Peanut Marshmallow Bars

 A family favorite at Christmas-time of the Prince family are these delicious Peanut Marshmallow Bars.

Peanut Marshmallow Bars

1 yellow cake mix

2/3 cup butter, softened

1 egg

Mix together .  Press into a 13 x 9 pan.  Bake in 350 oven for 13 minutes.  Take out and cover with

3 cups mini marshmallows

Bake 2-3 minutes more until the marshmallows puff up.  

Let cool.

Topping

1\4 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup Karo syrup

1 pkg peanut butter chips (Reeses brand)

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix together on low-medium heat until melted.  (Do not cook longer- heat just until melted.)

Stir in 

2 cups salted peanuts (The ones in the bottle.  Planters or Western Family)

Then add:

2 cups rice krispies

Mix together until well blended. 

Pour over cooled crust and let cool.  Cut into squares to serve.  

Store in tightly covered container.

White Chocolate Peppermint Rice Krispie Treats

   Michelle served these delicious Rice Krispie treats.  They were so good.  She and her dad both love Rice Krispie treats and this recipe bumps them up a notch!

White Chocolate Peppermint Rice Krispie Treats

1/2 cup butter

2 10-oz bags mini marshmallows

1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

1 12-oz box Rice Krispie cereal

1 11-oz bag white chocolate chips

1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy

Melt butter in large heavy pan over medium heat.  Add 1 1/2 bags of marshmallows.  Stir until melted.  Remove from heat and add the peppermint extract.  Then add the cereal and stir and stir until well coated.  Add the remaining marshmallows and white chocolate chips.  Stir until well combined.  Line a 9x13 pan with parchment.  Spray with Pam.  Pour the mixture into the baking dish and press down firmly.  Sprinkle the crushed candy over all.  Press down.  Let chill then cut into squares.

From homeandkind.com

Healthy Cookie Dough Balls

Who doesn't love cookie dough?  Shonna found this recipe for healthy cookie dough balls that you don't have to bake and that are safe to eat!  Her kids love them.  

Healthy Cookie Dough Balls

1 cup + 2 T. oat flour
1/2 cup nut butter
3 T. honey
1 T. coconut oil, melted 
1 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of salt if you used unsalted nut butter
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Mix together until well combined.  If the dough is too wet to roll into balls, chill in fridge for a few minutes.

Sea Salt Caramel Chocolate Oreo Pie

Two of my kids made this together tonight.

1 package of Oreo's
1 cup (two sticks, 16 Tbsp.) of Butter, divided
2/3 cup Brown Sugar
1 1/4 Heavy Whipping Cream, divided
1 bag (12 oz.) chocolate chips (you can use dark or milk, we prefer milk)
Flaky sea salt, such as Kosher salt

Crust:
Finely crush the Oreo's (with a food processor, or in a bag with a rolling pin) and combine with 1 stick or 8 Tbsp. melted butter. Press into the bottom and sides of a pie pan and freeze for at least 10 minutes.

Caramel Layer:
In a small saucepan combine the remaining 8 Tbsp. of butter with the brown sugar and whisk constantly until the mixture begins to bubble, then for a additional minute. Remove from heat and slowly whisk in 1/4 cup whipping cream until smooth. Then let the Caramel cool for approximately 15 minutes before pouring over the crust, then chill in freezer for 30-45 minutes, but you don't want to let the caramel to completely freeze.

Chocolate Layer:
Pour the chocolate chips into a glass bowl and the whipping cream into a saucepan. Once the cream is at a simmer remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips and let sit for 5 minutes (or really until the chocolate chips begin to melt), then whisk until completely smooth. Pour the chocolate over the caramel and return to freezer for a final 30 minutes or put it, covered, into the fridge.
Before serving, sprinkle the sea salt over the pie.

This dessert is very rich but so delicious. My daughter chooses this as her "birthday cake" every year.

Monkey Bread

We love this monkey bread and have it every Christmas morning. We're also having it for General Conference morning. We're starting a new tradition where we go to the store and we all pick something to enjoy during Conference together. My choice was to get frozen bread loaves and make this. We'll pull out the other choices (fresh squeezed OJ, fruit snacks, & ready-made cookie dough) for the next sessions. Gotta go eat my monkey bread.

Ingredients:

2. 1 lb loaves frozen white bread dough

1 1/4 cups sugar, divided

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 TBSP margarine or butter

1 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon, divided

Bundt Pan (12 cup size)

Directions:

1. Thaw bread dough in fridge for 12 hours.

2. Combine 1 cup sugar, brown sugar, milk, butter, and 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Remove sugar syrup from heat; let cool 10 minutes.

3. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon in a shallow bowl; stir well. Cut each loaf of dough into 24 equal portions. Roll each portion in sugar mixture; layer balls of dough in a 12 cup Bundt pan.

4. Pour Half of sugar syrup over dough; cover and rise in warm place for 30-35 minutes. Bake at 350 for about us 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately loosen around edges and invert onto serving plate. Remove pan and drizzle remaining syrup on top. Serve while warm and enjoy!

4th of July Popcorn

Want a fun treat for the Fourth of July?  This is so easy and delicious. It is sweet, salty, and buttery and crunchy.   And you probably have all the ingredients!

4th of July Popcorn
3 bags microwave popcorn, buttered variety
1 cup sugar x3
2 Tablespoons butter x3
1/4 cup water x3
Red and blue food coloring

First pop the corn according to the package directions.  Lay out waxed paper on your countertop or in large cookie sheets.  In a large kettle, combine 1 cup of sugar, 2 Tablespoons of butter and 1/4 cup of water.  Bring to a boil and boil for about 3  1/2 -4 minutes (If it starts to brown, take off heat immediately.)    Take off of the stove.  Mix in 1 bag of the popped corn.  Stir and stir until all the popcorn is coated.  Lay the candied corn out on the waxed paper.  Cool completely while you wash the pan.  Put the candied corn in a very large bowl, leaving the waxed paper for the next batch.  Then do the 2nd batch.  This time add a few drops of red food coloring after you take the cooked mixture off the stove.  Be sure to add enough that it makes red and not pink.  Then repeat with the third batch, this time adding blue food coloring.  Be sure to add enough color so the colors are vibrant!    Mix the three colors together in the large bowl, then store in an airtight container. 

Oreo Truffles

Ingredients:

1 pkg OREO cookies (I used Mint)

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese (I used an off brand and they are delicious)

1 12 oz pkg semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Save out 2 cookies if you want to put cookie sprinkles on the top of your truffles. Crush just the cookie part into little bits.

Crush the rest of the cookies in the blender. Then whip cookie crumbs and slightly softened cream cheese with a hand mixer until mixture is very smooth.

Roll mixture into gumball size balls and place on either parchment paper or silicone mat lined cookie sheet that fits into your freezer. Freeze them for at least 15 minutes. (I left them in there for about an hour since life happened in between.)

While in the freezer, slowly melt the chocolate chips either in a double boiler or 30 seconds at a time in the microwave, stirring at least every 30 seconds until smooth.

Dip the balls in the melted chocolate and put back on silicone mat cookie sheet, then sprinkle the cookie crumbs while the chocolate is wet, then freeze again for a little while. Keep refrigerated in an air-tight container until serving.

I love these! I also crushed up a mint candy cane and sprinkled some of that on the tops of some of mine (I already ate those, so they're not in the picture.) Enjoy!

ALso, another recipe I saw said they used low-fat cream cheese and I'm sure they were also delicious.

No Bake Cookies

Okay, daughters, what's the first word that comes to your mind when you see this recipe?
Tradition?
Sunday night?  (oh, that's two words)
Doesn't it just make you smile to think about seeing the waxed paper out on the counter top with just a few missing cookies- with only a chocolate smear where the cookie used to be and was consumed before set up?
Yes, nearly every Sunday evening our daughters would make (and consume) these cookies. I, like every other college student, learned to make them from a roommate.  I have to admit, since my daughters left home, I haven't made them very often or at all.  I guess I need to start making them for the grand kids!

No Bake Cookies

Put a large piece of waxed paper on the counter top, ready for later. 

In a large mixing bowl, mix together

3 cups oatmeal

1/4 cup cocoa

In a large saucepan, combine:

2 cups sugar

1/3 cup butter

1/2 cup milk

As the butter melts, stir and combine.  Bring to a boil and boil 1 minute.  Remove from heat and stir in

1/2 cup peanut butter.

Pour hot mixture over the oatmeal mixture.  Stir to combine well.  Drop large spoonfuls onto the waxed paper   Let cool completely (if you can!) and then remove from waxed paper.  Store in an airtight container.

Original source:  Debbie Shorb 

Sugar Pops

Starting to think about what you'd like to give your neighbors at Christmas?  These sugar pops are delicious.  You just need to fill Christmassy plastic bags and tie them with ribbon.  Attach a note, "Just popping in to wish you a merry Christmas!"
Sugar Pops
2 small or 1 large bag puffed corn
2 cups butter (1 lb.)
2 cups sugar
4 Tablespoons water

Put the corn pops in a large roasting pan and put in the oven at 300 while you make the syrup.

In a large saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, and water.  Bring to a soft boil and boil for about 7 minutes.  Take off heat and add 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Take the pops out of the oven and pour the syrup over them.  It really helps if you have another person at this point- one to slowly pour the syrup and the other to stir and stir and stir and stir.  When the puffs are evenly coated,  put them on waxed paper to cool.  Let them sit out for several hours before storing in an airtight container or bagging for gifts.  I think I will always call them "yellow things"from now on as our two-year-old grandson was with us last Christmas and kept asking for a "yellow thing."

Kristen's Marshmallow Caramel Corn

This recipe comes from Kristen, but since I made it recently and have the pictures, I'll post it.  It is the perfect treat for family movie night or game day and is quick and easy to make. . . .and oh, so, yummy!
2 bags microwave popcorn, popped with unpopped kernels removed
1 cup real butter
1 cup brown sugar
30 large marshmallows
 Place popcorn(Kristen taught me to put the popcorn from the microwave bags by handfuls instead of just dumping it in- so you don't get those teeth-breaking unpopped kernals in your bowl) in a large bowl. Melt butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan on the stove.  Stir constantly while it melts.  Let boil 1 minute (not longer). Remove from heat and add marshmallows and stir and stir  until marshmallows are melted and all is well blended. Pour over popcorn and stir until popcorn is coated evenly.