~*~*~*~ Final Post of 2012 ~*~*~*~

I hope each of you have a very

Merry Christmas! 

Be back bloggin' in ...

God Bless you & your family.

~ Chef ~

~ Nutella Peanut Butter Bars ~

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter, softened
12 sheets of graham crackers, crumbled in a food processor
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup Nutella, divided into 1/4 cup and 3/4 cups

DIRECTIONS: Mix together the butter, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners sugar, vanilla and peanut butter until blended and smooth. Pour the mixture into a 9″ x 9″ square pan with a removable bottom (or line a standard pan with parchment paper). Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. In a metal bowl over simmering water, melt the chocolate chips and 1/4 cup of Nutella, stirring until smooth. Spread over the prepared crust, and refrigerate for another hour or until firm. Spread the additional 3/4 cup of Nutella over the chocolate layer and refrigerate again. When the bars are firm, cut into squares. Yields: 16 bars. ~ Chef ~

~ Nutella Cookies ~

Ingredients:

1 (18 ounce) package of refrigerated sugar cookie dough

1/2 cup Nutella spread

3 Tbsp. white chocolate chips

3 Tbsp. chocolate chips

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350F. Roll out cookie dough to about a 1/4 inch thickness. Using a cookie cutter or a glass dipped in flour, cut out rounds. Using a piping bag or plastic bag with the end snipped off, pipe about 1/2 teaspoon of Nutella into the center of each round. Fold rounds over to create half moon shapes and gently seal edges. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 9-10 minutes. Remove to racks and cool completely. When cookies are completely cooled, melt chocolate chips in microwave (about 1 minute). Remove and using a fork, drizzle chocolate over cookies. Repeat with white chocolate chips. ~ Chef ~

~ Nutella Cupcakes ~

Ingredients:
10 Tbsp. butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
Nutella, approx. 1/3 cup
 

Directions:  Preheat oven to 325F. Line 12 muffin tins with liners.  Cream together butter and sugar 2 minutes.  Add in eggs one at a time, until fully incorporated.  Add vanilla. Stir in flour, salt and baking powder until batter is uniform and no flour remains.  Using an ice cream scoop, fill each muffin liner with batter 3/4 full.  Top each with 1 1/2 tsp Nutella.  Swirl Nutella in with a toothpick, making sure to fold a bit of batter up over the nutella.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Makes 12  ~ Chef ~

~ Nutella Bites ~

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix
(plus ingredients required on the box)

1 large jar of Nutella
1 package chocolate chips

Directions: Bake the cake according to instructions on the box. Let cake cool completely, then crumble into a large bowl. Mix in the Nutella thoroughly. Shape the mixture into little balls (size of ping pong balls) with your hands. Chill overnight. Then melt the chocolate chips in the microwave (stirring every 30 seconds). Dip each ball in the melted chocolate to coat completely and lay on parchment paper until firm. Serve as finger foods or yes you can put a stick in them. ~ Chef ~

 

~*~ Cream of Wheat Cornbread ~*~

 Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. sugar

3/4 c. Cream of Wheat

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/2 c. butter

1 c. milk

Directions: Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees. Lightly grease a 9" round pie or cake pan. In a large bowl, combine the flour, Cream of Wheat, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir in the eggs, milk and vegetable oil until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Optional:  add a few chopped Jalepeno peppers to the batter for a little kick.  ~ Chef ~

~ Cream Cheese Bacon Mushrooms ~

Ingredients:

1 c. bacon

1/2 c. finely minced sweet onion

1 clove garlic, minced

2 c. white button mushrooms

4 oz. cream cheese

1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Using scissors or a sharp knife, cut raw bacon into small pieces. In a large saute pan, over medium heat, cook bacon until nice and crispy. While bacon is cooking, remove mushroom stems from caps and chop stems into small pieces. When bacon is done, remove from pan and set aside; reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon grease and pour the rest from pan. Saute onion until soft about 5 minutes, scraping up any brown bits on bottom of pan. Add chopped mushrooms stems and garlic and cook a few minutes longer. Reduce heat to low. Add cream cheese and parmesan cheese and stir until cheeses are completely melted. Add the reserved chopped bacon and season to taste with salt and pepper. (Mixture can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerature in an airtight container for two days.) Remove mixture from heat and stuff each mushroom cap generously with mixture. Bake at 350 F for about 20 minutes or until mushrooms are soft and filling is nice and hot. ~ Chef ~