Chocolate Granola Bar

Ingredients
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies
1 1/2 cups Rolled Oats
1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut + 2 Tbsp for garnish
1/3 cup shelled sunflower seeds
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup butter


Instructions
1.Spray 9×13 pan lightly with cooking spray
2.In a large bowl combine chocolate chips, krispies. oats, coconut and sunflower seeds.
3.In a small saucepan combine the butter and honey. Bring to a boil and boil on medium heat for 5 minutes.
4.Remove from heat and add peanut butter.
5.Stir until combined and pour over your oat mixture. The chocolate chips will melt.
6.Once combined press evenly into prepared pan using wax paper.
7.Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp remaining coconut.
8.Refrigerate for 1 hour and then cut into bars.
9.Store in a covered container in the fridge for up tp a week.

S'mores Cracker Candy

12 sheets of graham crackers
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 cups mini marshmallows
4 Hershey bars, broken into pieces
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan with aluminum foil, leaving a 1-inch overhang over the ends, and spray foil with cooking spray. Line graham crackers up on the foil so that the sides are touching.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and mixture comes just to a boil (about 4-6 minutes). Remove from heat and pour evenly over crackers. Bake 5 to 6 minutes, or until bubbly.
Remove pan from oven and immediately sprinkle mini marshmallows, chocolate bar pieces, and chocolate chips over the crackers.

Return pan to oven for another 2-3 minutes, or until marshmallows begin to soften and puff up.

Cool completely. Lift from pan using foil edges; cut into bars and enjoy!

Homemade Funfetti Cupcakes

makes 12 cupcakes

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup assorted brightly colored sprinkles + more for top of frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add half of the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Add the milk. Once mixed, add remaining dry ingredients. Fold in assorted sprinkles.

Pour into cupcake tins and fill 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Let cool, then frost.


Vanilla Buttercream
2 sticks of butter, softened

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon of milk, if needed

Cream butter in the bowl of an electric mixture until completely smooth and creamy. With the mixer on low speed, add in powdered sugar slowly. Gradually increase mixer speed and add vanilla, then beat for 2-3 minutes, scraping down sides and bottom of the bowl. If frosting is too thick, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Frost cupcakes and top with sprinkles.

Salted Chocolate Covered Fluffer Nutter Wafers

24 Nilla Wafers
12 teaspoons creamy peanut butter
12 teaspoons marshmallow creme
1 cup chocolate chips

Fleur de Sel sea salt or Kosher salt

1. Place Nilla wafers with bottom sides facing up. On 12 wafers spread 1 teaspoon peanut butter on each then on the other 12 spread 1 teaspoon marshmallow fluff. Close peanut butter and marshmallow fluff together making a sandwich.

2. Melt chocolate chips over a double broiler or in the microwave until melted and smooth. Spoon chocolate over tops of cookies then sprinkle with a touch of sea salt. Place in refrigerator to set chocolate.

Makes 12 servings

Note: Best if eaten within 1 hour. The marshmallow creme slides the top cookie around when left out too long Enjoy!!

Edible Crayons

Source: Gourmet Mom on the Go

Pretzel rods
Colored candy melts or white almond bark with added food coloring
Crayon Labels (make your own or head to Mandy's site for a big selection)

Directions:
Break the pretzel rods in half. Don't worry if it's not exact, just do the best you can. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper or tin foil.

Warm candy melts for 1 minute in the microwave. Stir them and melt for additional time if they are not fully melted. You do not want to overcook the chocolate or it will get clumpy! Colored candy melts are easiest but if you can only find white add a little oil based food coloring to the melted white candy melts making sure that the chocolate is not hot or it will clump.

Now dip each end of the pretzel rods into the melted chocolate and place on the cookie sheet to dry. Once the pretzels are dry, print your crayon labels out on colored paper and cut them out. Wrap each pretzel with a crayon wrapper and secure with a piece of scotch tape.


A cute way to package these is in inexpensive pencil boxes.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups chocolate chips ( I used semi-sweet)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Set pan aside.

2. In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt.

3. In medium bowl stir together melted butter, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until well blended. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the liquid mixture into the well and gently stir until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Spoon batter into muffins cups. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove muffins from the oven and allow to cool before serving.

Makes 12 regular size muffins

PIZZA CRESCENT SNACKS

INGREDIENTS:
-8 oz. tube refrigerated crescent rolls
-14 oz. jar pizza sauce/or tomato sauce
-3/4 c. pepperoni
-1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Unroll crescent rolls into individual triangles on an ungreased baking sheet. Spread a layer of pizza sauce over dough and top with pepperoni and cheese. Roll into crescent shape.
Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until rolls are golden and cheese is bubbling. Makes 8 appetizers.
{NOTE: I also top with some butter and Parmesan cheese}

These things are DELISH, and sooo easy!!

Glass Block Holiday Jello

From Our Best Bites

4 3-oz. packages assorted Jello (in coordinating colors)
2 packets unflavored gelatin
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk


Spray 4 small food storage containers (like Tupperware/Gladware/Rubbermaid) with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.


Bring 5+ cups of water to a boil. Combine 1 c. boiling water with 1 package of Jello, stirring until dissolved. Place the dissolved Jello in one of the prepared containers. Repeat with the remaining packages of Jello. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferable overnight.


When the Jello has set, bring another 2 c. of water to a boil. While the water is heating, sprinkle 2 packets of unflavored gelatin over 1/2 c. of cold water. Allow to stand for about 4 minutes. When the water is boiling, pour 1 1/2 c. boiling water over the dissolved gelatin and stir to combine. Add the sweetened condensed milk and mix well. Allow to come to room temperature.

Lightly spray a 9x13" pan with non-stick cooking spray. Carefully cut the colored Jello into cubes and gently toss to combine in the 9x13" pan. Pour the cooled milk mixture over the colored Jello and, if necessary, rearrange some of the colored Jello to make sure it is evenly distributed and not sticking out of the white mixture too far.

Place the 9x13" pan in the refrigerator and chill overnight. Cut into squares, rectangles, or various shapes with cookie cutters and serve.

Stop ‘n Go Cookies

From Sisters Cafe

1 ½ c. all-purpose flour
½ c. cocoa powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ c. butter softened
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 ½ tsp vanilla
Red, yellow, and green M&Ms

Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat butter and sugar together until combined. Add egg and vanilla and beat on medium speed until combined. Beat in flour mixture.
For each cookie, shape 1 Tablespoon of cookie dough into a rectangle and place on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. You may insert a popsicle stick into the cookie if desired. Press red, yellow and green M&Ms into each rectangle for the lights on the stoplight.
Bake for 8-10 minutes in a 350 oven. Makes about 26 cookies.
(Tip: always remember to place cookie dough on a cooled cookie sheet. Do not reuse a hot cookie sheet for baking another batch of cookies. Either cool it off first (only takes a few seconds if you wave it in the air a bit) or use two cookie sheets.)

Make Ahead Smores

1 (14-ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk), divided
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate mini morsels, divided
1 cup miniature marshmallows
11 whole graham crackers, halved crosswise
Toppings: chopped peanuts, candy-coated chocolate mini pieces, sprinkles
DIRECTIONSMicrowave half of Eagle Brand in a microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in 1 cup chocolate morsels until smooth. Stir in marshmallows.

Spread evenly by heaping tablespoonfuls onto 11 graham cracker halves. Top with remaining graham cracker halves; place on wax paper.

Microwave remaining Eagle Brand at HIGH 1 1/2 minutes; stir in remaining 1/2 cup chocolate morsels, stirring until smooth. Drizzle mixture over cookies; and sprinkle with desired toppings.
If you want to make these on a stick ... Let stand for 2 hours; insert a wooden craft stick in center of each cookie

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

2 cups granola
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

In a bowl, mix together the honey and peanut butter until smooth. Add the granola and mix until well coated. Pat into a 8X8 greased pan and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Place in a 350 degrees for 2-3 minutes or until chocolate is melted. Smooth out chocolate over the top of the granola. Chill until set. Cut into squares.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

makes about 45 sandwiches

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.

Pretzel Crusted Caramel and Chocolate Brownie Cups

1 German Chocolate Cake Mix
1 egg
1/2 cup butter
Chocolate chips, saved until the end

Pretzel Crumble:
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 cup crushed pretzels

Caramel:
1/3 bag of caramels
1 cup (or more to desired consistency) milk

--In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, egg, and butter until smooth. Scoop batter 2/3 full into a muffin tin sprayed with non-stick spray (I used a mini muffin tin). In a separate bowl, mix together the ingredients for the Pretzel Crumble. Scoop 1 Tablespoon pretzel crumble on top of brownie batter. Pat down lightly. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the edges are set. Meanwhile, melt and stir the caramels with 1 cup (or more) milk until creamy and soft. Immediately after taking the brownie cups out of the oven, pour caramel over the cups, and then sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Crisp Bean Burrito (Like Taco Time)

1/2 c. oil
5 soft flour tortilla shells
1 c. refried beans
1/4 c. cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a medium-sized skillet. Spread about 2-3 Tbsp. of refried beans on each tortilla, sprinkle with cheese, then roll up. Fry in oil for about 15 seconds on each side. Then place on baking sheet and put in the preheated oven for about 5-7 minutes. Remove from oven and serve. Dip in enchilada sauce, guacamole, sour cream, or salsa.

Colorburst Cupcakes

From Best Bites

You'll want gel food colors for this, not the little bottles of liquid. Gel color adds a ton of color with a small amount of dye. You can find gel colors at craft stores like Michaels and Roberts, and in the cake decorating isle of Walmart.

1 white cake mix
2 eggs
1 C sour cream
1/2 C water
1/3 C vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients until incorporated (about 30 seconds). Scrape sides of bowl and then beat on med-high speed for 3 minutes.

Divide batter according to how many colors you are using. I used 5 colors and it worked out to a little over 1 cup for each color.

Use food coloring to color batter to desired intensity. I used a 1/4 t and they were very bright! You could easily make pastel rainbows using a little less.

To get a layered stripe like I used, you'll want to put a spoonful of each color in the cupcake one at a time. The batter is thick, so it won't spread on it's own. A great tip is to set out a little bowl of water where you're working. Dip your finger in the water and then gently spread the batter out. The water will make it so the batter doesn't stick to your fingers.

Another tip is to use a measuring spoon and some water to measure out how many teaspoons/tablespoons are going to fit in your cupcake. Then divide that by how many colors you have so you know how much of each color to use for each cupcake. For my 5 colors, it worked out perfectly with 2 t of each color in each cupcake. So I put in 2 t of blue in the bottom of each cupcake and spread it out with my finger. Then I put in 2 t of green on top of that, then yellow, etc.

Bake them according to the package directions, until a toothpick comes out dry. Check these babies out! I swear I didn't photoshop these. True crazy colors. I love how you can see the rainbow through the papers. If you want blue on top, just reverse the order (duh, right?)

Good Homemade Frosting recipe is Here.

Cookie Clay Dough

from Everyday Food Storage

enough for 3-4 children
(Like Play-Doh only you can cook it & eat it too!)

In Mixer:
Cream together: 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup butter (1 cube)
1 tsp vanilla

Add: 2 cup whole wheat flour
2 T dry egg powder (do not add water at this time) or 1 extra large egg
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

(if you used dehydrated eggs) Mix & Slowly Add: 2 to 4 T water till consistency of Play-Doh

Now all you need is CLEAN hands, table or counter top, & creativity
[THAT IS RIGHT--NO FLOUR NEEDED for forming---so no mess!]
Make letters & numbers out of Cookie Clay Dough ropes or balls, make animals, faces, turtles, cars, or what have you. You can also use clean Play-Doh accessaries.

Place on ungreased cookie sheet
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes (depends on thickness so
keep your eye on it as some pieces may need to come out earlier than others)
(Note: The high oven temprature will kill germs so relax and enjoy.)

Cool 3 minutes

EAT Your Creations!

Graham Crackers

From Every Day Food Storage

1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup plus 1 T. sugar (I use brown sugar)
3 T. honey, warmed
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup plus 2 T. water
I add in 1-2 t. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine shortening, sugar, honey and vanilla.
Blend until smooth. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, and then
add dry mixture to the wet ingredients and blend well with electric mixer.
Slowly add water to the mixture while beating. You may have to mix by hand
until the mixture forms a large ball of dough.

Divide the dough in thirds and roll one third out on waxed paper till at
least 1/16″ thick. It should be very thin. Use a knife to trim into a
rectangle slightly smaller than the sheet pan you will be using. Grease
the baking pan with a light coating of shortening. Turn the dough over
onto the baking sheet and remove the wax paper.

Use a knife to score the dough into smaller crackers. Use a toothpick (or
fork) to poke holes over the entire surface of the dough. Bake for 22 to
24 minutes, or until the dough begins to turn light brown around the
edges. Turn the baking sheet around halfway through baking time for even
browning. Cool the crackers before breaking them apart along the scored
lines. Repeat process for remaining dough. If desired, you can sprinkle a
cinnamon/sugar mixture over the dough before baking to make cinnamon
grahams.

Club Quesadillas

Ingredients:

8 slices pre-cooked bacon
8 slices turkey breast
4 large tortillas (10 inch)
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup shredded lettuce
1/2 cup shredded cheese of choice
1/4 cup miracle whip light dressing (optional)
We put salsa or BBQ sauce in each tortilla as well, just to give a little moisture

Directions:

Arrange bacon and turkey on top of each tortilla. Top with tomatoes,
lettuce, and cheese. Fold in half.
Cook each tortilla in Quesadilla Maker---a MUST have!! They are AWESOME!!
Cut into wedges. Serve each quesadilla with 1 tbsp dressing if you'd like.