Photo & Recipe courtesy of Chex.com

Day 23 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookies: Puppy Chow aka Chex Mix Muddy Buddies

I first learned of this recipe at my inlaws house.  They make this every Christmas and they call this recipe Puppy Chow.  I’ve also seen this recipe called Muddy Buddies.  Whatever you call it, it is super yummy and very easy to make! This definitely isn’t a cookie, but it is a holiday staple in our house!

Ingredients
9 cups Rice Chex®, Corn Chex® or Chocolate Chex® cereal (or combination)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

**Peanut butter and chocolate are a favorite flavor combo, but peanut butter lovers can substitute peanut butter chips for the chocolate chips to intensify that flavor.

Directions
1) Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.
2) In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.
3) Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Photo & Recipe Courtesy of FoodNetwork.com

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Photo & Recipe Courtesy of KraftRecipes.com

Day 21 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookies: NILLA Tiramisu Cookie Balls

I haven’t tried this recipe yet! I received it via email it looks so good that I had to post it! If any of you try this, you will have to let me know how it turns out!

Ingredients
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
60 NILLA Wafers, finely crushed (about 2 cups)
3 Tbsp.MAXWELL HOUSE INTERNATIONAL CAFÉ Café Vienna, divided
2 pkg. (6 squares each) BAKER’S White Chocolate, melted
2 squaresBAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

Directions
1) MIX cream cheese, cookie crumbs and 1 Tbsp. coffee until well blended.
2) SHAPE into 36 (1-inch) balls. Freeze 10 min. Mix white chocolate and remaining coffee. Dip balls in white chocolate mixture; place in single layer in shallow waxed paper-lined pan. Drizzle with semi-sweet chocolate.
3) REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm.

Picture & Recipe Courtesy of Pillsbury.com

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Photo and Recipe courtesy of Jillian B

**I am behind on our Christmas Cookies recipes!  This post has five recipes for you! Enjoy!

Every day between 11/30/11  and Christmas Eve, I will post 25 Days of Christmas Cookies. I would love your help! If you have a favorite cookie/bar to make this time of year, I would love for you to email me a picture of the finished product as well as a step by step recipe for it. I will then post your recipe and thousands of Addicted to Saving readers will get the chance to try out your recipe! Email me at addictedtosaving at hotmail dot com (all one word).

Day 16 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookies: Candy Cane Peppermint Bark

This is an adorable and extremely simple recipe. This is more of a candy recipe versus a cookie recipe.  Anyone who enjoys eating peppermint candy will love this!

Ingredients
1 Bag Candy Melts in Candy Cane Flavor (or Hershey’s Candy Cane kisses)
Mini Candy Canes

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Picture & Recipe courtesy of The Famous Ashley Grant

One of my favorite things about this time of the year is baking cookies. I love baking cookies to give away to friends and family. There was one year when money was so tight that the only gift we gave to friends and family was cookie trays. (I made 18 different types of cookies that year!) To me, sometimes homemade gifts like this are treasured more than gifts you buy and wrap. Typically, what I do is bake lots of cookies over one or two days. I then freeze them until we get closer to Christmas. I then thaw all the cookies and make cookie trays to give away once the week of Christmas is upon us.

Every day between 11/30/11  and Christmas Eve, I will post 25 Days of Christmas Cookies. I would love your help! If you have a favorite cookie/bar to make this time of year, I would love for you to email me a picture of the finished product as well as a step by step recipe for it. I will then post your recipe and thousands of Addicted to Saving readers will get the chance to try out your recipe! Email me at addictedtosaving at hotmail dot com (all one word).

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Picture & Recipe courtesy of Barefoot Contessa & Food Network

One of my favorite things about this time of the year is baking cookies. I love baking cookies to give away to friends and family. There was one year when money was so tight that the only gift we gave to friends and family was cookie trays. (I made 18 different types of cookies that year!) To me, sometimes homemade gifts like this are treasured more than gifts you buy and wrap. Typically, what I do is bake lots of cookies over one or two days. I then freeze them until we get closer to Christmas. I then thaw all the cookies and make cookie trays to give away once the week of Christmas is upon us.

Every day between 11/30/11  and Christmas Eve, I will post 25 Days of Christmas Cookies. I would love your help! If you have a favorite cookie/bar to make this time of year, I would love for you to email me a picture of the finished product as well as a step by step recipe for it. I will then post your recipe and thousands of Addicted to Saving readers will get the chance to try out your recipe! Email me at addictedtosaving at hotmail dot com (all one word).

[Read more…]

Picture & Recipe courtesy of Melanie N.

One of my favorite things about this time of the year is baking cookies. I love baking cookies to give away to friends and family. There was one year when money was so tight that the only gift we gave to friends and family was cookie trays. (I made 18 different types of cookies that year!) To me, sometimes homemade gifts like this are treasured more than gifts you buy and wrap. Typically, what I do is bake lots of cookies over one or two days. I then freeze them until we get closer to Christmas. I then thaw all the cookies and make cookie trays to give away once the week of Christmas is upon us.

Every day between 11/30/11  and Christmas Eve, I will post 25 Days of Christmas Cookies. I would love your help! If you have a favorite cookie/bar to make this time of year, I would love for you to email me a picture of the finished product as well as a step by step recipe for it. I will then post your recipe and thousands of Addicted to Saving readers will get the chance to try out your recipe! Email me at addictedtosaving at hotmail dot com (all one word).

Day 13 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookes: Reindeer Cupcakes

Melanie N emailed me this adorable Reindeer Cupcakes recipe.  I know that this isn’t a cookie recipe, but it is adorable and perfectly appropriate for this time of year!  It is a very simple recipe to make which I know all of us appreciate!  This will be a winner for the kids in your life as well as the adults!

Ingredients

Cake Mix (flavor of your choice)
Chocolate Frosting
Mini Marshmallows
Pretzel Sticks
M&M’s
Tootsie rolls
Mini Vanilla Wafers
Chocolate Chips

Directions

1) Bake cupcakes according to package and frost with chocolate frosting.
2) For eyes, flatten mini marshmallows to make the “white” of the eye. Place on cupcake. Dot with a small amount of frosting to serve as “glue” and place a chocolate chip in the center of each marshmallow. Place a mini vanilla wafer for the reindeers “snout”. Again use a small dab of frosting to glue on an M&M for his nose. Stick in two pretzel sticks for his antlers. Break a tootsie roll in half and shape each half into ears, place on either side of the antlers to complete your reindeer.

Christmas Cookies Recap:

Day 1 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookies Recipe: Peanut Butter Blossoms
Day 2 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookie Recipe: Rainbow Cookies
Day 3 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookie Recipe: Monster Cookies
Day 4 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookie Recipe: Hot Cocoa Cookies
Day 5 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookie Recipe: Jam Thumbprints
Day 6 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookie Recipe: Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Day 7 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookie Recipe: Lemon Sugar Cookies
Day 8 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookie Recipe: Easy as Fudge
Day 9 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookie Recipe: Chocolate Mint Brownies
Day 10 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookie Recipe: Snowball Cookies
Day 11 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookie Recipe: Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars
Day 12 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookie Recipe: Rich Dark Chocolate Tiger Cookies

Photo & Recipe Courtesy of Joy of Baking

**I’m behind on my cookie posts so today’s post has three days worth of cookie recipes.  Enjoy! 🙂

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Photo & Recipe Courtesy of Joy of Baking

One of my favorite things about this time of the year is baking cookies. I love baking cookies to give away to friends and family. There was one year when money was so tight that the only gift we gave to friends and family was cookie trays. (I made 18 different types of cookies that year!) To me, sometimes homemade gifts like this are treasured more than gifts you buy and wrap. Typically, what I do is bake lots of cookies over one or two days. I then freeze them until we get closer to Christmas. I then thaw all the cookies and make cookie trays to give away once the week of Christmas is upon us.

Every day between 11/30/11  and Christmas Eve, I will post 25 Days of Christmas Cookies. I would love your help! If you have a favorite cookie/bar to make this time of year, I would love for you to email me a picture of the finished product as well as a step by step recipe for it. I will then post your recipe and thousands of Addicted to Saving readers will get the chance to try out your recipe! Email me at addictedtosaving at hotmail dot com (all one word).

Day 9 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookes: Chocolate Mint Brownies

I first tried this yummy chocolaty mint treat when I was just a kid.  My aunt made it every Christmas and I have to say that my hands were constantly reaching for one brownie after another.  I know these are not cookies, but when I make my cookie trays, I always add these brownies because I think they are adorable with their green mint layer.  And, I cut them so that they are bite-sized which makes them more like a small piece of fudge.  This recipe is a bit more time and labor intensive than other bars or brownie recipes but it will be worth it in the end!

Ingredients

Brownie Layer:
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces (114 grams) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (65 grams) all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mint Layer:
2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (115 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted
1 – 1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract or 1-2 tablespoons creme de menthe
green food coloring (optional)

Chocolate Glaze:
3 ounces (90 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Have ready a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) square baking pan that has been lined with aluminum foil across the bottom and up two opposite sides of the pan. Set aside.

Brownies:
1) In a stainless steel (heatproof) bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate.
2) Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla extract.
3) Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (with a wooden spoon) after each addition.
4) Stir in the flour and salt and beat, with a wooden spoon, until the batter is smooth and glossy and comes away from the sides of the pan (about one minute). Pour the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan.
5) Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until the brownies start to pull away from the sides of the pan and the edges of the brownies are just beginning to brown. A toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies will come out almost clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to completely cool.

Mint Layer:
1) In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat all the ingredients until smooth.
2) Add a few drops of green food coloring if you want the frosting green. If the frosting is too thick, add a little extra cream. (The frosting should be just thin enough to spread.)
3) Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled brownie layer.
4) Place in the refrigerator for about 5-10 minutes or until firm.

Chocolate Glaze:
1) In a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter.
2)Spread over the mint filling and refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until the chocolate glaze starts to dull.

To Serve: Remove the brownies from the pan by lifting with the ends of the foil and transfer to a cutting board. With a sharp knife, cut into 30 squares. It is a good idea to wipe your knife between cuts with a damp cloth. These brownies can be stored in the refrigerator for several days or else frozen.

Makes about 30 1-inch (2.5 cm) squares.

Christmas Cookies Recap:

Day 1 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookies Recipe: Peanut Butter Blossoms
Day 2 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookie Recipe: Rainbow Cookies
Day 3 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookie Recipe: Monster Cookies
Day 4 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookie Recipe: Hot Cocoa Cookies
Day 5 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookie Recipe: Jam Thumbprints
Day 6 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookie Recipe: Cinnamon Roll Cookies
Day 7 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookie Recipe: Lemon Sugar Cookies
Day 8 of 25 Days of Christmas Cookie Recipe: Easy as Fudge