Violet's Snickers Surprises

I made these today at the request of one of my hubby's former co-workers, who is coming over for supper tomorrow.  I'd made these for one of their office potlucks back when they worked together, and she loved them so much, she asked if I would make them for her now.

I call them "Violet's" because I got this recipe from a friend, and that was her name.  We served on jury duty together years ago, and she brought these as a treat for all of us one day.  Violet, another juror, and I became good friends -- after jury duty ended, we would get together for supper every few months.  She died two years ago, and whenever I make these, I think of her.

Violet's Snickers Surprises


Ingredients:


2 sticks of butter -- softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar -- packed down
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 pkg (13 oz) mini Snickers candy bars

Directions:


Combine the butter, peanut butter, and sugars using a mixer on med. low until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla, mixing a bit between teach.  Combine thoroughly.  Mix in flour, salt, and baking soda.  Cover and chill dough for 2-3 hours.

Unwrap 48 mini Snickers.

Remove dough from fridge.  Divide into 2-Tbsp pieces and flatten.  Place a mini Snickers in center of each piece of dough.  Form dough into a ball around each mini candy bar.  Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 300 for 12-15 minutes.  Let cookies cool on cookie rack.  Makes 48 cookies.

Pumpkin Butter Twists

I made these for breakfast a couple weeks ago. They were delightful with my morning cup of coffee, and the kids liked them too. I got the recipe from the October 2011 issue of Taste of Home, but I've changed them up a bit, so I'm calling them "twists" instead of "pinwheels."

Pumpkin Butter Twists

Ingredients:

1 8-oz tube of crescent roll dough

3/4 cup pumpkin butter

1/2 cup pecans -- chopped (optional)

vanilla frosting (optional)

Directions:

Unroll the dough and form 4 rectangles by pinching the seams shut between two triangles, the long sides together. Spread liberally with pumpkin butter and sprinkle with chopped pecans, if desired. Roll up, starting with the short ends. Cut each roll in half. Slice halfway through each little roll. Twist each side one way or the other to form a sort of figure-eight. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Spread with vanilla frosting while still warm, if desired. Sprinkle with additional pecans if desired.

Makes 4 servings, two twists each.

Popcorn Cookies

Looking for a fun recipe to try with your kids this summer? I found this one on tasteofhome.com, and it was easy and tasty. Plus, it doesn't make so many cookies you're stuck with them for weeks (okay, never a big problem around here, but I can see how it could be), but you have enough to share if you want. I sent some to a friend who's serving in Afghanistan right now and still had some for us to enjoy here too.

So, here's the recipe. Yum!

Popcorn Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter -- softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
2 cups popped popcorn -- lightly crushed
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in the popcorn, chocolate chips, and pecans.

Drop by tablespoonfuls two inches apart onto greased (or non-stick) baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 13-14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Yields 2 1/2 dozen.


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Gingerbread Carrot Muffins

I got this recipe from the 3rd edition of What to Expect When You're Expecting. They're supposed to be good for reducing morning sickness, what with all the ginger in them. I haven't had morning sickness, but I thought these might be great to take along to the birth center since we have to provide our own food there. I know muffins usually freeze well, so I've made these up now and I'll toss some in the freezer to take along when the time comes.

I'm not a huge fan of fresh ginger, so I left that out, though I did use the ground ginger. I used wheat germ and chopped pecans, but I didn't toast the nuts cuz grating the carrots was enough work as it is.

These turned out really yummy -- Daniel and I had them with lunch, and he ate a whole one and then asked for more. I think I would rename them Apricot Carrot Muffins if I made them again, since without the fresh ginger it's the apricots and carrots that really stand out.


Gingerbread Carrot Muffins
(Makes 12 muffins)

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ
1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup finely chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 cup white grape juice concentrate
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger
1 cup grated carrots

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Line a standard-size 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, flaxseed or wheat germ, oats, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and baking soda. Add apricots and nuts (if desired) and stir to blend.

In another bowl, combine the juice concentrate, eggs, oil, vanilla, and fresh ginger and whisk to blend. Add the juice mixture to the flour mixture and stir gently just until the batter is smooth and well blended; be careful not to overmix. (It took me about 25 strokes to mix the two.)

Gently fold the carrots into the batter. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, dividing evenly. (Cups will probably be very full.) Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 18-20 minutes.

Transfer the muffins to a wire rack and let cool completely. The muffins can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days or frozen up to 1 month when individually wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a freezer bag or container.

Note: Not a fan of ginger? Leave it out and substitute another teaspoon of cinnamon.

Cranberry Orange Tea Bread

This is a great recipe for the holidays, when cranberries are readily available in the stores. I've had this recipe for several years -- I have no idea where I got it, maybe in an advertisement or something. It's also found here at motts.com. It says to make it as a loaf, and I've done that, but this time around I made 24 mini-muffins and 6 regular muffins. This doesn't rise a lot, so fill your muffin cups almost to the top if you make those instead of bread.


Ingredients:

2 cups flour
3/4 cup dried cranberries OR 1 cup whole fresh berries
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup cinnamon apple sauce
1/4 cup butter or margarine -- melted
1 egg
2 tsp grated orange peel

Directions:

Combine flour, cranberries, sugar, and baking powder in large mixing bowl. In separate bowl, mix together remaining ingredients. Blend applesauce mixture into flour mixture until just combined. Spoon batter into greased loaf pan or muffin tin lined with paper baking cups. Bake at 350F 45-50 minutes for loaf, 16-20 minutes for regular muffins, 12-16 minutes for mini muffins, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan before removing loaf to cool completely on wire rack. Loaf makes 12 servings.

I use whole cranberries because I like things that are tart and tangy. If you prefer sweeter bread/muffins, you'll probably want to use sweetened dried cranberries (like Craisins) instead.

I made the 24 mini-muffins to send to a friend of ours who is serving in Afghanistan right now. Happy Veterans Day! I can never say 'thank you' enough to those brave soldiers who have put their lives on the line to defend ours, both in the past and today. You are my heroes.

Quick French Onion Biscuits

We made these biscuits to go with a ham the other night, and they were amazing! They're quick, easy, and tasty -- what more could you ask for? We found the recipe here at BettyCrocker.com.

Quick French Onion Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 cups Original Bisquick mix
1/4 cup milk
8 oz French onion dip

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450F. Stir all ingredients until soft dough forms. Drop dough into 6 mounds on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown. Serve warm. Yum!