Christmas Eve Mice Recipes

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.

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.

Steps:

• Carefully twist cookies apart; set aside the halves with the cream filling. Save the plain halves for another use.
• Melt chocolate chips and shortining in Microwave (about 50-60 sec.) Stir until smooth.
• Holding each cherry by the stem, dip into the melted chocolate. Place on the cookie and add the kiss, pressing the kiss into the cream of the cookie base. Set the covered cherrie slightly off center, with the tail extending over the edge.
• For ears, place the slivered almonds between the cherry and the kiss.
• Refrigerate until set.
• Pipe green holly leaves on the cream and add red berries. Pipe red eyes on each chocolate kiss.
• Store in air tight container at room temperatue.

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.

Steps:

• Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and shortening; rub in with cold fingers until mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Mix in sugar and orange zest thoroughly. Mix in vanilla extract. Stir in enough orange juice to bring dough together.
• Knead dough briefly to form a smooth ball. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Roll dough out on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut out 12 circles using a 2 1/2-inch cutter and 12 circles using a 1-inch cutter.
• Line 12 mini tart pans or a muffin tin with the 2 1/2-inch dough circles. Cover dough with about 1 tablespoon mincemeat filling. Lay 1-inch circles on top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tops are pale golden brown, 17 to 21 minutes. Cool slightly on wire racks, about 10 minutes. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.