When I was straightening out the cupboards the other day I came across a box of Graham Wafer Crumbs which was purchased to make Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries back in July; what to do with the remaining crumbs?

Yes, I have been wanting to make a Cheesecake but was not in the mood to get into something that time consuming. I saw the recipe for Rocky Road Bars on the box and thought, “Meh, why not?” even though I don’t eat ‘mallows. (tried to find a link to the original recipe but it is not listed on the HoneyMaid site)

1 1/2 cups Graham Wafer Crumbs
1/2 cup Butter, melted
1 1/2 cups shredded Coconut
1 1/2 cups chopped Nuts (Walnuts, Pecans, Peanuts)
300 g Chocolate Chips
1 1/2 cups Mini ‘Mallows, if using
1 cup Dried Cranberries
1 can (300ml) Sweetened Condensed MIlk

Topping
1/2 cup Milk Chocolate Chips,  melted
1/4 cup smooth Peanut Butter, melted and with 1 Tablespoon Icing Sugar stirred in

Preheat oven to 350F

Pour crumbs into 9X13 baking pan.
Pour melted butter over crumbs, mix well then press evenly and firmly into pan.
Layer coconut, nuts, chocolate chips and ‘mallows (if using), dried cranberries evenly over base.
Drizzle condensed milk evenly over top.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from oven, drizzle with melted chocolate.
Drizzle or pipe melted peanut butter.
Allow to cool for a few minutes, cut into bars and cool completely.

Snickerdoodles, Snickerdoodles, Snickerdoodles! Go on, tell someone that you Love Snickerdoodles! They will probably giggle, say “What’s a snicker….?” or they will say “I know right! They are the best!” Either way, everyone should experience a Snickerdoodle at least once.
Alright, so now you are in love with Snickerdoodles and you want to make them ALL the time! The truth is, they are a little on the fussy side to make (that is, if your idea of making cookies is slicing up Pillsbury Cookie dough or popping open a box of frozen cookie pucks from M&M meats…ok, really, cookies? At a meat shop? )
No worries, I have found the answer to your conundrum; Snickerdoodle Blondies!  Just mix it up, pour into baking dish, done in the time it takes the oven to preheat!

2 1/3 cups Flour
1 1/4 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3/4 cup Butter, softened
1 1/4 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
3 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Cinnamon Filling
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
Glaze
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 – 2 Tablespoon Milk
Splash of Vanilla

Preheat oven 350F.
Lightly spray a 9X13 pan with vegetable oil spray.

In small bowl combine 1 Tablespoon Sugar and 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon; set aside.
In small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In large mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar, brown sugar and vanilla for about 2 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time a time, stirring well after each addition.
With mixer on low speed, stir in flour mixture until smooth, about 1  minute.
Spoon half the batter in the prepared baking pan and spread evenly.
Sprinkle with Cinnamon/Sugar mixture.
Dollop small teaspoon size amounts of  remaining batter evenly over cinnamon/sugar mixture.
Bake in 350F oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool completely.
In small bowl combine icing sugar, vanilla and milk, to desired consistency, (start with about 1 Tablespoon of milk-easier to start with a little milk and add more if need than to add more powdering icing sugar!) and stir until no lumps remain.
Load into a piping bag and drizzle over Snickerdoodle Bars. (or drizzle with a spoon)

There are a gazillion Snickerdoodle recipes out there! I am a huge fan of the Betty Crocker Cookbook so I relied on Betty for my Snickerdoodle Brownies.

The Grandsons are staying over for a couple of nights during a school week which means making lunches for them. The last time they were here on a school night I made Brownies and was quickly informed that “I don’t do Chocolate, Granny!” Ooops…so after dinner tonight, while the oven was still on I popped a pan of Butterscotch Brownies into the oven; the verdict is in, they are a huge hit!

1/2 cup Butter
2 cups Brown Sugar, lightly packed
2 large Eggs
1 1/2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 cup chopped Pecans, optional

Lightly spray a 9X13 (4l) pan with vegetable oil spray.
Preheat oven to 350F.

In medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter, stirring often.
Remove from heat.
Add brown sugar and stir until dissolved.
Stir in eggs and vanilla.
Add flour, baking powder and salt all at once and stir until well combined.
Finally add chopped pecans, if using, mixing well.

Pour into prepared pan and bake in 350F oven for 25 minutes.
Remove from oven, cool, in the pan on a wire rack for a few minutes.
Sprinkle with Butterscotch chips, if desired, gently pushing them into the Blondies.
After cooling for a few minutes, cut into desired amount of squares and allow to cool completely.