Red, White, and Blue Cookies

I made these for a pot luck at my husband's work in November and he is asked by several people to bring them whenever they have a pot luck. I worked at a hotel in college and we served cookies, one of them was a cranberry, blueberry and white chocolate cookie and they were my absolute favorite. This is my attempt to re-create those cookies. I must admit, these are pretty darn yummy! Perfect for 4th of July or for a pot luck in November.

Red, White and Blue Cookies

(printable version here)

1 stick butter, soft
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup dried blueberries

Combine butter and sugars and mix for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until just combined. Stir in white chocolate, cranberries and blueberries.

If time permits, allow cookie dough to sit covered in the fridge for a few hours. Scoop onto parchment lined or greased cookie sheet and sprinkle very, very lightly with kosher salt.

Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, until edges are lightly browned.

Hot Fudge Sauce

I had never made homemade hot fudge when I tried this. It is so rich and delicious, it was dificult for me to stay out of it. No matter how hard I tried, it seemed to be staring at me everytime I opened the fridge. It is worth the effort to make this over store bought hot fudge.

Hot Fudge

From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
4 ounces (about 2/3 cup) semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped and divided
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 Tablespoon. vanilla extract

Mix sugar, cocoa and salt in a heavy saucepan. Whisk in the water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cream, corn syrup, vinegar and about 1/3 cup of the chocolate.

Return to medium-high heat and boil for 5-7 minutes, whisking until it is thick and sticky and the bubbles are small. . Remove from the heat and add the rest of the chopped chocolate, butter, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Serve at once, or let cool. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 weeks.

Source: Mel's kitchen cafe

Cookies 'n Creme Cookies

I was eyeing a box of cookies 'n creme pudding in my pantry and these cookies came to me. If you like the ice cream flavor I am certain you will love these. They are soft, sweet and chalk full of white chocolate and Oreo cookies! I thought it would be silly to make cookies with cookies in them. Silly or not, they are so good! I had a ton of neighborhood friends at our house yesterday and thought if I made a batch they could eat them all for me but then when I tasted them I was disappointed that I gave them all away. What did I do? Made them again today! Unfortunately, there were no friends over today and I ate way more than my fair share of them. Totally worth the calories, my friends.

Cookies 'n Creme cookies

2 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 (4.2 ounce) package Cookies 'n Creme pudding mix

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups white chocolate chips

15 Oreo cookies, very coarsly chopped

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars, add pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking soda with a whisk then add it to the butter mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips and Oreo cookies. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes in preheated oven until cookies tops barely have a touch of brown. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Tell me you don't want to eat a big spoonful of this cookie dough:

Sugar Cookie Truffles and more

Here are some ideas for Valentine truffles, they may seem totally unnecessary and even ridiculous. Well, they are AND they taste that way - unnecessarily and ridiculously delicious! Every single combination is as good as the next so mix, match and enjoy!

Sugar Cookie/ Chocolate chip Cookie/Brownie/Rice Krispie treat Truffles

For these, it is really up to you what combination you want to do. For the center you can use sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, brownies and/or rice krispie treats and any combination of the four.

Here are a list of suggestions:

These are chocolate chip cookies wrapped in brownies and dipped in chocolate. I told you it was totally ridiculous! Make a batch of small cookies (I used Betty Crocker cookie pouch to make it easy and they are so delicious) Allow them to cool enough to handle but still warm enough to form in a ball. To make a ball, I just pressed them into a round teaspoon. Freeze cookie balls. When frozen, take a scoop of prepared brownies (again, warm enough to mold, cool enough to handle) Form brownie around cookie dough. Freeze again until firm. Dip in chocolate! This version was my favorite. Or maybe the sugar cookie ones are. Wait, I think it may be the chocolate chip cookie kind, I can't decide.

Here are sugar cookie truffles, which are wonderful. Make a batch of drop sugar cookies (again, I just used a Betty Crocker pouch, so yummy!) When cool enough to handle, form into a ball. Freeze cookie balls then dip in chocolate.

Brownie stuffed rice krispie treat truffles:

Gigi's Fabulous Caramel Cake

If you like sweet (and boy do I ever!) then you will LOVE this cake! It may be my favorite cake ever. I found it in a cookbook titled SOUTHERN CAKES. It is the most moist cake I have ever made and the frosting? It is has the taste and texture of brown sugar fudge and it is TO DIE FOR. I made it in a 9x13 pan and the frosting was a bit too thick (I can't belived I just said that), it would work best as a two layer cake or use a little less frosting if you make it as a 9x13.

Yellow Cake

3/4 cup butter

1 cup milk

2 cups sifted flour

2 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Gigi's Caramel Icing

1 pound of light brown sugar (about 2 2/3 cup)

1 stick of butter

7 Tablespoons evaporated milk
1teaspoon vanilla extract.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine milk and butter until butter is melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt with a whisk. In a large bowl, mix eggs and sugar and beat well at high speed, scraping down bowl often until light yellow, smooth and thick. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and mix only until flour disappears. Add milk mixture and vanilla, stir well and pour into a well greased 9x13 or two 9 inch round pans.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes on wire rack or towel then turn over and cool completely.

To make frosting:

In medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, evaporated milk and vanilla. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring well. Lower heat to a gentle boil. Stir often for 7 minutes, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. With a wooded spoon, beat frosting for several minutes until it thickens. Quickly frost cake, it will set quickly and harden similar to the consistency of fudge.

Fudge Brownies with white chocolate chips

I apologize for posting desserts in January, I am probably not making any friends right now since most people are trying to eat healthy. I made these to bring to a church dinner we had with our Young Women and Young Men. I am a total box brownie person, I just don't see the point in making them from scratch when they taste so good from a box. I didn't a have a box and wanted to make something chocolate and you know what? I didn't even miss the box. In fact, I would make these again instead of a box any day! I came across this on Buns in my Oven. It caught my eye not only because her photo is incredibly delicious, but also because it was her most popular post last year. The recipe originally comes from King Arthur Flour. I adapted it slightly because I didn't have enought semi-sweet chocolate chips so I used white chocolate chips and I loved it.

Fudge Brownies with White Chocolate Chips

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups Flour
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips


1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan

2) In a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar. Stir over heat for a couple of minutes, don't let it bubble.

3) Crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla till smooth.

4) Add the hot butter/sugar mixture and mix until smooth.

5) Add the flour and chips. .


6) Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack before cutting and serving.

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

These are so delightful! The cookie is so chocolate-y and the filling is just divine. Luckily they only made 12 and were gone quickly after the kids came home from school or I may have eaten myself sick.

Chocolate Sandwich Cookie

Cookie

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla

Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together. Add in egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Whisk flour, cocoa, and salt together in medium bowl. Add flour mixture to butter and sugar mixture and blend until combined. Chill dough 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scoop dough into level tablespoons and roll into balls. Place on sheet about inches apart and flatten with the bottom of a glass. Bake for 11 minutes.
Cool completely.

Filling:

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp. salt

1 small jar (7 ounces) marshmallow creme

Combine all ingredients in a bowl until smooth, refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Spread filling on cookie and top with second cookie to make a sandwich. Keep in refrigerator.

Makes 1 1/2 dozen sandwich cookies.

Peanut Butter Cup Sugar Cookie Cups

This is one of the most delicious and easy recipes. You need only four ingredients and one bowl. I made a batch of 24 from start to finish in under 30 minutes and the clean up was a breeze. Did I mention how delicious these are?

You will need a package of sugar cookie mix. My mom and I were at Costco last week and they were sampling Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix and it was so good. I reminded us both a lot of these, which has been our favorite cookie lately.

This is all you need: (the big box is the Costco size of the small pouch, you only need one pouch)

Peanut Butter Cup Sugar Cookie Cups

1 sugar cookie mix

1 egg

1 stick of butter

24 mini Reeses peanut butter cups

Make cookies according to package directions. Roll a heaping Tablespoon size into a ball and put in a mini muffin tin. Press peanut butter cup into dough until top is even with dough. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-10 minutes, or until the edges are golden. Makes 24.

Coconut Bread

In high school I had a project where I typed up all of my mom's great recipes in a book and made copies for all my family and some friends. It is FULL of typos and errors and it is one of my motivations for this blog, to re-organize them and type them up correctly. I am most know for that cookbook for the recipe where I tell you to "ass the chicken" (it was meant to say add chicken). I still get asked by people who have this cookbook how to ass a chicken. This recipe is in that cookbook that I typed many years ago and yesterday is the first time I have ever made it. Where have I been and why haven't I made it sooner? I guess I have been too busy figuring out how to ass a chicken to notice this gem of a recipe hiding in there. I do not know where my mom got this recipe so many years a go, I just know that it was a delightful treat for a rainy, foggy afternoon. Instead of making two loaves, I made 6 small loaves so I could give them away.

Mom's coconut bread

4 eggs, beaten

2 cups sugar

1 cup oil

1 Tablespoon coconut extract

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

In a medium bowl, mix eggs, sugar, oil and coconut extract. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Alternate adding flour and buttermilk to egg mixture. Fold in coconut and pecans.

Bake at 325 degrees for an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Glaze

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon coconut extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 Tablespoons butter

Put butter, sugar and water in a saucepan and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add almond and coconut. Pour over warm bread and let sit for a couple of hours to soak in.

Makes 2 large loaves or 6 small loaves.

Oatmeal Coconut Chewies

I knew I had to try these when Melanie from Mel's Kitchen Cafe declared them her new favorite cookie. I knew I was going to love them before I even tried them. They are the perfect oatmeal cookie and very addicting, I don't even want to admit how many I must have eaten. They reminded me a little of oatmeal crispies but I think I like these even better.

Oatmeal Coconut Chewies

Mel's Kitchen Cafe

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 stick butter, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups flour

1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut

1 cup quick oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and sugars, eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Place on greased or parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until cookies are set but not overly brown. For crispier cookies, bake longer.

Pumpkin cookies with Caramel Frosting

These are incredibly soft and the caramel frosting is quite tasty. I enjoyed these much more after they had completely cooled. I first tried them out of the oven and I was actually a little disappointed. I thought I would have a bite of one the next morning and I suddenly loved them. If you make these, be sure they have plenty of time to cool before sharing them.

Pumpkin Cookies with Caramel Frosting

1 cup butter, soft
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1Ttablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

Cream together butter sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well then stir in pumpkin. In a separate bowl, add the baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, salt and flour and combine with a whisk. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Drop onto a parchment lined or greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Caramel Frosting

3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup powdered' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
Pinch of salt

In a medium saucepan, combine butter, cream, and brown sugar over medium heat until it just begins to boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Cool then stir powdered sugar into it. Spread over cooled cookies.

Originally found in the kitchen of Let's Dish.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

My friend made the best cookies one time and I have yet to get her recipe, the only thing I know about them is that she uses pudding in them. I came across a cookie recipe with pudding at BeDifferent, Act Normal and was anxious to try them. I had a hard time staying out of these, the next day I ate them for (at least) one of my three meals. These are so soft and yummy and I will absolutely be making them again. I added white chocolate chips to mine along with the chocolate chips.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies with pudding

2 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars, add pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking soda with a whisk then add it to the butter mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.

Butterfinger brownie bites

Last week I saw a recipe for home made butterfinger at Confessions of a Cookbook Queen. She made the cutest Owl pops with it. I was so intrigued that had to try it. I came up with these using the recipe for homemade butterfinger. It really has the same texture and very similar taste to a butterfinger bar. I thought it was a bit more peanut buttery and next time will use a little less. These are SO rich, I could only have a small piece. I think a scoop of vanilla ice cream would be a nice touch. Be prepared with a glass of milk!

Butterfinger Brownie Bites

1 box of your favorite brownie mix (my fav is Betty Crocker Hershey's triple chunk)

2 cups candy corn

2 cups peanut butter (like I mentioned, next time I am going to usea little less. Let me know if you try it that way)

1 cup chocolate chips

4 Tablespoons butter

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Allow to cool completely. In a microwave safe bowl, microwave the candy corn in 30 second increments, stirring after each 30 seconds. Microwave until completely melted. Add peanut butter and stir until smooth. Spread over brownies. In another microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and butter together. Again, stir after 30 seconds and then again after 30 more seconds. It shouldn't take more than 1 minute to melt. There should be some unmelted chocolate peices left, stir and allow the warm chocolate to melt the remaining chocolate. If you over microwave the chocolate will turn powdery and/or the cocoa butter will separate and your chocolate layer will be covered in white spots and will look unappetizing. (trust me, I know from experience) Spread chocolate over butterfinger layer and allow to cool in fridge. Cut into little squares or use a biscut or circle cookie cutter to cut. I topped mine with some peanut butter pieces.

Mom's Pumpkin Bread

This is the perfect pumpkin bread, it is one of the things I love most about Fall. My mom has made it all my life and what a lucky girl I am! My mom is THE best cook I know and I have been spoiled with her cooking. I have made this on several occasions for friends and everyone absolutely falls in love with it and wants the recipe. It is extra yummy served warm and smothered with cream cheese frosting.

Mom's Pumpkin Bread

3 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup oil

2 cups pumpkin puree

3 1/3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cloves

2 Tablespoons cinnamon

1 cup chopped nuts

Beat sugar, eggs, oil and pumpkin in large bowl together well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, salt, cloves and cinnamon with a whisk. Gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add nuts (optional).

Grease two bread loaf pans and divide batter into the two pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

For cream cheese frosting:

mix:

8 ounces cream cheese

4 Tablespoons butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 pound powdered sugar

Add more sugar to thicken and/or milk to thin out. You want it to be pretty thick. Serve with slices of bread.

Mint Brownies

I was in the mood to make mint brownies and needed a recipe because I have never made them. I went to one of my very favorite places, Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I have yet to try one of her recipes that I don't absolutely love. Her blog is the first cooking blog that I discovered and fell in love with and it remains one of my very favorites. These originally came from Cooking Light Magazine which interested me even more. These are so very moist and delicious. They were a hit at our Sunday dinner, we ate them with a scoop of ice cream.

Mint Brownies
Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Bottom layer:
1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs, beaten (FYI: the original recipe replaces two of these 4 eggs with 1/2 cup egg substitute)
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) can chocolate syrup

Mint layer:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 drops green food coloring

Glaze:
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare bottom layer, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and salt; stir with a whisk. Combine granulated sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, 2 tablespoons water, vanilla, eggs, and chocolate syrup in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, stirring until blended. BATTER WILL BE VERY THIN! Pour batter into a 13 x 9–inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

3. To prepare mint layer, combine powdered sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, and next 3 ingredients (through food coloring) in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer until smooth. Spread mint mixture over cooled cake. (Kylie prefers the non-mint version: she substitutes vanilla extract for the mint extract.)

4. To prepare the glaze, combine the chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until melted, stirring after 30 seconds. Let stand 2 minutes. Spread chocolate mixture evenly over top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut into 20 pieces.

Thanks Melanie, we love them too!

S'mores Milkshake

I saw a toasted marshmallow milkshake in a magazine and I wanted to try it. I lost the recipe so I came up with this instead. It is very rich, I could only eat a little but it was yummy. If you like toasted marshmallows you'll like this. I loved the graham cracker pieces in the ice cream when they got soft.

S'mores Milkshake

8-10 large marshmallows
2 cups light vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup chocolate milk (I made mine from chocolate milk powder and I add extra to make it very chocolate-y)
graham crackers
chocolate sauce
chocolate bar (optional)

Turn oven to broil and place marshmallows on a greased cookie sheet. Put them under the broiler until golden, it takes less than a minute. Turn marshmallows and toast other side.

In a blender, blend chocolate milk and marshmallows then add ice cream and mix together. Pour into a cup and sprinkle with graham cracker pieces, chocolate sauce, some toasted marshmallows and chocolate pieces if desired.

This made enough for my 4 kids, it would probably serve 2 adults.

Enjoy!

Lemon Crumb Bars

I have trouble resisting lemon dessert recipes. I threw these together in to time at all and they were great. The Pioneer Woman never disappoints!

Lemon Crumb Bars

1-⅓ cup All-purpose Flour

½ teaspoons Salt

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1 stick (1/2 Cup) Butter, Slightly Softened

1 cup Brown Sugar (lightly Packed)

1 cup Oat1 can (14 Ounce) Sweetened Condensed Milk

½ cups Lemon Juice

Zest Of 1 Lemon

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES.

Mix butter and brown sugar until well combined.

Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.

Add oats and flour to butter/sugar mixture and mix to combine.

Press half of crumb mixture into the bottom of an 8 x8 square pan.

Mix together condensed milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Spread onto the bottom layer of the crumb mixture. Top with the other half of the crumb mixture, but don’t press.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Allow pan to sit on counter for 30 minutes after baking. Cut into squares and refrigerate for a couple of hours or until cool.

Source: The Pioneer Woman

Fudge Cake Bars

Here is a simple, fast and yummy dessert. I made a batch, cut it into squares and froze them. My kids have been taking them in their school lunches this week and they love them. The cafeteria worker came to my son from across the room to ask him what it was and how his mom made them. I am sure he offered her no help whatsoever as far as how to make them. He just enjoys eating them. I guess they looked that yummy to her, I should send the recipe with him to school.

Fudge-y cake bars

1 yellow cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup chocolate chips, I used semi-sweet

Combine cake mix, eggs and oil and press 2/3 of it into a 9x13 pan. In a microwave safe bowl, combine milk and chocolate chips. Microwave to melt, stopping every 30 seconds to stir. Don't microwave too long, stir well and allow the melted chocolate to melt the chunks still left after microwaving two times at 30 seconds each. Pour chocolate mixture over crust. Sprinkle remaining crust over chocolate. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until they start to turn golden. These freeze great!

Although it is not necessary, I easily convinced myself to accompany these bars with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Not fried Fried Ice Cream

Don't be fooled by my title, just because I call it not fried fried ice cream does not in any way mean it is healthy! I came across this recipe a week ago and I am currently obsessed. It is good just as a topping on ice cream, sprinkled on top, or you assemble it in a 9x13 pan with the crumb topping on the top and bottom. I decided to make ice cream balls and roll them in the topping. It is really sweet, with a hint of cinammon and the perfect amount of crunch. I love rice krispies on my vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce, this takes it a whole step (or several) further.

Fried Ice Cream Topping
adapted from Clouse Cousins

3 C. Rice Krispies
1 C. Brown Sugar
1 C. chopped pecans
1 1/4 C. coconut
1/2 C. butter
1/2 teaspoon cinammon

Preheat oven to 300. Melt butter and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Bake for 30 minutes on a cookie sheet, stirring every 10 minutes. Cool and prepare in either a cake pan, as fried ice cream balls or just put it in a sealed container and do what I did : put ridiculous amounts on my vanilla ice cream with it and caramel when my kids were in bed and indulge! Go ahead, you deserve it!

No Bake Rocky Road Cookies

I wanted to whip up a quick treat to greet my son when he came home from his first day of 4th grade. I found them on the Mrs. Fields blog and thought they looked yummy. I never think to make no bake cookies, I loved them when I was little. They remind me of going to my best friend, Laura's house to play. Her mom always had the yummiest cookies for us to eat. This is a fun twist on the no bake cookies we have all had.

No Bake Rocky Road Cookies

adapted from Mrs. Fields blog

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (one stick) butter
4 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups oatmeal
2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup chopped peanuts
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions
In a heavy saucepan, bring the sugar, butter, cocoa, and milk to a boil. Allow it to boil for one minute, then add peanut butter and vanilla and stir until combined. Remove from heat. Stir in the oatmeal, marshmallows, nuts, and chocolate chips. With an ice cream scoop, form balls of dough and set on wax or parchment paper until cool.