Category Archives: After School Snacks

February 11, 2011 · 2:26 pm

Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter Cookies

Hubby is always asking if I could please make him some cookies…he loves cookies, especially chocolate, (No, there isn’t any chocolate in these.) and my oldest was having a friend over to play after school, so I thought I would make these for a snack. The boys loved them and there were leftovers for the hubby…and me.

Ingredients:
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup natural peanut butter (creamy)
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup carrot puree (I used baby food)
1/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins
Nonstick cooking spray

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, maple syrup, carrot puree, canola oil, and vanilla. Stir until combined.

Pour the flour mixture over the peanut butter mixture. Turn the batter over with a spatula about 7 times. Do not overmix! There will be dry spots. Stir in raisins.

While the batter is resting, spray 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Using a 2-ounce ice cream scoop, drop tablespoonfuls of dough onto the baking sheets 1 inch apart. Fill a small bowl with water and, using a fork, press down on the dough, making a crisscross on each cookie. Wet the fork each time.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool before packing in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Did I change anything? I left out the raisins…my boys can be finicky about raisins. Of course when I told them that I had left them out my oldest said I should have put them in. That’s what I get for trying. 🙂

What did the family think? Everyone loved them. They are super peanut buttery and perfect with a cold glass of milk.

from Jessica Seinfeld

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January 31, 2011 · 2:14 pm

Salmon Salad

I bought about twice as much salmon as I actually needed to make dinner last night, so we had some leftovers. Turns out leftover salmon makes a pretty good lunch when it’s transformed into a little salad.

Ingredients:
(All ingredient measurements are approximations)
1 cup cold salmon, flaked
1/2 tsp. dried dill
1/4 tsp. celery salt
1 1/2 T mayo
Juice from 1/4 lemon

Instructions:
Mix first four ingredients, sprinkle with lemon juice and enjoy! I had mine on crackers.

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Fish, Lent, Salad, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make

January 3, 2011 · 9:30 pm

Cake Mix Cookies

I was looking for a recipe for easy cookies…yep, doesn’t get much easier than these.

Ingredients:
1 (18.25 ounce) package vanilla flavored cake mix
2 egg yolks
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup sugar

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat egg yolks and margarine together until well blended. Stir in vanilla. Gradually add cake mix while beating with an electric mixer. Mixture should be stiff. If it is sticky to the touch, refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Form teaspoonfuls of the dough into balls, and dip tops in sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes for soft cookies, and for 13 minutes for crispy cookies.

Did I change anything? I didn’t this time, but I got to thinking that if you can use vanilla cake mix, why couldn’t you use chocolate cake mix or carrot cake mix or whatever cake mix you wanted to use? I bet these would be SUPER tasty with chocolate cake mix.

What did the family think? We had these as our New Year’s Eve dinner dessert with a bowl of vanilla ice cream. It makes quite a few, so we are still eating them along with the leftover ice cream. Everybody loves them!

from allrecipes.com

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December 25, 2010 · 10:02 pm

Chocolate Cornflake Cookies

Yep, just like the butterscotch ones only with chocolate. These are super yummy, too!

Ingredients:
1 package chocolate chips (11 oz.)
3/4 cup dry-roasted salted peanuts
3 cups corn flakes cereal

Instructions:
Melt the chocolate chips in a large microwaveable bowl for about 90 seconds or until chips are melted.

Pour in peanuts and cereal and stir until everything is coated with chocolate.

Line countertops with wax or parchment paper. Drop spoonfuls of mixture onto wax/parchment paper and let cool for about 15 minutes.

What did the family think? Yum, yum, super yum and yum again. 😉

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· 9:55 pm

Butterscotch Cornflake Cookies

These are SUPER easy and taste SO good!

Ingredients:
1 package butterscotch chips (11 oz.)
3/4 cup dry-roasted salted peanuts
3 cups corn flakes cereal

Instructions:
Melt the butterscotch chips in a large microwaveable bowl for about 90 seconds or until chips are melted.

Pour in peanuts and cereal and stir until everything is coated with butterscotch.

Line countertops with wax or parchment paper. Drop spoonfuls of mixture onto wax/parchment paper and let cool for about 15 minutes.

What did the family think? Everyone is our house who likes butterscotch thought these were SUPER yum and the kids had fun helping me make them.

from Pinch My Salt

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December 22, 2010 · 10:50 pm

Scrambled Egg and Cheddar Cheese Panini

SInce my kids seem to think sandwiches are better when they come out of the panini maker…

Ingredients:
2 slices Italian Sandwich Bread or English Muffin
3 eggs, scrambled
1 slice Cheddar Cheese (or whatever variety you prefer)

Instructions:
Scramble the eggs and put them with the cheese in between the two slices of bread.

If you have a panini maker, use it. If not, heat a skillet over medium low heat and spray with cooking spray. Place sandwich in skillet and put a heavy skillet on top of it for a few minutes. Flip the sandwich over, place the skillet on top of it again and cook for a few minutes on that side.

What does the family think? They think it’s so much better to have a panini than a grilled cheese. Isn’t this essentially a grilled cheese with some eggs thrown in there? Even if I give them a choice between a grilled cheese and a cheese panini, they will always pick the panini! Silly kids. 🙂

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Filed under After School Snacks, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Sandwich, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

December 17, 2010 · 11:15 pm

Lacy Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies are very good and I made them even better by drizzling some chocolate over them…the hubster really likes chocolate. 🙂

Ingredients:
1 cup quick oats
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cover baking sheets with foil, then coat with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl combine oats, flour, salt and baking powder. Mix well with a wire whisk and set aside.

In a large bowl combine sugar and butter with an electric mixer at medium speed to form a grainy paste. Add egg and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Add flour mixture and blend just until combined.

Drop dough by teaspoonfuls on baking sheets, 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges begin to turn golden brown. Let cool and then peel off cookies with fingers.

Be sure to respray baking sheets between batches.

Did I change anything? I melted some chocolate chips in the microwave in a Ziploc bag, snipped the corner of the bag and drizzled the chocolate over the cookies. Everything is better with chocolate, right? 🙂 Also, these cookies SPREAD when they cook. Make sure you only use a teaspoon full of dough and make sure you leave enough space between the cookies.

What did the family think? I think they are yummy and so does our oldest kiddo. I think hubby skipped these and just ate the chocolate chips I bought to melt and drizzle over them.

from Mrs. Fields’ Cookie Book

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· 10:57 pm

Eggnog Cookies

I don’t like eggnog, but I do like these very festive cookies.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cups white sugar
3/4 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup eggnog
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
1 T ground nutmeg

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well with a wire whisk and set aside.

In a large bowl cream sugar and butter with an electric mixer to form a grainy paste. Add eggnog, vanilla and egg yolks and beat at a medium speed until smooth.

Add the flour mixture and beat at a low speed just until combined. Do not overmix.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, 1 inch apart.

Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until bottoms turn lightly brown.

What did the family think? I am not sure if the family has tried any yet, since most of them went to school for the teachers, but I tasted one (or two) and they are really good. They were especially good right out of the oven with a nice cold glass of milk. 🙂

from Mrs. Fields’ Cookie Book

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November 14, 2010 · 9:21 pm

Pumpkin Scones with Cream Cheese Frosting

The scones are good, but with the frosting…me oh my!

Scones
Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
7 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons half-and-half
1 large egg

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Lightly oil a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Using a pastry knife, fork, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter are obvious. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half and half, and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.

Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide). Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal portions. Cut those three slices diagonally so that you have 6 triangular slices of dough. Place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 14-16 minutes. Scones should begin to turn light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

Icing
Ingredients:
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Instructions:
In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese until soft. Add confectioners sugar and vanilla extract; beat until smooth. Add enough milk to make a good spreading consistency. Frost the scones while they are still warm.

What did the family think? Anything with cream cheese on it is good, but when you put cream cheese on a pumpkin scone…yowser!

from whatscookingamerica.com and food.com

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Filed under After School Snacks, Bread, Breakfast, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Vegetarian

November 10, 2010 · 11:56 am

Magic Pretzels

I have made these for several years around Christmas time for teachers, neighbors, our librarian, etc. They are SOOOO good!!! They are the kind of snack that I don’t even take a teeny tiny nibble of because if I do, I will have another bite and then another and then another….

Ingredients:
1 cup corn or canola oil
1 envelope (1 ounce) dried ranch salad-dressing mix
1/2 of a 1-ounce envelope dried garlic-flavored salad-dressing mix (pour the envelope into a measuring cup and spoon out half)
1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 pound hard sourdough “beer” pretzels, broken into pieces (“hard” or “beer” pretzels are in the snack section of your grocery store; if you can only find a 13-ounce box, that’s fine to use instead of 1 pound)

Instructions:
Put pretzels in a gallon-size ziplock back and break them into smaller pieces with a hammer…don’t hit them too hard. You still want them to look like pretzels, not pretzel dust.

Put oil, salad-dressing mixes, lemon-pepper seasoning, and dill into another gallon-size ziplock bag, seal it, then shake hard to mix. Add pretzels and toss until they’re completely coated. Allow the pretzels to “marinate” for at least 1 hour, giving them a shake whenever you think of it.

Heat oven to 300. Spread pretzels and their flavorings on a large, rimmed cookie sheet lined with foil and bake, stirring every 10 minutes, for 30 minutes.

Let pretzels cool completely, while stirring often. Store them in an airtight container (they’ll keep for 4 to 6 weeks).

What did the family think? These are SOOOO good! They are especially yummy when they have been out of the oven for just a little bit…when they have cooled off, but they are still warm.

from Wondertime magazine

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