Quick Holiday Treats

Sometimes we don’t have time for a full on recipe. Sometimes we just don’t feel like all the effort. Here are a few quicker not-quite-recipes my family made this year :)

“Lumps of Coal”

1 bag of marshmallows
1 package Oreos
3 Tbsp butter

Crush up the Oreos into fine crumbs. We used a food processor. Melt butter and marshmallows together in a big pot. When all melty, dump in the Oreo crumbs and stir like mad. Spread evenly in a greased 9×9 pan and allow to cool. Cut into one inch squares and enjoy!

Ferrero Rocher Brownies

favorite brownie recipe or box mix
~20 Ferrero Rocher chocolates unwrapped

Make your favorite brownies according to the usual directions but before baking stick the chocolates in, evenly spaced. Bake like normal & eat :)

Saltine Toffee

~1 sleeve of saltine crackers
1 cup of butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 bag chocolate chips
optional: nuts or M&M’s for sprinkling

Pre-heat oven to 400F. Cover a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper and grease it. Put down a layer of saltine crackers, breaking them if necessary to cover the sheet from edge to edge.

Melt butter and brown sugar together and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes stirring constantly. Pour over crackers and spread.

Bake 5-8 minutes. It should be light colored and completely bubbly. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top and let sit for a few minutes so they melt. Spread the chocolate evenly over the toffee base, then sprinkle with your pecans/M&M’s/whatever. Gently press topping into melted chocolate to make sure they stick.

Allow to cool completely, then remove from foil and break into pieces :)

Peanut Butter No-Bake Bars

Warning: These are a diet killer! If you are trying to eat healthy it’s best not to read any further! (Cutting into 32 bars left me with around 260 calories per bar and who could eat just one?)

If on the other hand, you don’t care about your waist line, only about your taste buds, these are a must! So easy to put together, no hot oven, and the most delicious combination ever invented – peanut butter and chocolate, yum!

You may remember my Nutella No-Bakes from last summer, this was the original version of the recipe, and in my opinion the better version. Peanut butter > Nutella. Yes, I said it.

Recipe from Very Best Baking.

Ingredients:

3 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 2.5 sleeves of crackers)
1 1/2 sticks (12 Tbsp) softened butter
1 1/4 cups peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
3/4 cup peanut butter

Directions:

Mix graham cracker crumbs together with butter and peanut butter, then add powdered sugar a cup at a time. Stir in chocolate chips and press into a 9×13″ pan. (If mixing by hand, go ahead and melt that butter all the way.)

Melt chocolate chips and peanut butter together, spread evenly over graham cracker base.

Refrigerate 1 hour before cutting. Store bars in the fridge.

That’s it. Really. That’s all it takes to kill your hopes of healthy eating habits. ;)

Flapjacks

Not pancakes! These are, as far as I can tell, a fairly traditional British dessert. During my time in England, I would pick up store bought versions of these to carry on day trips in case of a food emergency. This recipe comes from my extensive internet searching and compiling of several recipes and most especially converting measurements from grams to volume measurements. This recipe is so fast and so easy, and apparently really really good. In the first 2 weeks after I tried the recipe out, I was asked to make 5 more batches!

Ingredients:

11 tbsp butter = 1 stick + 3 T
1/4 cup “pancake” syrup *
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
~3 cups oats **
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 300F and grease 8×8 inch pan.

Melt butter, syrup, and brown sugar over low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in oats, then transfer to prepared pan.

Bake for 22 minutes. Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips and bake additional 5 minutes.

After removing from the oven, run a knife around the edge of the pan, then allow to cool completely before cutting into squares. If you prefer, spread the chocolate chips out.

*Do NOT use pure maple syrup, although it tastes good, the bars will not hold together! These are meant to use Golden Syrup, however in the U.S. it is much easier to find “pancake syrup”, which is primarily corn syrup.

** Don’t use fancy whole oats. Again, the bars will not hold together. I used standard quick cook oats (not instant).

No-Bake Nutella Bars

At the request of my friend, Tyson, in repayment for mowing our lawn, I altered my favorite no-bake chocolate peanut butter bar recipe to use Nutella. The flavor came out wonderful, but the texture of the crust could use some tweaking. I’d recommend playing with adding more butter to it to help hold it together as it tends to crumble.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups Nutella
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
3 cups cinnamon graham cracker crumbs
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Combine Nutella and butter in large bowl. Gradually add powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Mix in graham cracker crumbs. Press evenly into 9″ x 13″ pan.

Melt chocolate chips and smooth over Nutella mixture. Refrigerate until chocolate is set. Cut into bars and serve.