M&M cookie ice cream sandwiches

   Baking really has become one of my favorite past times this summer. It's just so calming and gives me a little creative outlet. Plus, I feel much more productive when I've created some sort of sugary, calorie-loaded, deliciousness than I do lounging around watching TV.
   This is a recipe I've been wanting to have a go at. It combines three fabulous things; m&m's, ice cream, and sugar cookies, resulting in the perfect hot summer day indulgence.

      I used this recipe for the cookies and added a little over a cup of m&m's. The cookies were so soft and chewy and really just plain perfect. I was a little worried that the ice cream would be too frozen and hard and break the cookies. While the oven was still a little warm from baking I set the ice cream on top to soften it a little then, before I scooped, I ran the spoon under warm water. This helped a lot and I didn't break any of my pretty cookies.
   Now I'm imagining all the different cookie and ice cream combinations I could try...

Valentine's Bark on a Monday

   It's finally happened! After a week of nausea and feeling super crappy, I finally feel normal. It was so nice teaching today and not thinking in the back of my mind "OK, where's the nearest trash can if I need it?" This week is off to a great start.
   this weekend I made some deeeelicious Salted Caramel Peanut Bark. It turned out really well (there's still enough left for Valentine's gifts). Today when I got home from school I did a little more work on Valentine's gifts, Cake Batter Bark. I made this back at Christmas and couldn't wait to make some and decorate it with lovely heart sprinkles.

   I wish I could say that I came up with this fantastic, birthday cake flavored creation, but I must give credit to its genius creator. I have her to thank for much kitchen inspiration.

Cake Batter Bark
Ingredients
10oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
10oz white chocolate chips
2T vegetable oil
2T white cake mix

Melt chocolate chips with 1T vegetable oil, pour on a wax paper-covered cookie sheet and place in the freezer until hard.
Melt white chocolate, 1T vegetable oil, and cake mix together and pour over cold chocolate.
Top with festive sprinkles and place in the freezer to set.
When cold, break into jagged pieces. Eat the ones that don't look quite right.

  

Salted Caramel Peanut Bark

   Hello, hello! I feel like I haven't posted in forever. Probably because I pretty much haven't. This lack of posts was not due to laziness, but due to the fact that I haven't made or done anything exciting thanks to nausea and feeling down right crappy. I've been battling this nastiness since Tuesday. My week has been filled with going to school and laying on the couch. Wednesday I couldn't even go to school and just laid on the couch literally all day. It sounds relaxing and enjoyable, it wasn't. I do believe I'm finally getting better though. Thank goodness! So I decided to do a little creating in the kitchen tonight.
   This evening I created some Salted Caramel Peanut Bark. Ever since I made Peanut Butter Bark and Cake Batter Bark at Christmas, I've been dying to try some new combinations. My mom gave me this idea when she saw something similar to it at World Market (a store we both love).

Salted Caramel Peanut Bark Ingredients

8oz semi-sweet chocolate chips with 1T vegetable oil

8oz white chocolate chips with 1T vegetable oil

1c peanuts

caramel ice cream topping, enough to drizzle all over

1T coarse Sea Salt

  I followed the same technique as with the Peanut Butter Bark I made in December. First, I melted the chocolate chips and spread them out on a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Then I crammed that in the freezer.

Oh chocolate, is there any food more perfect?

  When the chocolate had hardened, I used my handy food chopper to chop up some dollar store peanuts and melted the white chocolate.

   I carefully poured the melted white chocolate on top of the  cold semi-sweet chocolate and sprinkled the chopped peanuts all over it. THEN I drizzled caramel ice cream topping all over my already perfect combination.

   Though I could have stopped here, I didn't. To finish it off I sprinkled a little course Sea Salt on top of this baby.

   I put the whole thing back into the fridge to harden. Then, in true bark fashion, I broke it up into jagged pieces.

   Now, I knew this combination was going to be good but whoaaaaa. This stuff is good almost beyond words. I'd intended not to taste it due to my last few days of illness, but I needed to truthfully be able to share with you all how it is (I'm willing to sacrifice a lot for my readers...hehe). Salty and sweet are such a fantastic combination and the peanuts add a perfect crunch. Thank goodness I'm not feeling well or I might be tempted to consume the whole darn tray:o)

"The 25 Posts of Christmas" Gift No. 20

   It's crunch time. Today's the day to finish all that Christmas stuff. Baking, cooking, shopping, wrapping...
   I've already done some Dollar General and grocery store shopping, but of course when I got home I realized I still needed a few key ingredients. Seems like that always happens. When I got home I finished some lovely Christmas gifts.
 

Basket of Goodies

    Found these cute Christmas baskets at my favorite store, Dollar Tree. In each of these lovely red and green baskets I included...

• Peanut Butter Bark
• Cake Batter Bark
• Dictionary Ornament
• Orange Cranberry Bark
• Hot Cocoa Mix

For the Orange Cranberry bark I followed the same technique as making the Peanut Butter Bark except instead of adding peanut butter to the white chocolate I added orange extract and instead of sprinkling peanuts on top I sprinkled dried cranberries. 

The hot cocoa mix was super easy to make.

Hot Cocoa Mix

• 2 cups nonfat dry milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1/2 cup non-dairy creamer
• 1 dash of salt
• miniature marshmallows, optional

Combine ingredients and mix well. Store in an airtight container.
Directions for using the mix: Add 3-4 tablespoons of mix to your favorite mug and fill with boiling water. Stir well.

   I found the cellophane bags at the craft store and just made the tags out of note cards. I hope my deserving relatives like their goody baskets.

   I've come to the conclusion that I'm not going to get to post the last five gifts for my "25 Posts of Christmas." It's a shame, but I hope you'll will forgive me for ending at 20. Twenty's pretty good though. I'm pleased :o)

A few more decorations, yummy bark, and using a plunger

   I've been quite productive today. Among other things I have succeeded in going to Target, making Christmas gifts (the list never ends!), de-clogging the toilet, and making loads of bark. Our toilet is very temperamental and today is one of those days that a tissue thrown in the bowl calls for the plunger. It's annoying. I went to Target to load up on chocolate and white chocolate chips. Christmas requires a lot of chocolate.

  In between de-clogging the toilet and watching Arrested Development on Netflix, I  wanted to share some photos of a few more of our Christmas decorations and some of the deeelicous bark I made.

These are a few of the decorations in our room.

I found this cute little tree at Target and made the garland using hot glue and different kinds of candy.

I have a slight yarn ball obsession.

A Starbuck tree left over from my Barista days. I was going to make new decorations, but these will do for now.

This morning I embarked (hehe get it?) on my first bark making adventure, Peanut Butter Bark. After acquiring more chocolate, I tried a bark recipe I'd seen here, Cake Batter Bark. 

It's pretty fantastic. If I could live off bark, oh I would.

   I have some cookies left to bake tonight and MORE bark. Wish me luck :o)

"The 25 Posts of Christmas" Gift No. 19

   Yay for Christmas break! This morning I finally rose from bed at 10:00, 5 hours later than I normally sleep. Then I made eggs for breakfast, had some hot apple cider, watched my husband play video games, and finally decided to work on some more Christmas gifts.
   Peppermint Bark is a delicious holiday tradition. The only kind I've ever really had though is the over-priced peppermint bark that Williams Sonoma sells. Delicious, but $6 seems a bit a lot too expensive for a tin of chocolate and peppermint.
   Thanks to one of my favorite blogs, How Sweet It Is, my eyes have been opened to the idea of making my own bark, for less money and the freedom to experiment with all type of flavors and combinations. About a week ago I made Milky Way Bark. It was a big hit. Today I decided to try my hand at another flavor combination to give as a gift. It's darn good :o)

Peanut Butter Bark

You will need:

• 1 12oz bag chocolate chips
• 1 12oz bag white chocolate chips
• peanut butter
• vegetable oil
• peanuts

Step 1. Place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe container (yes, the whole bag), add some vegetable oil, and microwave until smooth.

Step 2. Pour the lovely melted chocolate on a wax covered cookie sheet, spread it out, and put it in the fridge. The freezer would probably be even better, ours is just too small and packed with stuff to welcome any bark in progress.

Step 3. Chop up about 1 1/2 cups of peanuts. I got my at Dollar General. 

Step 4. Pour the bag of white chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl. If you're like me, you won't add the entire bag so that you can munch on a few while creating your bark. You're supposed to eat chocolate during the holidays right? No matter what time of day. To the white chocolate chips add a little vegetable oil and a big spoonful of peanut butter. I used extra crunchy. Microwave until smooth.

Step 5. Remove the tray of cooled and set chocolate from the fridge and pour the peanut butter, white chocolate mixture over it. Use a spatula to spread it to the edges. Before the white chocolate dries, sprinkle the chopped peanuts over the whole thing. Place the tray of goodness in the fridge.

Step 6. When the whole treat is cold, use your hands to break it into lovely, imperfect chunks. 

   The hint of peanut butter is divine (is the taste of peanut butter ever not divine?) and the bark looks so fancy. definitely hold your pinkie up while eating it. I plan on putting some pieces in cellophane bags and tying them with pretty Christmas ribbons.

   Now I'm off to the store to buy more chocolate to make more. I definitely keep y'all updated on my bark adventures :o)

Homemade Candy Bars

   My gosh, what a day it has been. Tonight's a full moon which explains why my kindergarteners were out of their minds today. Thank the good Lord tomorrow is Friday. 

   I found these CHOW recipes posted on CraftGossip.com and had to read more. Is there anything that sounds more indulgent and special than homemade candy bars? I think not. I definitely plan on making the PB Cups asap. I think Halloween is the perfect excuse :o)

Make Your Own Candy Bars

Corner-store sweets go high-end

Here’s the thing with nostalgia: Memories betray you. Those candy bars that you remember loving are stuffed full of waxy chocolate, weird fillers, and preservatives. Try our souped-up take on four beloved candy bars. Give the store-bought stuff to the kids, and save these for yourself. And, for crafty extra credit, download the wrappers for each candy.

ROLL OVER FOR COMPARISON

Our take on the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup™, this is the easiest and most universally loved of the bunch.

• RECIPE • WRAPPER

The CHOW version of an Almond Joy™ requires a bit more concentration than the Peanut Butta Cups but is still simple enough for first-time candy makers.

• RECIPE • WRAPPER

For our adaptation of a Twix™, you’ll make the shortbread cookie and caramel filling and dip it all in chocolate.

• RECIPE • WRAPPER

Our version of a Snickers™ is the most challenging of our candy bars, but the peanut nougat is so chewy and fluffy it’s worth the extra effort.

• RECIPE • WRAPPER