Peppermint Bark Rice Krispie Treats

I got this recipe from Our Best Bites and it was yummy and I am not even a big fan of rice krispie treats.

Peppermint Bark Rice Krispie Treats
Recipe by Our Best Bites

Ingredients
1 10.5 ounce bag peppermint mini marshmallows*
4 tablespoons real butter, plus extra to butter pan
5-6 cups rice krispie style cereal (I like mine a little more marshmallowy)
3 tablespoons semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
3 tablespoons white chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil, divided
a few drops (about 1/8 teaspoon) peppermint extract
2-3 medium sized candycanes, crushed

*In place of the peppermint marshmallows, use regular marshmallows and add about 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract to melted marshmallow mixture. Or more to taste, I’m guessing on the amount.

Instructions:
Line a 9×13 pan with foil and lightly butter bottom and about 1 inch up sides.

Melt butter in a very large bowl in the microwave. Add marshmallows and stir to coat. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. (You can do that whole process on the stovetop as well.) Add rice krispie cereal and stir to evenly combine. With buttered hands, press mixture into prepared pan.

Place white chocolate chips and 1/4 teaspoon oil in a small bowl. Heat in microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Repeat same process with semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips and add a few drops of peppermint extract. Drizzle both chocolates on top of rice krispie treats and sprinkle candy canes on top. Let sit until chocolate is set, place pan in fridge to speed process along. Cut into squares and eat up.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Cream:
1/2 cup soft margarine
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cup sugar

Add:
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sour milk (to sour milk, you add 1 tsp of white vinegar to every 8 ounces)

Add dry ingredients:
2 1/2 cup flour
4 Tablespoons cocoa
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Add:
2 cups grated zucchini

Bake in 9x12 greased and floured pan at 325 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes. Frost or sprinkle (unbaked) with 1/2 cup chocolate chips and nuts if desired.

Cupcakes and more Cupcakes!

I have been going nuts with the cupcakes lately. I am determined to perfect the art of the cupcake. I have never been a big fan of box cake mixes so I have been trying to find different recipes that taste better than your average cupcake. I made these Candy Corn Cupcakes from Our Best Bites for Halloween.


I thought they tasted okay. Stephen and Kensley really liked them and I thought they turned out pretty cute. These Paula Deen Red Velvet cupcakes I made last week tasted way better. I substituted the 1/2 cup of vegetable oil for a stick of softened butter. The recipe also calls for one teaspoon of cocoa powder and that didn't seem quite sufficient so I added 3 heaping teaspoons of cocoa. They turned out amazing! Oh, I also cut the cream cheese frosting recipe in half after reading all the comments that it made way too much frosting and they were right. Half was plenty!

Colorburst Cupcakes!

I got this cupcake recipe from Our Best Bites. They were very time consuming but the end product was so fun.




I used this frosting recipe . It just occurred to me that I made the cupcakes backwards. I didn't even notice until just now! They would have been much cuter with the red on top, but oh well. They were still fun :o)

Chocolate Caramel Cookies

Another fun recipe from my "Fabulous Freezer Meals" book:

Chocolate Caramel Cookies
Yield: 2 dozen cookies

1 devil's food cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
24 Rolos candies, unwrapped

Thoroughly combine ingredients with a wooden spoon. Then place 2 tablespoons cookie dough in your hand and flatten it. Place a Rolo in the center and wrap the cookie dough around it to form a ball. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 7 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle cookies with powdered sugar and serve warm.

To Freeze
Place cookie-dough balls (with Rolo wrapped inside) on a cookie sheet for 1 hour. Then put frozen dough balls in a large zip-top bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

To Serve
Remove frozen cookie-dough balls from freezer and place on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes. Then bake at 350 degrees F for 7 to 10 minutes and serve. Baked cookies may be frozen for up to 3 months.

Crepes! Yummmm!

For our Mother's Day after church breakfast we had yummy crepes with Nutella spread all over them and cut up strawberries and bananas. So good! I can't take credit for the idea since we recently had this at a Relief Society activity for the dessert. I used this crepe recipe: Basic Crepes
If you have never had Nutella, you should try it. You won't be sorry. You can find it next to the peanut butter, usually on the top shelf next to the organic kind that you have to stir. It is a chocolatey blend of hazlenuts and yummy goodness.