Tag: holiday

Ritz Peanut Butter Crack Sammies

INGREDIENTS

  • Ritz crackers
  • Almond bark (at least 3 squares)
  • Peanut butter (or spread of your choice such as almond butter, cookie butter, Nutella, melted Rollo, etc.)
  • Toppings of your choice (see notes)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Decide how many treats you wish to make and make sure you have 2 Ritz crackers for each.
  • Spread peanut butter on half the crackers.
  • Prepare any toppings you may have for easy access is the next steps will have to take place quickly to ensure that the toppings are able to be placed on almond bark coating before it hardens.
  • Melt almond bark and spoon a small circle of warm, liquid almond bark on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
  • Immediately place the cracker with peanut butter directly on top of the almond bark so that it will form a coating on the cracker for a bottom.
  • Quickly do this for every bottom half of your treats.
  • Once all the peanut butter topped halves have been placed atop their corresponding almond bark circle, place the remaining cracker half on top of the peanut butter to form your cracker sandwich.
  • Using a fork or other utensil, drizzle remaining almond bark on the top of your cracker sandwiches.
  • Immediately top with any toppings you may prefer. For me, that is some honey roasted almonds that I pulse in a blender or food processor, a few sprinkles, and a chocolate chunk or chopped candy bar that I may have on hand.
  • Place in refrigerator to set and then enjoy!

NOTES

This is not so much a recipe than a treat that is made whenever I’m trying to use up leftover almond bark, usually after making Audrey’s Oreo Truffles. The ingredients are never the same … just a mixture of delicious things I have on hand at the time. However, the ingredients pictured (crushed honey roasted almonds, a few sprinkles, and a chopped mini Hershey bar) is one of my favorite combinations! They are addictive and honestly worthy of making on their own, especially for Halloween. See below for how to decorate them for a spooky mummy treat!

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Audrey’s Favorite Deviled Eggs with Candied Bacon

Recipe Highlight: These are my daughter’s favorite addition to any holiday gathering. My biggest regret is always waiting for holidays to make them as they bring her so much joy!

INGREDIENTS

Deviled Eggs:

  • Dozen eggs
  • Mayonnaise (start with 1/2 cup … see instructions.)
  • Yellow mustard (start with 1 tablespoon)
  • Celery seeds, to taste (start with 1/8 teaspoon)
  • Cheddar cheese, grated (start with 1/4 cup)
  • Salt & Pepper, to taste
  • Smoked Paprika
  • Few snips of chives, if desired

Candied Bacon:

  • 12 bacon slices, cut into thirds
  • Brown sugar (about 1/3 cup)
  • Ground cayenne pepper or peri peri, if desired

INSTRUCTIONS

Deviled Eggs:

  1. Boil your eggs to your liking. I tend to place eggs into a pan and cover with water. I place on high heat and then bring to a full roiling boil where the bubbles are breaking all over the surface. Once boiling, I remove the pan from heat and allow to continue cooking off heat (on counter or cool stove burner) for about 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes is over, I add the eggs to a bowl of ice water and let sit until completely cooled, about another 10 minutes.
  2. Once you remove the shell (see notes for peeling tips), pat the eggs dry with a paper towel to remove any moisture, if needed. Using a knife, halve your eggs lengthwise, setting yolks aside. Sprinkle each halve with salt and pepper, to taste.
  3. To your bowl of reserved yolks, add remaining ingredients to taste. This part is tricky because it varies based on the number and size of the yolks. I would start off with about 1/2 cup mayo and 1 tbsp of mustard. Add more mayo, if needed, until you reach desired consistency/taste.
  4. Add in mix-ins such as celery seeds, grated cheddar, bacon bits, and salt and pepper.
  5. Pipe or spoon yolk mixture into the egg halves, sprinkling with smoked paprika. This spice gives your eggs their signature flavor and is great for presentation.
  6. Place eggs in refrigerator while cooking the candied bacon.
  7. For the candied bacon, just line a baking tray with parchment paper before placing your bacon slices onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle each piece of bacon with brown sugar. Feel free to add your favorite ground pepper (cayenne or peri peri) to make a sweet and spicy moment! Bake at 350 degrees until the bacon is rendered and browned on the edges for 25 to 30 minutes, giving the pan a half turn halfway through cooking. Allow the bacon to cool completely, about 20 minutes. The bacon will crisp as it cools.
  8. Once cooled and crisp, add a piece of your candied bacon to each deviled egg.  Eat remaining bacon … just because.
  9. Feel free to make them pretty by adding a few snips of chives for some greenery, if desired.

NOTES

Peeling Hack: Start peeling at the wide end of the egg, where there’s usually an air pocket. Peel off a small piece of shell at the bottom to expose the membrane, then slip the egg back into the water (ice water or room temperature water both work) for a minute or two. The water seeps under the shell and helps release it more easily. (I haven’t tried this tip yet, merely stole it. I’m documenting for posterity’s sake!)

Life Hack: Why do we only eat these for Easter or the rare family cookout, especially when Audrey loves them so much? I guess we’ll never know. There’s no rhyme or reason to the self-imposed rules we live by. I encourage you to welcome a little anarchy into your life and eat the damn eggs whenever you want to! Treat yourself, diva.

Why? Because I love you, kiddos … and you deserve good things. Don’t settle for just deviled eggs, but it’s a good place to start.

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