INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 c.  butter or marg., softened
• 3 oz.   cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 c.    sugar
• 1   egg yolk
• 2 tsp.   almond extract
• 2 tsp.   orange juice concentrate
• 1-1/4 c.  flour
• 2 tsp.   baking powder
• 1/4 tsp.  salt
• 5 c.      sweetened coconut flakes, divided
• 8 oz.    Hershey’s kisses

DIRECTIONS

Beat butter, cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until well blended.  Add egg yolk, almond extract, and orange juice; beat well.  Stir together flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended.  Stir in 3 cups coconut flakes.

Cover, refrigerate 1 hour or until firm enough to handle.  Remove wrappers from kisses.  Heat oven to 350.  Shape dough into 1 inch balls; roll balls in remaining 2 cups coconut.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove from oven; immediately press a kiss on top of each cookie.  Cool one minute; carefully remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.  Cool completely.  Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 c. sugar
• 1 c. boiling water
• 4 Tbsp. white corn syrup
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. vinegar
• Flavoring

DIRECTIONS

Mix sugar, water, syrup, butter and vinegar together.  Wipe down sides of the kettle.  Cover and bring slowly to the boiling pint.  Remove cover and cook to the *crack stage, 290 degrees F.  Cool on buttered platter.  Flavor and pull.  Nuts may be added if desired.

*The crack is the stage when the syrup hardens and is brittle as soon as dropped into cold water (about 290 degrees F.).

These are classic roll-out cookies for holidays.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. margarine
• 1 egg
• 3-1/2 c. flour
• 2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 c. milk

DIRECTIONS

Cream sugar & margarine together.  Add egg & milk.  Blend in all else (may need to add a little extra flour).  Roll out thick.  Bake on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 7 min.

The Gary Hanks family is amazed to realize that we have a recipe that others might want.  This is the recipe for my mom’s (Cindy Hanks) hot fudge sauce that goes on ice cream.  We like to give it out at Christmas time and some of our family friends refer to it as “the jar of chocolaty goodness” and they hide it from each other and eat it straight out of the jar with a spoon.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups sugar

1 large can evaporated milk

2 Tbsp. flour

4 Tbsp. butter

4 Tbsp. cocoa

pinch of salt

2 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS

Mix sugar, cocoa, flour, salt.  Slowly add milk, stir, and add butter. Cook to boiling.  Boil 2 1/2 minutes.  Stir constantly.  Add vanilla when cool.

Natalie Hanks Snow brought this to the Hanks Girl Cousin Luncheon at Adria Wilson Higginson’s home in February 2010.  IT WAS AMAZING.  Her sister (Heather Hanks Ragsdale) posted the recipe on her blog and had this to say about it:

“Not only is it beautiful, it is super easy and divinely delicious (courtesy of my sister)! My first bundt cake is a success! You MUST try this….you will be in heaven on the first bite.”

INGREDIENTS

• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup water
• 2 eggs
• Mix together.
• Chocolate cake mix
• Instant chocolate pudding
• 1 cup chocolate chips (semi sweet)

DIRECTIONS

Bake 1 hour 325 degrees. When pull out of oven, cool 5 minutes, then dump out of bundt pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Mother was a great candy maker.  I never remember baking on Sunday, but we often made fudge or divinity on Sunday afternoon.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 c. sugar
• 2 egg whites
• ½ c. white corn syrup
• ½ c. water

DIRECTIONS

Separate egg whites and beat until stiff.

Mix sugar, syrup and water.  When mixture reaches a firm ball, pour 1/4 of it slowly over beaten egg whites while beating with electric mixer.  Cook rest of mixture until almost brittle.  Pour slowly over egg whites, beating constantly.  Continue to beat until it creams, or until is loses its glossiness and becomes dull.  Add 1 t. vanilla and ½ c. walnuts.  Drop from spoon or spread in greased shallow pan.

Note:  Four drop of oil of peppermint may be added instead of vanilla and walnuts. Divinity is improved if kept in a covered kettle over night.

Mother was a great candy maker.  I never remember baking on Sunday, but we often made fudge or divinity on Sunday afternoon.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 c. sugar
• ¾ c. milk
• 1 ½ sq. baking chocolate
• Dash of salt
• 1 t. corn syrup
• 2 T. margarine or butter
• 1 t. vanilla

Butter sides of heavy aluminum (4 qt.) sauce pan.  In it combine sugar, milk, chocolate, salt and corn syrup.  Cover with lid and bring to a boil.  Remove lid and turn heat down so that the mixture is kept gently boiling.  Cook to soft ball stage, stirring only if necessary.  Immediately remove from heat.  Add butter and cool to lukewarm without stirring.  When cool, beat until ready to pour into 9″x9″ pan (buttered) to set and cut into squares or drop by teaspoonful for immediate serving.  (note signs of proper time to stop beating)

Remember his recipe by his verse he always quoted:

1 cup sugar,

1 cup milk,

2 eggs beaten fine as silk;

Salt and nutmeg,

Lemon will do;

Of baking powder,

Teaspoons, two.

Lightly stir the flour in;

Roll on pie board, not too thin.

Mother (Mae) said the measurements were about:

• 1 c. milk
• 1 c. sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ½ t. nutmeg
• 2 t. baking powder
• ½ t. salt
• 3 c. flour
• 1 t. lemon

DIRECTIONS

Beat eggs and add sugar, then dry ingredients.  Add milk.  Roll dough about ¼” thick.  Cut with doughnut cutter.  Drop in hot fat, and brown both sides.  Drain on brown paper sack, then shake doughnuts in sack of sugar while warm.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 c. white sugar
• ½ c. brown sugar
• 2/3 c. Karo syrup
• 2/3 c. cream
• 2 t. butter

Boil to firm ball stage.

This was served at Carol and Wes Wilson’s wedding reception.

INGREDIENTS

• ¾ c. orange juice
• ¼ c. boiling water
• 1 c. (8 oz) chopped dates
• 2 T. melted shortening
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1 beaten egg
• 2 c. sifted flour
• ¼ t. salt
• 1 t. baking powder
• ½  t. soda
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. chopped nuts
• 1 ½ T. grated orange peel

Pour juice in bowl, add hot water.  Add beaten egg, melted shortening, dates and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients which have been sifted.  Beat well.  Add chopped nuts and orange peel.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour.