Salted Caramel Jello Shots

Salted Caramel Jello Shots

Salted Caramel Jello Shots (Makes 12 shots)

Plastic shot glasses (I buy these from Amazon)
1 envelope Knox gelatin
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2-3 drops yellow food coloring
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
1 envelope Land o Lakes Caramel hot chocolate (Regular would do just fine if you can't find caramel. These come in individual packets and most grocery stores carry them)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butterscotch schnapps (For a stronger shot use caramel flavored vodka)

For a kid friendly, non-alcoholic version just use cold water instead of butterscotch schnapps or vodka.

1. Mix your 1/2 cup water with your envelope of caramel hot chocolate in a medium sized sauce pan. Whisk it to make sure all the chocolate is combined. Add the 1/2 cup of evaporated milk, whisk again.

2. Sprinkle your gelatin on top and let it sit a few minutes. Turn on low/medium heat and mix the gelatin until all is combined.

3. Add 1/4 cup sugar and simmer slightly until sugar is combined. Add your food coloring until you get the caramel color desired. I used two drops. Add 1 teaspoon sea salt. Pour in your 1/2 cup of butterscotch schnapps.

4. Pour caramel jello in shot glasses and let set for at least 2 hours. Top each shot with a pinch of sea salt before serving.

http://www.thatssomichelle.com/2013/11/salted-caramel-jello-shots.html

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Pretzel Hugs

So easy too!

 

Pretzel Hugs

1 bag Hershey's kisses HUGS
1 lb bag pretzel squares
Parchment paper
Cookie sheet


Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place wax paper on cookie sheet. Place a single layer of pretzel squares onto the wax paper. Top each pretzel with one hug. Place in the oven for 2-3 minutes....YES just 2-3 minutes. You want the hug to be a little glossy, but not melted. If they melt, you will have a big mess! Remove from oven, let sit for 1-2 more minutes to let the hug soften a little more. Top each hug with another pretzel square. Place the pretzels in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to let cool and firm. You can let them cool at room temp but will take longer to do so. These are also good with any of the kisses....may try with the pumpkin spice flavored kisses next!

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Monster Bars

By request - super easy

Monster Bars

1/2 c. butter
1 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking soda
4 1/2 c. oatmeal
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips
1 1/2 c. mini M & M’s

Preheat oven to 350º F.
Cream the butter and sugars together.
Add eggs and peanut butter and mix.
Stir in vanilla, baking soda and oatmeal.
Stir in chocolate chips and M & M’s.
Put in lightly greased 10x15 pan.
Bake for 25 minutes. Do NOT over bake!

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Caramel Crispix

Great recipe for the upcoming holidays to take and share!!

Caramel Crispix

Ingredients
2 small boxes of Crispix Cereal
2 cups of butter
2 cups of brown sugar
½ cup Light Karo syrup
½ tsp Vanilla
½ tsp Baking Soda

Instructions
Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add brown sugar and bring to a boil. Add Karo syrup, vanilla and baking soda. Put the cereal in a large bowl then pour mixture over the cereal.

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☆•♥✱ Fudgy Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars Recipe! ✱♥•☆

☆•♥✱ Fudgy Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars Recipe! ✱♥•☆

Ingredients:

• 1/2 C butter, melted
• 2 C graham cracker crumbs (32 squares)
• 1 8 oz. bag toffee bits
• 1 roll refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
• 1 12oz. bag chocolate chips
• 1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 T butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Grease 13x9 baking dish and heat oven to 350.
2. Have the roll of cookie dough sitting out for around 10 minutes to soften up.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup of melted butter, 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs and 3/4 cup of toffee bits. Pour mixture into the greased pan and press evenly until mixture covers bottom of pan. Refrigerate for around 15 minutes.
4. In a 2 qt saucepan, heat the milk, chocolate chips and the tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Stir frequently until the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Spread the mixture over the graham cracker crumb mixture.
5. In another medium mixing bowl, break up the cookie dough and stir in the remaining 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs until blended. Crumble the mixture evenly over the chocolate layer and the sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup toffee bits on top.
6. Bake for about 25-35 minutes or until it's golden brown. Cool completely before cutting, probably around 2 or more hours.

Photo Credit: familybites

http://justlovefoods.blogspot.com/2013/05/fudgy-chocolate-chip-toffee-bars.html




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Chocolate Kiss Cherry Cookies

Chocolate Kiss Cherry Cookies

1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Cup Butter, Softened
2 teaspoons Maraschino Cherry Liquid
1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract
4 Drops Red Food Coloring
2 1/4 Cups Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Maraschino Cherries, Drained and Chopped
48 Milk Chocolate Candy Kisses


1. Preheat oven to 350º
2. Combine Powdered Sugar, Butter, Cherry Liquid, Extract, and Food Coloring in a bowl. Mix well
3. Add Flour and Salt. Mix well
4. Stir in the Cherries
5. Shape Dough into 1" balls
6. Place 2" apart on ungreased sheets
7. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes or until you can see that the lower edge is a light golden brown
8. Remove from oven and press a candy kiss into the top each cookie.

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Almond Joy Cookies

Almond Joy Cookies

how can you go wrong with chocolate and coconut?

Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
4 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups chocolate chips
2 cups sweetened coconut
2 cups chopped almonds


Directions
Pre-heat oven to 375°F Lightly grease cookie sheets.
Combine dry ingredients, set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, stir in the vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients until well mixed then stir in the chocolate chips, coconut and almonds. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Easy no-bake Reese's peanut butter bars

Reese's peanut butter no-bake bars

Ingredients
1 cup salted butter (melted)
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 (11 oz) bag milk chocolate chips

Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients, except chocolate chips in a medium sized bowl. Stir until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
2. Pour peanut butter mixture into a 9 x 13 pan.
3. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave (at 50% power) for 1-2 minutes. Stir chocolate and pour over the peanut butter mixture. Spread chocolate with a spatula. To even out chocolate, tap pan on the counter.
4. Refrigerate bars for one hour. Cut while bars are still cool. Enjoy!

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Carmelitas

Carmelitas

Carmelitas    (Good recipe for the Holidays)


32 caramel squares, unwrapped
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips


Combine caramels and cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until completely smooth; set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda.

Pat half of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of an 8x8" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips. Crumble remaining oatmeal mixture over caramel.

Return to oven and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting.

*A stint in the fridge will help them cool off, if you're pinched for time. They shouldn't be served cold, but all of that molten caramel takes a long time to cool down. They should be stored and served at room temperature.

**If you want to use homemade or store-bought caramel sauce in place of the caramel/cream mixture, use 1 1/4 cups of sauce.

***To make a 9"x13" version, simply double the amounts.

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Christmas Mice

Christmas Mice

I made these little mice last year, so cute, they were a Hit!

Open face up Oreo cookie
Chocolate dipped cherry for the body (tail is cherry)
Hersey's kiss for the head
Almond slice for the ears.
Cherry for nose (pinch of cherry)

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Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

(Makes 1 dozen brownies)


3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon water
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium sized microwave-safe bowl combine sugar, softened butter, and water. Microwave on high for about 45 seconds or until butter is melted. Stir in 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips until melted. Stir in egg and vanilla extract, mix well. Add flour and baking soda, stir until combined. Allow the batter to cool to room temperature (doesn't take very long). Then, stir in 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips and remaining 1/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Spoon batter evenly into Reynolds Staybrite muffin cups.

Bake for 13-15 minutes or until top is set and a toothpick inserted into centre comes out slightly wet. After brownies are out of the oven, wait for centres to fall. This will happen upon cooling. If not, then tap the centres with the back of a teaspoon to make a hole for the peanut butter.

Place peanut butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 45 seconds then stir. While brownies are still war spoon about a tablespoon full of peanut butter into the centre of each brownie. Top with remaining 1/3 cup of milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Cool completely in pan.
Store at room temperature or in the refrigerator. To reheat the brownies just pop ‘em in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.

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Festive Reindeer cookies

Festive Reindeer cookies

 

~snowflake~

Easy to make.....
All you need is..........

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup shortening

3 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 egg

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

Chocolate-covered mini pretzels

Mini brown M&Ms

Regular-sized red M&Ms

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Combine brown sugar, peanut butter, shortening, milk, and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Add egg; beat until just blended.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended.

Form dough into 1-inch balls. To make reindeer-shaped cookies, pinch the bottom of the ball slightly to form a point, then gently flatten with your hand. Space cookies about 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 7 to 8 minutes, until set or just beginning to brown.

Remove from oven and immediately (and gently) press two mini pretzels into the tops of the cookies for the reindeer’s antlers. Press two mini brown M&Ms in for the eyes and one red M&M for the nose (or any other color… some of mine ended up with green noses. They might be South Pole reindeer.).

Allow to cool 2 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack or paper towel to cool completely.

Makes about 40 reindeer cookies. ENJOY!!!

Christmas Cottage Corner


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MONSTER COOKIES

One of my all-time favorite cookies: MONSTER COOKIES (so good, and can be easily made to be gluten-free)

Recipe here:
http://www.recipegirl.com/2012/05/07/monster-cookies/

Monster Cookies

Yield: 36 regular sized or 22 giant cookies

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups creamy or chunky peanut butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated white sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup M&M's plain chocolate candies

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray, or line with parchment paper or a silpat mats.
2. In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter with the sugars and butter. Use an electric mixer to mix until well combined. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Mix in the oats and baking soda. Then stir in the chips and M&M's.
3. Drop the cookies by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets. If you'd like your cookies to look pretty (like the photo), dot a few extra M&M's and chocolate chips on each mound of dough before baking.
4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheets until cookies are set. Transfer to wire racks; cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Tips:

*If you are preparing this cookie as gluten-free, just be sure to make sure you are using brands of the following items that are known to be GF: peanut butter, vanilla, oats, chocolate chips and M&M's.
*If you'd prefer to make giant cookies, use an ice cream scoop instead to scoop the dough onto the cookie sheet. They'll need to bake for 18 to 20 minutes, and you'll end up with about 22 cookies.

Source: RecipeGirl.com

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This delicious recipe brought to you by Recipe Girl http://www.recipegirl.com/2012/05/07/monster-cookies/

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TRIPLE LAYER REESE'S PIECES OREO BROWNIES

TRIPLE LAYER REESE'S PIECES OREO BROWNIES

Brownie layer:

4 eggs
1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon (3 tsp) vanilla extract
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

OREOS
PILLSBURY REESE'S MINI PIECES COOKIE DOUGH (Big Deluxe Peanut Butter Cookies)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 and line 9"x13" pan with nonstick foil.
In a large bowl, add 4 eggs, and beat with cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla. Stir until fully combined and smooth.
In the microwave, melt butter. When melted, add sugar, and stir to combine.
Add warm butter/sugar mixture to the egg/cocoa mixture, stirring until smooth.
Add the flour to batter and stir until fully incorporated.
Spread batter into prepared pan, and smooth as needed. Press Oreos into the batter to line pan.
Bake brownies about 10 minutes. Top with Pillsbury Reese's Pieces cookie dough. Flatten each scored cookie a bit and lay on top of the oreos. Return to the oven for about 20-25 minutes until cooked through.

http://www.hugsandcookiesxoxo.com/2013/10/triple-layer-reeses-pieces-oreo-brownies.html

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Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle

Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle

Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle 
 (slightly adapted from Taste of Home)

1 fudge brownie mix (13-inch x 9-inch pan size)
2 packages (13 ounces each) miniature peanut butter cups 
4 cups cold 2% milk 
2 packages (5.1 ounces each) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup creamy peanut butter
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cartons (8 ounces each) frozen whipped topping, thawed  

Prepare brownie batter according to package directions.  Bake in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs (do not overbake).  Cool on a wire rack; cut into 3/4-in. pieces.  Cut peanut butter cups in half; set aside 1/3 cup for garnish.  In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes (mixture will be thick).  Add peanut butter and vanilla; mix well.  Fold in 1-1/2 cartons whipped topping. Place a third of the brownies in a 5-qt. glass bowl; top with a third of the remaining peanut butter cups. Spoon a third of the pudding mixture over the top.  Repeat layers twice. Cover with remaining whipped topping; garnish with reserved peanut butter cups. Refrigerate until chilled. 

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Easy Pecan Caramel Turtles

I have made these at Christmas time.. Favorite NO NO's

 

Easy Pecan Caramel Turtles

4 oz. pecan halves
24 unwrapped Kraft Caramels
1 tsp. shortening
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Cover cookies sheet with aluminum foil, shiny side exposed. Lightly grease foil with vegetable oil spray. Place 3 pecan halves in a Y shape on the foil. Place 1 caramel candy in the center of each Y. Bake just until caramel is melted, about 9 to 10 minutes.
Heat shortening and chocolate chips over low heat just until chocolate is melted. Spread over candies and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

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(Personally, I'd like them if they were cashews or peanuts, instead of pecans) :)