Chocolale Chip Ball Suprise "Cookies"

•1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
•2 cups creamy peanut butter
•3 cups confectioners' sugar
•3 cups crispy rice cereal, crushed (recommended: Rice Krispies)
•1 cup semisweet mini chocolate morsels
•2 (12-ounce) packages semisweet chocolate morsels

Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, peanut butter, sugar, rice cereal and mini chocolate morsels with an electric mixer. Roll mixture into 1-inch balls and place onto a parchment lined sheet pan in the freezer. (About 30 minutes or so-just so they don't melt/fall apart in the warm chocolate) In a double boiler, over simmering water, melt semisweet morsels. Stir constantly until melted and smooth. With a fork, dip the frozen balls in melted chocolate. Place on a cool cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in freezer for 5 to10 minutes until the chocolate has set. Store the balls in an airtight container at room temperature.

**Note-we ran out of chocolate coating so some of ours didn't have any-still delishious!
**Note-we also used melted white chocolate chips to coat and those were equally yummy.

Breakfast Cookies

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup (1 small jar) strained carrot baby food (or sub in any other pureed, mild veggie like squash or pumpkin)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup bran cereal flakes
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup walnut pieces, lightly toasted in a dry skillet for 2 minutes, until fragrant and chopped

Oven at 350 degrees F.

Whisk together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Combine butter, oil and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high speed, scraping down sides if necessary, until sugars have dissolved and mixture is light in color, about 1 minute. Add egg, carrot puree and vanilla and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add flour mixture and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add oats, flakes, raisins and walnuts and mix over low speed just until incorporated. Dough will be slightly sticky and less cohesive than traditional cookie dough. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using between 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter, form a ball and place on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining batter, leaving about 3 inches between cookies. Wet hands and use palm of hand to flatten cookies until about 1/4-inch thick. Bake for 12 minutes, until cookies are fragrant but still soft. Let cookies cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

**Note-These cookies are so tasty! I also love that you have a quick breakfast to go. These cookies freeze well and can be defrosted quickly in the microwave.

Chex Muddy Buddies

9 cups Corn Chex, Rice Chex, Wheat Chex Cereal (or any combination)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a large bowl, pour cereal(s). Set aside. In a 1-quart microwaveable container, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter on high for one minute. Stir. Continue to microwave in 30 second increments until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal(s), stirring until evenly coated. Pour into a 2-quart plastic bag. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag and shake until well coated. Spread mixture on wax paper to cool. Store in airtight container.

Original Chex Party Mix

3 cups corn Chex cereal
3 cups rice Chex cereal
3 cups wheat Chex cereal
1 cup mixed nuts
1 cup bite sized pretzels
1 cup bite sized bagel chips (or regular sized bagel chips broken into bite sized pieces), garlic flavor if desired
6 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt (or just one teaspoon regular salt)
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Oven at 250. Mix cereals together in a large bowl. Microwave butter until melted. Stir in remaining seasonings. Pour butter mixture over cereal mixture and stir to coat. Transfer to a large baking dish/pan and bake for about one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Allow to cool then store in an air tight container.