Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Caramel apples are one of my favorite treats so I loved the idea of trying these caramel apple cupcakes. These were really simple to make and the kids loved helping me. The result was so delicious! Perfect for fall!
Ingredients:
1 package (18-1/4 ounces) spice cake mix or 1 package (18 ounces) carrot cake mix
2 cups chopped peeled tart apples
20 caramels
3 tablespoons milk(I used water, about 1 T. I melted the caramel in the microwave)
1 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
12 Popsicle sticks(I didn't use these)
Directions
Prepare cake batter according to package directions; fold in apples.
Fill 12 greased or paper-lined jumbo muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
In a saucepan, cook the caramels and milk over low heat until smooth. Spread over cupcakes. Sprinkle with pecans. Insert a wooden stick into the center of each cupcake.
(I made 24 regular size muffins)

Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home  Pin It

Treat #5 Chocolate Covered Pretzels

 This year, for my neighbors, I decided to make chocolate dipped pretzel sticks. I love chocolate covered pretzels. Probably  because, like the payday bars, I love the combination of sweet and salty. These were very easy to make. I put them in clear christmas gift bags, tied with a bow and a tag.

Ingredients:
large pretzel rods
Chocolate for melting( I used Wilton's melting chips in cocoa)
Candy, chopped
Ex-butterfingers,heath bits,sprinkles,mini chocolate chips, candy canes(The candy cane pieces and chocolate chips were a little bit harder to work with)
Directions:
Follow the melting directions on the back of your chocolate.  Spoon chocolate over half of the pretzel. Shake off excess. Sprinkle or spoon candy over the chocolate. Set on waxed paper. Once completely hardened, put in gift bags.

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Cookie #4 Payday Bars

One of my favorite candy bars, if not my favorite candy bar is a Payday. I love the combination of sweet and salty. While looking for new recipes to try for this week of cookies/treats, I came across a recipe for payday bars. I never had heard of them, but they sounded really good. I almost completely demolished the bars by burning myself on the hot pan and dropping half of the crust onto my oven door! However, I decided to take the remaining crust from the 9X13 pan, put it in a smaller square pan,  bake it for a few more minutes, and it was saved. I'm so glad, because this turned out to be such a great treat! Oh...and simple...

1st layer/The Crust:

1box yellow cake mix
2/3 c unsalted butter, softened
1 egg

Mix all of the ingredients, press into a slightly greased 9X13 pan. Bake at 350 for 12-18 minutes.(I baked mine for 20-25. Until the edges were golden)

Second Layer:

2 cups of marshmallows

Sprinkle marshmallows over top of crust. Bake for another 5 min.

3rd layer:

1 bag peanut butter chips
2 T. butter
2/3 cup corn syrup
2 cups crispy rice cereal
2 cups salted peanuts

Melt chips, butter and corn syrup in a saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in cereal and peanuts. Poor over base and spread evenly.(I had to press mine around)Cool, cut into squares.

Recipe from Gooseberry Patch-Old Fashioned Country Christmas Pin It

My Gingerbread Houses

What I'm about to say would have bakers everywhere screaming and mothers cheering...
For this week's ROTW I chose mini gingerbread houses. The inspiration came from the Martha Stewart site and graham crackers were used in place of gingerbread. That's not the part that would cause horror. This is. I put my houses together with a GLUE GUN! It worked liked a dream. I'm so glad the cashier at my grocery store gave me the idea. This week has been sooo busy and I wasn't about to try and put together multiple little houses with frosting. I've heard it is very time consuming. And besides, it's not like I'm going to eat them anyways. Do people actually do that? Me and my 2 kids had a lot of fun putting them together. I hope to make it a yearly tradition. I used the royal icing recipe that Kimberly posted along with her tip to use hair dye bottles(which worked great!).

Here are my houses.

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Night Before Christmas Mice

This mouse cookie recipe is a fun recipe to make with the kids. They are more of a cookie for decorating than a cookie that's going to win you best cookie recipe of the year. They have a sweet chocolatey taste, but I felt they were a bit dry. I still wanted to post them though, because the kids really liked them and my daughter had fun making her own little mice.

Ingredients:
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c softened butter
1/2 c shortening
1 t. vanilla
1 egg
2 1/4 flour
1/4 c. unsweetened  cocoa
1/2 t. baking powder
mini semi-sweet chocolate chips for eyes
red or black string licorice for tail

Beat sugar, butter, and shortening until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, mix well. Mix dry ingredients together and add to wet mixture. Mix well. Form into 1 inch ball, pinch/form nose. Form 2 little flat ears for each and put on head. Add choc. chips for eyes. Bake on un-greased cookie sheet at 325 for 8-10 minutes. Put the tails in right when you pull them out of the oven while still hot.

Makes 3 dozen mice

Recipe found in the Gooseberry Patch Old Fashioned Country Cookies cook book. Pin It

Gingerbread party

My mom loves starting traditions and one of the greatest things about her is that once she starts one, they really do become part of what makes our lives and holidays so special. One year, she wanted to have a gingerbread house decorating party for my sister (I want to say 15 or so years ago) and that one party became a tradition that we have done every year since. It is part of Christmas for us now. My mom passed the torch to me three years ago and it has been so much fun to share with my family and friends. This weeks ROTW was gingerbread houses so I thought I would post some of the pictures. The catch, if you will, is that each person invited to the party only has to bring two bags of candy to share with the rest of the guests. So each house will have the same candy on it but it is amazing how different each one turns out.

I buy my houses pre-made from a bakery in my home town as assembling them is time consuming, especially when you have to allow for dry time. If you want start a new tradition that I promise your children will cherish for years to come, give these little houses a try.

Royal Icing Recipe

3 egg whites

1lb powdered sugar

1/8 tsp cream of tarter

Mix all ingredients until thick with electric mixer, about 2-4 minutes.

Something to think about to make decorating easier. Put your icing or "glue" in a squeeze bottle like one you would use for home hair dying or they sell empty plastic squeeze bottles at most party stores, they are inexpensive and they make decorating a breeze. I think they work much better than the pastry bags.

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