Monster cookie energy balls

If you like monster cookies, and who doesn’t, this is a great no bake snack that will satisfy your sweet tooth.

INGREDIENTS

2 ½ cups quick oats

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1/2 cup mini m&m's

DIRECTIONS

Combine oats, peanut butter, honey, chocolate chips and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Use a wooden spoon or a handheld mixer to combine. Add the mini m&ms and stir in.

Shape into one-inch balls and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This recipe will make about 36 balls. Store in a covered container in the fridge.

Notes: Resist the urge to add extra chocolate chips or m&ms. It will make these crumbly.

Peanut Butter Brownie Puppy Chow

 

Be warned - this is super addicting! 

Ingredients

·         6 C. rice Chex cereal (I found peanut butter Chex and used that)

·         1 C. milk chocolate chips or melts

·         1/2 C. peanut butter creamy

·         1 tsp. vanilla extract

·         1 to 2 C. brownie mix from the box (dry) 

·         Optional: Brownies, Reese's Pieces, or Peanut butter cups (chopped)

Instructions:

Place cereal in a large bowl and set aside.

In a microwave proof bowl, melt chocolate, peanut butter and vanilla extract and stir until smooth. Pour over cereal and fold until covered.

Dump into a large plastic bag and add brownie mix, seal and shake until coated. (If you don't have a large plastic bag, pour brownie mix over cereal and stir well. Or you can use a pot with a lid to shake it in.)

Toss in whatever chocolate or peanut butter candy pieces you want. I did peanut butter M&Ms, fudge brownie M&Ms and Reese’s pieces.  Shake again.

The original recipe called for 1 cup of boxed brownie mix. I found that didn’t coat the cereal mixture very well, so I added more. Then I made an 8x8 pan of brownies with the remaining mix. You could crumble those into the puppy chow too.

Peanut Butter Explosion Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 Tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3.4 oz. box instant vanilla pudding

1 cup chocolate chips

1 1/4 cups halved Reese's mini peanut butter cups, divided

1 cup mini Reese's Pieces, divided (or peanut butter M&M's) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat the butter until creamy. Add the peanut butter and sugars and beat again. Add the eggs, honey, and vanilla and beat until mixed in.

Stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, and pudding mix. Slowly add to the butter mixture until everything is mixed in.  Stir in the chocolate chips, 1 cup peanut butter cups, and 3/4 cup Reese's Pieces gently.

Use a 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop to make 36 dough balls. Press the remaining candy into the tops of the dough balls.  Place the dough balls on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Let rest on the hot cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a piece of parchment paper. Let the cookies cool completely before storing in a tightly sealed container.

Chocolate cake mix bars

So rich and decadent! No one will believe how easy these are to make!

Ingredients:

1 chocolate cake mix

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter softened to room temperature

1 egg

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9 pan with parchment paper & spray with cooking spray. Combine cake mix, butter, vanilla & egg in mixer bowl & beat until mix forms into thick dough.  Press 2/3 of the dough into the prepared baking pan (it will look like there isn't enough to cover the bottom, just keep working it into a thin even layer). Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of each type of chocolate chips. Pour sweetened condensed milk over the top in a thin, even layer. Separate remaining dough into balls & evenly distribute over the top of the chocolate chips. Press down to flatten a bit. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips. Bake 27­ 30 minutes. Cool completely before slicing. 

5 minute caramel bugles with double chocolate drizzle

This snack is basically better than anything Bugles! They are sweet, salty, and extremely addicting. It's almost dangerous that they are so quick and easy to make!

Ingredients:

8 cups Bugles (1 regular size bag)

¾ cups brown sugar

6 T. butter

3 T. light corn syrup

¼ tsp. baking soda

¼ c. white chocolate chips

¼ c. semisweet chocolate

Measure Bugles. Set aside. Line baking sheet with wax paper.

Add butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup to a large microwavable bowl. Microwave one minute. Stir. Continue to microwave in 30 second intervals until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add baking soda and stir until combined.

Add Bugles to butter mixture. Microwave in one minute increments, stirring after each minute. Microwave for a total of three minutes.  Pour Bugle mixture onto wax paper.

Put semisweet chocolate chips in a snack size seal-able bag. Leave the bag unsealed and microwave for two minutes, at half power. Seal bag and kneed until chocolate chips are completely melted. Snip a small triangle off the corner or the bag and drizzle over Caramel Bugles.  Repeat with white chocolate chips. Cool completely and store in an air tight container.

** The snack size baggie chocolate drizzle didn’t work for me so I just went to a bowl and a fork.  

Trash Treats

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. butter

1 (16) oz. bag marshmallows

2 tbsp. peanut butter

4 c. potato chips, crushed

2 c. Pretzels, crushed

1/4 c. M&M's

1/2 c. chocolate chips, melted

Grease a 9" x 9" pan with cooking spray.

In a large pot over low heat, melt butter. Add marshmallows and stir until smooth. Add peanut butter and stir to combine. Turn off the heat and quickly stir in crushed chips and pretzels.

Using a spatula or wax paper, press mixture into pan. Sprinkle with M&M's. Drizzle with melted chocolate. Let chocolate cool and harden before serving, about 30 minutes.

These bars were a perfect combination of sweet and salty. The only thing I would change is to mix the M&Ms in to the mixture before pressing in the pan.  They tend to fall off the top after you cut them.  I also had a small amount of Reeses Pieces in the kitchen so I added those too.  Yum! 

S’mores Fluff/Dip

Ingredients:

1 C. marshmallow crème

1 C. chocolate pudding

8 oz. tub Cool Whip

½ C. mini chocolate chips or chopped Hershey’s bars

½ C. mini marshmallows

1 pack graham crackers

With an electric mixer, beat crème and pudding until smooth.  Fold in cool whip, chocolate chips and marshmallows.  Store in fridge until ready to serve with graham crackers. 

You can do this as a dessert or a dip.  My sister made it as a dessert by crushing up the pack of graham crackers and mixing it in.  Or you can dip the graham crackers into it. Either way, if you like s’mores at all, this is delicious! 

No Bake Crunchy Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

1 C. peanut butter

2 C. crushed graham crackers (1 pack or 9 graham crackers)

1 C. powdered sugar

2 C. chocolate chips

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Spray 9x13 pan.  In a saucepan, melt butter and peanut butter, stirring until smooth.  Remove from heat and set aside.  In a large bowl, mix the crushed graham crackers and powdered sugar.  Once mixed, add the peanut butter and butter mix.  Stir.  Spread the mixture evenly into the pan. 

In a pot over medium-low heat, combine the chocolate chips and vegetable oil.  Stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted and smooth.  Pour the chocolate over the peanut butter layer.  Cover the pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Cut bars and enjoy.  

Monster Cookies

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups creamy or chunky peanut butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated white sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup M&M's plain chocolate candies

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter with the sugars and butter. Use an electric mixer to mix until well combined. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Mix in the oats and baking soda. Then stir in the chips and M&M's.

Drop the cookies by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets. If you'd like your cookies to look pretty, dot a few extra M&M's and chocolate chips on each mound of dough before baking.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheets until cookies are set. Transfer to wire racks; cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Chubby Hubby Clusters

Recipe from Six Sisters Stuff

Ingredients:

1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup peanut butter chips

½ cup butter, cut into pieces

¼ cup peanut butter

2 cups pretzel sticks, roughly chopped

1 cup salted peanuts

In a large bowl, mix together chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, butter, and peanut butter.  Microwave on high for 45 seconds, stir, and microwave again for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth (if it isn't completely melted, return to the microwave for 20 second intervals, stirring after each time).

Add pretzels and peanuts to the melted chocolate mixture and stir until they are completely coated in

chocolate.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto wax paper and refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until firm.

Optional: drizzle with melted peanut butter.  If you don't eat them all in one sitting, store leftovers in an airtight container.

This treat was easy to make (no bake) and combines some of my favorite flavors.  Chocolate, peanut butter and salt…how can we go wrong with that? Thanks, Six Sisters for a great recipe to add to the Christmas goodie platter! 

Saltine cracker toffee

Need a quick dessert in a matter of minutes? Look no further.

Ingredients:

50 saltine crackers (approx.)

2 sticks butter

1 cup soft brown sugar

Pre-heat oven to 325.  Line 9x13 jelly roll pan with aluminum foil. Spray foil with cooking spray and then line pan with saltine crackers.

Place butter and sugar in a medium sized pot over low medium/low heat. Stir until butter is melted. Once butter is melted, bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes, or until it thickens. Stir constantly.

After 3 minutes, remove pan from heat and pour evenly over saltine crackers. Spread mixture with a knife... however it doesn't have to be perfect.  Place pan in oven and bake for 6-8 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Do not over bake. The mixture will spread evenly over the crackers as it bakes.

Remove pan from oven and then take foil off of the pan. Allow the toffee to cool and then break pieces off of foil.

According to the author at iheartnaptime you can also place 1/2 cup chocolate chips on top right when it comes out of the oven. Allow the chocolate to melt and then spread it out with a spatula. Sometimes she adds slivered almonds as well.

This was easy to make.  I’m not a huge toffee fan, when it’s hard and brittle.  But this is really tasty! They chocolate didn’t spread “pretty” because I was in a hurry and running out the door but dang, it tastes good.  Will be taking this to turkey day gathering at my brothers.  Gobble gobble.  

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Review by Lyndee:

Are you looking for the perfect way to use up some brown bananas?  Love banana bread but not all the fuss?  Try this simple and delicious way to make banana bread!  It turned out moist and yummy!

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix

2 eggs

3-4 overripe bananas

1 cup chocolate chips

Nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray loaf pan with cooking spray.  Smash bananas in a large bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean in the middle. If you do mini loaves or jars, bake for 45 minutes. 

Crockpot Candy (Peanut Clusters)

Review by Lyndee:

Ingredients:

2 pounds white almond bark

4 ounces German chocolate

12 ounce bag semisweet chocolate chips

24 ounces dry roasted peanuts

Add all ingredients to the crock pot.  Cook on low for 1 hour without stirring.  After an hour, stir to combine everything.  Allow to cook for another hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  Drop spoonful’s of the candy onto wax paper and allow to cool completely. 

This was one of the easiest recipes I’ve ever made.  Literally just dump and stir.  The only time consuming part was putting the candy on wax paper.  This makes a HUGE batch of candy.  My entire table was covered in peanut clusters.  The chocolate is delicious with just the right amount of crunch from the peanuts.  These were a big hit at the family 4^th of July gatherings.  Even my Grandma couldn’t believe they weren’t a fancy store bought candy.  

Chocolate and peanut butter buckeye balls

Review by Lyndee:

Ingredients:

2 cups creamy peanut butter

3 cups rice krispies

3 cups powdered sugar

¼ cup melted butter

2 packages melted chocolate chips or almond bark

Mix all ingredients but the chocolate together.  Form into small balls and place on cookie sheet.  Set in fridge until firm.  Once firm, dip in melted chocolate.  Place back in the fridge until set (about an hour).  Store in fridge or freezer until ready to eat. 

I’ve always loved this sweat mix of chocolate and peanut butter but it seems I only get them around Christmas.  I decided to try a batch and keep them in the freezer for when I need a quick sweet tooth fix.  They turned out delicious.  Mine weren’t as pretty as the ones my family makes.  I got lazy rolling the balls and instead used an ice cream scoop.  Then I ran out of chocolate so some of them didn’t get completely covered.  Again, they still tasted great but they aren’t going to win any food presentation prizes.