Cindy's Xmas Bon Bon Tree

Submitted by CIndytc

"I have been making these for years...I originally got the recipe out of a Home for the Holidays magazine...very easy and very impressive...You can also make the tree with the mini candy bars if you do not want to make the bon bons...I know these directions sound very hard, but it is so darn easy you will be surprised how fast it goes....and how gorgeous the bon bon tree comes out...I also put some ribbon hanging down from the top to make it more festive....You will need a 12 inch craft foam cone that you will paint with chocolate...the computer would not let me put it in the ingredients...."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs
• Ingredients: 13
• Yields: 7 dozen

ingredients

• 2 (2 ounce) squares chocolate-flavored candy coating, melted
• wooden toothpick
• sugar cookie, stars
• ribbon

• Fudge Candy Bon Bon Balls

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels, melted
• 1 1⁄2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (about 40 cookies)
• 1⁄2 cup strawberry preserves
• 1 (24 ounce) package chocolate-flavored candy coating
• 1 (2 ounce) squares vanilla candy coating

• Sugar Cookie Stars

• 1 (20 ounce) package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 2 (2 ounce) squares chocolate-flavored candy coating, melted
• 2 (2 ounce) squares vanilla candy coating, melted

directions

1. FUDGE BON BON CANDY DIRECTIONS:

2. Beat Cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add melted chocolate, beating until smooth. Stir in crumbs and preserves. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.
3. Shape mixture into 1 inch balls, and place on wax paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate 1 hour.
4. Place chocolate candy coating in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave at high 3 to 4 minutes, stirring at 1-minute intervals.
5. Dip each ball into chocolate coating, letting excess coating drip off. Place balls on wax paper-lined baking sheets. Chill about 10 minutes or until coating hardens.
6. Place vanilla candy coating in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave at high 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute. Spoon coating into a small, heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; seal. Snip a tiny hole in a one corner of bag, and gently squeeze bag to drizzle coating over balls. Keep balls refrigerated. Yield: 7 dozen bon bon balls.
7. Note: If tree will be consumed, refrigerate balls. A light mist caused from moisture condensation will mark the surface of the balls. This will not harm the candy.

8. BON BON TREE DIRECTIONS:

9. Brush Chocolate candy coating on foam cone, spreading evenly. To dry, let stand at room temperature or refrigerate.
10. Place cone on serving platter. Starting 3/4 inch from base of cone, insert wooden picks in a row around cone one at a time, place bon bon candy onto wooden pick. Continue around base of cone and up the cone trying to place bon bons as close as possible to each other until cone is full.
11. Insert a wooden pick in top of cone. Brush chocolate coating on back side of a sugar cookie star. Gently place a cookie against wooden pick, and press another sugar cookie star (the same size) against wooden pick and cookie. Gently press together until coating hardens.

12. SUGAR COOKIE STAR DIRECTIONS:

13. Roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness on a well floured surface, cut with star shaped cutters dipped in flour, and place on greased baking sheets.
14. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on pans 1 minutes; remove cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

15. Dip cookies in chocolate or vanilla coating, or drizzle cookies with coatings:

16. Yield about 5 dozen -- place leftover cookies around bottom of bon bon tree -- .