White Chocolate M&M's and Peanut Butter Blondies

A few weeks ago I made some more blondies.  It's the same recipe as the one I made the night it sleeted here last February.  It is such a yummy recipe.  But, this time I added peanut butter chips and white chocolate m&m's that were colored orange, yellow, and white like candy corns.  So festive!

These blondies really are a winner.  They are so versatile and are a great dessert to take to a party or just enjoy at home.

Reese's now has a white chocolate peanut butter cup.  They are so good.  So, when I saw I had some peanut butter chips and the white chocolate m&m's, I had to combine them in the blondes.

I also love this cookie tin.  It is spray painted in chalkboard paint, so you can change the message for different occasions.  I think I need to go find all the cookie tins I can and paint them all for my upcoming cookie exchange this Christmas!  Have some sitting around?  Paint them and use them to deliver your baked goods to friends :)

You could totally switch out these fall m&m's for red and green.  They'd be super cute in your new tin.  Just sayin'.

Here's the recipe.  It's adapted from my good friend, Eliza.


Blondies

2/3 cup melted butter
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
2 2/3 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup m&m's, plus extra for sprinkling on the top before baking
1 cup peanut butter chips

Blend together the butter and brown sugar.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time.  Then add the dry ingredients, mixing well.  Finally, add in the m&m's and peanut butter chips.  Spread into a 9x13 inch pan and sprinkle on a few extra m&m's.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.  The blondies will be gooey in the middle-- bake longer to avoid the need for a spoon.  :)

Chocolate Covered "Pumpkin" Pretzels

I don't know about you, but I love chocolate covered pretzels.  I love chocolate covered anything for the most part (who doesn't?).  They fall into the "snack" foods category, and I am such a snacker.  I have to keep it in check or it'll get me in trouble.  I think I come by it honestly as there are other snackers in my family.  Whenever I go to my grandparent's house and look in the pantry, my grandmother has the best snack items in there for my grandfather.  And she usually always has chocolate covered pretzels.

I few weeks ago, when I was on Pinterest, I came across these pretzels, and knew I had to make them.  It wasn't a question of if, but when I would make them.  I love festive foods, too.  So, these were right up my ally!

Now, I will say these can be a bit labor intensive (at least it might seem that way if you start the project at 9:15 pm).  But, they are totally worth it!  If you have never gone to the kitchen to cook something up at 9:15 pm, you should go make these. :)

Here's the recipe.  I made a slight alteration to use the candy bark instead of the white chocolate.  It may not be as "real", but it's definitely simpler.

Chocolate Covered "Pumpkin" Pretzels

Pretzel twists
Green M&M's
White almond bark
Orange or red and yellow food coloring

Melt the almond bark according to the package directions.  Once it is melted, add the food coloring until you reach the color of orange you would like.  If you use red and yellow, use the ratio of two drops of yellow for every drop of red.  I used eight drops of yellow and four drops of the red.  Then, dip each pretzel in the almond bark and then place it on wax paper.  Immediately add the green M&M at the top.  Let the pretzels set completely before storing them.  You can cover them and place them in the fridge overnight to set, and they'll be perfect.

S'mores Pie

I don't know about you, but I love, love, love a s'more.  The whole process of picking out my marshmallows (yes, that was plural), roasting them over the fire, the melting chocolate, and the graham crackers.  I could go on, because they are so delicious and a perfect summer treat.  I usually have two.  I mean, if I'm going to be hanging out at a campfire, which doesn't happen that often, I might as well take advantage of the opportunity, right?  Besides, I probably hiked to the camp fire spot.

Well, I recently came across this recipe on the Tasty Kitchen blog for a S'mores Pie.  It looked divine and a great way to enjoy a s'more inside the A/C.  That's important here in Arkansas. ;)

I made this for a dinner I went to recently.  We finished the pie that night, and my roommate and I were trying to figure out a reason to make another one ASAP.  

The pie has a soft cookie crust, ooey gooey marshmallow cream, a layer of yummy chocolate bars, a sprinkling of mini marshmallows, a top cookie crust and finishing touch of chocolate chips.  The chocolate melts, and all the marshmallows bubble up and become toasty on top.  

This is definitely a crowd pleaser.  Once you have a slice, you might need a second one (not that I'm speaking from experience or anything).

Here is the link to the original recipe.  I did make one alteration-- the original calls for 8 Hershey bars, but I only used 4, which turned out to be plenty!