Christmas Mouse Recipes

CHRISTMAS EVE MICE

Steps:

• Carefully twist cookies apart; set aside the halves with cream filling. Save plain halves for another use. , In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Holding each cherry by the stem, dip in melted chocolate, then press onto the bottom of a chocolate kiss. Place on the cream filling of cookie, with cherry stem extending beyond cookie edge. , For ears, place slivered almonds between the cherry and kiss. Refrigerate until set. With green gel, pipe holly leaves on the cream. With red gel, pipe holly berries between leaves. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

CHRISTMAS EVE MICE

Steps:

• 1. Carefully twist cookies apart; set aside the halves with cream filling. Save plain halves for another use. In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Holding each cherry by the stem, dip in melted chocolate, then press onto the bottom of a chocolate kiss. Place on the cream filling of cookie, with cherry stem extending beyond cookie edge. *Place off center so you have room for the holly leaves and berries. For ears, place slivered almonds between the cherry and kiss. Refrigerate until set. With green gel, pipe holly leaves on the cream. With a toothpick, drag out just a teensy bit here and there to make the pointed-edge of the leaves. With red gel, pipe holly berries between leaves and pipe green eyes on each chocolate kiss. (They look cutest if the eyes are fairly close together and not too small.) Make a dot on the nose with the red. And make a "bow" up by one ear by piping one small dot and 2 large dots on each side with red. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Steps:

• Beat egg yolks in small bowl with electric mixer on high speed about 3 minutes or until thick and lemon colored. Gradually beat in sugar.
• Heat 1 cup whipping cream in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat until hot. Gradually stir at least half of the hot whipping cream into egg yolk mixture; stir back into hot cream in saucepan. Cook over low heat about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens (do not boil). Stir in chocolate until melted. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours, stirring occasionally, just until chilled.
• Beat 1 1/2 cups whipping cream in chilled medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff. Fold whipped cream into chocolate mixture. Pipe or spoon mixture into serving bowls. Refrigerate until serving.

CHRISTMAS MICE COOKIES

Steps:

• In a microwave, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Stir in 1 cup wafer crumbs and sour cream. Refrigerate, covered, 1 hour or until firm enough to shape., Place remaining wafer crumbs in a shallow bowl. For each mouse, roll about 1 tablespoon crumb mixture into a ball; taper one end to resemble a mouse. Roll in wafer crumbs to coat. Attach nonpareils for eyes, sliced almonds for ears and licorice pieces for tails. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE CHRISTMAS MICE (OR ANYTIME MICE)

Steps:

• Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler and dip a cherriy into the chocolate, holding by the stem ("tail").
• Set cherry on its side on waxed paper. This is the mouse's body and tail.
• While chocolate it still gooey, "glue" on a hershey's kiss to the mouse's body, with the bottom of the kiss touching the cherry and the pointy part pointing out, the opposite direction that the tail is pointing.
• Add sliced almonds in the seam for ears.
• Decorate with icing or red hots for eyes and nose.
• Repeat with the rest of the cherries, etc.

ICED CHRISTMAS-PUDDING MOUSSE

Steps:

• To make the pudding, quickly blitz together the chopped pudding and custard in a food processor. Whip the cream and sugar to soft peaks and stir into the flavoured custard. Pour the mix into a 1.2 litre/2 pint pudding basin, then cover and freeze overnight or for several hours. (The pudding can be frozen for up to 1 month.)
• For the sauce, cut away the pith and peel from the tangerines or satsumas with a sharp knife, then cut either side of the membranes to release the segments. Bring the orange juice and caster sugar up to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Then boil hard for 20-25 mins, until reduced by about half to a thick syrupy consistency (like golden syrup). Watch it carefully so it doesn't boil over, lowering the heat if necessary. Leave to cool, finishing with a splash or two of your chosen liqueur, if using. Can be kept chilled for 3-4 days.
• To serve the dessert, transfer it to the fridge 30 mins before serving, then dip the basin into hot water and turn the pudding out onto a chilled plate. Arrange some of the fruit segments around the base of the pudding, and some on top. Drizzle with some of the syrup and serve the rest separately. Finish the decoration with holly leaves and a dusting of icing sugar.

PEANUT BUTTER CHRISTMAS MICE

Steps:

• In a large bowl combine butter and peanut butter; beat until creamy. Add brown and white sugar and beat until fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla extract and baking soda until well blended. With mixer on low, mix in flour just until blended. Cover and chill for 1 hour, or until firm.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Shape 1 level tablespoon of dough into 1 inch balls. Taper each ball at one end into a teardrop shape. Press flat on one side. Place flat sides down, 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Press the sides of the dough in to raise the 'backs' of the mice, as dough will spread slightly during baking.
• Gently push 2 peanut halves in each 'mouse' for ears, and 2 pieces of green candy for eyes. With a toothpick make a hole 1/2 inch deep in the tail ends.
• Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until firm.
• Transfer to a cooling rack and insert licorice pieces as tails.

CHOCOLATE CHRISTMAS MICE COOKIES

Steps:

• Carefully twist Oreo cookies apart. Set aside the ones with the cream filling on them; save plain halves for another use. (You could make crumbs for pie crust).
• In microwave, melt chocolate chip, paraffin and butter; stir until smooth.
• Holding cherry by stem, dip in melted chocolate, then press onto the bottom of a chocolate kiss.
• Place cherry and kiss onto the cream filling of the cookie. Let stem extend over the edge.
• Make ears for your mouse by placing sliced almonds between the cherry and the kiss (before the chocolate sets).
• Place in refrigerator until chocolate sets.
• With green decorative gel, pipe holly leaves on white cream of cookie by the mouse.
• Pipe holly berries between the leaves with the red gel.
• Pipe eyes on each chocolate kiss.
• Store in airtight container at room temperature.
• TIPS:.
• I used Almond Bark instead of the chocolate chips and eliminated the need for shortening.
• Maraschino cherries need to have stems and be well-drained.
• Keep chocolate hot by putting in a bowl over a steaming pan of water.
• I used a teapot, took the lid off and placed my bowl over it after melting chocolate in microwave.
• You can use a clean eyebrow tweezer or something else to grasp the cherries by the stems to dunk in chocolate.
• Make extras because everyone at your party will want one to take home to show around and to use as a pattern to make their own!