Holiday Toffee

This stuff is amazing. I dream about it as Christmas approaches. Seriously, I made a batch Sunday and now I am sitting here at my computer eating some and I just had to post it. This recipe is so easy and delicious! It is also perfect for putting in little bags tied with ribbon for gifts! It makes a LOT as written, but can be halved easily. Just ignore how much butter and sugar are in it...it is worth it! And hey, it IS Christmas after all!

Ingredients:

2 boxes Crispix cereal
2 cups melted butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Spray 2 large baking sheets with Pam and fill with cereal, set aside. Melt butter in a medium size sauce pan over medium heat. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and baking soda. It will start to bubble and expand a little.

Pour liquid evenly over cereal, don't mix. be very careful, it is hot! Place pans in preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

You can also try fun variations like adding nuts of your choice, or chocolate chips the last 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Homemade Granola Bars

This recipe is from Barefoot Contessa. It is pretty simple and very delicious. Ben loves these!

You can play around with the dried fruit, I have tried dried cherries and have also tried them as written. I am not a big fan of the apricots. My favorite combination so far has been with dried cranberries and dates and then sprinkle white chocolate chips over the top before baking. Yummy! Hope you give these a try, you won't be sorry!

Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.

Pour the mixture into a 8 X 12 baking dish that has been sprayed liberally with Pam. Using the back of a spatula, press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.

Apple Chips

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (at least, more to taste)

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (this was my modification to original recipe, can be left out)

4 apples, sliced crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick rounds

Instructions:

Heat oven to 225 degrees. Mix sugar and cinnamon (and nutmeg if desired) in a bowl. Arrange apple slices on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper; sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake 1 hour; peel apples off parchment and return to paper. Continue baking until golden and crisp, 30 - 60 minutes more. Store in an airtight container up to 5 days.

Whole Grain Carrot Muffins

Don't let the name fool you...these taste a lot better than they sound! They actually have a nice sweetness to them, and taste a bit like a bran muffin. Delicious if served warm with a little butter! They definitely don't taste like carrots at all, so don't let that stop you.

Ingredients:

-1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

-1 Cup white flour

-3/4 cup Brown Sugar

-2 tsp baking powder

-1 tsp baking soda

-1/2 tsp salt

-1 tsp cinnamon

-3 eggs

-1/2 cup canola oil

-1 tsp vanilla

-1 cup carrot puree

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix all ingredients.

3. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through. I found 20 minutes to be a bit long, my muffins were a tad dry on the bottom. 16 -18 minutes would probably be plenty.

4. Optional frosting: Frost with 4 oz light cream cheese, 1/3 cup powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp of vanilla blended.