Foodie Christmas Gifts {Week 2}

  Welcome back my friend Bekki with another terrific treat for your holiday season!

For many of us, we’re starting to settle into cooler weather; and for others just darn right cold. Bringing out the hoodies, extra blankets and just need more stuff around that’s warming. This is always the time of year my mother would go all out and have warm cinnamon rolls after church on Sundays, or delicious breads for after dinner family movie nights. Or even more often have baked goods for anyone who stopped by to visit over the holiday season. That’s where these little mini bundt cakes come in. Raspberry Extra Chip muffins are on the menu today. The white chocolate chips give that gooey center, and the mini chocolate chips balance the raspberry to give a smooth, deep and oh so wonderful flavor everyone will love.Enjoy them with your family, or share with neighbors, co-workers, the mailman..the list is endless!

 

 

Raspberry Extra Chip Muffins

 2 boxes Jiffy Raspberry Muffin Mix

2 Eggs

¼ c. Half and Half

1 5.3 oz oikos vanilla yogurt

¼ c. mini dark Chocolate chips

¼ c. White Chocolate Chips

 

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray mini bundt pans with non stick cooking spray, then set aside. In a large bowl add muffin mix, eggs, half and half, and yogurt then mix to thoroughly combine. Fold in all chips and fill pans ½ full. Bake 18-23 minutes or until toothpick tested in the center comes out clean.

 

Whether you piles them up on your favorite plate on your counter for guests, or your favorite teacher they’re sure to be a new family favorite. Enjoy! 

 

 

Celebrate #Oatober with Peanut Butter & Co.

Just in time for Halloween, and all the sweetness that goes with it, I've teamed up with my good friends at Peanut Butter & Co. and Bob's Red Mill to transform October into "Oatober"!

I've got something that the little ones can not only enjoy for an after school snack, lunchbox treat, or Halloween party dish, but can also help make! They will love getting their hands sticky and messy, and then maybe even licking them when done!

So many schools don't allow homemade treats at classroom parties, but if yours is okay with it, these would be perfect! So yummy and a perfect little sweet bite.

We love peanut butter. Like eat from the jar with a spoon love, so the double peanut butter punch in these, with the Reese's candies, makes them extra special.

If you're looking for something fun to make with your kids, or maybe something to feed all those little goblins and witches that come to your big Halloween bash, I've got you covered!

No Bake Halloween Balls

2 1/2 c. old fashion oats ( I used Bob's Red Mill)

1 c. creamy peanut butter (I used PB & Co. Smooth Operator)

1/2 c. honey

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

1/2 c. Reese's pieces

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well. Roll into balls. Chill for 30 minutes to set. Store in fridge in airtight container. *NOTE* When rolling, some of the candies will want to fall out. Just keeping pressing. 

Shared at Weekend Potluck

Disclaimer: As part of Yum Squad I received product in exchange for this post. All thoughts, opinions and the recipe are all mine.

Easter Treat Withdrawal

So, we have amazing friends. No doubt. But in the past week, one of those friends definitely scored extra bonus points with us. (Okay, that's not how it really works, but she really did treat us!)

Starting quite a few years ago, this friend would get us the same Easter treat every year. A giant, homemade peanut butter egg chocolate. I'm talking big enough for several portions. This started back before we even had Alex. And I'm not joking when I said Mr. E and I would fight over this egg every year. It became a joke between us her, because I would always tell her about us chasing each other around the kitchen for the last bite. Don't judge. You have no idea how delicious this egg is.

Then little man came along, and we realized we were going to have to share our egg with him. Well, not for the first few years. When he was really little, we just hid it from him. He had no idea it even existed. Again, don't judge. This egg is the best thing ever. But then he got old enough to know about the egg, and after one bite was as hooked as we were. So now we had to split this egg three ways. Sigh...

Then there were a couple years we had to do without our egg. Gasp! I know! So sad. Each Easter we would talk about the egg. Dream about the egg. Lament we didn't have the egg. Then last week this friend told me she had something for us. "An Easter treat." Could it be? Could we be that lucky? YES! We got our egg! Oh, it was just how we remembered it too!

And now, here we are a week later, and the egg is gone. We are trying to keep our chins up. But in the meantime, I needed to satisfy our withdrawal symptoms. These muffins were our answer! Oh my gosh, they are so yummy! They taste just like a peanut butter cup, and are the perfect bite size for snacking! Use them for breakfast, after school snacks or packed lunches.

If you love peanut butter and chocolate as much as we do, you will flip for these as much as we did. And now, we can have our favorite flavors the other 11 months of the year too! 

Peanut Butter Cup Mini Muffins 

Makes 36 mini muffins 

1 3/4 c, flour

2/3 c. packed brown sugar

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg

3/4 c. milk

2/3 c. chunky peanut butter

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

2/3 c. miniature chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Line a mini muffin tin with papers. In a large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix well. In a medium bowl whisk together egg, milk, oil, peanut butter and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and mix just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill each muffin well 2/3rd full. Bake for 15-17 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. *NOTE* This batter is VERY thick. If you think it's a little too thick when you are stirring, add a splash more milk to make it easier to combine.

Shared on The Country Cook April 10, 2015

Soul Food Saturday

On days like these we are scrabbling for ideas for what to bring to the office for everyone to have with morning coffee, food gift ideas to bring to our children’s teachers, and goodies for our family postal carriers. Am I right? Well this sweet treat can be all of those things and more if you like. Chocolate Chip and pumpkin, what can beat that? Well me! This recipe makes 2 loaves of bread, so you have 1 to give and one to keep. Sounds like a great deal to me. Grab your favorite hot drink and cozy up with me; we’re making goodies to give. 

 

 

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Inspired by Taste of Home

 3 c. all-purpose flour

3 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

4 eggs

1 c. sugar

3 ½ c. canned pumpkin

1 ½ c. semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, add flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Set aside. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, sugar, and pumpkin until smooth. Add dry ingredients a third at a time, and mix just until moistened, then fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter into 2 (8x4) loaf pans that have been sprayed generously with non stick spray. Bake at 350 for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted near the center. Cool for 10 minutes before removing for the pans, and transferring to wire racks to cool completely. 

Whether you package it up or not your friends will love this recipe and appreciate the effort you put into it. Enjoy!

After School Delight

Whenever I hear the words "after school snack" my mind goes to one image. Cookies, fresh from the oven, and a tall glass of milk. Why this picture pops into my head I'm not sure. I can't remember that being my after school snack one time growing up. Ha. Ha. I was more of a fan of salty snacks, and have never been a huge milk drinker. But for whatever reason, that's what pops into my head every single time.

And while we are on the subject of things we can't explain? Why exactly are kids so stinkin' hungry when they get home? The minute, and I mean very second, their feet hit the front door, their stomachs are screaming to be fed. How many moms hear on a daily basis, "Can I have a snack? I'm starving." It doesn't seem to matter when they eat lunch, or even how much they eat, by around 3 o'clock, they act as if they are malnourished and haven't ate for days.

If you were a kid who was treated to warm cookies and cold milk or not, I think we can all agree they are a match made in heaven; and a favorite treat for most of us. In fact, this dessert is a tribute to anybody that has ever taken a cookie, dipped it into their milk, savoring every single bite.

We're talking a no bake dessert. That uses cookies....dipped in milk! Let me say that again for those of you who are now coming too from fainting at just the thought of such bliss. An entire dessert of milk soaked cookies! Oh, and did I mention they are layered with Cool Whip? I know, you need a moment....

Your kids are going to flip for this. But I'm not going to lie, adults can't get enough either. My husband and son were literally fighting over the last piece. They licked the baking dish clean! In fact, this would be a great one to make for Valentine's Day! Something extra sweet for your sweeties!

Cookies and milk...something so simple can be so perfect and delicious. That's exactly how I would describe this recipe too!

Cookies and Milk No Bake Dessert From Gooseberry Patch
1 (13 oz.) package crunchy chocolate chip cookies
3/4 c. milk
1 ( 8 oz.) tub Cool Whip
Chocolate Chips

Dip each cookie in milk, coating whole surface. In a 9x13 pan layer cookies and Cool Whip, ending with Cool Whip. Top with chocolate chips. Cover and chill overnight.

Shared on The Country Cook Feb. 7, 2014

Chocolate at Very Good Recipes