S'mores Bars

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar 
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 1 large egg 
• 1 tsp vanilla  
• 1 1/3 cup flour 
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 5 cinnamon or honey graham crackers, finely crushed
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• 2 extra large Hershey bars (5 oz bars)
• 1 container of marshmallow fluff (approximately 1 1/2 cups)

 Preparations:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 8" x 8" casserole dish.
2. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed.
4. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the dish. Place chocolate bars over dough. Two 5 oz. Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate, only if necessary, to get it to fit in a single layer.
5. Spread marshmallow fluff evenly over the chocolate layer.
6. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the marshmallow. This is most easily done by putting the second half of the dough in a gallon size freezer bag. Use a rolling pin to flatten it out, and then use scissors to cut down both long sides of the bag, so it will open up. Open it up carefully, then place the bag, dough side down, on the other three layers. From there, peel the bag up and carefully spread the dough over the marshmallow layer.
7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (33 minutes), until lightly browned.
8. When serving, they can be eaten still warm or at room temperature. The chocolate doesn't really set up at room temperature and still remains soft and delicious. We cut our bars into 9 squares and, because it is so rich, we eventually cut those in half, yielding 18 bars for the small pan.
    

Rosemary Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 2 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Preparations:

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine. 
2. Select white bread cycle; press Start.
3. Note: with my bread maker, it takes 4 hours to make and bake this bread. Plan accordingly.

Reese's Rice Krispy Treats

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Rice Krispies 
• 3 cups Cocoa Krispies
• 12 oz Mini Peanut butter cups
• 1 bag (10.5-oz) miniature marshmallows
• 0.25 cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter
• 1.25 cups creamy peanut butter 
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Preparations:

1. Prepare a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix the cereal and mini peanut butter cups.
3. Melt the marshmallows and butter together in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Pour the melted marshmallow mixture over the cereal mixture, quickly stirring well to evenly coat the cereal.
4. Pour the cereal mixture into the prepared pan and evenly press into the pan.
5. In a small sauce pan melt the peanut butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring to combine.  Pour the melted chocolate over the cereal mixture, spreading with a rubber spatula to cover.
6. Place it in the refrigerator for about 1/2 hour to set up, then enjoy!

Oreo Pops

Notes:

• Use double-stuffed Oreos, otherwise the cookies will pop apart and make it very difficult to hold them together.
• Lollipop sticks can be food in most craft stores near the cake decorating section. 
• White chocolate burns very quickly and is hard to cover Oreos with. Consider using almond bark instead.

Easter Popcorn

Ingredients:

• 6 cups popped popcorn
• 2 cups coarsely chopped pretzels
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup miniature marshmallows
• 1 1/2 cups Easter M&M's

Preparations:

1. In a large bowl, combine popcorn and pretzels. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, bring sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and water to a boil over medium high heat. Boil, undisturbed, until mixture is amber in color, for about 8-12 minutes. Remove pan from heat and slowly pour in the heavy cream. Be careful because the mixture will bubble up. Stir until smooth and add vanilla extract, and marshmallows. Stir until marshmallows are melted and mixture is smooth.
2. Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and pretzels and gently stir with a rubber spatula until popcorn is well coated. Stir in the pretzel M&M's. Transfer mixture to a greased large baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt. Refrigerate.