Rolo Candy Pretzels, Easy Toffee Bars & Puppy Chow Cookies

  Our first two Holiday baking projects, included Rolo Candy Pretzels, and Easy Toffee Bars.  And, as the title states, it was SO easy.  The kids were great!  This is an excellent baking project for kids to help with, just watch out for the hot pan during the M&M part!

Look at Avery in this photo…….

She sure kept a sharp eye out for the other kids, to make sure they didn’t sneak any candy while she wasn’t looking.

The oldest two didn’t even try to sneak a piece, but of course, Avery tried to snitch a Rolo when she thought no one was looking.  Always pushing the limits, that one.  I kept a close eye on her after that! 🙂

Avery, hard at work….

For being such great helpers, they each got a Rolo Candy for dessert. Yummy!

Rolo Candy

Ingredients:

24 Mini Pretzels

24 Rolo Candies, Unwrapped (great job for the kids!)

24 M & M’s of your choice* (we did some regular, some PB and some mini)

*Or 24 pecan halves can be used instead.

1.  Preheat your oven to 350*.

2.  Place mini pretzels on a large baking sheet.  Top each pretzel with a Rolo Candy.  Place in the oven for 5 minutes, or until the Rolo starts to melt.  (Don’t melt them all the way, they will still look normal at the 5 min. mark)

3.  Remove from oven and lightly press an M&M to the middle top of each Rolo.

4.  Let cool before serving or transferring to a Tupperware.

Easy & Yummy! 

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Easy Toffee Bars

Ingredients:

15 Graham crackers

1 cup butter

1/4 cup chopped nuts, sprinkles or candy of your choice

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 bag Milk Chocolate chips

Heat oven to 400*.  Line a large baking sheet with foil, spray with cooking spray.  Arrange whole graham crackers in prepared pan, breaking some as needed to get them to fit.  Do this until the entire bottom is covered.  In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar and butter, melt and bring to a boil until foamy.  Remove from heat, pour over crackers and spread until covered.  Bake for 5 minutes, or until bubbly all over.  Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips.  When chips are soft, spread until smooth and evenly covered.  Sprinkle with toppings of your choice and chill for 30 minutes.  Break into pieces before serving or storing in fridge.

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    This next recipe took from 11 am when I started the recipe, to 8 pm when I packed the last cookie away.  No, it is not because I made a huge batch (just a double), or that it’s a complicated recipe. (just messy and time-consuming) It’s because I had no less than 1000 interruptions, a chocolate dipping sauce coagulation catastrophe, and a large break in the middle of the mess, to make & ingest lasagna, as well as a period of time where my mom came to visit, and took over cookie-dipping duty, while I bathed the children……

Otherwise? It wasn’t all THAT bad.  The outcome was worth it, these are delish!

Puppy Chow Cookies

FOR THE COOKIES:

2-½ cups Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

¼ teaspoons Salt

¼ teaspoons Nutmeg

2 sticks Butter, Softened

1 cup Peanut Butter

1 cup Brown Sugar

¾ cups Granulated Sugar

2 whole Eggs

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FOR THE COATING:

1 stick Butter

2 cups Chocolate Chips

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Powdered Sugar, For Rolling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth, and then add in the Peanut Butter and beat until well-blended. Beat in the sugars and then the eggs, one at a time. Gradually beat in the dry ingredients.

Shape into 1-1.5″ balls and place on your cookie sheet. Use a fork to make the crisscross pattern on the cookie. Bake about 12 minutes. Store cookies in an airtight container. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

For the coating:  While the cookies are cooling, melt the stick of butter and chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Stir until smooth, and then stir in the vanilla extract. After the cookies have cooled completely, dunk them in the chocolate. Then roll each of the cookies in the powdered sugar. 

    Make a GIANT powdered sugar mess, and roll your eyes every time you have to stop and wash your hands to answer the phone, help a child change dress up clothing AGAIN, or switch the washer load to the dryer.  Leave cookies out to set up before storing in Tupperware, with wax paper between layers. 

  *Oh, and eat 3 of the ugliest cookies to make yourself feel better about the mess you just made in your otherwise tidy kitchen. 

  Just don’t inhale as you bite….you might just cough for the next 6 minutes.  Not that I would know or anything, I’m just sayin’… 😉

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Tomorrow’s baking list include: a triple batch of Spiced Crackers and Caramel Candy Squares. 

You should see my garage fridge….it’s over flowing with goodies just waiting to be put on plates and delivered!

Or, put in my belly. 

I’m good with either option!

  ~T

  Head over to Tasty Kitchen by clicking on the recipe titles, for a printable version of these recipes.

This post linked to:

Gooseberry Patch

This Week’s Cravings

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