Holiday Muddy Buddies

Surprisingly, I've never actually made muddy buddies. Or puppy chow as it is sometimes referred. But I have some friends who love it and I thought I'd give it a try for a party recently. So glad I did because this holiday version is amazing! It's got all kinds of fun flavor and a twist on the original because instead of peanut butter, this recipe uses chocolate-hazelnut spread (yup, Nutella). Add in M&Ms, yogurt covered raisins and sprinkles, then toss it all powdered sugar and you've got a deliciously messy sweet snack that's a little bit festive.

S'mores Krispies Treats

A few months ago, I posted the Vanilla Cookie Krispies Treats. When I shared them with Rachel and John, I mentioned I was toying with some ideas for S'mores Krispies and the first thing Rachel said was, "So you're making those next right?" Guess I had my marching orders! While they weren't the next thing I made, this flavor was the next krispie treat I made to share with Rachel and John. Chocolate krispies make the base, plus chunks of graham cracker, mini marshmallow bits and milk chocolate chips to round out all the flavor. Stuck together with some classic marshmallow gooey-ness and yes, this is the s'more krispie I've been waiting for. Right, Rach?

Peanut Butter Pretzel Rice Krispies Treats

 

So there's these little nugget-like pretzels filled with peanut butter that are a sneaky little addictive snack. You can get them just about anywhere and all the brands I've had are good. It wasn't until I started eating these by the handful that I realized how peanut butter and pretzels make an excellent combination. Of course, when you toss both of them into some krispies treats you really can't go wrong. Crunchy, sweet, and salty, these krispies treats are delicious and topped with just a smattering of chocolate, they really are perfect for summer cookouts, pot lucks and general no-bake goodies.

Vanilla Cookie Krispies Treats

This photo shows two and a half krispies treats. Because they were the only two and a half left after making 2 (!) pans of these bad boys. Seriously, the rest never lasted long enough for me to get my camera. The first batch I took to work and just banked on having leftovers to bring home and photograph. No such luck. Not only did they not make it home, but they didn't even make it to the end of the meeting I brought them too. Then I made them again (pretty much for the sole purpose of photographing) and took them to a friend's house for Memorial Day. Five of us polished off most of them. I'm confident if Rachel hadn't made cupcakes, these last few would have been gone. (Yes, we ate most of a pan of krispies treats and most of the cupcakes. Hey, I don't judge you...) You know I have a love affair with chocolate, but there is a place in this world for vanilla and these treats are one of those things that belong. Soft, sweet and delicious, these treats have bits of chopped vanilla sandwich cookies sprinkled throughout for a perfect change in texture and flavor. They pair so well with the marshmallows and krispies, without being overly sweet. Seriously, once you try them, you'll know exactly why they basically get inhaled.

White Chocolate Cookie Butter Truffles

These truffles were a mistake actually.  Well, not a mistake so much as they weren't supposed to happen. I wanted to make a different truffle but I couldn't find the components I needed to make it happen.  However, a bag of Spekulatius cookies and a jar of Speculoos cookie butter said I had everything I needed to make these little balls of spiced cookie heaven.  Smooth, creamy, full of flavor and dressed up in white chocolate and topped with a piece of those delicious spiced windmill cookies.  These truffles are perfect for sharing. In fact, I shared them right away with my November Foodie Pen Pal!

Avalanche Cookies

Remember those lovely avalanche bars I made a few weeks ago?  They were so yummy that I couldn't help myself to make this cookie version.  You know me, I'll turn anything into a cookie. And these tasty little snacks pack a lot of flavor with peanut butter, chocolate chips, white chocolate, marshmallow and crispy cereal.  Since my friend Kate (and her son Chad) made the bars for me, I returned the favor by sending these cookies to Kate for her birthday, where they were well received for a birthday breakfast.

Puppy Chow Krispies Treats

Can you believe it took me all week to bring the chocolate?  Kinda crazy right?  So I'm making it up to you by bringing the chocolate, pair with it's sole mate--peanut butter.  And then I mixed in marshmallows.  And tossed an obscene amount of powdered sugar on top.  The researchers at work also got to enjoy these and as expected, the winning combination of peanut butter and chocolate was the clear winner.  Plus the serious sugar rush from all that powdered sugar was probably a welcome way to power through the rest of the work day.  At least that's how I felt about the leftovers.

Almond Joy Krispies Treats

Happy 4th!  Need a quick treat for today's BBQ or fireworks later tonight?  Now, you know I'm not a huge coconut fan, but the flavor is growing on me.  I incorporated some lovely Almond Joy Pieces candy bits which added coconut and almond infused chocolate to the cereal laced with more shredded coconut and sliced almonds.  These treats are light and airy with a slight tropical feel and just enough sweetness to be a great summer dessert.  I took this batch to work to share with the researchers and they got rave reviews.  A pretty nice way to interrupt the work day, don't you think?

Banana Cream Pie Krispies Treats

So, you probably noticed that I don't really make pie.  I mean I made it once but it was a lot of work and I just haven't found another pie worthy of me busting out the rolling pin.  But you know I can get behind some krispies treats.  So these treats that mimic banana cream pie are delicious.  Banana cream pie flavor and chunks of pie crust mixed into a regular krispie bars.  Topped with a bit of whipped cream, these bars are perfect combination bringing the taste of pie to a simple to make bar treat.

Pink Lemonade Krispies Treats

Not only are these super tasty, but this might be the easiest way to add a little flavor to basic krispies treats AND you have a wide variety of flavors to choose from.  I like the tartness of these pink lemonade treats for celebrating summer (and the pretty pink color), but you can go while with cherry, orange, strawberry kiwi and more.  Because these treats have only one extra ingredient: a simple packet of Kool-Aid mix (or similar).  How great is that?

Rice Whiskey Treats

I'm a girl who knows what she wants.  I like my whiskey Irish, but if it's bourbon, I prefer Kentucky, specifically Maker's Mark.  I blame my mom on both accounts, but fact of the matter is she had good taste.  Glad I inherited that gene.  And we know how dessert and booze combined together makes me happy.  It's just an excellent idea.  No need to choose between ordering dessert or getting another cocktail.  Everyone wins. So these drunken krispies treats are a huge win, with a taste that's simultaneously subtle, intriguing and just plain good.  I particularly loved the sprinkling of salt on top, which I think highlighted the smooth sweetness of the whiskey.  Dave didn't love these quite as much, but he's not a whiskey drinker, so his vote doesn't count.

Avalanche Bars

What happens when everything in your pantry falls into what would have been plain rice krispies treats?  It's an avalanche and you just have to roll with it.  White chocolate, peanut butter, mini chocolate chips and mini marshmallows (which are not melted!) snuggle up with crispy cereal to make an awesome bar, perfect for end of school parties, cook-outs and any occasion when you want a quick and tasty no-bake treat.  Soft and packed with everything good, these bars are one of my new favorite treats.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Granola bars are always around our house.  They are an easy snack to throw in a bag when we're off to work or playing outside.  They sometimes get a bad rap for not being the healthiest option, but I like them because they can be filling with some whole grains and a little sweetness.  And when you make them yourself, you can control how you add that sweetness.  And these bars are made with honey, coconut oil and get an added flavor component from the flaked coconut.  And you know I'm not a huge coconut fan, but the way it toasted up in these bars provides a nice change of pace.  And of course, the chocolate chips play a nice supporting role in this snack.

Snickerdoodle Rice Krispies Treats

Confession: I can't resist seasonal ingredients  (damn you Target and your perfect seasonal displays!).  Especially in the fall.  Something overwhelms me when I see a regular bag of M&Ms, chocolate chips, or marshmallows has been transformed into something "special" for the fall holidays, be it with a simple color change, a design or shape adjustment or, my favorite, a new flavor.  So when I saw a bag of cinnamon bun flavored marshmallows, I scooped them up knowing there was only one end result for this new treat: rice krispies treats.  And they were awesome.  Every bit of a yummy cereal treat you expect, but with cinnamon flavor throughout and a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar on top.  The marshmallows were far more subtle than I expected, which was nice if you were just going to pop a few in your mouth, or maybe spice up a cup of hot chocolate. So they gave a nice cinnamon pop to regular cereal bars which Dave adored, seeing as how Snickerdoodles are one of his favorite cookies.

Texas Trash

Have I got a week of food ready for you.  It's a week's worth of tailgate and football food with some delicious items that will double as football snacks or full on meals perfect for eating while watching the game.  And I'm starting off with a simple party mix with an awesome name that will completely kick the booty of whatever snack mix you've been enjoying up until now.  Smoky flavor with a spicy kick, this Texas Trash snack mix is delicious and hearty with tons of different textures and delicious goodies.  Pretzels, nuts, cereal and corn chips all serve as the delivery mechanism for a lovely mix of seasonings and spices, perfect for munching while drinking a beer and watching the game.  Although it's pretty tasty for movie night, too.

Trail Mix Rice Krispies Treats with Salted Caramel Swirl

It was bound to happen, huh?  Eventually I would get on the salted caramel kick (just in time for some new trend to hit the foodie blog world).  It's not that I resisted on purpose, I just haven't had salted caramel that made the craze make sense to me.  Dave and I visited Portland earlier this summer and I had a cupcake supposedly topped with salted caramel buttercream frosting.  I was less than impressed.  It barely tasted like caramel, let alone a heavenly salted version.  And I've just always had other things I wanted to try.  Not that it doesn't sound like a good idea--gooey salty and sweet treats--and I've certainly pinned, marked, and otherwise saved my fair share of salted caramel concoctions.  And now, I've got to make them because these treats are a perfect ambassador for the trend.  First off, it's a Rice Krispies treat, which gets lots of love from me to begin with.  And the caramel just makes them that much gooier (wow, I didn't actually think that was a word, but spell check is unfazed).  Add in the sweet and salty trail mix from M&M's that I didn't even know existed, which in and of itself is a perfect treat, and there's double deliciousness in the form of my favorite candy.  Plus, this salted caramel shines perfectly against the sweet and salty trail mix and the crunch of the cereal provides the perfect canvas for all that's going on here.  Simply put: yum.

My friend Mere had a birthday last month, but a couple weeks before her birthday, I was going to meet up with her before she caught a flight from Boston after spending a week on a business trip in Vermont.  So I decided a little early birthday baking never hurt anyone and took to searching for something portable for the plane and a little different.  I looked through some of my pins and some of my favorite blogs and noticed this amazing recipe from Shelly at Cookies & Cups and thought, "where has my grocery store been hiding that trail mix?", printed the recipe and hit the store on my way home.

Butterfinger Cookies

I like candy and I would be hard-pressed to pick a favorite candy bar.  It would have to have chocolate, but I wouldn't be able to choose between a caramel and nut filling, a soft chocolate nougat, or a crunchy peanut butter center.  But no matter what kind of candy bar I choose, my favorite way to enjoy any kind of candy is to pair it with my absolute favorite treat: cookies.  So these cookies are  true treat, with a texture that mimics the Butterfinger candy bars as well as lots of peanut buttery yumminess sprinkled throughout.  They have a crunchy texture and lots of flavor--a perfect summer picnic cookie.

When I saw this recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod, I went out of my way to pick up a bag of fun sized Butterfingers.  I really liked the way this recipe came together and thought Maria did a really good job creating the perfect cookie based to feature the chopped Butterfingers.  I made the mistake of pulsing my mix-ins in the stand mixer rather than stirring by hand--don't do that!  I was concerned about crushing the cereal and chopped candy bars, so they didn't get distributed throughout the dough as well.  I ended up needing to go in a stir by hand anyway, so I should have just done that from the beginning.  These crispy cookies come together pretty easily and taste amazing.  Grab some Butterfingers and get baking!

Patriotic Rice Krispies Treats

Looking for something fun and festive to take to a last minute get together today?  These are just basic Rice Krispies treats dressed up in red, white and blue to celebrate today's festivities.  Cute and layered, these treats are sweet and crunchy.  Plus no bake is always a win on a hot day, right?

Among all the other festive Fourth of July recipes that have been circulating the interwebs over the last few weeks, these made the rounds and I loved them for their ease and great colors.  The first place I saw this recipe was from Lil' Luna.  Luna makes her treats from the traditional recipe, but divided the ingredients into thirds and colored one part red and one part blue.  I'm not sure how I failed at this concept, but I couldn't get my first layer to coat properly and I was concerned about my layers not smoothing out evenly.  So I improvised.  I increased the cereal by 50%, but doubled the butter and marshmallow components.  The result is a soft and chewy bar with a little extra sweetness that still puts a smile on your face.  I did get a little help from Dave adding in the food coloring so I could keep stirring, so this is a great recipe if you've got little helpers in your kitchen.  You probably have all these ingredients in your kitchen, so whip up a batch before you head to today's cook-out!

Peanut M&M Rice Krispies Treats

Rice Krispies Treats are a perfect summer weather dessert because they're no-bake (no oven heating-yay!), quick and deliciously simple.  Plus you know how I love to make them different flavors.  I found myself with a bag of peanut M&Ms and immediately knew I wanted to turn them into dessert.  These treats are laced with peanut butter in the marshmallow and studded with the crunch of peanut M&Ms and roasted peanuts.  I love how the color of M&M's makes the treats a bit more festive and fun, and just pops off the creamy color of the Rice Krispies.  These are a great treat for a subtle peanut butter and chocolate combo--just a hint of chocolate cuts into the peanut butter and peanuts to offer an extra flavor in these gooey treats.

Adjusting the traditional recipe is pretty easy, so I don't have a source for this version (is that enough to make it original?  I say, yes!).  If you like the idea of a peanut butter flavored treat, but would prefer to not have actual peanuts in the mix, remove the peanuts, swap out and increase the amount of any other M&M, such as plain or even the peanut butter ones (double the peanut butter, double the fun).  And if you want to put your fancy pants on, color coordinate these with your event using the various holiday M&Ms.  Lovely, easy and delicious--just like summer should be.

Chubby Hubby Rice Krispies Treats

No I can't help myself so just get over it.  Besides, these are delicious and you know you want to try them.  Seriously--chocolate, pretzels and peanut butter all rolled into an amazing little cereal treat?  Your head may say no but your heart (and tongue) say yes.  These were a "just because" kind of treat.  Or a way for me to celebrate getting the kitchen in a reasonable facsimile of "order."  Either way they were well deserved and Dave and I may or may not have finished the whole pan without sharing.  I can't remember.  If I didn't share I meant to, but, stuff happens.  Don't judge, it's not becoming.

I'm convinced that Michelle at Brown Eyed Baker is my kindred Rice Krispies Treats spirit.  She has such good ideas about how to make these simple treats completely over the top, this time using her favorite Ben and Jerry's flavor as inspiration.  I followed the recipe for the treats, adding 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to the treats and instead of melting chocolate chips on top, I spread some canned chocolate frosting over them because a) I had it in the fridge and wanted to use it up and b) because I can.  Admittedly, the melted chocolate chips would probably be better with a more intense candy flavor and texture, but mine were tasty and I would do the same thing again.  If you need a quick treat for a Chubby Hubby lover, these will win you major points.  And I like to think when people taste a different type of Rice Krispies Treat, they forget that they're just cereal treats and simple to whip up, thus earning you points for "slaving away" in the kitchen.