Krispy Apple Treats

It's time for some fun School Snacks! How about these adorable little Rice Krispy Apple Treats?

Little C and I made these after school one day to share with her school class, they were a hit! She did a great job!

Speaking of those kiddos in the kitchen, I just added the "Featured Little Foodie" of the week to my sidebar! If you have a cooking pic of your kids/neices/nephews/grandkids/neighbors and want to be featured, email me your photos and we'll let those Little Foodies have the spotlight! (If you have a blog, we'll also link to you). I also have a secret for making your Rice Krispy Treats hold together a little better and also giving them a yummy color/flavor! Jell-o!! Add a small package to your batch after you melt the marshmallows. You will LOVE IT! I can't wait to make orang-ey pumpkins for Halloween!
I guess it's not a secret anymore...

Krispy Apple Treats
Makes 25
Ingredients:
6 C. Krispy Rice Cereal
1 pkg. large marshmallows
3 T. butter
1 small pkg. Jell-o powder, cherry or strawberry flavor
25 small Tootsie Roll Candies
Royal Icing, tinted green
Baking spray
Wax Paper
Red Food Coloring, optional
optional: you could use fruit roll-ups or those green mint leaf candies instead of the royal icing.

Directions:
Place marshmallows and butter in large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir and microwave for an additional minute. Remove from microwave and stir in jell-o powder. If desired, you can add a few drops of red food coloring (depending on how "red" your jell-o is). Add Krispy Rice cereal and stir well. Spray hands with baking spray and roll mixture into balls (a little larger than a golf ball) and drop on wax paper. After balls have set for a few minutes, use your thumb to press into the top to make an "apple" shape.
Add a small tootsie roll "stem" and using royal icing (or any green candy), pipe on a "leaf". I actually would have rather used some kind of green candy but didn't have any on hand. I just used royal icing and a leaf-shaped icing tip.
Serve to your favorite kiddos! These would also be a really fun "Teacher Appreciation Day" snack!

Apple Teacher Baskets

This year we made easy and cute baskets for the girls' teachers with my contact info and just a little blurb about our child (this is an especially great idea if you have a child with allergies, etc.!)

I was inspired by these adorable caramel apple boxes that I found on vacation! You can check your local cake/candy supply store, I also found some online here.
In the baskets, we placed a Bath & Body Works Apple Hand Sanitizer, a little pack of these SUPER CUTE (& free!) printable cards from Posh Pixels Studio, and a Caramel Apple.

I'm sure you've all made caramel apples before, so I won't insult your intelligence! I will say that I love Peters Caramel Loaf--it is SO GOOD for any candy and especially apples. After the apples are dipped in caramel and have set up on wax paper, we like to add...
CHOCOLATE AND SPRINKLES!
(in our school colors, of course!)

You can entirely dip the apple in chocolate...
or just add some fancy drizzles...
All ready to be boxed up and sent off to school!
The girls loved this easy project (and so did I!).
I'd love to hear any back-to-school traditions you have! Are you ready/excited for school?

Apple Surprise Mini Pies

When trying to eat right, no need to always skip dessert, just make it fabulous and an appropriate size. So, how about these adorable
Apple Surprise Mini Pies

The surprise? There's actually a cheesecake layer beneath the apple pie filling!

How cute would these be as end-of-the-year Teacher gifts? We used half pint jars but you could use ramekins or whatever else you want.

Apple Surprise Mini Pies
makes 12

Ingredients:

1 3/4 C. (1 package) Graham Crackers
1/3 C. butter, melted
24 oz. (3 pkg) Philadelphia Cream Cheese
3/4 C. sweetened condensed milk
2/3 C. white sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 cans apple pie filling

2 Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts
12 half pint canning jars or ramekins
Drinking glass (a little larger than your jar lids), to cut out crust

Directions:
Place graham crackers in ziploc bag and crush. I think this was the kids' favorite part. Wham! Wham! Wham!

Pour melted butter into baggie with graham crackers and shake to mix well. Place 2 heaping tablespoons of graham cracker mixture into bottom of a half pint jar and carefully spread around.
For cheesecake layer, beat cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add sugar, eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice and mix well. Place 1/3 c. of cream cheese mixture into each jar.
Fill jars to the top with apple pie filling (about 1/2 C).

Unroll pie crust. Find a drinking glass or round cookie cutter that is about 1/2" larger than your jar lid and cut out 4 circles. Re-roll remaing dough and cut out 2 more circles. Repeat with other pie crust. If desired, cut small slits or a little shape in the middle of your crust.
Place one cutout crust on each jar and pinch edges to resemble a pie crust. Finish with a light dusting of white sugar.
Place on a cookie sheet (just in case any of them leak, you don't want to clean that out of your oven!) and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes until pie crusts are browned. I came back in the kitchen to find these two little bakers waiting veeeeeery patiently for their pies to come out of the oven... Remove from oven. Tie a small ribbon around each jar, if desired, and serve. I can't wait to make these for our next sit-down dinner, they'd be adorable served to each guest for dessert!
A note: if you aren't serving these within an hour or so, you should refrigerate them. They're also fabulous right out of the fridge, we had some for breakfast.:)

Back to School Treats Roundup!

It's almost School Time and you know what time that is at our house.....

time to make Back to School Edible Crayons!

My kids LOVE making them, probably because they can do almost everything themselves and they always come out looking great! It's become a favorite family tradition and if you haven't tried them yet, go here for instructions and free printable crayon labels.
I have seen SO MANY fun Back to School treats that I had to share them with you! Here's the roundup. Click title or image to get instructions from their website/blog.

Pencil Cookies
from Bridget at Bake at 350

School Bus Cookies
from Bright Ideas

Blackboard Cupcakes
from Family Fun
Apple Cupcakes
from Kara's Cupcakes Apple Cake Pops
from Bakerella

Do you have any Back to School traditions?
I'd love to hear them!

100 Day Cupcakes

Big C just had her 100th day of Kindergarten! Good job Big Girl! We celebrated by making these for her class.
Speaking of fun, there's a cool new recipe site up by Better Homes & Gardens called Mixing Bowl. It's a great place to store, post, and share recipes! They're having a cupcake contest, so grab your favorite recipe and go enter! You could win $200 and be featured in their magazine!
I submitted my Chili Cacao Mayan Cupcakes. Feel free to go there and vote for me!;) You can enter as many times as you want and vote once per day. Contest ends March 2.

To make "100 Day Cupcakes":
Simply take your favorite cupcakes, frost with icing, place a circus peanut for "1" and two peach gummy rings for "00". Top with a few sprinkles and time to celebrate!

Hunky Gourmet Dad and I are off for a weekend getaway, I'll see you on Monday!