Monkey Bars

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 cup melted margarine
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine ingredients and press into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Frosting Ingredients

• 3/4 cup white corn syrup
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)

Combine white corn syrup and sugar in saucepan and barely bring to a boil, for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add peanut butter. Stir well and spreat onto the baked crust. Let cool for 10 minutes.

Topping

For a topping melt 1 cup of chocolate chips with 2 to 3 squares of white almond bark to drip over the frosting. Sprinkle with crushed and salted peanuts.

Top

Apricot Cream Cheese Pastries

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter room temperature
• 6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 cups flour, stirred and scooped onto measuring cup
• 1 jar apricot preserves
• powdered sugar

Beat together butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Cut in flour as would pie crust. Form dough into 2 or 3 flattened disks and wrap around waxed paper. (Cut sheet of paper about 18 inches.) Refrigerate 1 hour or more. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out dough thin, about 1/8 inch on waxed paper. Cut into 2 inch squares and place 1/2 teaspoon preservers in the center. Bring the opposite corners across the preserves and press lightly to seal. If the dough is too soft at this point, just slide the waxed paper with the dough on it, onto a cookie sheet and freeze a couple of minutes. Line cookie sheets with waxed paper and spray with cooking spray. Place cookies on prepared sheet pan, dust with powdered sugar.

Bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned. Leave on pan and dust with powdered sugar immediately.

Top

Apple Squares

Ingredients

• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup whie sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vinilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped apple
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 2 tsp white sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x9 inch pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon; set aside. In a large bowl, mix together melted butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup of white sugar with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture until just combined, then stir in the apples and walnuts. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. In a cup or small bowl, stir together the remaining cinnamon and white sugar; sprinkle over the top of the bars. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven; Finished bars should spring back when lightly touched. Cool in the pan, and cut into squares.

Top

White Cheddar & Bacon Dip

• 1 cup Vermont white cheddar, shredded
• 1/2 cup cheddar jack cheese or cheese of your choice, shredded
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 8 slices bacon
• 2 tablespoons of green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon jalapeno peppers, diced (optional)
• Flatbread or crackers for dipping

Cook bacon on stovetop according to directions. Once cooked, place bacon on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Once cooled, chop bacon into small pieces. Reserve 1/3 of the bacon pieces for topping. Mix white cheddar, cream cheese, green onions and 2/3 of crumbled bacon, then place in an oven-safe casserole dish. Bake in 400˚F oven for approximately 15 minutes or until heated through and edges start to bubble. You can also do this on your grill by placing the oven safe dish directly on the grill over medium high heat. If cooking over the grill make sure to give the dip a stir every 2 minutes or so to evenly melt all the cheeses. While baking, toast flatbread in oven or if cooking on the grill you can toast the flatbread directly on the grill until grill marks form and give you those great grill marks. Once the cheese in the dip is fully melted and the dip begins to bubble, remove and top with the remaining bacon and cheddar jack cheese. Finish with chopped fresh parsley. Serve with flatbread or crackers for dipping. For a more liquid texture add milk to desired consistency.

Top

S'mores Cookie Bars

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup butter

Topping

• 2 cups marshmallow cream
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl cram together sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and graham cracker crumbs. Slowly mix your dry ingredients into sugar mixture until just blended. Spread 1/2 of dough on bottom of pan. Add a layer of marshmallow cream. Add a layer of chocolate chips. Top with remaining cookie dough. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Cool.

Top

Andes Mint Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon mint extract
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup Andes mint baking pieces
• Andes mints

In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until light colored. Cream in white and brown sugar. Beat in the vanilla and mint extract and the egg. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa. Stir into the wet ingredients and add the Andes mint pieces. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the balls on a cookie sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 9-11 minutes. Remove them from the oven and immediately place 1 Andes mint on top of the cookie. Let them sit for a minute until the mint has melted and then gently spread on the cookie with a knife.

Top

No Bake Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup butter
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 3.4 oz box instant pumpkin spice pudding mix.
  (You can substitute vanilla pudding and 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice)
• 3.5 cups quick cooking oats
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To spice up your cookies add Chocolate Chips, Raisins or Pecans to taste.

In a saucepan, combine sugars, butter and milk. Bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add in the pudding mix, stirring to combine completely. Add in pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and oats. Stir to combine and let stand for 5 minutes. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper, and allow to cool completely. Store in airtight container.

Top

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 cup plain pumpkin purée filling (120g)
• 1 scoop MRM whey protein
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 stevia packets (or any sweetener of choice)
• 1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 10 oz strong brewed coffee

Mix all ingredients in blender then microwave for 45 seconds and enjoy!

Add a swirl of wipped cream and some cinnamon to taste.

This is a 90 calorie home made pumpkin spice latte recipe. Perfect for that morning latte hunger. Instead of using your calories on a sugar-heavy Starbucks drink, try this instead and save on cash too!

Macros per serving (12oz): 90 calories, 2g fat, 7g carbs, (2g fiber), 10.5g protein.

Top

Snicker Doodle Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients

Total List for Crust, Filling,
Cookie Dough and Topping

• 1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans
• 2 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 8 oz packages softened cream cheese
• 3 large eggs
• 1 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the crust, in a food processor, pulse graham crackers with 1/2 cup pecans and 1/4 cup sugar until fine crumbs. Add in 1/2 cup melted butter and pulse until combined. Press crumbs into bottom of 13x9 parchment lined baking dish.

For the cheesecake filling, beat cream cheese with 3/4 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp cinnamon using the whisk attachment of an electric mixer. Beat for 3-4 minutes until fluffy and smooth. Pour over graham crust.

For the cookie dough, beat 3/4 cup butter with 1 1/2 cups sugar for 2 minutes. Add 1 egg and 3/4 tsp vanilla and beat thoroughly. Add in baking powder, salt, flour and 1/2 tsp cinnamon and beat until fully combined. Fold in 1/4 cup chopped pecans. Scoop dough by large spoonfuls onto the top of the cheesecake layer. Spread gently until cheesecake layer is fully covered.

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon topping. Sprinkle generously over the cookie dough layer. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool then cover and refrigerate for 4 hours. Cut into squares and enjoy.

Top  

Lemon Squares

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups Betty Crocker All-Purpose Gluten Free Rice Flour Blend
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum
• ½ cup cold butter, cut into pieces
• 1 to 2 tablespoons water
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
• ½ cup fresh lemon juice
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• ¼ cup Betty Crocker All-Purpose Gluten Free Rice Flour Blend
• Powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom only of 9-inch square pan.

For crust, in medium bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups flour blend, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and the xanthan gum. Cut in butter, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through mixture in opposite directions), until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, tossing with fork, until crumbly. Press dough in bottom of pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or just until set.

For filling, in medium bowl, stir together all ingredients except powdered sugar with whisk until blended. Pour over hot crust.

Bake 23 to 28 minutes longer or until filling no longer jiggles when pan is moved. Cool completely on cooling rack, about 2 hours. Cut into 4 rows by 4 rows. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. Cover and refrigerate any remaining lemon squares.

For perfectly cut squares, line pan with aluminum foil before pressing crust into pan. After baking, refrigerate bars several hours before cutting. Then, lift bars from pan using aluminum foil and place on cutting board. Slice with a long sharp knife, cleaning it with a damp cloth between each slice.

Top