Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook (124 page)

granulated sugar in a dish

waxed paper, lightly greased

1. Remove wrapping from caramels. Combine candies and water in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on High 1-1½ hours, stirring every 5 minutes. (This is a good job for a child who’s tall enough to take the lid off and stir without steaming him/herself.)

3. Meanwhile, wash and dry apples. Insert a stick into stem end of each apple. Turn cooker to Low.

4. Dip apple into hot caramel, turning to coat entire surface. (This is definitely a task for children, if adults are nearby to help.)

5. Holding apple above cooker, scrape off excess accumulation of caramel from bottom of apple.

6. Then dip bottom of caramel-coated apple in granulated sugar to keep it from sticking. Place apple on greased waxed paper to cool.

Note:

This is a good recipe for Fall/Harvest/Halloween parties. Children won’t forget the hands-on experience of dipping their own apples. Room mothers can make the caramel mix ahead of time and bring it into the classroom. This recipe is also a fun intergenerational activity for church groups or family reunions.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, my sister and I were rewarded with a store-bought caramel apple, only after our Saturday night baths and our Sunday school lessons had been completed. I remember that the waxed paper wrapped around each apple had colorful clowns printed on it, and they sold for less than 50¢ each.

Becky Harder

Apple Caramel Dessert

Jeanette Oberholtzer

Manheim, PA

Makes 7 servings

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 6 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 2-qt.

½ cup apple juice

7 ozs. caramels, unwrapped

1 tsp. vanilla

⅛ tsp. ground cardamom

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

⅓ cup creamy peanut butter

2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and cut in wedges

1. Combine apple juice, caramel candies, vanilla, and spices in slow cooker.

2. Drop peanut butter, 1 Tbsp. at a time, into slow cooker. Stir well after each addition.

3. Gently stir in apple wedges.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 5 hours.

5. Stir well.

6. Cover. Then cook 1 more hour on Low.

Serving suggestion: Serve about ⅓ cup warm mixture over each slice of
angel food cake
, and then top each with
ice cream
.

Apple Crisp

Michelle Strite

Goshen, IN

Makes 6-8 servings

Prep. Time: 5-10 minutes

Cooking Time: 2-3 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 2-qt.

2 21-oz. cans apple pie filling,
or

⅔ cup sugar

1¼ cups water

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

4 cups sliced, peeled apples

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground allspice

¾ cup uncooked quick oatmeal

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup flour

half a stick (4 Tbsp.) butter, at room temperature

1. Place pie filling in slow cooker. If not using prepared filling, combine ⅔ cup sugar, water, cornstarch, apples, cinnamon, and allspice in cooker. Stir until well mixed.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle over apple filling.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 2-3 hours.

Dried Cranberry Pudding

Evelyn L. Ward

Greeley, CO

Makes 8 servings

Prep. Time: 10-15 minutes

Cooking Time: 3 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: large enough to hold your baking insert

half a stick (4 Tbsp.) butter, softened

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup molasses

1 egg

½ tsp. baking soda

½ cup hot water

1½ cups flour,
divided

1 tsp. baking powder

½ cup dried cranberries

Butter Sauce:

½ cup sugar

1 Tbsp. flour

½ cup water

pinch salt

1 Tbsp. butter

2 tsp. vanilla

1. To make Pudding, cream together butter, sugar, and molasses in a good-sized mixing bowl.

2. Add egg. Beat well.

3. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water. Stir into creamed mixture until well mixed.

4. Beat in 1 cup flour and baking powder.

5. In a small bowl, combine cranberries with ½ cup flour. Stir into batter.

6. Pour into well-greased baking insert or coffee can. Cover tightly with lid or double layer of foil.

7. Place upright on rack in slow cooker.

8. Pour boiling water into cooker, until halfway up sides of insert.

9. Cover cooker. Cook 3 hours on High.

10. Remove insert or can from cooker. Cool 2 minutes on baking rack. Run knife around edge of insert or can, and then turn upside down to unmold onto plate.

11. Serve with hot Butter Sauce.

12. To make Butter Sauce, combine sugar, flour, water, and salt in saucepan until well blended. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Serve hot with slices of Pudding.

Tips:

1. A coffee can that stands upright in your slow cooker works as a good pudding mold.

2. You can use a jar ring as a rack under the mold.

Steamed Chocolate Pudding

Evelyn L. Ward

Greeley, CO

Makes 8 servings

Prep. Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 2½ hours

Ideal slow cooker size: large enough to hold your baking insert or a coffee can standing upright

1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter, softened

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup flour

3 Tbsp. cocoa powder

¼ tsp. salt

3 eggs

½ tsp. vanilla

¼ cup half-and-half

1. Cream together butter and sugar with electric mixer.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, and salt.

3. Add alternately with eggs to creamed mixture. Beat well.

4. Add vanilla and half-and-half. Beat well.

5. Spoon into greased and floured slow cooker baking insert.
*
Cover tightly with lid or double layer of foil.

6. Place insert on a rack in slow cooker. Add boiling water to slow cooker, halfway up sides of insert.

7. Cover slow cooker. Cook on High 2½ hours.

8. Remove insert from cooker. Cool 2 minutes. Unmold.

Serving suggestion: Cut into wedges. Serve with
frozen whipped topping, thawed
, or
ice cream
.

Tips:

*
1. A coffee can that stands upright inside your slow cooker serves as a good pudding mold.