Peanut Butter Cracker Balls

I just love peanut butter candy! Last year around Easter I shared a recipe for Homemade Peanut Butter Cups.  And this Easter I've got another peanut butter treat!
This is one that I just threw together as an experiment one night.  It's based on this traditional peanut butter cookie/candy recipe that I shared back in January. And I think you'll find it's the perfect sweet and salty combo candy!
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Rice Krispie Treat Nests with Easter Peeps

Today I've got an amazingly simple and fun treat! It's a great take on a classic favorite, The Rice Krispie Treat, with some fun Easter ingredients added in to create a festive and fun edible party favor that everyone will enjoy!
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Cookies & Cream Lollipops

Over the holidays my Oreo Balls were very popular. (Both on the blog and at home!) Last week I made another batch for my husband, and I bought an extra package of Oreos so that I could experiment with some other recipes.

Over the weekend I made these Valentine lollipops. Aren't they cute!  And you won't believe just how easy they were!  I have to admit, they aren't quite as good as the Oreo Balls. (But then again, what is?) However, I expect you'll like them just the same!

Make these in minutes with the kids for an after-school Valentine's treat, serve for your kid's Valentine parties, or even hand out to coworkers and friends. (Candy-Gram anyone?)

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White Chocolate Chip Red Velvet Cookies

In honor of Valentine's Day coming up in a few weeks, I've got a truly sweet and decadent treat to share with you!  This one combines the official colors of Valentine's Day with its official flavor: Chocolate! And I know you and your true love will adore them!

And to make things even better, this one is another cake mix cookie recipe! I got it from Heather at Whipper Berry. (I just used chocolate chips instead of chunks!) Hope you enjoy!

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Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies

Today I've got one of my easiest desserts recipes to share with you!  I first learned to make these in the sixth grade when I was in the Future Homemakers Club (now known as Family Career and Community Leaders of America or FCCLA). 
It became an instant favorite of mine, and I immediate went home and shared it with my family.  And it's been fave easy-fix recipe of mine ever since! Ordinarily I make these around Christmas, but today with the red sprinkles on white chocolate they are a Valentine's treat!
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Sweets on a Stick Giveaway

Today I'm celebrating a thousand Facebook followers with a fun book review and giveaway! If you're in to the food pop craze, you'll love this! The book is Sweets on a Stick: More Than 150 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Cakes, Candies,Cookies, and Pies on the Go!

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Easy Holiday Food Ideas

If you still need some last minute ideas for your Christmas holiday menu, you've come to the right place.  Today I'm sharing some of our favorite holiday appetizers and sweets!


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Homemade Cookie Mix in a Jar and Frosted Chocolate Drops

This week I've got a recipe for you that also makes a fun and easy homemade gift.  By the way, don't forget that all this week, my blog friends and I are hosting Holly Bloggy Christmas, where you can link up your Christmas ideas and win prizes!  
I'll be linking this post up at the Homemade Gift Party on Monday at tatertots and jello and the Recipe Party on Tuesday at Chef in Training. By the way, the parties also feature fun giveaways from Twisted Sugar Twine and Sweet Kiwi Crochet.
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Chocolate Covered Caramel Popcorn - 2 Ways

When I was kid we used to get those giant popcorn tins every Christmas! Those are still around today, but now we also have a whole host of gourmet popcorns to choose from for holiday parties and gift giving.

Today I'm going to show you  how easy it is to make your own gourmet popcorn at home using 2 different methods!  Not only will it make a fabulous homemade gift, but it's also a lot cheaper than a lot of the gourmet gifts on the market!

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Oreo Balls

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is the food, especially the sweets!  Today I've got a really yummy treat that's perfect for parties and gift giving.  I first made these Oreo Balls last Christmas, and I can't wait to make them again!  I know your family will love them too.  And guess what? They are SUPER easy to make!

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Bauble Pops Recipe and Crazy for Cake Pops Review and Giveaway

Photo: Present Pops

If you're in to the cake pop craze, you are going to love today's review and giveaway!  It's for the brand new book Crazy for Cake Pops!  And I've also got a super fun Christmas recipe for Bauble Pops! 

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Coconut Pecan Cookies

Several weeks ago I shared these pudding cookies, which I first saw over at Chef in Training.  You know I love to make different versions and variations of the same recipe, so today I've got Coconut Pecan version to share with you!

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Fun Halloween Sweets

Photo Credit: Taste of Home

Can you believe that Halloween is just a couple of weeks away? Whew...how time flies! Today I've got an array of fun sweets and treats to help inspire your creativity this Halloween!

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Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth: Nicole's Homemade Treats

I'm excited to welcome back Nicole's Homemade Treats as a sponsor to my blog!  As you all know, I have a huge sweet tooth, so this shop is right up my alley!


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Pudding Cookies

One of the great things about hosting my linky party is that it gives me a chance to get recipes and ideas that I might not have otherwise found through regular blog surfing or hopping through links at other parties.  One blog that always shows up to the party with some standout eats and treats is Chef in Training. Back in July, they linked up these Pudding Cookies, which I made almost immediately.  And they were just scrumptious!

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Newtons Fruit Thins Review

For more than a century, Newtons has been one unique cookie - wholesome goodness made with real fruit and a taste all its own. Now, with the creation of Newtons Fruit Thins, Nabisco is breaking the mold again with a cookie unlike any other with real fruit in unexpected combinations packed into a thin and crispy cookie.

They come in 4 great flavors:

• Cranberry Citrus Oat
• Blueberry Brown Sugar
• Chocolate Raspberry
• Fig and Honey

And because Newtons Fruit Thins are made with real fruit and 8 grams of whole grain per serving you can feel great knowing you’re having a deliciously wholesome snack.

Growing up, I loved eating Strawberry Newtons, so I was very excited to hear about these new cookies.  I had a chance to try the Cranberry Citrus Oat, and I was VERY impressed!

Ordinarily I'm not a big fan of cranberry, but the cranberry bits in these cookies were actually quite tasty, and I also loved the thin, crispy consistency.

But what I loved most was the citrus taste.  As a kid I can remember eating something that I would describe as a "lemon shortbread cookie,"  and when I bit into the Newtons I immediately thought of those cookies I used to eat.  The last few years I haven't been able to find cookies like the ones I ate as a kid, so I'm now excited that I'll have the chance to experience that taste with the Newtons Fruit Thins.

I think this is a great snack for moms and kids alike, and I look forward to trying the other varieties in the future!

Disclaimer: I received a free sample of Newtons Fruit Thins for review through the One2One Network. The opinions are my own.

Indulge at Nicole's Homemade Treats

There's nothing like homemade candies and treats to satisfy your sweet tooth!  But if you're like me, you may not always have the time and patience to spend making your own candies.  But now thanks to Nicole's Homemade Treats you don't have to have time or  patience. 

Nicole's Homemade Treats is a fabulous etsy shop offering yummy, delectable, sweet treats.  They have everything from chocolate caramel truffles and peanut butter cups to chocolate covered cherries and much more!

Nicole is a stay at home mom of two boys and a military spouse. She uses candy-making as a stress reliever and creative outlet. For Nicole, selling her products locally and online is a fun and rewarding endeavor. And she has spent many hours trying to get her treats "just right!"

Nicole's Homemade Treats is an LLC operating out of New York State. All the products are prepared in a fully licensed kitchen. NYS Dept. of Agriculture #31AAAA

The treats are prepared in small batches, to preserve the taste and quality of the product, and to ensure that there is no waste. It takes about 5-7 days to produce your order. But Nicole PROMISES - they will be worth the wait!

If you're shopping for someone else, gift certificates are available.  And Nicole also offers chocolate samplers where you'll get a one pound assortment each month for 3 months, 6 months, or an entire year! (Talk about a gift that keeps on giving.)

Be sure to check out Nicole's Homemade Treats on etsy! You can also connect with Nicole at her blog and on twitter @Nikid70.  Go ahead and indulge!

Disclosure:  Nicole's Homemade Treats is a paid sponsor on my blog.  If you'd like become a sponsor, please check out my PR page or email me for details.

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

I'm really excited to bring you this week's recipe!  It is a homemade version of one of my all time favorite candies---the peanut butter cup!

I first saw this recipe in Taste of Home magazine a few years ago, and I marked the page but never got around to trying the recipe. (This tends to happen a lot with me.)  But a few days ago, I was wanting to make some kind of new spring/Easter treat, so I started looking through my old magazines, and found these again.  I had all the ingredients I needed, and they were pretty easy to make, so I decided to give it a whirl!

I have to warn, these things are very tasty!  They remind me of the gourmet peanut butter cups that you order, except they're much cheaper, and the peanut butter is more sweet, almost like a Reese Cup!  And since these are so easy to make, I'd say if you make them once, you'll probably be tempted to make them again and again.  So don't say I didn't warn you!  Hope you enjoy!

Recipe for Homemade Peanut Butter Cups:

Ingredients:

1 cup creamy peanut butter, divided

4-1/2 teaspoons butter, softened

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

4 milk chocolate candy bars (1.55 ounces each), coarsely chopped

Colored sprinkles, optional

Directions:  In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup peanut butter, butter, confectioners' sugar and salt until smooth; set aside.

In a microwave, melt the chocolate chips, candy bars and remaining peanut butter; stir until smooth.

Drop teaspoonfuls of chocolate mixture into paper-lined miniature muffin cups. (I didn't have any miniatures, so I used the regular sized cups and started with about a tablespoon of chocolate in each cup, but I recommend making miniatures, because these things are rich!)

Top each with about a teaspoonful of peanut butter mixture. (For the regular sized cups, I actually used a cookie scoop to measure, so it was just under a tablespoon of peanut butter.  Then I rolled it into a ball See pic below.)

Then top with another teaspoonful of chocolate mixture. (tablespoon for regular size cups)

For fun and extra added cuteness, decorate with sprinkles! Refrigerate until set. Store in an airtight container.

This makes 3 dozen minature cups, and anywhere from 12 to 18 regular sized cups, depending on how you distribute the ingredients and how big you make the cups.

This post is sponsored by Petite Rouge. Are you looking for the perfect finishing touch? Petite Rouge has it. Simple, elegant blossoms to brighten up any outfit. Dainty enough for your smallest princess. Sophisticated enough for your growing girls. Clip on a headband or wear alone. 

I'm linking up at these weekly linky parties.


If you'd like to sponsor some posts on Simply Sweet Home, please email me for details.

Strawberry Cake Cookies

Have I mentioned to you that I love cake mix cookies?  Yeah! I think I have!  And I think before it's all over with, I'm probably going to make every flavor of cake mix cookie available to me.  It's know it sounds like a tough task, but I think I'm up to the challenge! LOL.

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, it seemed like the perfect time to try out some Strawberry Cookies.  I thought the pink would be fantastically festive for the holiday.  And once they were baked, I thought what could I add to really make them scream, "Happy Valentine's Day!"  My answer: Chocolate! Of course!  Hope you enjoy!

Recipe for Strawberry Cake Cookies:

Ingredients:
1 Strawberry Cake Mix (18.5 oz)
1 egg
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup oil

Directions:  Mix ingredients together with spoon or electric mixer.  Refrigerate for 20 minutes or so to keep dough from sticking to your hands. (If dough is still sticky, refrigerate a few minutes more.)  Roll into one inch balls and place on a non stick cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper or sprayed with cooking spray.   Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.  Edges should be lightly browned.

Decorating/Toppings: 

Ingredients:

Candy/Sugar Sprinkles

Almond Bark, Chocolate Chips, or a Chocolate Bar

To decorate the cookies, I immediately poured just a small amount of red candy sprinkles on them right after I took them out of the oven.  And usually I mix a spoon full sprinkles in with the actually dough before making, but I didn't do that this time. 

For the topping, I just took a couple of squares of almond bark and heated in the microwave for about a minute and half.  Don't forget to take the chocolate out every 15 seconds to stir, in order to prevent scorching.  Then just drizzle the chocolate on.  I was in a hurry so I just used a spoon and shook it back and forth to create a drizzled effect.  For a more professional look, you can use a piping bag. And if you don't have this you can put the chocolate in a ziplok bag with a tiny whole cut in the corner.

And here's a picture of some of the cookies that I kept plain. And I have to tell you, if you really want just a simple tasting, sweet treat, without all the frills, these plain strawberry cookies are just delightful!

I'm linking up at these parties..

Spotlight on Nicole's Homemade Treats

My newest sponsor will definitely leave you licking your lips! So "Go Ahead and Indulge!"

Nicole's Homemade Treats is a fabulous etsy shop offering yummy, delectable, sweet treats! 

Nicole is a stay at home mom of two boys and a military spouse. She uses candy-making as a stress reliever and creative outlet! She also enjoys baking, cooking, golf, playing with her kids, reading, socializing & working out. "Candy making, it is a great stress reliever and creative outlet for me! Selling my products locally and online is a fun and rewarding endeavor! I have spent many hours trying to get my treats 'just right!' It is safe to say that some of my first attempts were very interesting!"

Nicole's Homemade Treats is an LLC operating out of New York State. All the products are prepared in a fully licensed kitchen. NYS Dept. of Agriculture #31AAAA

The treats are prepared in small batches, to preserve the taste and quality of the product, and to ensure that there is no waste. It takes about 5-7 days to produce your order. But Nicole PROMISES - they will be worth the wait!

And if you're interested in only the highest quality sweets (and who isn't?), you'll be very impressed with Nicole's menu of products: "I make only all natural, preservative free products, and use as many organic ingredients as possible. My products may not have the shelf life of store bought products, no worries! They won't last very long!"

Nicole's Homemade Treats is also a very environmentally conscious company:  "The packaging products I use are considered 'green' because they are made using recycled products, or come from ecologically conscious companies. I am really conscious about who I purchase my products from - the majority come from local companies, farms, and shops, however if that is not possible I buy from companies that are known to be eco-friendly/green themselves."

"I hope you enjoy eating my treats as much as I like making them!"

Be sure to check out Nicole's Homemade Treats for all your Valentine's Day (and everyday) goodies!  You can also connect with Nicole at her blog and on twitter @Nikid70.

Go ahead and indulge!

Disclosure:  Nicole's Homemade Treats is a paid sponsor.  If you'd like to advertise on Simply Sweet Home, please see my PR Page. Rates start as low as $5.