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For my Sunday School class I made them some fun little Rice Krispie Treats. You know how to do these...
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Everything looks better with cute packaging...you can get 20 of these toppers at Hobby Lobby for $3!! Can't beat that!Christmas Crunch You can really use any size packages you want. It depends on how much of each you want in your mix. Cover a fairly large area of your counter space with wax paper and tape down. In a very large bowl, combine the chex, pretzels, peanuts and M&Ms. You might have to work in smaller batches if you can’t fit everything in one bowl with room to mix. Dump the peanuts and M&Ms in last so they don’t all sink to the bottom. In a smaller bowl, melt your bark coating in the microwave in 30 second intervals and stir in between. Don’t let it go for too long at once or it will scald and you will have to toss it out and start over. When the bark coating is melted, gently pour into the larger bowl and toss with the dry ingredients. You can adjust the amount of coating you use based on your preference. I usually stir a little bit in, toss, stir some more in, toss again, etc. to make sure everything gets a little bark coating on it so it will stick together. Working quickly, dump the mixture out on your wax paper and spread out in a thin layer to dry. Once it’s dry, break it apart into pieces and store in an airtight container or divide into decorative cello bags to give away. Note: If you half your mix ingredients and bark coating, it will be a little easier to work with in two batches. Otherwise you will need a really large bowl and workspace to spread out on the counter.
This stuff is so incredibly ADDICTING!! It is so simple to make...thank goodness because you will be making ALOT. I got the recipe from Bakerella...of course:) You can substitute any M&M color for all the various holidays. Or you could skip the M&M's and add Reeses Pieces, marshmallows would be yummy also. 
1 24 oz. pkg. white bark coating (we use Kroger candy coating, but you can also use white chocolate)
1 box of corn chex
1 large bag of mini pretzels
1 large jar of salted dry roasted peanuts
1 package of plain M&Ms (you can use holiday varieties at any time of year
to make it holiday themed – Christmas, Easter, Halloween, etc.)
Just have fun!
Just look at these bad boys! When you are hitting all the holiday sales, make sure you stock up on the Candy Cane Hershey Kisses. So worth it! This recipe will make 18 of them, unless you use a mini muffin pan and I'm sure you can get much more.
Candy Cane Kiss Centered Brownie Bites1 brownie mix 9×13 inch size
18 Candy Cane Hershey Kisses
1/2 Cup chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
3 original candy canes, crushed
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions and scoop into a mini cheesecake pan or mini muffin tin pan that has been generously sprayed with cooking spray, about 3/4 way full. Press kisses into center of brownie batter, do not push all the way to bottom, some of the tip should stick out the top. Bake for 20-23 minutes or until brownies are cooked through. Let cool completely.
2. Melt chocolate chips in microwave, 30 second intervals until smooth and melted. Stir in cream until silky smooth. You can place back in microwave for 10 seconds to smooth more if needed. Dip tops of brownies into melted chocolate, then sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Serve with a tall glass of milk. Enjoy!!
The layers...1/4 of a graham cracker, then a chocolate bar (thieve them from your kids Trick-or-treat stash), then the peanut butter. I don't think I put enough PB on mine so make sure you do the full 1 TBS.
Crimp the edges with a fork and don't forget the slash marks to let the steam out.
How pretty are these?!
Look at that goodness! YUM! Check out Recipe Girl's blog for her pictures, they look amazing!1 box Puff Pastry (2 sheets), thawed
3 whole graham crackers, gently broken into fourths
9 small milk chocolate bars (I used Hershey’s .49 oz. bars)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
small bowl of water
1 egg whisked with 1 Tbsp. water (to make egg wash)
1/2 cup jarred Marshmallow Creme (or Fluff)
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray.
2. Lay Puff Pastry on cutting board. Working with one sheet of Puff Pastry at a time, cut on three folds, creating 3 rectangles (about 3″ x 10″ each). Cut each 3 x 10 rectangle in half. You’ll have 6 pieces to work with for each sheet of Puff Pastry.
3. Assemble turnovers: Lay graham cracker on 1/2 of each square, top with chocolate that has been cut down to match the length of the graham cracker. Scoop a scant 1 Tbsp. peanut butter on top of each chocolate bar.
4. Working with one turnover at a time, wet edges of Puff Pastry and fold (over) in half to meet opposite edges. Gently push edges together to stick; use fork to seal edges together and create ridged pattern. Repeat with each turnover until all are sealed up. Gently move sealed turnovers to baking sheet with a small spatula. (At this point, the turnovers may be refrigerated for up to an hour before baking- cover baking sheet with plastic wrap- when ready to bake, remove from refrigerator and continue with instructions).
5. Brush turnovers lightly with egg wash, then use a sharp knife to cut two small slits into the top of each turnover.
6. Bake 15 minutes, or until turnovers are puffed and golden. Remove from oven. Let cool for 5 minutes. Scoop marshmallow creme into a zip baggie (don’t zip). Microwave for 8 seconds to soften. Zip bag and snip a small piece off of the corner of the bag. Drizzle marshmallow onto the top of each turnover. Serve immediately.
Servings: 12
Yield: 12 Turnovers
Cooking Tips
*Use any sort of chocolate that sounds good to you. Just cut it down or break it into pieces that fit on top of a 1/4 of a whole graham cracker. (Leftover mini Hershey’s bars from Halloween work great!)
*I tested this recipe with real marshmallows and they didn’t work as well as the marshmallow creme.
*This recipe can be easily cut in half- just thaw out one sheet of Puff Pastry.
*These are best served while warm & gooey, but they can certainly be eaten any time!
I love, LOVE making these things. They are so easy and taste amazing. You can make them for any occasion and do whatever...just look at Bakerella:)
Oreo Truffles
Here is the banner I made...got the idea off of Polkadots & Pirates.
The cake. I loved making this! Fondant isn't something I have really ever played with. I have made one cake with it, so I was a bit nervous. I think I will forever make cakes with fondant. Loved it! You can hide your mistakes so easily!
A close up of the top...yes, I used feathers and some pink glitter balls and the Barbie head was off of the invites that Whitney made.
The treat table was outside...I couldn't put the banner outside because it was so windy and the cake had to stay inside or else it would be destroyed. On the right I put cute little votive candle holders on there filled with milk and then a cookie on top...I didn't put those out till right before. For those of you who want to know what is on the table: 
This is just a funny that Dr. Brown wanted me to post on my blog...we love the fake flowers in her planters;)
I went to a friends baby shower and this was served there. Of course when I taste something amazing I search for the creator:) My friend Natassia Saterthwaite made this and gave me the recipe. There were several others who wanted it and I said I would post it. So, here it is...
This popcorn always brings back some good memories when I was a little one. I remember eating it every Sunday night while watching the Disney movie they used to do back in the day with that Michael something or rather. Good times. Well, this Friday night we had a Family Fun Night and ate some Pizza Pretzels, watched Pink Panter 2 and ate this yummy stuff. Hope you enjoy!
Or as I like to call them...a little piece of heaven:) These little guys are so yummy! They taste like a crunchy Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. They were so fun to make! Noah did most of the work. He rolled out the peanut butter balls, sandwiched them together and ate all my chocolate. It worked out well. I keep mine in the freezer so the chocolate doesn't melt. They taste delish that way. I got the recipe off of Stephanies Kitchen. Hope you enjoy!
1 cup of peanut butter (creamy works best)
2 Tbsp softened butter or margarine
1/2 cup powdered sugar (you may need more)
3/4 cup brown sugar (you may need more)
Pretzels (the waffle shaped ones)
1 bag good quality chocolate (I like milk)
Using a mixer, combine peanut butter and softened butter and beat until smooth. Add the sugars and stir to combine. At this point if the filling will roll easily into balls without sticking to your hands you’re ready to go. If not, add more sugar ( a little bit of each) until you reach a consistency that is easy to roll. Use a teaspoon measure to scoop the filling. Roll each portion into a small ball and set on a cookie sheet. I like to roll all the balls and then sandwich them between two whole pretzels. When all the balls are rolled and successfully sandwiched, stick the whole tray in the freezer for about half an hour.
Pour the chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl and heat at 30-second intervals, stirring occasionally until completely melted. Remove the pretzel sandwiches from the freezer and quickly dip each half-way into the melted chocolate. When all are dipped, return the tray to the freezer to set up completely. Store the sandwiches in the refrigerator until serving time.
So, our boring fudge went from this...
To this...nothing exciting, just a fudge pop. I guess anything is better on a stick. Noah was happy and now I can put the recipe on my blog...I always forget what I need to buy for this stuff!LINE 9-inch square pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan; set aside. Place sugar, butter and evaporated milk in large heavy saucepan. Bring to full rolling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 4 min. or until candy thermometer reaches 234°F, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Remove from heat.
ADD chocolate and marshmallow creme; stir until completely melted. Add a handful of caramel bits, stir. Add walnuts, another handful of caramel bits, and vanilla; mix well.
POUR immediately into prepared pan; spread to form even layer in pan. Let stand at room temperature 4 hours or until completely cooled; cut into 1-inch squares. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature.
I think by now you all know how I feel about "mini" things. I don't know why...but when desserts are mini I love them even more. So, here is another "mini' dessert. I love these! It was hard to not eat just one...I had to pass them on to Ben's work because I have a good 15 more pounds of baby weight to loose. I got the recipe from Mmm...Cafe. Enjoy!
I know that everyone has some variation of this yummy cookie. But I just had to post it because they are so good and its a good reminder to you to make them!!
I have been wanting to make these little cuties for quite sometime now and finally made them for a friend. I got this really cute mini cheesecake pan from William-Sonoma and I must say...worth every penny:) This is the BYU chocolate mint brownie recipe that has been passed around for as long as I can remember. But, if you need a short-cut, just use box brownies, using the cakier brownie instead of fudgy (basically add one extra egg). I found the idea on a blog called Satisfying My Sweet Tooth.
Chocolate Mint Brownies
1 C sugar
1 1/2 C butter, softened and divided
4 eggs
16 oz canned chocolate syrup
1 C flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 C powdered sugar
1 T milk
1 tsp peppermint extract
2-3 drops green food coloring
6 oz chocolate chips
Combine sugar and 1/2 C butter; blend in eggs, chocolate syrup, flour, and baking powder. Pour batter into a greased 9x13 pan or jelly roll pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Place in refrigerator until cool. Blend in another 1/2 C butter and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Add milk, peppermint extract, and food coloring. Mix well and spread over chocolate brownie layer. Refrigerate until firm. Melt chocolate chips and remaining 1/2 C butter and stir until well mixed. Pour over mint layer and refrigerate until firm. Cut into squares and keep in fridge until served.
I made this for Caden's teacher for the last day of school. I had Caden decorate the pot for her and then I made these brownie pops (I have a pan that makes them in this shape), dipped them in chocolate and added some yummy toppings. I'm going to have to make some more and practice the bouquet look...I'm a bit of an ammateur when it comes to that!!
I have to thank my friend, Ashley, for these amazing bars! I made some for YW since we were doing camp stuff and thought they would be perfect for the night! Wow!! They were a huge success! Several adults and youth have asked for the recipe...I told them I would blog it. It has just taken awhile!! Thanks Ashley!
Smore's Galore
20 graham crackers
6 hershey chocolate bars or 2 1/2 cups chocolate chips (divided)
1 pkg. small marshmellows
6 tbs. butter
3 tbs. milk
Preheat oven to 350. Lay 12 long graham crackers and fill cookie sheet. Fill any holes with small pieces of graham crackers. Toast for 2 minutes in oven. Let cool. In bowl combine 3 cups marshmellows, 3 tbs butter, and 3 tbs milk. Melt in microwave for 1 minute. Stir and add 1 c. chocolate. Wisk really good. Spread mixture onto graham crackers.
In another bowl break up rest of the 20 graham crackers into small pieces (size of a quarter or nickel). Melt 3 tbs. butter in microwave. Pour over graham crackers and stir with your hands. Add the rest of the bag of marshmellows. Spread over chocolate mixture. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups choc. chips over top. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. cut with a pizza cutter. Enjoy.
I don't know what my problem is...all I do is bake as of late. I have had nothing exciting to blog about...except food. So, there are several new postings today. Hopefully you will find something new to try!!
I made these last night and they are so yummy! I don't know why I never thought of putting Raisinets in my cookies! I will only eat raisins this way...Raisinets are a favorite of mine. I will basically try anything when it is coated in chocolate!! So I have Picky Palate for inventing this recipe. Try it...your mouth will thank you for it!
Oatmeal Raisinet Cookies
1 stick softened butter
1/2 Cup packed brown sugar
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
1 1/2 Cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Cup quick oats
2 3.5 oz boxes Raisinets
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place butter and sugars into a stand or electric mixer; beat until light and fluffy. With mixer on medium add egg and vanilla until well combined. Place flour, soda, salt and oats into a large bowl. Slowly add to wet ingredients until just combined. Add raisinets; stir to combine.
2. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
We recently had New Beginnings and some of the leaders brought cupcakes. My friend Christie brought these little beauties, and I had to make them myself...chocolate and Peanut Butter is anouther crave (and I'm wondering why I have gained so much weight???). Anyway, these are to die for! Seriously amazing! I could just take a spoon and eat the frosting;) The recipe came from My Baking Addiction. You can make the homemade cake, or take a shortcut and use a boxed Devils Food cake. Either way, check out this girls blog, I was in heaven and want to make everything on it:)
Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake
Source: Hershey's Website
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost. 10 to 12 servings.
Cupcakes: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.
Peanut Butter Icing
Source: Ina Garten (Food TV)
Ingredients:
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream
Directions:
Place the confectioners sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.
I saw these on My Kitchen Cafe and I seriously dreamnt about them. So the next day I bought all the stuff, made them and then stuffed my face. I used cherry flavored Craisins because I couldn't decide between cherries and craisins...problem solved:) Anyway...hope you enjoy them!
Crispy Chocolate Cherry Treats
adapted from Cook's Country
3 tablespoons butter
1 (10-ounce) bag marshmallows
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups Rice Krispies cereal (or off-brand works fantastic, too)
1 cup dried cherries or cranberries (I used dried cranberries)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
Prepare pan by lining an 11X7-inch baking dish with foil, allowing excess foil to hang over pan edges. If you want the treats thinner, use a 9X13 - for thicker treats still, use an 8X8-inch pan. I found the 11X7 pan size to be perfect - not too thick and not too thin. Grease the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
Melt butter in a large pot over low heat. Add marshmallows, white chocolate chips, and salt and cook, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth, about 8 minutes. Stir in vanilla.
Off heat, stir in rice krispies and cherries or cranberries until incorporated. Scrape mixture into prepared pan and press into bottom and corners with a greased spatula (I just used my fingers since the marshmallows weren't overly hot at this point). Let cool completely, about 1 hour.
Melt semisweet chocolate chips in the microwave on low at 30 second intervals until smooth. Pour melted chocolate into a ziploc baggie, pressing chocolate into one corner of the bag. Using scissors, clip a tiny piece off the corner and drizzle chocolate over cooled treats. Allow chocolate to cool, about 45 minutes. Using foil overhang, lift treats from pan. Cut into squares. Serve.
Lately my biggest crave has been cupcakes. I seriously can't get enough of them. I dream about them. Ben, unfortunately is not a cake type of guy. He just humors me. I asked him if there was a kind that he may want and he asked for these. I had been searching for a recipe for awhile and couldn't find one that I thought sounded good enough. Then, I went to my friend, Ashley's, blog and she had just posted these. Bless you!! They are soooo good! I hope you enjoy them!
