Warm Drinks and Treats for Friends!

With the winter and the holidays fast approaching comes many days off from school and if your house is like mine I always seem to have extra kids hanging out. So I have decided to share two of my favorite recipes that are always a hit on those cold days when our kids fill our house with their friends.

The first one is a cookie recipe.

 Cookie  Candy Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, slightly softened
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
Hershey’s Kisses or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, or Favorite Small Candy

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Sift dry ingredients together with a wire whisk and set aside.
3. Beat butter and peanut butter together with mixer on medium speed.
4. Add sugar to butter and peanut butter mixture, beating until fluffy.
5. Add egg and vanilla to mixture .
6. Add dry ingredient mixture to the creamed mixture and mix well.
7. Roll dough into 1 to 1 1/2" balls, then roll in sugar coating well.
8. Press ball into mini muffin pan leaving hole in middle ( should look like a pie crust in each hole)
9. Fill holes with favorite candy such as Peanut Butter Cups, Kisses, Snickers Bits, Peppermint Pattie Bites... 
10. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
11. Can drizzle top with melted chocolate if desired. 

Some ideas for these cookies: Substitute the peanut butter cookie dough for your favorite sugar cookie recipe. Also fill centers of cupcakes with favorite preserves. 

This recipe is from one of our favorite websites www.bakerella.com and is a no fail hit in our house ever year!

What is the best and easiest way to make hot chocolate for a crowd?

In the crock-pot!

Crockpot Hot Chocolate

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups whipping cream
• 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 6 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups of chocolate chips (milk chocolate OR semi-sweet depending on how sweet you like it. I have a heck of a sweet tooth, and I love the milk chocolate, but others prefer the semi-sweet)

Instructions

1. Stir together the whipping cream, milk, vanilla, and chocolate chips in a crock pot.
2. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until mixture is hot and chocolate chips are melted. 
3. Stir again before serving.
4. Top with some whip topping or marshmallows for an amazing treat that will make you the best mom ever!