Cookie COUNTDOWN Day 7!!!

Oh the memories rolled up in these little goodies!

I asked my Mom where the recipe originated from and she said she wasn't sure. But that this was a treat her parents made together every year to give to their friends and neighbors 

spreading JOY and good CHEER!

This is me and my Grandma.  We called her Grandma O because her last name was long and quite hard to pronounce when we were little! (I think this photo emphasizes that she had hair and I, well, didn't.)

Anyway...one day during the holiday season my mom called her parents to ask a question of some sort and her father 

(Grandpa O!)told her they couldn't talk at the moment as they were in the midst of making more of these rice krispie balls. He told her they had already delivered over 200.

TWO HUNDRED!

Wow. All I can say is...I hope that back then you could buy caramels UNWRAPPED! (I used one bag and it made 12 treats...)

So here's what ya need:

It's that simple!

Okay, but I found those crazy MASSIVE JUMBO 

marshmallows and HAD to try those too.

That JUMBO mallow makes the normal one look puny!

Ok, I digress.

First take a few hours minutes to unwrap the caramels and put them in a saucepan.

Try not to eat too many.  It's hard. But you must, for the greater good, practice self control.

(I confess I ate two)

Next, set up your assembly line. Caramels on the stove,

marshmallows with a skewer ready to dip, a bowl of Rice Krispies, and parchment paper for cooling.

Next, melt the caramels.  Add two Tbs.of water and heat over a double boiler until smooth. If melted caramels seem too thick, add another Tbs of water.

Now...it's time for dipping:

YUM! Now ya gotta work fast and roll that beauty in the Rice Krispies. Sorry, I couldn't snap a pic of that step, my hands were kinda covered in cereal! I plopped the covered marshmallow in the krispies and used my hands to sort of pack the cereal on there and make a nice ball.

Let them cool and then those delicious morsels are ready to SHARE! Or....horde.

I love making these at Christmas time now.  I had forgotten about them because when we lived in Europe I could only get strawberry flavored marshmallows. Eeewww! 

But as I made these again, I enjoyed thinking of my Grandparents that are no longer with me.

I also get to take out this work of art that my Grandma O made.  She was amazing with yarn!  She would put this beautiful knitted afghan on her bed in December and you would get a peek of it when you walked down the hallway of her house.  It's utterly gorgeous!

And yes.  I know where I get my creativity.

I love a legacy, don't you???

We hope you've all enjoyed our little cookie countdown!

We've had a great time baking and hope the smell of warm butter is also wafting through all of YOUR homes this Holiday Season.

Make sure you get your comments posted, because tomorrow, December 17th, we will announce our winner!!!

Oh...and since I've had my fair share of marshmallows today, I thought I'd leave ya with a little song...