CARO'S PARTY II---SWEET SPOT

After dinner, we quickly put the plates in the kitchen, put out dessert plates, and went upstairs to retrieve all the goodies. We could hardly get it all on the four tables, even after we cleared off the buffet for extra room.

Rocky Mountain Road, made with the recipe for Hot Fudge Sauce, with twice the chocolate to thicken it into candy.

Caro's Fancy Dipped Pretzels. She does these every year, and I imagine most of these will go into the Grands' Christmas Boxes for shipping.

Caro's Orange/Chocolate Truffles, dusted with cocoa, seen in the header picture on Monday:

Caro's tray of Ooey-Gooey Lemon Squares, Karo Pecan Squares made by my Mother's longtime recipe, and the same bars, with a little streusel atop the pecans---they aren't quite as sticky.

A variety of Caro's work, in the big plastic tray I use for the toppings when we do a Sundae Party. On the Clock at One and Seven: Chocolate Chip Butter Bars. At Three and Nine: Sugar-Free Strawberry Squares. At Five: Chocolate Bark with whole Almonds. At Eleven: Cookies and Cream Bark. Center: 7-Layer Squares.

Cookies and Cream Bark:

Plain old Fudge---medium Dark, made with a pound of chocolate.

And the Guests' own Baking:

Some Brown-Sugar-Sanded Cookies, and some very rich Pecan Cookies:

This lady outdid herself, with Hershey Kiss Cookies, Plain Brownies, Pecan Brownies; some absolutely HEAVENLY Cheesecake Bars (I have two stashed in the fridge still), and something I haven't made in years---those wonderful Date Balls with Rice Krispies, Pecans and Coconut. What memories THEY bring back!

More Hershey Kiss Cookies, from another guest, with Sugar-Cookie shapes and those center things---absolutely wonderful very crisp-edged cookies, growing softer toward the spoonful of strawberry jam in the center, with a drizzle of vanilla icing.

Something like our Seven-Layer Bars, but I swear I tasted a rich espresso chip in there somewhere---divine. And those perfect bite-size pieces of fudge---three chocolates, she said, and they were lovely---just right to pop onto your tongue, and the creamy deep melting chocolate just whispered away gently---I must get that recipe.

The darkest, richest Mint Brownies---I'm not a mint-in-chocolate-person, but everybody else seemed to be. They looked DEEE-licious.

My dear neighbor's delightful Brown-Sugar Thins---just the most ethereally delicious cookie---there were four layers of cookies in those shallow boxes!

DDIL made Chris' Favorite: Vanilla Shortbread, made Christmassy with M&M's. I think he must have snuck the whole box aside to keep, for there are a LOT of those left on the table.

And of course, Our Sweetpea and her Mama make scrumptious Krispie Treats:

I somehow accidentally deleted a plate of Peanut Butter Macarons half-dipped-in-chocolate, made by my other Dear Neighbor of the VAST baking skills. There's no way to put it in now, so will post it in a later post.

Caro's friend made the most wonderful Biscotti---I kept a few and have been enjoying them immensely, dipped into my morning coffee: