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

Candy Lover's Cake

Asher's 3rd birthday came and went, and I still can't believe he's 3! He had an absolute blast with his birthday - he was so excited about everything: cake, candles, presents, singing, seeing family, everything. In fact, today he said, "I need some more birthday, Mommy." Made me feel good to know that he really enjoyed everything about it.

For my little sweetie's actual birthday, I knew I wanted to make a cake that didn't require any fancy decorating by me, since I had already made a dinosaur birthday cake when we had family down to celebrate over the weekend (a post on that cake to come!). This cake couldn't have been easier as far as decorating goes, and the cake and frosting recipes are easy, too.

I used my favorite Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake and Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Frosting recipes because you really can't go wrong with either - they turn out every time. I love them.

And, since Asher loves Oreos, I decided to use them in the filling between the cake layers:

Oreo Cream Filling (original recipe can be found here)
8 oz. container whipped topping
4 oz. softened cream cheese
7 oz. jar marshmallow cream
12 oreo cookies, crushed
1. Combine first three ingredients until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate about 1 hour.
2. Stir in the crushed oreos, and spread on top of first cake layer.

Additional Supplies
fun size Kit Kats (I'm not sure how many, so just grab a Halloween sized bag of them)
M&Ms
sprinkles
Assembly
1. Place a dollop of frosting on the center of your cake plate, followed by one cake layer - this keeps the cake from sliding around.
2. Spread the bottom cake layer with the oreo cream filling, leaving about a 1 inch border.
3. Place the second cake layer on top of the oreo filling, and use chocolate frosting to frost top and sides of cake. Don't worry if it doesn't look pretty, it'll be covered with candy!
4. Place Kit Kats vertically around the entire cake and press slightly to stick them to the frosting.
5. Grab some M&Ms and place them in the space between the top of the Kit Kats and the top of the cake.
6. Cover the top with sprinkles and keep in the refrigerator until you're ready to eat!

This cake screams party! And, it's so fun for kids to eat because it's covered in colorful and chocolate-y candy goodness . . . You probably won't get many complaints from the adults either. :)

Waiting patiently while we sing . . . 

Working hard to blow out those candles!

Hugs and cookies,

Amanda

12 Days of Goodies - Day 12: Sweet Dreams Chocolate Fudge

Well, here we are people, the twelfth and last day of goodies! I'm surprised I was able to get all 12 done and posted . . . Sometimes my initial ambition kicks my butt at the end.
This last day is taking us candy-making again, and don't be frightened of making your own fudge. This is my go-to recipe, and after a couple years of trying different recipes I can tell you I haven't found one better. And the wonderful thing about this fudge recipe is that there's no candy thermometer required. Usually if you run into trouble with fudge it's because candy thermometers can be finicky, you have to stir for an hour so it doesn't burn, or it ends up grainy.
I have never had any of those issues with this recipe. The first time I made it I was shocked and disbelieving that I only had to boil the sugar mixture for 5 minutes; so, I boiled it a couple extra minutes. It definitely didn't ruin the fudge - it wasn't as creamy as it would have been if I had trusted the directions, but there was a slightly "off" aftertaste. So trust me when I tell you that you only need to boil it for five minutes - it will thicken and set up beautifully for you. I usually leave the nuts out of mine, even though I prefer them, because it seems as though the boys in our extended families prefer it that way and they tend to eat most of it (ahem, Jon).

Sweet Dreams Chocolate Fudge
1 7 oz. jar marshmallow cream
1 1/2 c. white sugar
2/3 c. evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed)
1/4 c. butter
1/4 tsp. salt
3 c. milk chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. chopped nuts, optional
1. Line an 8x8 pan with tin foil and set aside.
2. Combine marshmallow cream, sugar, milk, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a full boil at medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until thick.
3. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips and vanilla until smooth. Pour into prepared pan and let sit at place in refrigerator for 2 hrs, or until firm.
*I've never tried it, but you could substitute semi-sweet, bittersweet, or white chocolate chips and it would probably work the same. And I bet peanut butter chips would work well, too, now that I think about it . . . I love peanut butter fudge. I might have to try that one out myself!

After it cools it's still shiny and smooth on top

Creamy goodness

12 Days of Goodies - Day 10: White Chocolate Bark

We're entering the candy zone today, but have no fear because this one is eeeeasy. I don't think chocolate bark gets enough attention - you can change it up in so many ways, and it's basically just melting chocolate, stirring in some add-ins, and spreading it on waxed paper . . . It doesn't get much easier than that! I originally saw this recipe here, but was a little concerned because I wasn't sure if I would like the orange extract that the recipe calls for. I almost left it out, but decided to just give it a try. I'm so glad I did because it is soooo good. It's one of my favorite recipes now!
The rice krispies add a nice crunch, and the golden raisins add just a little chewiness. The combination is killer. If you're not a fan of white chocolate, you could definitely substitute milk chocolate or semi-sweet - it would be like those chocolate oranges that you always see around Christmas-time (I love those things). I love raisins in my chocolate, but you can definitely leave them out if you don't, or substitute dried cherries or cranberries instead. I hope you give this recipe a try because I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Crunchy White Chocolate-Orange Bark
16 oz. white chocolate (I used chocolate chips, instead of the spendier chocolate bars)
1 tsp. orange extract
1/2 c. golden raisins
1 c. crisp rice cereal
1. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper and set aside.
2. Stir orange extract and chocolate in a microwaveable bowl, and microwave on medium power for 30 second intervals, stirring after each 30 seconds, until melted and smooth. Be extra careful with white chocolate so you don't overheat it because it will seize.
3. Stir in raising and cereal, and spread on waxed paper to about 1/4 inch thickness. Place in refrigerator to set chocolate.
4. Break pieces at irregular intervals with your hands or a knife - you can make them as large or small as you'd like, but a little goes a long way. You can also decorate with sprinkles or any other embellishments before putting in the fridge.

This is how mine looked before breaking it into pieces.

One delicious piece that may or may not have been eaten by me right after
this picture was taken . . . 

This candy is so easy to store, too - great for any small gifts you might be
giving this Christmas!

On a Side Note: We're celebrating our family Christmas today, and the boys are loving everything about it. Asher loved opening the presents and didn't really care about what was inside until they were all opened . . . then he loved them all. Aiden, on the other hand, just loved throwing each thing out of the boxes one at a time without looking at anything. He was just so excited that Asher, Mom, and Dad were excited. It's been really fun to start some of our own family traditions this year with both boys!

Looking at their new book together.

Happy about everything!

Asher using his new trampoline and lovin' it.

Treasure Cookies

Well, it might be the season of sickness, but it's also the season of leftover candy (or will be very shortly). Halloween often leaves our house with random candy that I'm usually not sure what to do with so I end up eating it (which is perfectly fine). BUT, this is a much more creative (and delicious) way to use up that candy. If you're like me, your Halloween candy is all chocolate, and Treasure Cookies work great with lots of different types.

I've seen this done before with peanut butter cookie dough wrapped around miniature Snickers, but thought it would work just as well with other cookie bases and candies subbed in. Actually what led to this experiment was that I found some Dove chocolates that I had forgotten about - and if you know me, you know how rare that is for me to forget about chocolate!!! Anyway, the chocolates had gotten a little hard, but I wasn't about to waste them so I decided to use them in these cookies.

Treasure Cookies
1/2 c. melted butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
12 pieces of unwrapped chocolate, I used Dove
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together butter and sugars until thoroughly combined.
2. Whisk in egg, vanilla, soda, powder, and salt.
3. Stir in flour until just combined.

4. Take 1 Tbls. of dough and place on greased or parchment-lined baking sheets. Place 1 chocolate in center, then drop another Tbls. of dough on top and form it around the chocolate so it's not at all visible. Bake 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown.

**The Dove chocolate worked okay, but since it's just solid chocolate it doesn't melt into the cookie at all. I think I would prefer Milky Way, Snickers, Reeses PB cups, or maybe one of the flavored Dove chocolates. Anyway, the recipe is a great base - you could use chocolate cookie dough, peanut butter, sugar cookie dough, and mix and match with whatever chocolate candy you have on hand. If you have fun-size candy, I would cut them in half or thirds to make it easier. The cookie dough I used was basically chocolate chip cookie dough minus the chocolate chips, so it would pair well with many flavored chocolates. Hope you have some luck with this recipe!

 On a Side Note: We're sleep-training Aiden via the Ferber method - NOT fun, but it worked great with Asher and has been working well with Aiden so far, too. More specifics on that in the next post! Here's a pic of the patio we put in about a month ago. Huge upgrade from what it used to be.

That's how cracked it was before the guys
started doing anything to it. Yikes

The finished product