4 Layers of chocolate and peanuts, much better than a Snickers bar!

It's evil, but in a very good way. You have to be allergic to nuts not to like it and all you need is a small piece and it satisfies your need for sweet! There is NO possible way to make this healthy or less fattening. Sorry.



FIRST LAYER:
1-1/2 to 2 cups of milk chocolate chips
1/4 c of butterscotch chips
1/4 cup of peanut butter - I prefer creamy for this layer because it forms the "outside" of the bar.

Melt all of the ingredients above in the microwave for abt 1-1/2 minutes. Stir until smooth. You may need to add a few seconds, but DONT overcook! Spread in a greased 9 x 13 pan. CHILL while making the second layer.


SECOND LAYER:
1 cup sugar
1/2 stick butter
1/3 c evaporated milk
7 oz of marshmallow creme
1/4 cup of peanut butter - crunchy here is good, but you can use either and its all a matter of taste.
1-1/2 c cocktail peanuts (salted and roasted)

Place the first three ingredients in a saucepan and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat. Stir until smooth. Add marshmallow cream and peanut butter until all incorporated. Pour over the chilled first layer. Sprinkle nuts over the top. Place back into the fridge and CHILL while making third layer.


THIRD LAYER:
One 14oz bag of caramels, unwrapped
2 T of evaporated milk

Place caramels and evaporated milk into a microwave safe bowl and into the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Stir until smooth. Pour over second layer and CHILL while making FOURTH LAYER.


FOURTH LAYER:
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup of peanut butter (creamy)
1/4 cup of butterscotch chips

Melt above ingredients in the microwave for about 1 to 1-1/2 minutes and stir together until smooth. Pour over third layer. Chill in refrigerator for several hours. Cut while still chilled.


Printable Version

It's not your mama's Carmel Apple Bread Pudding

Since its December, the holidays and noone is really caring all that much about healthy foods, most of the recipes we share are going to be those that are a tad more indulgent than what we would normally eat during the year. Like anyone really minds!

This recipes is a conglomeration of several delicious examples of bread pudding I have had over the years. It all started in Hawaii of all places, where a wonderful relief society president made me bread pudding for the first time. In hers, she used apple pie filling. It was so yummy, I have never made it without. This is comfort food at its finest, kicked up a few notches. ENJOY!

Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

10-15 slices of day-old bread. I use either a nice challah/egg bread or 2 loaves of the Pepperidge Farms Cinnamon Toast bread. Torn into medium bite size pieces.

4 eggs

3 c of half and half

2/3 c sugar

2 tsp of vanilla

1/2 t of salt (optional)

1/2 t of ground cinnamon

1 can apple pie filling

Heave oven to 350 degeres. Spray bottom of 8 x 13 cake pan with pam. Beat eggs in medium bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Put 1/2 of the torn bread slices into the pan. Take one-half can of the applie pie filling and spread over the bread. Pour 1/2 of the egg mixture on top of the bread/apple mix. Put remaining pieces of bread over the top. Spread the remaining apple pie mix on top of the bread. Pour the remaining egg mix on top. Bake uncovered for 50-60 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Serve warm with caramel sauce (See below) and french vanilla ice cream.

Caramel Sauce

2/3 c packed brown sugar

1/2 c light corn syrup

1/2 c half and half

2 T butter.

Heat all the ingredients to boiling in 1 qt sauce pan over medium low heat, stirring constantly. Drizzle over top of bread pudding and ice cream.

Lower calorie/lower fat version: (Again - this is comfort food, so low is all relative). You can substitute the half and half for 1% or 2% milk. No adjustment in amount is necessary.

Small Family: Reduce everything in half and prepare in an 8 x 8 pan.

SUGGESTIONS: As indicated above, I use Pepperidge Farms Cinnamon Swirl Bread (with or without raisins, its your preference). It adds another layer of flavors.

Holiday Frozen Banana Split

This has been a holiday tradition for as long as I can remember Christmas at the Hellers. We would make a run to my grandma's in Columbus and then come back and open presents. There was always a frozen desert there to eat. When I first got married, I remember searching through the stores for peppermint candy cane ice cream in Honolulu Hawaii and was so upset when I couldnt find it. We came up with the idea of just crushing candy canes and folding it into the vanilla ice cream that I had bought instead of what was SUPPOSED to be in the desert. We then added a little peppermint extract. Folded it together and then spread it on top of the bananas. Every year I search for candy cane ice cream after Thanksgiving.

It is the kind of desert you do not feed your children close to bedtime, well, adults too. If you are hypoglycemic, forget the sugar pills, just have a small piece of this. I know its frozen, its ice cream and its winter, but it is so worth it! Besides, you can store it in the garage if you need to (That's if you live in the norther tundra, like we do. California or Florida, I dont know that the garage is a good storage solution!)

One 1/2 gallon of candy cane or peppermint stick ice cream, slightly thawed
1 recipe of Hot Fudge Sauce (see below) completely cooled.
2-3 bananas sliced into about 1/2 inch rounds.
1 bag of oreo cookies, (crumbled in a food processor) combined with 1/2 stick of butter melted.
1 regular size container of cool whip
10-15 candy canes crushed

Assemble the following:
In a 9 x 13 cake pan (I use a glass cake pan) press the oreo cookie crumble/butter mixture.

Place the sliced bananas on top of the cookie crumbs, covering the entire area.

Slice ice cream into 1 inch slices and place over the bananas in an even layer, covering entire area. This works when it is slightly thawed and you can use a cutting knife to slice through.

Spread completely cooled hot fudge sauce over the top of the ice cream.

Spread Cool Whip over the top of the fudge sauce.

Sprinke crushed candy canes on top of the Cool Whip.

FREEZE SOLID.

HOT FUDGE SAUCE RECIPE:
1 c evaporated milk
2 c powdered sugar
1 stick butter
1 c chocolate chips
1 t vanilla

Add all incredients (except vanilla) to a heavy sauce pan. Cook on med-low, stirring constantly. Cook until the sauce if bubbly and thick (about 10 minutes). When it begins to cool, it will thicken. Stir well. You will notice a glossy shine to the sauce.


There are no lower calorie or low calorie versions of this. It totally messes with the devlish purpose of this dessert. If you insist, try using just the dark cookie crumbs or graham cracker crumbs. Replace the butter with margarine. Use a reduced fat ice cream and the lite cool whip, but no matter what you do, its still just not something that you would call healthy, so what the heck, eat and enjoy as is.

For smaller families: This can be made to be any size you want it to be. Just find a container that works for you/your family and layer accordingly.

SUGGESTIONS: The fudge sauce is great by itself warmed and poured over ice cream. Cold, it is thick enough that you can spread between two cookies or on graham crackers.

This dessert can be made at any time of the year, using any fruit that will freeze well, any flavored ice cream and any combination of crumbles on top. Be creative. It is simple, it is fun to make and everyone will love it!