Peanut Butter Blossoms

 

 

I am not sure if this is my grandmother's recipe...I did get it from my mother's recipe collection, so it could be, but I most closely relate this recipe with my Grandma Jackson. Every Christmas she would make these. They are my Uncle John's favorite.

Makes about 36 cookies. Doubles well.

1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Hershey kisses

Mix the wet ingredients in one bowl and mix the dry ingredients into another; slowly add the dry to the wet and mix together. Form into balls, roll in white sugar. Bake at 375 for 8 minutes, add kisses to center of cookie, pushing all the way down, gently. Return to oven and bake for an additional 3 minutes. Cool on rack.

Puppy Chow

I just finished making our first Christmas Dessert for this year. We pass around a lot of plates of goodies for our neighbors every year and everyone always loves the puppy chow. It's named that because it looks like Purina Puppy Chow...it is not actual puppy chow. :) I'm not exactly sure where it came from in our family. I just sort of remember Amy started making it one year. It's one of my mother's favorites.

6 cups Crispix cereal
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter
12 ounce chocolate chips
2 cups powdered sugar

Melt peanut butter, butter and chocolate chips together on the stove over medium heat; whisking together until smooth. Stir into cereal. Put powdered sugar in a paper sack. Put cereal mixture in and shake until well coated.

Doubles Just Fine. :)

Fudge

The same friend of mine who made the salted nut rolls also made a delicious batch of fudge...

Fudge
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 5oz. can of evaporated milk
12 squares (1 1/2 pkgs) semi-sweet baking chocolate, chopped
1 7 oz container of marshmallow creme
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup nuts, chopped (optional)

~On medium, heat in a 3 quart heavy saucepan sugar, butter and milk to a full rolling boil, while stirring constantly.
~Continue to boil on medium heat for 4 minutes or until candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
~Remove from heat and stir in chocolate and marshmallow creme until melted.
~Add vanilla and nuts and stir.
~Spread mixture immediately in a foil lined 9 inch square pan. At room temperature, cool at least 4 hours. Store in airtight container. Makes 3 pounds:)

Salted Peanut Rolls

This is a recipe from a friend of mine... she made them for a cookie exchange. I could not get enough of them... I think I ate all of them:)

Salted Nut Rolls
1 12 oz. pkg. peanut butter chips
1 12 oz. pkg. butterscotch chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 stick margarine or butter
2 cups party peanuts
2 cups mini marshmallows

~Melt the first four ingredients together... stirring until smooth.
~Cool a little and add the nuts and marshmallows.
~Pat into a pan, cool & cut. Enjoy... you won't be able to stop at just one- I know I couldn't:)

Apple Pie

My sister wanted the recipe for this delicious apple pie I make:) It really is good and it is one of those recipes that will get your children to eat their fruits... my girls always stand next to me while I am peeling and slicing the apples and make off with as many pieces as they can before they get added to my bowl... that or they just pull up a chair and beg:)

Apple Pie
1 box (15 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
6 cups thinly sliced, peeled apples (6 medium)
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon lemon juice

~Heat oven to 425°F. Place 1 pie crust in ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate. Press firmly against side and bottom.
~In large bowl, gently mix filling ingredients; spoon into crust-lined pie plate. Top with second crust. Wrap excess top crust under bottom crust edge, pressing edges together to seal; flute. Cut slits or shapes in several places in top crust. *I sprinkle the top of my crust with milk and then a cinnamon and sugar mixture.*
~Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Cover edge of crust with 2- to 3-inch wide strips of foil after first 15 to 20 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning. Cool on cooling rack at least 2 hours before serving.

Monkey Bread

3 packages buttermilk biscuit tubes

1 cup sugar

1 cup butter

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup brown sugar

Cut the biscuits into 4 pieces each. Drop pieces into 1 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon mixed together. Drop sugar coated pieces into a well-greased bundt pan, being careful not to squish the pieces. Put 1/2 cup of leftover sugar mix, 1/2 brown sugar and 1 cup butter into a saucepan. Bring just to a boil; remove immediately from heat. Carefully drizzle over roll pieces. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes in pan and then flip out onto a plate. It looks really pretty on a glass cake plate with the dome.

Notes: Whisk sugar and butter together while waiting for it to come to a boil or butter will settle on top and be difficult to mix in later.

Make sure to put bundt pan on cookie sheet to bake, just in case in seeps out through the bottom.

Kool-Aid Play Dough

I got this from another blog... Chaotic Peace- and I absolutely love it:) It doesn't leave that residue on your hands and it smells great (which my girls loved). We used Pink Lemonade Kool-Aid and got a pretty pale pink that had a faint smell of lemonade:) We will try another flavor next time we need to make some...

Kool-Aid Play Dough
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
1 packet of Kool-Aid mix (unsweetened)*
1 cup boiling water
1 1/2 Tablespoons vegetable oil (I used canola oil and it worked fine)

Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. Add oil to boiling water. Mix water and oil mixture into dry mixture with spoon. Knead with hands for about 5 minutes adding flour to make it workable- you may need up to another half cup or more... just kneed in flour until it is no longer sticky. Store in air tight container.

*The flavor of the kool-aid determines the color of your dough. Remember to only use the little flavor packet…not the big packs with the sugar added. Any type of kool-aid/flavored drink mix will work.