Monday, December 12, 2011

Caramel Nut Revel Bars ( The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap)

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap

I signed up for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap with cookieswap@loveandoliveoil.com with Lindsay and Julie. It is a secret Santa style swap- so I am not supposed to contact my matches until after the swap! Lindsay and Julie told me not to ruin the surprise. I am terrible with secrets, this is killing me! I want to call my swap matches and ask- Did you get the cookie bars? Did they arrive in bars and not crumbs? Do you like them? Do you really ? Huh? Huh? Oh yeah, this is torture! So far, I have received one dozen cookies from my secret Santa and they were oh- so- yummy! I baked over three dozen bars and shipped one dozen cookies to three different people! I can't wait for the responses!

These bars are so dreamy and delicious, your kids will be fighting over them, Amy's kids were- LOL!

All of my favorite cookie bar ingredients, Oatmeal crust, caramel, chocolate, roasted almond slivers, marshmallows.....YES!!

This is what the picture looks like in the magazine- oh please let my cookie bars turn out like these!

It came out better than the photo!

Sunshine on my cookie bars, makes me happy, sunshine in my eyes....la dee da......Caramel Nut Revel Bars for The Cookie Swap

1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats ( I used regular oats)
1 14 ounce can (1-1/4 cups) sweetened condensed milk
1 12 ounce package (2 cups) semisweet chocolate pieces
1 cup chopped walnuts ( I used roasted almond slivers)
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

1. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the butter or margarine. In a large mixing bowl beat the remaining butter or margarine with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar; beat until well mixed. Beat in eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla. In another large bowl stir together flour and baking soda; stir in oats. Gradually stir dry mixture into beaten mixture. Set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan combine the reserved butter or margarine, the sweetened condensed milk, and chocolate pieces. Cook over low heat until chocolate melts, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in walnuts and the 2 teaspoons vanilla.

3. Press two-thirds (about 3-1/3 cups) of the oat mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Spread chocolate mixture over the oat mixture. Using your fingers, dot remaining oat mixture over the chocolate.

4. Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 25 minutes or until top is lightly browned (chocolate mixture will still look moist). Cool on a wire rack. Cut into 2x1-inch bars. Makes about 75 bars.

Make Ahead Tip Line the baking pan with foil, extending the foil over edges of pan. Prepare and bake bars in foil-lined pan as above. Cool; lift bars out of pan on the foil. Place uncut bars in freezer bag or container. Seal, label, date, and freeze up to 1 month. Thaw bars at room temperature about 15 minutes. Once thawed, cut into bars.

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens
Christmas Cookies Magazine.

These are the adorable boxes that I used for the cookie swap!

Santa's elf helping me with packaging and wrapping the cookie bars!

My Christmas Wreath that I made with help from Sweet Annie Designs.

One of the Christmas wreaths from Church.

My beautiful bouquets from my loving friends and paper whites about to pop! Merry Christmas 2011! Love, Nettie This post has been linked up to some of my favorite blogs!!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Crazy Cooking Challenge FAST FRIENDLY FUDGE

This month's Crazy Cooking challenge is.......drum roll......you guessed it FUDGE!! Oh fudge! In case you aren't familiar with the Crazy Cooking Challenge, you are supposed to use a recipe from another blogger, so I asked all my foodie friends for their favorite fudge recipe and Chef Felisha Wild at OUR DAILY SALT sent me her's literally 2 seconds later, I know, she is SOOO efficient and so cool and like a totally radical Chef oh my God totally, yes my Valley comes out when I am talking about Chef's and fudge. But seriously, this is the first time that I have ever made fudge, I know, crazy, right? So when Chef Felisha sent me her recipe for her Fabulous Fudge, I was so excited and a bit nervous, I thought I had to use a candy thermometer, I hate human thermometer's why would I want to do that to the poor fudge... No way, no thermometer, we are in business Chef!!


Here's what you need for this fabulous fudge. By the way, I gave some to all my friends and they loved it! I made it the day before my birthday and served it to everyone, they had no choice, how can you say no to FUDGE!! Especially from a birthday girl!!

Combine sugar, butter, milk in a saucepan.

Bring to a full rolling boil, five minutes.

Add chocolate.

"Stir it up, 'lil darlin'!"

Add marshmallow fluff.

Add nuts.

Place in a pan covered with parchment paper.

Hello big boy, where have you been all my life? Come to Mama!

Fast Friendly Fudge

Ingredients

3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup margarine ( I used butter)
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 12-oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 7-oz. Marshmallow Fluff

1 cup chopped nuts ( I used pecans)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stove-top Directions

Combine sugar, margarine/or butter and milk in heavy 2-1/2 quart saucepan; bring to full rolling boil, stirring constantly
Continue boiling 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring.
Remove from heat, stir in chocolate until melted.
Add marshmallow creme, nuts & vanilla beat till blended.
Pour into 13 x 9-inch baking pan lined with parchment paper. Let cool turn out the fudge and cut into squares

Microwave Directions

Microwave margarine/or butter in 4-quart microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) 1 minute or until melted
Add sugar and milk; mix well. Microwave on HIGH 5 minutes or until mixture begins to boil, stirring after 3 minutes
Mix well; scrape bowl. Continue microwaving on HIGH 5-1/2 minutes; stir after 3 minutes
Stir in chips until melted. Add remaining ingredients; mix well
Pour into 13 x 9-inch baking pan lined with parchment paper. Let cool at room temperature, turn out the fudge and cut into squares.

If you use a smaller pan you’ll get thicker fudge. Recipe from my friend at Our Daily Salt, Chef Felisha's FAST FRIENDLY FUDGE! I have linked up this recipe to these fabulous blogs! Please vote for my fudge when you go over to the Crazy Cooking Challenge! Thanks! Nettie

I have linked up with these fabulous blogs!

Now, go ahead and CLICK LIKE on #81

the Fast and Friendly Fudge and VOTE for ME!

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