Bleeding Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are my very favorite chocolate chip cookies!  I personally think they are the very best, and most delicious when eaten while they are still warm (or reheated in the oven for  few minutes).  I call them bleeding chocolate chip cookies because the proportion of chocolate to dough is amazing, and by using a good quality chocolate that pools when it melts instead of staying in "chip" form, the cookie if warm (as it should be) will "bleed" melty, glorious chocolate when the top of the cookie is gently pressed.  It's pretty much chocolatey amazing-ness!

Bleeding Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (220 grams-I always weigh my flour for this recipe)
8-ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut with a serrated knife into roughly 1/2-inch chunk
Flaky salt, for sprinkling

Heat oven to 360°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butters and sugars with an electric mixer until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Add the egg and vanilla, beating until incorporated.  Scrape down the bowl with a spatula.  Add the baking soda and kosher salt and beat to combine.  With the machine on low, slowly add the flour. When the flour is halfway absorbed, add the chopped chocolate and mix until the remaining flour is incorporated.

Scoop dough into mounds (I use a big scoop, probably close to 1/4 cup dough).  Space the dough mounds evenly apart on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with flaky salt.  Bake for 9-10 minutes or until golden brown, but still very gooey and soft inside.  Let the cookies cool slightly on baking sheet before transferring them to a cooking rack.

Recipe slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen and originally from Not Without Salt

Almond-Crisped Peaches

It's peach season and we've been eating fresh peaches for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Every year this happens and every year I look forward to it.  Allred Orchard's opens their fruit stand and boxes of Red Haven peaches (the first peach of the season) fill their store front and in turn fill my refrigerator.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have always loved peach cobbler.  I remember my mom making peach cobbler when I was growing up and stealing a bite from the corner of the pan as it emerged from of the oven, bubbling and golden brown.  That bite would be so hot that I'd puff out my cheeks and quickly tilt my head from side to side to keep the burning hot peach from settling on my tongue and burning the daylights out of it. I remember my mom filling bowls with that steaming hot cobbler and topping it with a rather large spoonful of sweetened whipped cream that quickly melted into all the nooks and crannies of the cobbler.  It was so good and so comforting.

These almond-crisped peaches quickly brought back all those peach cobbler memories as I pulled the baking sheet from the oven and couldn't resist immediately topping the corner peach with lightly sweetened whipped cream and taking a bite that made me puff my cheeks and quickly tilt my head from side to side.  Oh man, it was so good and so comforting!

Almond-Crisped Peaches

4 ripe peaches, halved and pits removed
1/3 cup whole almonds
14 cup turbinado (raw) sugar
3 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Heat oven to 350°.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place fruit cut side up on baking sheet.  In a food processor, pulse almonds and sugar together until coarsely ground (with a few pebble sized pieces left).  Add cinnamon, salt, and butter, pulsing the food processor until the ingredients are just blended.

Spoon a heaping tablespoon into the center of each peach, then press the mixture flat, as if you were icing the tops of the peaches.  (If there is extra almond mixture just add a little more to the top of each peach.)

Bake for 45 minutes (baking time varies with peach size), or until the top is brown and crisp and you can slice through the peach with ease using a fork or spoon.

Serve warm with a large spoonful of lightly sweetened whipped cream.  (For breakfast the next morning I ate the leftover peaches with lightly sweetened plain yogurt.)

Recipe slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Black Ice Cream and Salty Sprinkles

I love ice cream and the thing that makes me REALLY love ice cream is the toppings.  I love toppings!  On a scoop of vanilla my favorite is sliced bananas, hot fudge, roasted almonds, and lots and lots of salty sprinkles.  (Peaches in the summer comes in at a close second, but chocolate will always win first place in my book). 

If I know I'm going Baskin Robins, I'll bring a baggie of salty roasted almonds to put on my ice cream (don't worry, I don't bring hot fudge).  And along these same lines, I also bring a baggie of granola when I'm planning on eating an acai bowl because you can never have enough granola.  I know...I'm a nerd.

I first came across salty sprinkles near my last birthday.  I made myself a banana split for lunch and covered it in salty sprinkles.  (I think it should be a rule that everyone should eat a banana split for lunch on their birthday.) 

Salty sprinkles are a mixture of raw sugar, toasted sesame seeds, and vanilla flaky salt and I promise you they are addicting, like really addicting.  They take a bowl of ice cream to a new level and make ice cream sundaes crazy good!  (I may just start carrying a small container of them with me (along with my baggie of almonds) just in case I stop for ice cream.)

Oh and this black ice cream is amazing!  So, so, so good!  I love it so much that I've made it four times already.  Melissa of the Faux Martha out did herself with this recipe!

Black Ice Cream

3/4 cup cane sugar

1/2 cup black cocoa powder
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (Califia)
14-ounce coconut cream (not coconut milk)
1/4 cup Lyle’s golden syrup

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, black cocoa powder, cornstarch, salt, and espresso powder until combined.  Slowly pour in the almond milk while whisking to combine.  Add coconut cream and gold syrup to the sauce pan and whisk to combine.

Over medium heat, bring mixture to a simmer.  Allow mixture to simmer for about 3 minutes, whisking continually.  Remove from heat and pour mixture into a high-powered blender.  Blend on high for 30 seconds. 

Let mixture cool to room temp and then refrigerate to cool completely, preferably overnight.

Freeze in your ice cream machine according to your manufacturer’s instructions.  Once churned place ice cream in freezer to completely set up.

Recipe slightly adapted from thefauxmartha

Salty Sprinkles

4 teaspoons flaky vanilla salt (I use seeds from 1 vanilla bean for every 4 teaspoons of Maldon salt and blend together with the tips of my fingers, taking care not to completely crush the flaky salty.)

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

Combine everything in a small bowl and mix to combine.  Store in a jar.

Recipe from Food 52

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispy Brown Rice Squares

Sometimes thoughts of what my life will be like when all three of my kiddies have grown and no longer live in our home pop into my head.  I don't really like those thoughts.  They make me heart sad and I'm guaranteed a tear or two rolling down my cheek. 

Don't get me wrong, we have our moments when all five of us are driving each other nuts, moments when someone isn't as kind as they should be, and moments when I want to walk up to my room, close my door, and go to bed and it's only nine in the morning.  But, when my three kiddies grow up to be big humans and have lives and families of their own, I will remember and miss all the small things that made up our everyday lives. 

I will miss making breakfast for them in the morning.  I will miss being asked to "come cover me up."  I will miss kissing hands before school.  I will miss family dinners every night (however crazy they may be).  I will miss hearing "Mom" a hundred times a day.  I will miss "sleep loose" and "sweet dreams".  I will miss hearing about their day, their friends, what they did at recess, and I will miss our afterschool snacks.  (Stella told me after she moves out she'll still come over for a snack in the afternoon.)

I know when we get to that point in our lives, each of us will figure out a new normal, but until then, here's to many more afterschool snacks!

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispy Brown Rice Squares

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup honey

3/4 cup brown rice syrup

1 1/2 cups unsweetened peanut butter

1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted

6 cups crispy brown rice cereal

1 cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips, divided

Spray a 9 by 13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.  In a saucepan, combine the butter, honey, brown rice syrup, and peanut butter.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed and combined.

In a very large bowl, combine the sesame seeds, crispy rice cereal, peanuts, and salt.  Pour the peanut butter mixture over the dry ingredients and fold until the peanut butter mixture evenly coats the dry ingredients.  Let cool for a couple of minutes and add 1 cup of chocolate chips to the peanut butter/cereal mixture and stir to combine.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and using the back of a spatula or a bench scraper, press to create a nice, even layer.  Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup chocolate chips on top (I like to give my chocolate chips a rough chop before I sprinkle them on top) and press again down again with the back of spatula or a bench scraper.

Refrigerate of at least 1 hour before cutting into squares in the pan.  Cover and store at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.  (We like to keep ours in the freezer.)

Recipe slightly adapted from Whole Grain Mornings

Peach Tart

A few weeks ago I eyed the bowl of garden tomatoes sitting on my counter and invited my mom over to eat soup for lunch.  My mom is an incredible woman.  She exemplifies goodness, faith, devotion, love, and so much more.  Someday I hope to be even a small fraction of who she is.  As we sat around my kitchen tables sharing bowls of roasted tomato soup, ribbons of zucchini covered in almond pesto, and slices of peach tart with generous dollops of whipped cream, a quote from Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist filled my mind. "What's becoming clearer and clearer to me is that the most sacred moments, the ones in which I feel God's presence most profoundly, when I feel the goodness of the world most arrestingly, take place at the table.  It's about what happens when we come together, slow down, open our homes, look into one another's faces, listen to one another's stories.  It happens when we enter the joy and sorrow of people we love, and we join together at the table to feed one another and be fed, and while it's not strictly about food, it doesn't happen without it."

That afternoon my heart and soul was filled as I sat talking, listening, laughing, getting teary eyed, and eating slices of peach tart with my mom.  I was reminded once again of God's goodness and the incredible gift it is to have such an amazing mama. 

Peach Tart

1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cups plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup mild olive oil
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
3 to 5 ripe peaches, pitted and thickly sliced (about 1/2-inch wide)

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  In a mixing bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon sugar. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the oils, milk, and almond extract.  Pour this mixture into the flour mixture and mix gently with a fork, just enough to moisten;  do not over work the dough.

Transfer the dough to an 9-inch tart pan and use your hands to pat out the dough so it covers the bottom of the pan, pushing it up the sides to meet the edge.  Trim and discard excess dough.

In a bowl, combine 3/4 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the butter.  Using your fingers, pinch the butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly or until it resembles granules and tiny pebbles.

Starting on the outside, arrange the peaches overlapping in a concentric circle over the pastry; fill in the center in whatever pattern makes sense.  The peaches should fit snugly.  Sprinkle the pebbly sugar/butter mixture over the top (it will seem like a lot).  Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until shiny and thick bubbles begin enveloping the fruit and the crust is slightly brown.  Tent with foil if tart begins to brown too quickly.  Cool on rack.  Serve warm or room temperature with generous dollops of whipped cream.

Recipe from Food 52 Amanda Hesser

Coffee Ice Cream

When I think back to my childhood I have a few ice cream memories that stand out in my mind. 

Every summer my family (including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins) would spend a few weeks scattered throughout the summer at Bear Lake.  It was here that we would spend countless hours in our swimming suits, eat sugar cereal like Fruit Loops and Cap’n Crunch for breakfast, water ski, play UNO, dominos (someone was always trying to cheat), and king of the dock.  It was here that we would eat raspberries and cream from red plastic bowls, scones dusted with sugar and smeared with raspberry jam or honey, and of course the best ever ice cream.  I remember hearing the loud churning of the wooden base ice cream machine that sat outside the sliding glass door on the wood deck.  I remember feeling the excitement and anticipation of waiting for that cold, creamy treat.  It always seemed to take soooo long before the churning began to slow and the ice cream was finally finished, but it was always worth the wait.

The next memory is of the night my family moved into our then new house when I was 11 years old.  It was the middle of the summer and I remember my Dad taking me to Ripples, a little burger and shake dive that has been around for years and is considered a Provo landmark.  We didn't go for the burgers, but for their shakes.  It was the kind of shake that you have to eat with a spoon because it's so thick.  I don't remember what I had, but I remember that my Dad had a caramel and marshmallow shake.  He loves caramel in or on his ice cream and still does.

Lastly, I can't drive past a Baskin Robbins without thinking of my Dad and his love for their jamoca shakes.  He's passed this love on to most of his children.  I'll have to admit that those shakes are hard to beat.  Thick, but not so thick you can't drink it with a straw.  My sister Stephanie and her little family moved to California at the beginning of June and before they left we had a family dinner and then we all gathered at Baskin Robbins for one last ice cream hurrah.  Almost everyone ordered a jamoca shake.

This ice cream recipe from Tara O' Brady's Seven Spoons cookbook is a tribute to ice cream memories, a dad's love for caramel, and jamoca shakes for everyone. 

Coffee Ice Cream

1 (14-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Generous pinch of sea salt

Espresso caramel and candied cacao nibs (recipe follows)

Combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, cream, espresso powder, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan set over medium heat.  Heat, whisking often, until the mixture begins to steam.  Remove from heat and let cool for 20 minutes.  Cover and chill for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight.  Freeze according to your ice cream manufacturer’s instructions.  Once churned place the ice cream in the freezer to completely set up, at least 6 hours or overnight.  Serve with a drizzle of espresso caramel and candied cacao nibs

Candied Cacao Nibs

2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup cacao nibs
1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a wide, heavy skillet over medium heat, warm the sugar for a minute, without stirring.  Scatter the cacao nibs over the sugar and leave the pan undisturbed until the sugar begins to melt.  With a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, quickly stir the cacao nibs into the liquid sugar, incorporating any unmelted sugar as you go.  Once most of the sugar has coated the nibs, remove the pan from the heat and quickly stir in the butter.  Immediately spread the cacao nibs onto the prepared baking sheet.  Let cool.

Espresso Caramel
 
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a saucepan heat the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt over medium heat until the butter has melted.  Pour in the cream and espresso powder.  Bring to a boil, whisking until the mixture is smooth and sugar dissolves.  Lower heat and simmer, undisturbed for 1 minute longer.  Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.  Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally.  Cover and refrigerate until needed, then rewarm gently before using.

Recipe slightly adapted from Seven Spoons

Ice Cream Sundays

We sat around our outside table finishing dinner when I asked my kiddies if there was something that sticks out in their minds about this summer.  I wasn't surprised when the first two things that came to their minds were lemonade and homemade ice cream.

I decided at the beginning of the summer that I was going to try and make a new flavor of ice cream every week to eat on Sunday night.  We've had a couple times when we've had to eat our ice cream a day early or a day late because of a family vacation, but otherwise Sunday has become our designated ice cream day and one we all look forward to each week.

I love that food creates memories.  Homaro Cantu said, "Most of us have fond memories of food from our childhood. Whether it was our mom's homemade lasagna or a memorable chocolate birthday cake, food has a way of transporting us back to the past."

I hope that when my kiddies are grown and have families of their own they will remember that one summer when mom made homemade ice cream every week and my favorite flavor was...

Sour Cream Cherry Ice Cream                                                                                                           

1 pound pitted and quartered cherries
1 vanilla bean, seed scraped
6 ounces sugar (scant 1 cup)
Juice from 1 lemon
Pinch of salt
1 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (or 2 tablespoons Amaretto)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 16-ounce container sour cream
1 cup heavy cream

In a medium saucepan combine the cherries, vanilla seeds and pod, sugar, salt, and lemon juice.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat and let it gently boil for 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the almond extract (or Amaretto).  Remove the vanilla bean pod.  Let cool for to room temperature.

In a large bowl combine the sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, heavy cream, and cherry mixture.

Thoroughly chill the ice cream base before churning according the manufacturer’s instructions.  Once churned place the ice cream in the freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Recipes adapted ever so slightly from Not Without Salt

Homemade Creme Fraiche Ice Cream

This ice cream is amazing and while I am usually a diehard chocolate girl, this ice cream gave chocolate a run for its money in the ice cream category.  It's unbelievably creamy and has a slight tang from the crème fraiche.  My first spoonful gave me that tight, happy feeling and I reluctantly shared a spoonful with everyone within the sound of my voice and then quietly and discreetly tucked the rest of it in the back of my freezer for me to consume at a later time (preferably when my kiddies were in bed and I wouldn't have to share).  Todd and I ended up eating it for dessert for our date night in a couple of weeks ago and topped it with fresh raspberries and broken pieces of almond butterscotch cups.  It was heavenly.

Crème Fraiche Ice Cream

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup sugar
A big pinch of kosher salt
1 vanilla bean
5 large egg yolks
2 cups crème fraiche (see note)

Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan.  With a knife halve vanilla beans lengthwise. Scrape seeds into a saucepan and add vanilla bean pod. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks.  Temper the egg yolks by slowly drizzling the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly.  Pour the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium-low heat, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.  Pour the custard though the mesh strainer that has been set over a medium sized bowl.  Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.

Once cool, whisk in the crème fraiche, and then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.

Note:  You can buy crème fraiche at most grocery stores, but it is so easy to make and less expensive, it just takes a little planning ahead.

Recipe slightly adapted from Alexandra Cooks

Crème Fraiche

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup buttermilk

Combine buttermilk and whipping cream in a quart size jar.  Stir to combine.  Place cheesecloth over the jar and secure it with a rubber band or kitchen twine.  Let sit on counter for 48-72 hours.  Once thickened place crème fraiche in the refrigerator.  Refrigerate for up to two weeks. 

Lemon Yogurt Cake

I had some yogurt that needed to be used and I'm so happy it was used to make this yummy lemon cake.  My house smelled delicious while it was baking and I could hardly wait for it to cool before slicing into it right before dinner (I told myself it was a light appetizer).  It was perfectly lemony and light.  Instead of baking the cake in one loaf pan, I used ramekins to make mini cakes and then the rest of the batter I baked in a smaller loaf pan.  I watched as the cake sat on my kitchen counter tempting my little family to slice a piece each time one of us would walk through the kitchen.  It's lemony goodness was too hard to resist and so we sliced (sometimes only a half a piece only to return soon after for the other half) until nothing remained but crumbs.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/3 cup sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan.  Line the bottom with parchment paper.  Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium sized bowl.  In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla.  Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, combine 1/3 cup lemon juice and 1/3 cup sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves and mixture is clear.  Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for ten minutes.  Carefully remove cake from pan and place on a cooling rack.  While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in.  Cool.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl and stir to combine.  Pour glaze over cake once the cake has cooled.

*Instead of making the cake in the size of loaf pan used in the recipe, I used a smaller loaf pan and then used a few ramekins to make little mini cakes that turned out super cute and fun.

Recipe from Ina Garten

Cadbury Mini Egg Brownies

My two favorite Easter candies are Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs and Cadbury Mini Eggs.  I don't know very many people (except my husband who prefers Robin Eggs) who don't totally enjoy a handful of those crisp outer shell (after chopping them you'll find out just how crisp they are), milk chocolate eggs.  There is something about them that makes them highly addicting and I'm not usually one who is head over heels in love with milk chocolate.  I found this brownie recipe on Bakeaholic Mama and had to give it a try.  These brownies were as delicious as I had hoped!  Really, how could brownies and chocolate eggs together ever be a bad thing? 

Cadbury Mini Egg Brownies

1 cup butter
3 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 cup whole milk plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chopped milk chocolate Cadbury Mini Eggs, divided

Heat oven to 350F degrees. Line an 8x8-inch square baking pan with parchment, extending it up two sides, or foil. Spray the parchment with a nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium sauce pan over low heat, melt chopped milk chocolate and butter together. Remove from heat and add cocoa powder, stir until smooth. Set aside and let cool slightly.  

In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Next add the vanilla and salt.  Add the chocolate/butter mixture to the egg mixture and stir to combine.  Stir in flour.  Next, fold in Greek yogurt and 3/4 cup chopped mini eggs.  Pour batter into prepared baking pan and spread until even. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup chopped mini eggs on the top of the brownie batter.  Bake for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

I also love these brownies frozen (they don't get break your teeth hard).

Recipe slightly adapted from Bakeaholic Mama

Scotcheroos

We (I) needed (wanted) a treat for family night on Monday night, but it had to be something that didn't require an oven (this oven not working thing is killing me).  I grew up eating scotcheroos at family gatherings with my Dad's side of the family.  I'm pretty sure that these treats were originally made with Rice Krispies, but rewind to a few years back and my Aunt Karie swapped the Rice Krispies for Rice Chex.  Using Rice Krispies is now a thing of the past.  I think she is also the reason that I stir the chips into the scotcheroos and don't spread the melted chips on top.  I don't make these chocolatey, crunchy, peanuty, butterscotchy treats very often, but when I do, I'm reminded why I don't....I seriously can't stop eating them! This sweet treat is extremely addicting, so beware, you may just want to eat the entire pan (or maybe that's just me).

Scotcheroos

6 cups Rice Chex

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light Karo syrup

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 cup milk chocolate chips

Pinch of salt

Grease a 13x9 inch pan, set aside.  Put cereal in a large mixing bowl and set aside.  Combine sugar and corn syrup in a medium size saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil.  Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until melted and smooth.  Pour over cereal and stir until well coated.  Add the butterscotch chips, chocolate chips and a pinch of kosher salt to the Chex mixture.  Fold the chips into the Chex mixture.  Press the mixture into the prepared pan.  Let cool (if you can wait).  Cut into squares.