No Bake | Luv What You Do

They’re Back April 17, 2013

Filed under: Breakfast,Fruit,Oatmeal,Vegan — Luv What You Do @ 9:41 pm
Tags: Banana, Chocolate, No Bake, oatmeal

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Woo Hoo! It’s been a little while since I’ve had this breakfast, so I whipped up a batch in prep for tomorrow morning’s track workout. I am meeting a coworker at the indoor track near work, so it was an early morning…perfect for breakfast in the car. I convinced my coworker to try one of my new favorite interval workouts, so we’ll see how it goes. With breakfast and a friend waiting, it will be hard to sleep in…even if it is another grey day!

Not yet back…the sun!

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It’s been way too long since we’ve seen you!

Also back in the picture…

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Banana Soft Serve (with almond butter)!

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This stuff is amazing! But even better with a tiny cookie dough ball.

It’s about as close to a homemade DQ blizzard as you can get!

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Although my workouts are going well (I ran 9.5 miles this weekend), my eating has been a bit overboard. It’s really time to get that BACK on track!

What’s back in your world???

Banana Almond Butter Soft Serve

Ingredients

1 frozen banana

2-3 tbsp almond milk

1-2 tbsp almond butter

Chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

Place frozen banana and almond milk in food processor. Blend until smooth, adding more milk as needed. Add almond butter and chocolate chips (if using) and blend until well combined. Eat immediately!

Optional: Stir in more chocolate chips, peanuts, or Vegan Cookie Dough Balls!

Comments (18)

Coconut Fudge Balls April 3, 2013

Filed under: Clean Eating,Snacks — Luv What You Do @ 10:02 pm
Tags: cacao, Chocolate, coconut, dates, No Bake, Recipes

I’ve been wanting to make another batch of energy balls using my dried coconut!

I finally had some time on Monday, and was excited to combine the coconut with chocolate, kind of like the Chocolate Coconut Chew Larabars.

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The dried coconut is the perfect compliment to the sweet dates.

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Everything chopped up nicely and the flavor was exactly what I was hoping for (sometimes these ‘recipes’ end up being more like ‘experiments’).

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I did need to stream in some agave to help the balls come together. To be honest, I didn’t really measure it, but you’ll know when you’ve added enough because a ball of dough will form.

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Then you can either press the ball into a greased pan to make bars or roll it into balls.

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Yummy!!! Need I say more? These healthy-ish balls are FULL of flavor!

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Store these balls in the fridge for an afternoon or mid workout snack!

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Does anyone else try to make homemade Larabars?

What is your favorite flavor?

So I had plans to share with you the Strawberry Balsamic Quinoa Salad that I have been eating for lunch this week because it is awesome, but I didn’t get any pictures of it. I will definitely try to snap one later this week and share that recipe soon because it will be perfect for spring strawberries!

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I will get your mouth watering with pictures of tonight’s Grilled Garlic Pepper Shrimp form The Grilling Bible courtesy of the BOY!

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I still don’t know what’s with the Christmas plates : ) Looking for dessert, I highly recommend these Double Chocolate/Single Chin Brownies!

Coconut Fudge Balls

Adapted from German-Chocolate Fudge Bites

Ingredients

1 cup pitted dates

1 cup dried coconut

1 cup almonds

4 tbsp cacao powder

2 tsp vanilla

1-2 tbsp agave

Directions

Combine dates and coconut in a food processor and blend until combined.

Add almonds, cacao powder and vanilla. Blend until well combined.

Stream in agave until a ball of dough starts to form.

Roll dough into balls and refrigerate for ~2 hours until set. Store in an air tight container in the fridge.

Comments (13)

Coconut Balls March 19, 2013

Filed under: Clean Eating,Running,Snacks — Luv What You Do @ 9:52 pm
Tags: almonds, coconut, dates, No Bake, Recipes, Running, yogurt

It seems that you guys joined the BOY as big fans of yesterday’s Indian-Spiced Chicken Burgers.

Thanks for all of the comment love!

Reading your comments is one AWESOME way to end the day!

The day started off with a run around the track. I must admit that there was nothing speedy about today’s workout. Sore doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel (thanks Jenna!), and I had the most painful cramps that I’ve felt in decades. Yuck! Getting to the track was a victory in itself. This morning’s run looked like this…

5 minute warm up

10 minute jog

10 minute faster jog

10 minute back to jog

2 minute cool down

I believe that workouts like this are supposed to be a run/fast run combination (in case you are looking to try it out). I determined my pace by heart rate/feeling and adjusted for the above mentioned fatigue and cramps. It must have been a worthwhile workout because I was sweating when I was done and 12 hours later, I am even more sore : )

Although I have been really limiting my dairy, I have been wanting to try this new Chobani flavor. It’s one small serving and topped with KIND granola makes the perfect post run snack.

Speaking of snacks…I have an awesome new no bake energy bar recipe for you!

Confession: My first attempt at this recipe came from a cookbook and was a totally disaster!

I don’t blame the cookbook, I blame the super soft apricots that tasted sweet like candy, but just didn’t stand up to the food processor in energy bars. So I had to trash version one and start from scratch on my own version.

I was inspired by this dried coconut that we picked up at Costco yesterday. This brand makes the most amazing dried mango EVER, and so the BOY and I were excited to try this stuff too.

For the nuts, I chose a blend of almonds and walnuts because I had both in the house, and because I love the flavor combination that they create with the dates.

You do have to be patient because it takes a few minutes to break everything down and blend it together.

If you are having trouble getting everything to stick together, you can stream in some liquid. I chose fresh squeezed orange juice, but agave or honey would work too. The last step is to simply roll the dough into balls and coat them in more coconut.

Please excuse the poor lighting on these pictures. It was a dark and stormy day!

But don’t let that deter you from making them! I know that when it comes to coconut, you either love it or hate it. Well not me! I used to hate the stuff, but slowly it is growing on me, and these Coconut Balls are soft, chewy, sweet, and delicious!

Do you like coconut?

What is your favorite coconut recipe?

Coconut Balls

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups dried, pitted dates

1/2 cup dried coconut chunks

1 cup almonds

1/2 cup walnuts

1-2 tbsp fresh squeeze orange juice

1/2 cup organic unsweetened shredded coconut

Directions

Place dates and coconuts in your food processor and blend until combined.

Add nuts and blend for another few minutes until everything begins to get combined. Drizzle in 1-2 tbsp of fresh orange juice (or agave and honey) as needed to help everything blend together.

For the dough into balls and roll in shredded coconut.

Store in the fridge to snack on throughout the week!

Comments (16)

Travel Plans (I hope!) February 7, 2013

Filed under: Snacks,Travel — Luv What You Do @ 10:08 pm
Tags: cold, dates, Florida, No Bake, Peanut Butter, Recipes, winter

So…we are going to Florida!

Hooray! Finger’s crossed this snow storm subsides and our plane is able to take off tomorrow!

So that we can leave this behind…

Oh and this too! Picture below is from tonight’s big storm.

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Somehow this trip just snuck up on me, and I haven’t even dug out my warm weather gear yet. The BOY and I are spending the weekend in Sarasota to celebrate the wedding of a long time friend of mine.

This is us on the first day of kindergarten

This week has been a busy one rescheduling patients and getting ready for the trip. Obviously, meal planning has been non-existent, and I have been relying on some of my quick and easy favorites for dinner. ie Dr. Praeger’s veggie burgers, turkey sausage, frozen veggies, and baked sweet potato. I whipped up a batch of Taco Soup for lunch and a batch of homemade energy balls to snack on throughout the week. I even have a few leftover for the plane.

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I found this homemade LaraBar recipe on Snack Therapy, and it was right up my alley.

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Dates + Peanuts = Healthy and Delicious Snack Balls

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The first step is to chop up your dates until a large ball is formed. Then add in the peanuts and process until smooth. This might take a minute or two, so be patient.

Then push the dough into bars or roll it into balls.

These balls make the perfect afternoon pick me up.

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Their sweet and salty combo will satisfy any craving!

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Speaking of amazing and satisfying….I just received a huge box of KIND bars!

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A HUGE Thank You to Averie for this generous giveaway! I have always wanted to try the KIND granola and even the BOY said he would eat these healthy bars. KIND bars are one of my favorites!

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They came at the perfect time for me to take on our trip, and I stocked a few away in my carryon!

Needless to say, you won’t be hearing from me for a few days. Unless of course our flight gets canceled in which case my next post won’t be so friendly. The good news is…I will have plenty to eat : )

More of my favorite homemade bars and bites…

PB&J Bars

German Chocolate Fudge Bites

Fig and Date Energy Bites

Almond Butter Cacao Balls

Afternoon Energy Bars

Peanut Butter Date Bars

From Snack Therapy

Ingredients

1 cup pitted dates, grossly chopped

1 cup peanuts

Directions

Place dates in food processor and process until combined. Scrape sides and add in peanuts. Process 2-3 minutes until mixed completely, scraping the sides as needed.

Press into the bottom of a pan or roll into balls.

Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Optional: stir in extra peanuts or roll in raw coconut

What do you snack on when you travel?

Comments (34)

I Took a Walk January 19, 2013

Filed under: Dessert,Exercise — Luv What You Do @ 6:44 pm
Tags: Balance, Chocolate, No Bake, Peanut Butter, photos, Recipes

Take a Walk….

Take a Walk…

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The BOY and I invited our Dad’s over for tomorrow’s Indiana game. We had high hopes of landing ourselves tickets and when that didn’t happen we thought it’d be fun to host our Dad’s. Lunch is burgers and for dessert, I wanted to make this wonderful looking peanut butter truffle on the back of the Keebler box.

I had all of the ingredients already in the house leftover from the holidays.

The peanut butter mixture requires 1 hour in the fridge before forming into balls. And although after last night’s excitement (I stayed up until midnight which is almost unheard of on a Friday), a nap sounded wonderful. However, so did some fresh air.

This week has been beyond stressful, and I knew that I needed some time to clear my head. I absolutely love what I do but the long commute, office politics, and emotions at my job take their toll.

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I know that taking care of myself is important, and I can’t continue to have weeks like this. They affect my health and my relationships, so with the Passion Pit song ‘Take a Walk’ running through my head, I walked towards the path for some active therapy.

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With such exhausting weeks, my weekends have been spent catching up on sleep and relaxation. This gives me less energy for activities that I like (ie tri training). So I was happy to get out for a walk today, and I have plans to attend Hot Yoga tomorrow.

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Sixty minutes walking along this peaceful path later, I had some clarity and solid ideas to decrease my stress levels and restore work/life balance.

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And I was ready to get going on dessert. I’m not sure why but the mixture was way too crumbly. However, with my hands, I was able to form a few ugly looking mounds.

I wasn’t sure if they would be able to stand up to the chocolate coating, so before dunking them in chocolate, I stuck them in the freezer. This step was totally necessary!

The first few turned out great. But as predicted, they started falling apart which made for some messy chocolate coatings.

The benefit was that I was able to sample some broken bon bons.

The crunchy peanut butter combined with the chocolate coating was delish! Trust me…it tastes much better than it looks!

My suggestion would be to drizzle in some agave or coconut oil to help hold everything together. I’m sure the guys will enjoy them tomorrow no matter what!

I’m grateful for a quiet night at home. The BOY and I have been craving sushi, so we are picking some up for dinner and the Lorax just arrived from Netflix. Sushi and a movie = awesome Saturday night!

Do you like to walk?

Peanut Butter Bon Bons

From Keebler

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies® cereal

1 1/4 cups crunchy peanut butter

1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs

1/2 cup powdered sugar

12 ounces white or dark chocolate confectioner’s coating

Directions

In a large bowl stir together cereal, peanut butter, graham crumbs and powdered sugar. Note: I found that mixing with my hands was the best way to do this. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Shape crumb mixture into balls, using one level tablespoon for each. Freeze for at least 60 minutes.

In small saucepan or microwave melt confectioner’s coating over low heat. Dip each ball in coating, letting excess drip off. Place on wax paper. Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes or until set. Store in airtight container.

Comments (13)

Have Leftover Pretzels? Love Cookie Dough? January 6, 2013

Filed under: Dessert — Luv What You Do @ 6:04 pm
Tags: Chocolate, No Bake, pretzels, Recipes, snow

I do! I do!

And since a friend found me a whole bag of circular pretzels, I don’t need them for hugs and kisses candies. I knew that I had seen a few pretzel sandwich recipes around the holidays and this one definitely caught my eye. Complete with cookie dough and sprinkles…how could it not?

So yesterday afternoon, I woke up from my nap at 2pm, just as the snow started to fall. Instead of using my big mixer, I went with the handheld one for easy clean up.

The ‘dough’ was super fluffy! Eggless cookie dough = PURE danger!

I think I made my sandwiches a little heavy on the filling, but like I said, I really do love me some cookie dough!

I put all of my sandwiches in the freezer, licked the leftovers straight from the bowl, and went upstairs to get ready for the night.

A little over 30 minutes later, I got to the fun and colorful portion!

I melted some white and dark chocolate and used an assortment of decorations including sprinkles, chocolate chips, and Andes peppermint chips.

All of the pretzels turned out so bright and adorable!

And they taste unbelievably sweet with the creamy cookie dough center and a crunchy pretzel ‘crust’.

With the outdoors looking so bleak…

It’s fun to have some bright colors in the house.

Looking for More Cookie Dough Recipes to Love?!

Vegan Cookie Dough Balls

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge

Peanut Butter Cookie Dip

Monster Cookie Dough Dip *The Girl Who Age Everything

Cookie Dough Nut Butter *Oh She Glows!

Cookie Dough Pretzel Bites

From Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients

For the cookie dough:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup all-purpose Gold Medal flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Pretzels

2 cups milk chocolate chips

Sprinkles, if desired

Directions

1. To make the cookie dough: in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Slowly add milk and vanilla extract and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Stir in the mini chocolate chips. Roll the cookie dough into little balls, about a teaspoon each. Sandwich between two pretzels and put on a plate or cookie sheet. Freeze the pretzel bites for 30 minutes.

2. Melt the chocolate chips, using the microwave (30 second intervals) or a double boiler. Dip half of each pretzel sandwich into the chocolate. Sprinkle pretzel bites with sprinkles, if using. Return the tray to the freezer and chill until the chocolate sets. Store the Cookie Dough Pretzel Bites in the refrigerator until serving time

Do you like Cookie Dough? What is your favorite recipe?

I love cookie dough and will never forget calling my mom in college to ask for the cookie dough recipe on the back of the nestle package. My roommates and I had no chocolate chips and needed a cookie dough fix!

Comments (21)

Scotcheroos January 5, 2013

Filed under: Dessert — Luv What You Do @ 10:37 pm
Tags: butterscotch, Chocolate, No Bake, Peanut Butter, Recipes

Yes, Hanukkah ended about a month ago but sometimes for our family, it takes a little while to get everyone in one place, so celebrations are postponed. Which is why we are celebrating Hanukkah again tonight (and then one last gathering next weekend). Yesterday, I got an email from my Mom with the time (expected) and a reminder that I am in charge of dessert (not surprising, but I totally forgot). As I’ve noted, I have a plethora of sweet treats and ingredient options in my pantry leftover from the holidays, so a dessert, I can definitely do!

With all the cookies I’ve made recently, you might be surprised by my choice. But I had all of the ingredients in the house and a craving for this childhood favorite that my Mom used to make.

I always loved the combination of chocolate and butterscotch in the top layer and never knew exactly how my Mom created such a sensation! And to also add peanut butter in the krispie treats. Genius! Who comes up with this stuff?

I was slightly surprised to see that there were no marshmallows in this recipe, but I got started with the corn syrup and sugar combination as written.

Until I realized that I didn’t have nearly as much corn syrup as I needed. But, I did have marshmallows, so problem solved!

At this point, the BOY walked by and commented on his surprise that I was making rice krispie treats for dessert.

I explained that they are ‘special’ and here’s the exciting part…

Butterscotch + Chocolate = Awesome!

When the BOY re-entered the kitchen he was much more impressed with the final product!

One of my favorite things about this recipe is how easy it is to make.

But the absolute best thing about these bars is the response you get when you bring them to a party. They were met with RAVE reviews tonight as they disappeared one slice at a time. One person even called them ‘addicting’!

These will disappear quickly so make sure to grab a bite or two for yourself before you go!

Scotcheroos

From Rice Krispies

Ingredients

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup peanut butter

1 package(6 oz., 1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate morsels

6 cups Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® cereal

1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions

1. Place corn syrup and sugar into 3-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter. Mix well. Add KELLOGG’S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated. Press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Spread evenly over cereal mixture. Let stand until firm. Cut into 2 x 1-inch bars when cool.
Note: Before measuring the corn syrup, coat your measuring cup with cooking spray–the syrup will pour easily out of the cup.

The Marshmallow Variation

Melt 3 tbsp of butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add one 16 ounce package of marshmallows, stirring until completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract and one cup of smooth peanut butter and mix well. Stir in 6 cups of rice krispies until well coated. Press mixture into greased 13×9 inch pan.

Continue with step 2 above.

Comments (6)

Holiday Barks December 30, 2012

Filed under: Candy,Dessert — Luv What You Do @ 4:01 pm
Tags: butterscotch, Chocolate, No Bake, Recipes, white chocolate

Along with these adorable Chocolate Pretzel Rings, I made a few holiday inspired barks this year. This is a tradition that I started a few years back (these are last year’s barks), and I love how creative you can get with melted chocolate.

Warning: this post has a lot of recipes and fun ideas!

First Up…

Peppermint Bark!

This recipe seems to be everyone’s favorite, especially this time of year.

It’s so simple that I can’t believe I haven’t made it before.

But I will definitely be adding it my yearly list!

This bark makes a beautiful holiday gift, so I recommend making 2 batches…one for yourself and one to share with your friends!

Moving On…

A new and innovative recipe from Crazy For Crust for Scotch Krispie Bark.

Starring butterscotch chips…yum!

Covered in Rice Krispies, chocolate, and then smothered with peanut butter!

It was hard to wait for this one to harden because I was eager to taste it!

I’m a huge fan of the sweet butterscotch and crunchy krispie combination!

And although I love peanut butter, it wasn’t my favorite for this bark, so next time I will probably just omit it.

Getting Back to Peppermint…

I was inspired by these Peppermint Pretzels to create an original bark.

I stirred the chopped pretzels into white chocolate and then covered it with Andes Peppermint Crunch Chips and crushed candy canes.

Super festive…right?

This mish mash actually turned out pretty awesome!

Lastly…

Who doesn’t love S’mores?

This mixture of mallows and grahams creates a complex texture.

That I guarantee you will enjoy!

All of these barks make for easy, fun, and mouth watering gifts. And because they store so easily in your freezer, there is always something for you to snack on. I recommend storing them in freezer safe ziploc bags and remove as much air as possible. Chocolate barks and candies are really forgiving, so you can use all of your leftover baking supplies to create your own sweet treats! No measuring required!

Peppermint Bark

From Back to Her Roots

Ingredients:

8 peppermint candy canes

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

12 ounces white chocolate chips

Directions

Cover a large cookie sheet in aluminum foil. Set aside.

Remove candy canes from wrapper and place in large plastic, ziptop bag. Using a mallet, bottom of a glass or rolling pin, mash the candy canes until they are in small chunks.

In a double boiler (or microwave) melt semisweet chocolate chips. When completely smooth, pour onto cookie sheet and spread into a thin later (about 1/8"). Don’t worry if chocolate doesn’t spread to edge of cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet in freezer.

Using a clean double boiler, melt white chocolate chips until smooth. Mix in all but 2/3 cup of the candy cane pieces.

Remove cookie sheet from freezer, carefully spread white chocolate over the dark chocolate in a thin layer. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of reserved candy cane pieces on top. Place cookie sheet in freezer.

Once bark is completely cooled and hard. Remove from cookie sheet and break into large pieces.

Scotch Krispie Bark

From Crazy For Crust

Ingredients:

1 bag butterscotch chips

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 ½ cups Rice Krispies Cereal

½ cup peanut butter (I’d say this is optional)

Directions:

Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Place butterscotch chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat on 50% power for 1 minute, stir, and then add increments of 30 seconds until chips are melted and smooth. Spread on cookie sheet.

Sprinkle Rice Krispies cereal on top of butterscotch layer. Press down with your hands.

Melt semi-sweet chocolate chips in microwave, again using 50% power, stirring after 1 minute and continuing to heat at 30 second intervals until chips are melted. (If chocolate doesn’t seem smooth, add about a teaspoon or two of vegetable oil and stir.) Spread over Rice Krispie layer.

While spreading chocolate layer, melt peanut butter in microwave. Drizzle over spread chocolate and swirl with the back of a spoon.

Chill to harden bark, then break into pieces and serve.

White Chocolate Peppermint Pretzel Bark

Ingredients

1 bag of TJ’s Peppermint Pretzel Thins, crushed

8 ounces White Chocolate

Candy canes, crushed

1 cup Andes Peppermint Crunch Chips

Directions

Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper.

Melt white chocolate in microwave in 30 second intervals until smooth. Do not over heat!

Stir in pretzel thins and Andes Peppermint Chips.

Spread over cookie sheet and sprinkle the top with candy canes. Use a spatula or your hands to push the candy canes into the chocolate.

Freeze or refrigerate for 2-3 hours until set.

Then break into pieces.

S’mores Bark

Ingredients

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

8 ounces candy melts or chocolate

Marshmallows

Instructions

Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper.

Melt chocolate and mix in your graham cracker crumb and half of the marshmallows.

Pour and spread across a parchment paper lined cookie sheet

Sprinkle on the remaining marshmallows and press them into the chocolate.

Freeze or refrigerate for 2-3 hours until set.

Then break into pieces.

What is your favorite chocolate bark?

I’m always looking for new ideas recipes!

Comments (9)

Candy Cane Puppy Chow December 24, 2012

Filed under: Candy,Dessert — Luv What You Do @ 6:58 pm
Tags: gluten-free, No Bake, Recipes, white chocolate

Wow!

I can’t express how exciting it is to read your thoughtful comments on yesterday’s Blogger-Versary post. Ya’ll are incredible!

I left sunny Florida (and my family) behind this morning, but plan to share warm, bright photos to melt winter’s chill until April : ) The BOY picked me up at the airport and after almost a week, it was great to see him! We had a quiet day planned leaving me time to get prepped for Christmas Day and a take 2 hour nap!!!

The BOY and I head separate directions on Christmas Day each with our own traditions. In the morning, I will be celebrating Christmas with my brother, his girlfriend, and her wonderful family. In the afternoon, we move on to Jewish Christmas with a movie and Chinese food. Surprise, surprise, I was put in charge of dessert. Thankfully, he left me more than enough treats in the freezer to snack on and put together for tomorrow’s holiday. However, I also wanted to make something for some of our friends who are gluten intolerant.

Puppy Chow is always a fan favorite and can be made gluten free by using Chex Cereal. I was inspired by our Halloween success with the pumpkin spices kisses, to try Hershey’s kisses puppy chow again…this time with my favorite candy cane kisses!

What I didn’t expect was the bright pink color, but I loved it! I was only sad that I didn’t have any green decorations to sprinkle throughout. I did have some Andes Peppermint Crunch chips, so I sprinkled those in for an extra peppermint kick!

Then doused everything in powder sugar while the BOY stood by watching, waiting for his taste test.

What can I say…you just can’t go wrong with puppy chow?!

This recipe just melts in your mouth leaving a fresh peppermint aftertaste!

I was quite pleased with my creation and know it will taste even better once it is frozen. I think I should make a tshirt that says ‘I heart frozen puppy chow!’ I quickly made a batch of these flourless peanut butter cookies. Along with some bubbly, I am all set for tomorrow’s celebration! Tonight we are headed out for our annual Christmas Eve dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Coopers Hawk!

Wishing everyone a happy and safe evening with family and friends!

Candy Cane Puppy Chow

Adapted from Pumpkin Spice Puppy Chow

Ingredients

1 10 oz bag of Candy Cane Hershey kisses, unwrapped

6 cups Chex cereal

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Andes Peppermint Chips( optional)

Directions

Pour Chex mix and ~1/2 cup Andes Peppermint Chips into a large bowl. Set aside.

Melt kisses in the microwave ~1 minute. Pour melted kisses over Chex cereal, stirring to coat (I find a spatula works best).

Fold in powdered sugar and more Andes mints if desired.

Store in air tight container or freeze.

Comments (7)

Oh Oh O-REO December 21, 2012

Filed under: Dessert — Luv What You Do @ 6:43 pm
Tags: Chocolate, cream cheese, No Bake, Oreo, Recipes

If you read this title and immediately thought of the Weird Al song ‘The White Stuff’, then we are definitely on the same page. If you have no idea who NKOTB is or Weird Al for that matter, then I have definitely dated myself here. If you’re interested, check out the video.

Note: No knowledge of the for mentioned song is necessary to appreciate this post!

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So the BOY texted me last night to ask if one of my cake ball flavors was cookies and cream?!

Cake balls???

I assumed he was referring to the abundance of Oreo Balls scattered throughout our freezer. This suspicion was confirmed when he sent me the above picture today showing off his afternoon plate of sweets. I packed a few Oreo Balls away special for his parents because I know they really enjoy them, and I’m hoping they actually make it to their house.

Oreo Balls are another easy, yet decadent sweet that people seem to love! Myself (and obviously the BOY) included!

Although I often make quite a mess, they are definitely worth the effort. I have seen others able to make much prettier balls, but I promise mine taste just as good!

This year, my Mom picked up the following fun Oreo flavors…

Neapolitan, Mint, and Triple Double

Last year, we made plain Oreo and Mint Oreo balls, so I was excited to add some new flavors this year. The Neapolitan has a nice strawberry flavor, and I dunked them in white chocolate.

For the mint ones, I drizzled on some extra white chocolate.

And sprinkled the tops with crushed up candy canes.

All 3 flavors turned out fantastic!

Especially the mint!

I have no idea if there will be any left when I return, so hopefully you’ve already gotten yours! Or, I will just have to bake another couple of batches!

Oreo Balls

Recipe adapted from Kraft

Ingredients

36 OREO Cookies, finely crushed, divided (any flavor!)

1pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened

16oz. BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

Directions

Mix cream cheese and cookie crumbs with a wooden spoon until blended.

Shape into 48 (1-inch) balls. Freeze for 1-2 hours (or overnight) on cookie sheet or in airtight container.

Dip in melted chocolate. I use 2 forks to let excess drip off. Place on waxed paper-covered rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs, sprinkles, or any other toppings.

Refrigerate for1 hour or until firm.

Store in freezer in airtight container.

One more Oreo recipe featuring Gingerbread Oreos (if you can get your hands on them)…

This one is for Gingerbread Oreo Truffle Bark from Inside the BruCrew Life.

This mixture of truffle and bark is sweet and delicious. One recommendation that I would have is making a finer crumble with your Oreos (like in the Oreo Balls).

This is what the recipe says to do, but I didn’t listen. Oh well!

I covered my bark with cinnamon and sprinkles and stored in in the freezer.

Checkout the FULL recipe!

What is your favorite Oreo recipe?

A few (but certainly not all) of mine…

Candy Corn Cake Batter Fudge

Oreo Peanut Butter Fudge Pie

Holiday Oreo Bark

Oreo Trifle

Slutty Brownies

Peppermint Oreo Fudge *From the Sugar Coated Chef

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Luv What You Do

Balancing a Busy Life with a Healthy Lifestyle

They’re Back April 17, 2013

Coconut Fudge Balls April 3, 2013

Coconut Balls March 19, 2013

Travel Plans (I hope!) February 7, 2013

I Took a Walk January 19, 2013

Have Leftover Pretzels? Love Cookie Dough? January 6, 2013

Scotcheroos January 5, 2013

Holiday Barks December 30, 2012

Candy Cane Puppy Chow December 24, 2012

Oh Oh O-REO December 21, 2012

Being Me

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