Easter Candy White Chocolate Caramel Snack Mix

Easter Candy White Chocolate Caramel Snack Mix 5

It may be crazy to assume that anyone has Easter candy leftover, but I’m hoping you do because this snack mix is awesome.  If you don’t have any, hopefully there is still some clearance Easter candy at your local store or you can just go buy some Whopper’s

I usually don’t like Whopper’s, not that you can tell from recent posts.  However, when they come in cute, pastel egg form, they become so much more appealing to me and I can’t resist them.  Which is why I turned them into a snack mix that I could share with others so I didn’t eat them all.  Unfortunately (or fortunately, however you want to look at it) this snack mix was so good and addicting that I think I ate more than I would have if I would have just eaten them plain.

I can’t even tell you how good this stuff is, so I’ll just let you experience it yourself.  (You can use whatever candy you want in this, just throw it into the mixture!)

Easter Candy White Chocolate Snack Mix

White Chocolate Caramel Snack Mix

Leftover Easter Candy Snack Mix

What did you do with your leftover Easter candy?

Easter Candy White Chocolate Snack Mix
Prep time: 
Total time: 

 

Ingredients
  • 4 cups pretzels
  • 3 cups corn flakes
  • 2 cups butter crackers, crushed
  • 3 cups Robin Eggs or Whopper’s, crushed
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup butter or margarine
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 12 oz white chocolate or vanilla almond bark

Instructions
  1. Mix the butter and brown sugar in a large microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for about 3 minutes or until boiling. Take it out, mix, and return for about one more minute.
  2. Remove from microwave and mix in vanilla extract and pretzels. Let cool.
  3. Once cool, mix in the corn flakes, butter crackers, and Robin Eggs/Whoppers.
  4. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate, about 1-2 minutes.
  5. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the pretzel/corn flake/cracker/Robin Egg mixture and stir.
  6. Let cool and serve!

 

Whopper White Chocolate Snack Mix

Microwave White Sugar Caramel Corn with Butterscotch Chips and Peanuts

microwave white sugar caramel corn with butterscotch chips

Sticking with the “lazy baker” theme this week, here is another great, quick, crowd-pleasing recipe.

I have an excuse for my laziness. I graduate college in 3 weeks and I’m freaking out and extremely busy, but so excited!

However, I just can’t bring myself to have company over and not have some sort of treat to give them, so I’m just taking some shortcuts.  I seriously made this caramel corn in 30 minutes.  I was super excited!

My friend and  I almost ate the whole batch together in one night.  It’s really good.

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microwave 30 minute caramel corn with white sugar

butterscotch caramel corn in festive leaf bowl

30 minute caramel corn with butterscotch chips and peanuts

white sugar caramel corn with peanuts and butterscotch chips

This delicious recipe is adapted from allrecipes.com.

Microwave White Sugar Caramel Corn with Butterscotch Chips and Peanuts
Recipe type: Snack
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

 

Ingredients
  • 4 quarts popped popcorn
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup margarine
  • ¼ cup dark corn syrup
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup peanuts
  • ½ cup butterscotch chips
  • ½ tsp baking soda

Instructions
  1. Place the popped popcorn into a large microwave-safe bowl (And one that will fit in the microwave!). Set aside.
  2. In a 2 quart casserole dish, or other heat-proof glass dish, combine the sugar, margarine, corn syrup, salt and vanilla. Heat for 3 minutes in the microwave, then take out and stir until well blended.
  3. Return to the microwave, and cook for 1½ minutes. Remove from microwave, and stir in the baking soda.
  4. Pour syrup over the popcorn in the bowl. Gently stir the popcorn mixture with a wooden spoon until the popcorn is fully coated.
  5. Place bowl into the microwave, and cook for 1 minute and 10 seconds.
  6. Remove, stir, and return it to the microwave.
  7. Cook for another 1 minute and 10 seconds.
  8. Dump the popcorn out onto waxed paper, and let cool until coating is set.
  9. Once cool, stir in the butterscotch chips and peanuts.
  10. Store in an airtight container.

 

butterscotch peanut granulated sugar caramel corn made in microwave

No Bake Oreo Frosting Balls

no bake oreo frosting balls

I’ll be the first to admit it:  Sometimes I can be very, very lazy when it comes to baking.

When I’m in a hurry to go to a party, but don’t want to show up empty-handed (and I can’t ever show up empty-handed), I take shortcuts.

These Oreo balls are the perfect example of this.  They’re just Oreos and frosting, whipped together and dipped in chocolate… it doesn’t get much lazier than that.  However, it doesn’t get much tastier, either!

So, if you feel like being a lazy baker, these are perfect for you.

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no bake oreo frosting balls in candy wrappers

no bake oreo balls in white chocolate

no bake oreo frosting ball

Oreo Frosting Balls
Prep time: 
Total time: 

 

Ingredients
  • 1 15.5 oz package of Oreos
  • 1 12 oz container of Betty Crocker whipped frosting
  • 12 to 24 oz vanilla almond bark
  • 1 tablespoon

Instructions
  1. Crush package of Oreos.
  2. Beat together container of frosting and crushed Oreos in a mixer.
  3. Roll into balls and place on a parchment-covered cookie sheet.
  4. Freeze the balls for about an hour.
  5. Melt 12 oz (start with 12 oz, then add more if you need it) of almond bark in a microwave safe container. (Should take 1-2 minutes). Mix in the tablespoon of oil and stir the almond bark.
  6. Dip balls in chocolate and set on cookie sheet until dry.

 

no bake white chocolate oreo frosting balls

Cake Batter Flavored Energy Bars

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I’m sure you’ve all heard of Chocolate Covered Katie, but if you haven’t, you need to look at her blog.

I love making desserts, but when I go on trips and stuff, I like to bring healthy snacks so I always go to her website when I’m looking for one.

The last recipe I made turned out really well.  I made her Cake Batter Energy bars and they were delish.  The only change I made to the recipe was adding a “frosting” made with cake batter flavored protein powder mixed with melted coconut oil.

I highly recommend these!

To see the recipe, click here: Chocolate Covered Katie.

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No Bake Cake Batter Oatmeal Fudge Blondies

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This heat is gettin’ crazy.  It’s been over 100 degrees for the past 2 weeks!

They tell you to stay out of the kitchen if you can’t take the heat, but I prefer to just turn the heat off in the kitchen.

Katie ain’t bakin’ no mo’.  Ever since the sun started blazing, I started testing recipes for “no bake blondies.”  I searched and searched and searched but could not find a single recipe that wasn’t a healthy date/fig/etc. mixture, so I thought I’d make my own.

It’s hard work, let me tell you.  I still haven’t found the perfect recipe, but these are my favorite so far.

If you’re sick of the heat like me, but still want to make some tasty treats, these are the ones for you.

What have you been making since it’s been so hot?  Have you still been baking or does it kill you to turn the oven on?

 

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No Bake Cake Batter Oatmeal Fudge Blondies

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups cake mix of choice (I used Funfetti, duh.)
  • 6 blocks of vanilla almond bark
  • 1 1/2 cups oats
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions:

  1. Melt butter in a medium sized microwave safe bowl with white chocolate, about 1-2 minutes.
  2. Mix in cake mix and oats.
  3. Press mixture into a 9×13 inch baking dish.
  4. Chill until hardened.
  5. Cut and eat. Yum.

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Nutella No-Bake Cookies

nutella no bake cookies

When I was a kid, I used to love when my mom would make no-bake cookies.  She rarely ever made them, so they were an awesome treat when she did.  Since she rarely made them, I thought they were some magical treat that was really hard to make.

I didn’t realize how easy they were to make until the first time I made them on my own.  Even though they still tasted great, it kind of ruined the “magical, really hard to make” feeling I had for them as a kid.

Which is why I had to switch them up to make them taste better.  Adding Nutella shouldn’t make that big of a difference, but it really did.  When you add Nutella, they kind of taste like fudge.  Fudgy oatmeal cookies that take 10 minutes to make… what gets better than that?  The magic was back for me after I made these!

how to make nutella no bake cookies

nutella no bake cookie up close

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nutella no bake cookies on cookie sheet

What was your magical treat as a kid?

Nutella No-Bake Cookies
Adapted from: Food Network 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 tablespoons cocoa
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 cup Nutella
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 3 cups oatmeal

Directions

  1. In a heavy saucepan bring to a boil, the sugar, cocoa, butter and milk.
  2. Let boil for 1 minute then add Nutella, vanilla and oatmeal.
  3. On a non-stick surface, drop mixture by the teaspoonfuls, until cooled and hardened.

nutella no bake cookie recipe

Cake Batter Almond (or any other nut) Butter

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Hooolllllyyyy mooollllyyy!!

I’ve been on an intense search for Biscoff Spread the past two months.

It all started when I was reading a food blog and read about Trader Joe’s “Cookie Butter” about two months ago.  I was intrigued, so I went to the nearest Trader Joe’s (which is about 30 minutes away). My search was cut short when they told me the had just run out of their newest shipment.  My hopes weren’t completely shot; I kept looking online and realized pretty much everyone’s store was sold out.

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That’s when I found out about Biscoff Spread because they’re pretty much the same thing- peanut butter, only not.  Lol.  It’s just a spread that can be used for all of the same things peanut butter is used for and it’s made up mostly of cookies, so it’s definitely not a health food like peanut butter, but it’s worth the health risks! ;)

Anyway, I looked everywhere for Biscoff Spread only to be disappointed again and again.

I’ve actually been looking for the last month and have probably checked a total of 10 stores for this stuff.  I live in a bigger city now, so I obviously checked here, but I also checked in my podunk little hometown.

I went home this weekend to go to see a comedy show– Josh Wolf  and Colin Jost– which was amazing, but that’s a story for another post…ANYWAY, I went home and I was at the store getting ingredients to make a mock Biscoff spread, and Kellen and I turned the corner and Kellen said “Look!” and I screamed (embarrassing) because:

…there it was!

Thank you, LORD!  What are the odds of that happening?  I grabbed two, and it’s been one day and half of the jar is gone.   I’ve had it on oatmeal, ice cream, bananas, and pretzels. I’m pretty obsessed, and that’s saying a lot because my standards for this stuff were extremely high.  There ya have it, my unpaid Biscoff review.

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I still wanted to recreate this for anyone who was like me two days ago (poor, poor people… I can sympathize), but I failed.

Don’t be sad though, because I came up with an even better idea– cake batter butter!

If you’re looking for Biscoff Spread, this is not it, but it is still super delicious.  It tastes like it sounds…awesome and cake batter-y.  I made mine with cinnamon almonds and gluten free cake batter, but you can use any combination you want.  Let your imagination soar!  I’ve been going back and forth between this almond butter and Biscoff Spread all day.  I’m gonna overdose, probably.

Picnik collage

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Cake Batter Almond (or any other nut) Butter

Ingredients:
1 cup almonds
1/2 cup cake mix
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Super simple- mix all ingredients in a food processor until smooth and creamy.

cakebatter

No Bake Cake Balls

“In cooking (baking), as in all the arts, simplicity is the sign of perfection.” –Curnonsky

That quote was obviously written about cake balls.

I love making cake balls.  They are the easiest, but most delicious little creations ever.

Remember those Poké Ball Cupcakes I made?  Well, I somehow had a ton of frosting leftover, so the obvious choice was to make cake balls.  I had to make these quickly for a party, so I made these a little differently.  I just used the straight cake mix and frosting.  It was super sweet, so I suggest making these small!

My next cake ball challenge is layered cake balls from the Sugar Turntable.  Don’t these look good??

Picture from: The Sugar Turntable

What’s your favorite cake ball recipe??

No Bake Cake Balls


Ingredients:

  • 1 (18.25 oz) package cake mix of choice
  • 2-4 cups frosting of choice
  • 1 (3 ounce) bar chocolate flavored powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • Directions:
  • 1.  Mix cake mix and frosting. (Start with 2 cups and slowly add more until you reach desired consistency.)
  • 2.  Place prepared balls in freezer for about an hour.
  • 3.  Melt chocolate in microwave with vegetable oil.  
  • 4.  Coat chilled balls in chocolate.