No-Bake Avalanche Cookies

So, this recipe was recently going around Facebook, and I thought, man those look good. And they're no bake, it was like they were begging me to make them. 

I'm really, really glad I did. 

These cookies are the bomb.  Easy to make and they stay delicious for a while after you make them too.  No stale cookies here, no sir, these taste just as good as they did the day they were made.  Oh, and I already had all the ingredients in the house, so Win! Win!

These Avalanche cookies have a soft texture, like fudge.  But they also have the wonderful texture of the Rice Krispies and the marshmallows. The peanut butter flavor is mild because it's mixed with white chocolate, but still noticeable.

Just an all around awesome cookie in my book, this one is going in "my favorites" section.  Yum!

No-Bake Avalanche Cookies

Recipe from The Slow Roasted Italian

Ingredients

• 16 oz vanilla flavored almond bark/CandiQuick
• 15 oz creamy peanut butter
• 2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
• 1 1/2 cups mini-marshmallows
• 1/2 cup + more for sprinkling mini chocolate chips

Cooking Directions

1. In a large microwavable bowl, melt the almond bark in 30 second increments in your microwave until smooth.
2. Add the peanut butter and stir until smooth.
3. Add the Rice Krispies, marshmallows and chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed.
4. Line 2 cookie sheets with wax paper and then scoop a large amount (about the size of a small orange) of the mixture into a ball shape and place on the wax paper.
5. Sprinkle more mini chocolate chips over the top if desired.
6. Let sit in a cool area until hardened, you can also refrigerate until set.

Homemade Bailey's Irish Cream

Is there anyone on your Christmas list that just isn't easy to shop for? Well, this homemade drink might be just the thing.  Turns out that Irish Cream is really easy to make.  it took me 5 minutes to pour all the ingredients into a blender and mix it up.  Just buy a fancy glass bottle and wrap it up beautifully and you're done!

I don't usually slug down Irish Cream by itself so I'm not sure how great this information is, but they look very close to each other.  They smell very much like one another.  I think this version is thicker if you use heavy cream (which I did) and it might be a little stronger than the original (feel free to use a little less whiskey).  I drank some tonight in my coffee and it was really good, its also good over ice, just sayin.

Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Homemade Bailey's Irish Cream
Recipe from Running From The Law

Ingredients

• 1 cup light or heavy cream
• 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
• 1 2/3 cup Irish Whiskey (or less, this amount makes a strong drink)
• 1 tsp instant coffee granules
• 2 Tbsp chocolate syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract

Cooking Directions

1. Pour all the ingredients into a blender and mix until well combined. That's it.
2. Store in your refrigerator for up to two months.
3. **You can also skip the booze and add some skim milk instead, if you're looking for a non-alcoholic version. 

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

So, let me start off by apologizing for the lack of posts.  See, Thanksgiving happened and then soon after that I started to get word that my gramma wasn't doing well.  Well, I'm in South Carolina and she's in Montana so I was sort of playing it by ear.  When the call came that it had gotten more serious, me and my daughter jumped on a plane and flew to Montana.  My gramma passed away at the age of 96, so it was expected but still difficult.  So, that's why there hasn't been any posts from me lately.  But I'm back and ready to hit the kitchen again!

This recipe was made before I left.  My husband, as you may or may not know, is on a gluten free diet as it greatly helps with his asthma.  

This cake had great chocolatey flavor.  It's more dense than your average flour cake but I didn't mind it and neither did my husband and daughter.  It didn't last long in this house! Because, when you're craving chocolate cake you just gotta have it!

I just used a store bought gluten free frosting but homemade would be delicious too.  I'm glad I tried this recipe and now have one more for my gluten free recipe box!

Gluten Free Chocolate Cake

Recipe from Hershey

Ingredients

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 3/4 cup gluten free flour mix
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º
2. Spray 2 9-inch cake pans with non-stick spray and then dust with cocoa powder.
3. Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and whisk together. Add the eggs and milk and stir, then add the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth and lump free.
4. Pour into the prepared cake pans. Place in the oven and bake for 35-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
5. Remove from the oven and let cool on a cooling rack. After about 5 minutes you can run a knife along the edges and then remove so a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.