Last week was a bit on the dreary side…but weirdly, I kind of like days like those. Not that I don’t adore the sunshine, but a dark and chilly day offers the perfect opportunity to fire up the oven and do some baking or cooking…leaving your home smelling heavenly! So that said, I took the opportunity to try some new and completely easy recipes for some fall-inspired treats! The cool weather seems to call for us to gather around the fire and share conversation with family & friends…AND nibble on delights from the kitchen! I love to be prepared for impromptu guests or even those moments where the kids are content to hang out and actually participate in conversation! Setting out some treats and munchies can be a tactic to keep them around us a bit longer and keep the conversations flowing! (nothing like a little bribery!) And when guests come calling, the same applies! Even though it’s easier to keep some packaged treats in the pantry, I do love serving homemade sweets whenever possible! So today I’m going to share some tasty nibbles that are as easy as they are delicious! So “hello fall”…
it’s kitchen time!
this first snack is so simple, festive, AND easy for little hands…so if you’ve got pint-sized helpers they can do it themselves! and if the little ones can do it–we big people can too! there’s something very nostalgic to me when it comes to vanilla wafer cookies…i guess i may have indulged on them as a child because they just take me back somewhere whenever i see them! i haven’t served them in ages, but i spied some in the grocery isle and was compelled to bring them back…this time as an October inspired treat! all you need for this Halloween snack are wafer cookies, chocolate bits for melting, and sprinkles!
melt the chocolate in the microwave and simply spread it over the end of the cookie with a spoon or spatula! you can use as much or little as you want. i chose to coat just the ends so that the wafers wouldn’t be too sugary and also have a space to pick them up without getting sticky fingers! but there’s no rules for the topping…dip it, spread it, drizzle it–anything goes!
then above a bowl i sprinkled some crunchy toppings over the warm chocolate…
i used separate bowls for each variety of sprinkles. this way i can use a funnel to return the leftovers to the container if they’re not too messy or mixed up!
just lay them on a piece of parchment to set! so easy AND so yummy!
something with a touch of salt…
i saw a recipe the other day that i’ve been anxious to try…sweet almond crackers by my favorite, the Pioneer Woman! i thought the recipe sounded so easy & so delicious…especially fun for fall! check out the link for the original recipe and make sure to print a copy! i played around with it a bit adding toasted, sugared pecans as well as some almond varieties to sprinkle on top of the crackers…
line up the crackers in the bottom of a cookie sheet or baking dish. a 9 x 13 pan will make approximately 1/2 of the original recipe which is around 25 crackers.
in a small sauce pan melt butter (1/2 C), brown sugar (1/2 C), and vanilla(1/2 t), bringing it to a soft boil until slightly thickened and pour the mixture over the crackers…
quickly spread it over the crackers with an off-set spatula. this is where i found it easier to make a smaller recipe…you need to work pretty quickly to get the sugar mix to spread before it starts to set up!
bake for 5 minutes at 350 then top with the nuts pressing gently to set them into the sugar. i let them cool completely…and i will tell you that my kitchen smelled wonderful while waiting! nibbles that combine salt and sweet are some of my favorites!
break them apart and store in an airtight container…if you can keep them that long! OR stack up all your treats on some plates…maybe tuck a few inside some holiday containers and let your guests or family indulge…
