Crunchers

These no-bake treats will please any palate. They're crunchy and salty from the crackers, chewy from the caramel, and sweet from the chocolate topping. You can't go wrong with a sweet-salty, chewy-crunchy treat, right? Right.

As I said, these are no-bake, so the Club crackers serve as the base, as well as some of the middle layers. You might think these wouldn't have a very long fridge life (soggy crackers, anyone?), but I can reassure you on that point. These were in our fridge at least 5 days and they were just as crunchy the day we gobbled up the last bite as the day we first tried that deliciousness. (And they only lasted that long because I made them on a Thursday and we were out of town over the weekend.)

Most of these ingredients are probably ones you have on hand, which is always a bonus - I did have to go out to buy the Club crackers; I bought the reduced fat ones and they worked perfectly for me. Seriously, if you're looking for an easy treat (it's almost like candy) you should definitely give these babies a try!

Crunchers (original recipe can be found here)
80-90 Club crackers
1 c. butter
2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. milk
2/3 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocoalte chips
1/2 c. butterscotch chips
1. Line a 13x9 pan with foil, leaving enough overhang over the sides to lift bars out when done.
2. Place one layer of crackers evenly over the bottom of the pan - cut them if they don't fit evenly. I used 30 crackers per layer and didn't have to cut them.
3. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add graham cracker crumbs, both sugars, and milk. Bring to a boil (while stirring), and boil for 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and spread half the mixture evenly over the crackers in the pan.
5. Place another layer of crackers over the caramel mixture, followed by the rest of the caramel.
6. Cover the top of the caramel with one more layer of crackers and refrigerate while making the topping.
7. Microwave peanut butter, chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips for one minute. Stir until smooth (can microwave another 30 seconds if it's not smooth). Spread over the top of the crackers and refrigerate everything for at least an hour before cutting.
* Remove bars from pan using foil handles to make cutting and removing bars easier. Store in the refrigerator.

Hugs and cookies,

Amanda

Funfetti Chex Mix

Funfetti - you know it'll be good. I mean it has the word fun right there in the title so how could it be bad?

We're traveling to St. Louis this week, so I was trying to think of some fun treats for the boys to have either in the car or at the hotel. We love traditional Puppy Chow, but the chocolate can be kind of messy on fingers, clothes, and drooly chins. This recipe uses vanilla almond bark and Funfetti cake mix in place of most of the powdered sugar, so I was really excited to try it out.

Asher and Aiden really like it, and I have to say it's delicious! It's easy to eat a lot of it, so beware! Obviously, it'll still be somewhat messy what with the powdered sugar and cake mix, but at least you won't have chocolate faces and fingers to clean up. :) This would be great as a birthday party treat or even a favor to send home with the kids!

Funfetti Chex Mix (original can be found here)
5 c. rice or corn chex
10 oz. (5 squares) vanilla almond bark
1 tsp. shortening
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 c. Funfetti cake mix (or any cake mix you'd like)
*I used 1 1/2 c. of cake mix, but I really think you could reduce it to 1 c. because I had a lot of powder left in the bottom of my bowl. That's the only change I'd suggest.
1. Pour cereal into a large bowl and set aside.
2. Melt almond bark and shortening in the microwave at 30-second intervals until melted and smooth. Pour over cereal and stir gently until evenly coated.
3. Add powdered sugar and dry cake mix to cereal, and stir until thoroughly coated. Allow to dry and store in an airtight container.

Hugs and cookies,

Amanda

No-Bake Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Bars

These. Are. Delicious. And I mean deadly delicious. They only require six ingredients, most or all of which you probably have on hand - I love recipes like that! And they don't require the oven; I think it's necessary to have an arsenal of no-bake treats for those brutally hot days when you can't bear to turn on the oven, yet need something delicious to eat. Add this recipe to your arsenal.

If you don't have all the ingredients, run to the store and grab what you need. I mean that literally. Run. You'll need to burn off some calories that you'll soon be eating after you finish making these bars. But have no fear, if you don't feel like running to the store, you'll feel like jumping for joy and running around the house in undisguised glee after you taste these gems. So you can burn off calories that way. :) You're welcome . . . Or maybe I should say I'm sorry instead. Hmm, I'll let you decide.

These are chewy (but not tear out your teeth chewy), peanut-buttery, crispy (of course), and smooth. They're quite similar to my grandma's PB Cornflake Bars, and you can't go wrong with those! At first I thought, "There's no way 4 c. of cereal will be enough - they'll be way too gooey." Welp, I was wrong. It's the perfect amount, so don't be tempted to add more. They set up perfectly and the consistency is just right.

You can find the original recipe here. These would be fabulous with melted chocolate on top, too, but I left them as-is.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Bars
1 c. light corn syrup
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. peanut butter
4 c. rice krispies cereal
1. Grease a 9x13 pan, or line with waxed paper and set aside.
2. Pour rice krispies in a large bowl and set aside.
3. Combine corn syrup and sugars in medium saucepan and stir. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.
4. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Pour over rice krispies and stir until everything is thoroughly coated.
5. Pour into your prepared pan and press firmly with your spatula. Allow to cool before cutting.

Hugs and cookies,

Amanda