Christmas Delight

By

From KAF

Tips from the KAF Bakers:
Save yourself the trouble of melting marshmallows by substituting a 16 oz tub of Marshmallow Fluff.

For richer flavor, toast the almonds in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until they’re golden brown.

My Notes: I made these for Christmas 2010. This was very sticky and very hard to get evenly mixed. The wet hand trick worked good. I did use the food grinder and it was a nice consistency. I also sprinkled with powdered sugar before cutting so the knife didn’t stick too bad. I cut the pieces into 1” squares for the most part and ended up with about 250 pieces.

  • 10

Ingredients

  • 1 cup blanched, slivered almonds
  • 1 3/4 cups mixed salted nuts
  • 4 cups chopped dates
  • 1 cup shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened, toasted or not
  • 1 cup candied red cherries
  • 8 cups regular marshmallows or 5 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
  • Powdered sugar for coating

Preparation

Step 1

Lightly grease a 9” x 13” pan. Line with parchment, and grease the parchment. If you don’t have parchment, use waxed paper or plastic wrap.

Place the nuts, dates, coconut, and cherries in a work bowl of a food processor, and process until finely chopped, but not pureed. You may also do this using an old-fashioned food grinder.

Melt the marshmallows in a double boiler on the stovetop, or in a microwave. Stir till smooth.

Place the chopped nuts and fruit in a bowl, and stir in the melted marshmallows. Use your hands to thoroughly combine marshmallow and fruit/nuts. This will be very sticky business; it helps to rinse your hands with cold water frequently, then plunging back in with them wet, not dried off.

Press the mixture into the prepared pan, smoothing the top as best you can.

Cover with plastic, and let set till cool, preferably overnight.

Next day, cut the candy into 1” squares.

Place the squares, 6 or 8 at a time, into a plastic bag with powdered sugar. Shake to coat with the sugar.

Place finished candies on a rack until all are coated with sugar, then wrap loosely in plastic to store.