Muddy Buddies are GLUTEN FREE!

I think everyone probably has this recipe on hand, but when I found out that Muddy Buddies are Gluten Free, I thought it would be worth posting~for those who are looking for great GF recipes!

Muddy Buddies

3 c. each Rice Chex, Corn Chex 

& Chocolate Chex cereal
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Place the 9 cups of cereal in a medium-large mixing bowl.
In a microwavable bowl, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.

Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Tip I recently found: Freeze your Muddy Buddies - you will never go back! The only downside is you do have to wait at least 15 more minutes to taste these frozen goodies.

Pumpkin Spice Oreo Cheesecake bites

PUMPKIN OREO CHEESECAKE BITES

2 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 Tbsp. sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. canned pumpkin

1/4 c. milk

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

 1 package Oreo cookies

Whipped Cream, sweetened

Preheat oven to 350 degree's.
With an electric mixer beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and cream again. Add the eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition. Beat in the pumpkin, milk and spice. Make sure the batter is well incorporated.  Place cupcake papers in 2 cupcake baking pans. Split apart 24 Oreo's. Place the side with the filling still attached in the bottom of each cupcake liners, filling side up.Pour about 1/3 c. cheesecake batter over each Oreo until the liner is about 2/3 full. Place the remaining Oreo side's on top of the batter.  Bake for 20-22 minutes.

(I ran out of Oreo's before I finished, so I'm missing a few tops)

Cool in pan for 15-20 min before removing and placing on a wire rack to finish cooling. Once they have been cooled completely, store in the fridge. When ready to serve, top with the sweetened whipped cream and Oreo sprinkles.

The original recipe called for a whole cookie in the bottom of the cup

I found after making this batch, that we liked them better with just the 1/2 cookie in the bottom

Ranch Mac and Cheese

Along with procrastinating almost everything this past month, I totally spaced out on the Sunday Mac and Cheese recipe posts I planned on doing. Duh!  Well, I'm back on track (I hope), so here is a of the M & C recipes my family loves...

RANCH MAC AND CHEESE

• 1 (16 oz.) package elbow macaroni
• 1 c. milk
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 1 tsp. pepper (or amount you prefer)
• 1 c. Monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 1 c. Colby cheese, shredded
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 c. crushed Ritz crackers

 

Cook macaroni according to package directions, until just al dente.  Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, combine the milk, butter, dressing mix and seasonings. Heat thoroughly.  Stir in the jack and Colby cheeses until they are melted. Stir in the sour Cream.
Drain the cooked pasta, and stir into the cheese sauce, along with the cracker crumbs.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and serve.

Smore's Cake Please!

This is an unusual cake recipe, because there is no flour in the batter! But this is a cake that your kids are gonna love, from it's graham cracker cake to the truly divine marshmallow frosting (my favorite part).

Cake:

1/2 c. shortening (I use the butter flavor)

1/4 c. butter, softened

1 c. sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs

3 tsp. baking powder

 1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line 2- 9 inch round baking pans with waxed paper and then spray the paper with non-stick spray.  In a large bowl, cream the shortening, butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in the vanilla. Combine the graham cracker crumbs and baking powder: add to the creamed mixture alternately with the canned milk, beating well after each addition.

 Transfer to prepared pans in equal amounts.  Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool cakes in their pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans to wire rack to cool completely (use the waxed paper to simply lift the cakes out).

FROSTING:

4 egg whites

1 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

 1/2 c. miniature chocolate chips, divided

In a large heavy saucepan, combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar over low heat.  With a hand mixer, bead on low speed for 1 minute. Continue beading on low over low heat until frosting reaches 160 degree's (about 8-10 minutes).  Pour into a large bowl: add the vanilla extract.  Beat on high until stiff peaks form (about 7-8 minutes).

 Place a cake layer on a serving plate: spread with 2/3 c. frosting and sprinkle with 1/2 of the chocolate chips.
Top with remaining cake layer and frost top and sides. Sprinkle with remaining chips.

YUMMY! 

 (After making this cake twice, I have decided that adding an additional 1 c. chocolate chips to the cake batter would be fabulous.  Bring out more chocolate flavor... ;)

This recipe was adapted from Taste of Home Recipes