Ever since I was a little girl, my favorite snack has been Cheetos. Almost any kind will do, but my very favorite are the real, live Cheetos brand…
baked. To me…the others don’t even count.
I loved Cheetos so much that at Christmastime, while everyone else was getting a stocking filled with tons of goodies, I got one with a bag of Cheetos stuffed in it. My brother quickly pointed out to me that I was being completely ripped off, and that maybe I should ask Santa to just put the bag of cheese puffs under the tree next time. It took me a while to figure out what he meant.
Last year, on Gracious Rain, we had a Cheetos taste test, because I had no idea that there were so many different kinds in the world. Amazing. Wonderful. Inspired. It was a grand event with everyone getting ballots and samples so that they could judge accurately. Of course, since it was my taste test, I felt completely justified in stacking the vote.
Here’s a fun little cheese ball that really isn’t…a cheese ball…in the cheese ball sense of the word.
Don’t be afraid. It’s actually a cream cheese ball–with lots of lovely peanut butter mixed in. We dipped animal cookies and pretzels but I’m thinking that Fudge Stripes or Chocolate Dipped Graham Cookies would be incredible. We also rolled ours in Peanut Butter M&Ms–just cause we could. This is a real easy pleaser and would go nicely with whatever else you have on the treat table. We used it at our Superbowl fest–you know where you need lots of protein to keep your strength up…
for all that yelling.
Go Vikings!
Oh, forget it.
Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Ball
Ingredients
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
¾ cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
1 ½ cups M&M’s and/or milk chocolate chips
Graham cracker sticks, animal crackers, apple slices or pretzels
Directions
BEAT cream cheese, powdered sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until blended. Spoon onto a large piece of plastic wrap; bring up all four corners and twist tightly to form a ball shape.
FREEZE for 1 hour 30 minutes or until firm enough to keep its shape. Place morsels in flat dish. Remove plastic wrap from ball and roll ball into morsels to completely cover.
PLACE ball on serving dish; cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until almost firm. Serve with graham cracker sticks, cookies, pretzels and apple slices for dipping or spreading.
Just in case you didn’t get enough of anything and everything in heart shapes–try these tender little jam cookies. Oooooh-wooo—you won’t forget these lovelies–but do try to be mature…
and share.
Because they are honestly pretty enough to pass out to the neighbors.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, cocoa, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in pecans. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-in. thickness.
Cut with a 3-in. heart-shaped or 2-1/2-in. round cookie cutter. From the center of half the cookies, cutout a 1-1/2-in. heart or round shape. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.
Spread 1/2 teaspoon jam over the bottom of the solid cookies; Sprinkle cutout cookies with confectioners’ sugar–if you want. We left ours plain. Carefully place over jam cookie.
You’ll end up with about 3 dozen of the prettiest little cookies you’ve ever seen.
These little lovelies remind me of those fabulous Devil’s Food cookies that my mama used to buy and….
hide from us. What?! Too good to share with the kids? Aparently so.
Well fine then.
I’ll make my own.
Ooooh baby.
Do brace yourself.
I triple-dog-dare you to make these incredible little devils and NOT sneak six of them in your purse.
Ha!
I’ll win.
Devil’s Food Surprise Cookies
Ingredients:
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
24 large marshmallows, cut in half horizontally or 4 small marshmallows
Chocolate Frosting for Surprise Cookies
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, milk, and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add reserved flour mixture; mix on low speed until combined.
3. Using a tablespoon or 1 3/4-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto ungreased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies begin to spread and become firm, 10 to 12 minutes.
4. Remove baking sheets from oven, and place a marshmallow, cut-side down, in the center of each cookie, pressing down slightly. Return to oven, and continue baking until marshmallows begins to melt, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
5. Spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting over each marshmallow, starting in the center and continuing outward until marshmallow is covered.
24 large marshmallows, cut in half horizontally or 4 small marshmallows
Chocolate Frosting for Surprise Cookies
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add egg, milk, and vanilla, and beat until well combined.
Add reserved flour mixture; mix on low speed until combined.
Using a tablespoon or 1¾-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto ungreased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
Bake until cookies begin to spread and become firm, 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove baking sheets from oven, and place a marshmallow, cut-side down, in the center of each cookie, pressing down slightly.
Return to oven, and continue baking until marshmallows begins to melt, 2 to 2½ minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting over each marshmallow, starting in the center and continuing outward until marshmallow is covered.
Notes
Devil's Food Frosting
4 cups powdered sugar
½ cup butter, melted and cooled
½ cup cocoa
½ cup milk
½ tsp. vanilla
Stir ingredients together until creamy.
Nothing makes you hungrier than screaming your liver out for your favorite team at the Superbowl.
If you do the football thing like we do at this house–“kick off” the perfect game and totally “score” with these “goal” winning snacks–sure to “tackle” your “team’s” hunger.
Directions
1. In small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon; set aside. In large bowl, mix cereals and popcorn.
2. In a small saucepan, cook butter over medium heat until melted. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated.
3. Sprinkle half of the sugar mixture evenly over cereal mixture; stir. Sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture; stir. Cook at 350 degrees for 7 minutes. Stir. Cook for 7 minutes more. Store in air tight container.
