Abracadabra - It's Magic!

I first had Magic Grapes at a friend's bachelorette party, and couldn't stop eating them!  Delish!  They are a super easy party snack - only takes a few seconds to make, just be sure to prepare them the night before!

Magic Grapes
1 bag (about 4 cups) seedless red grapes
1 small pkg cherry or raspberry Jell-O

1.  Place grapes and Jell-O powder in a Ziploc bag, seal, and shake until grapes are well-coated.
2.  Remove grapes and place them in another bag or on a baking sheet to avoid them sticking together (and getting super messy!)
3.  Freeze thoroughly.

Serve these frozen - just make sure there are napkins nearby!

Chocolatey Chocolatey Cookies :)

So I made both of these cookie recipes recently.  I'm actually not a huge cookie fan, but thought they were good, and the others who ate them raved about them.  (Mine did not come out looking like the pictures from the original recipes, so I am using their pictures so you can get a better idea.)  Pick your poison: Nutella or dark chocolate chip!

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

Source: blog.al.com

2 c. all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. butter (1 stick)
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 c. Nutella
1-1/2 c. chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and prep baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
3. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, the sugar and the brown sugar. Add the eggs and the vanilla until combined.
4. Gradually add the flour until the mixture is combined.
5. Mix in the Nutella. Finally, add in the chocolate chips.
6. Use ice cream scoop (or just form balls) and drop on baking sheets and bake for 9-11 minutes.

Flourless Fudge Chocolate Chip Cookies

Flourless Fudge Chocolate Chip Cookies

Source: chocolateandcarrots.com

3 c. powdered sugar2/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp salt
2-4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. dark chocolate chips

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prep baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper.
2.  In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar with cocoa powder and salt.
3.  Whisk in the vanilla and egg whites starting with just two.  Beat just until the batter is moistened. If it seems too thick, add another egg white, then a 4th one if it still seems too thick.  (I think 3 1/2 would have been best.)
4.  Stir in the chocolate chips.
5.  Scoop the batter (able tbsp-sized scoops) onto the prepared baking sheets.
6.  Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the tops are glossy and lightly cracked.  Allow to cool.

O-H-I-O

Having grown up in central Ohio, candy buckeyes are a favorite holiday treat of mine!  Many know them as "chocolate-covered peanut butter balls," but I find that unacceptable!  They are made to look like real buckeyes (a poisonous nut).  We like to make them for big (Ohio State) Buckeye games, but they are also a Christmas tradition for many.  You won't see a holiday bake sale in Ohio without them!  When I was little, a lady from my church would have me over every year to make buckeyes before Christmas.  They are pretty much my favorite thing in the world.  I have been sick all week and peanut butter seems to be something my stomach can handle - and I have been craving buckeyes!!!  I was finally feeling well enough today to get up and make these bad boys!

Ingredients (note: vanilla not pictured)

Best-Ever Buckeyes!
Makes 4 dozen

18oz peanut butter (in my opinion, JIF creamy is the only way to go)
3.5 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar
1 stick butter, melted
1 tbsp vanilla
12oz milk chocolate chips
1/4 bar of paraffin wax (chopped or shaved for quicker melting)

Texture of peanut butter mixture
(yes, I used a red bowl on purpose -
 GO BUCKS!)

1.  Mix peanut butter, sugar (begin with about 2 cups and keep adding until it begins to appear dry and
almost crumbly), butter, and vanilla together in a bowl until well blended.  Optional: Refrigerate for about 30-60 minutes to make the mixture easier to mold.
2.  Roll peanut butter mixture into 1" balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Place sheet in refrigerator or freezer while preparing the chocolate to help the balls harden for easier dipping.
3.  Melt chocolate and wax in a double boiler.  Remove peanut butter balls from freezer.
4.  Using a toothpick (or longer wooden skewers) pierce each ball, one by one, and dip into the melted chocolate, swirling until 3/4 coated.  You want to leave some peanut butter showing at the top to give the appearance of a real buckeye.  Place each ball back onto the parchment to
harden.
5.  Allow to cool in the refrigerator.  Serve chilled.

Peanut butter balls!

In my pictures, I used my finger to smooth the peanut butter and remove the toothpick hole to make them look more like the nut.  These make great gifts - you could individually wrap them, or layer them in a festive tin.  No time to make them before Christmas?  No worries!  You can enjoy them on January 2nd as you cheer on the Buckeyes in the Gator Bowl :)

ENJOY!!

ready to share!!

the finished product

Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffins!

So I mentioned in the cranberry sauce post that I made extra (tweaked with a little cinnamon) and put it in muffins last year.  Well, I had lots of extra sauce this year, so I tried to use some up in muffins :)

Use any basic muffin mix/recipe (see below).  Generally, you fill the muffin tins 2/3 full, so for this, I just filled them 1/3 full, put a little cranberry sauce in the middle of each (about 1 cup total, between 12 muffins), and then topped with the remaining muffin mix.  I then created my own granola topping for the muffins (see below).  You could simply mix the cranberry sauce into the muffin mix, but I wanted the gooey surprise in the center!  I also considered making it in the same way, but in a round cake pan - like a coffee cake (if someone tries it that way, let me know how it goes!).  I drizzled some melted butter with cinnamon and brown sugar mixed in overtop the muffins before serving (I like the more moist texture).  My husband loves these muffins - we hope you do too :)

Basic Muffin Mix
Source: Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book
Makes 12 medium muffins

2 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c. shortening
1 egg
1 c. milk

1.  Mix first four ingredients together in medium bowl.
2.  Add in remaining ingredients and mix until a smooth batter is formed.
3.  Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full.  (See above for different instructions for this recipe.)
4.  Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown, approximately 20 minutes.

Granola Topping
Could also be baked on its own and eaten atop yogurt, or however you might enjoy it!  
Note: I honestly just used several things I had laying around in my pantry, so feel free to add/remove/change anything based on what you already have.  The muffins in my picture look a little bare, so I am doubling the amount of topping I made for this recipe.
2/3 c. oats
2/3 c. cornflakes, crushed (I used honey-flavored, organic, gluten free cornflakes)
2 tbsp chopped candied almonds
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp honey (I used organic amber honey)
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp cranberry juice
2 tbsp fruity yogurt (I used Yoplait Light, strawberry-flavored)

*Just place atop muffins in pan before baking for a crispier topping, or halfway through for a sweeter taste.