheet)

Bake for 8-12 minutes until they reach your desired doneness.

Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.

For the icing, mix 1 1/2 cups of sifted powdered sugar, the contents of two or three chai tea bags (depending on how much chai you want to punch you in the face), 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of milk or water (for extra chai flavor, brew some chai tea and use that for the liquid!). Slather it on the cookies and enjoy.

Orange Cranberry Bread

By Kelby Wingert

Ingredients

1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup melted butter (unsalted)

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

½ cup of milk

1 cup fresh cranberries

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, blend sugar, eggs, melted butter, orange zest, orange juice and vanilla until well combined.

With mixer on low, add half the flour mixture, then half the milk. Once incorporated, add remaining flour and milk until combined.

Rinse cranberries and while still damp, toss with 1 tablespoon flour. This will prevent fruit from sinking to the bottom of the loaf. Fold cranberries into batter, gently. Pour batter into 9“x5” loaf pan (greased or lined with parchment paper) Bake in a 350-degree preheated oven for 55-65 minutes.

Cool completely before icing.

For icing: 

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons orange juice

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk icing ingredients together and pour over cooled loaf.

*Optional: Top with candied orange peel!

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)

• Daily Newsletter
• Breaking News
• Obituaries

Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

• Yes
• No