MICE! ("Candy" Mice, that is!)

They're not a cookie....but when I found this creation (by accident) on the web a couple years ago, I KNEW I wanted to make them. I think they're kind of a cool addition to my cookie packages, and I'm going to tweak the assembly to make them a little bit of my own.














Ingredients:

■Maraschino cherries (WITH stems)
■Hershey's chocolate kisses (peanut butter kisses or christmas kisses add a fun twist)
■sliced almonds
■Dragees (silver or gold)
■melted chocolate for dipping (milk and dark in seperate dipping pots for added decoration..or white for white mice!)
■red hot candies (for the nose)
■brown or white chocolate sprinkles for differently decorated mice

Supplies:

■Tweezers (For setting the eyes)
■A couple of cookie sheets lined with waxed paper or foil
■Warmer plate (or wrapped hotpad)
■A couple wet towels (this can get messy!)
■Sprinkle bowls
■Paper Towels

Directions:

1) The bodies of the mice are made from Maraschino Cherries dipped in chocolate. Drain and rinse the cherries, then lay a single layer on paper towels for 30 minutes to an hour, changing the paper once. The cherries should be fairly dry before dipping in chocolate. The stems become the tails. When dipping, completely seal the area of the cherry at the base of the stem. Don’t dip the entire stem in chocolate.

2) While the chocolate is still soft, add the heads (Hershey’s Kisses) or, if the chocolate hardens, you can dip the bottom of the Kiss in chocolate and stick it to the body. Place mice in freezer for 5 or so minutes and quickly but gently redip entire mouse (excluding tail) in desired chocolate for a uniform coating. (If you're patient and have the time........repeat the freezing and redipping 2x, you'll have a smoother and much sturdier mouse! Plus if you alternate white/dark/milk chocolate you'll add a surprise element and have a tastier candy)

3) The ears are sliced almonds, dipped in chocolate and set behind the head. They can be added while the body chocolate is still soft, but the timing is tricky. Too soft and the ears slip down the sides. Too hard and they don’t stick at all. I find it easier to attach all of them at the same time. I break an almond slice in half, dip the broken side in chocolate and attach it just behind the head.

Setup:

The almonds are in a bowl for easy sorting.


The dragees are attached by holding them with tweezers, barely dipping them into melted chocolate. They easily stick to the head (Kiss). I smear a small bit of chocolate on the aluminum foil which keeps the chocolate soft, and also gives me a perfect spot for dipping the eyes without immersing them too deeply into the chocolate. If you find the dragees do not stick well, set the tray of mice in the refrigerator for five minutes or so. When the melted chocolate touches the cold Kiss, the eyes will adhere immediately.

Packaging:

If you follow my hint and redip each mice...errr....mouse, one or two times, you'll have a much sturdier candy and your creations will have better odds of arriving intact after shipping.

Remember, HOW you package makes all the difference. In general, a baggie (the fold over kind) work well per mouse rather than just throwing them in a loose box. However, If you want to go the extra mile, create a cardboard base slightly longer and wider than the finished mouse, adhere with a dollop of chocolate, set inside the baggie once completely cooled, close with a ribbon or twist tie.

Personally I go the 'third mile' and always "box within a box" when I assemble my pkgs. Maybe I have a touch of Christmas OCD, but it's worth it!


Credit: I originally found these at: http://christmasnotebook.com/2007/12/15/christmas-mice/ , the photographs and directions above are hers, and will be replaced once I make my own this year. (directions in bold are my twist)