Recipe: Rice Krispies Treats Truffles (My Afternoon Pick-Me-Up!)

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #KreateMyHappy #CollectiveBias

Rice Krispies Treats have long been a favorite of mine. The individually wrapped ones are a go to if I need a fun snack in case of a sweet tooth. A cool thing about the Rice Krispies Treats, is that they're so versatile. You can top them, dip them, use them in recipes, or just eat them plain! Today, though, I'm sharing my favorite way to eat them and that's as Rice Krispies Treats Truffles. 

They make for an elegant looking dessert, without being a big fuss to make. You end up with something like a box of chocolates, with different flavors in each little truffle. 

To start, I use packaged Rice Krispies Treats, cut in half. Each individual treat makes 2 truffles. 

Ingredients: (Makes 24 truffles, 6 of each variety)

12 Rice Krispies Treats, individually wrapped bars

12 oz chocolate almond bark

1/2 cup powered sugar

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1 Tbsp caramel sauce

1/4 cup plain M&M's, chopped or crushed

1/2 cup JET-PUFFED miniature marshmallows 

1 graham cracker, crushed 

6 peanut butter M&M's

Instructions for each variety:

Turtle Truffles:

Gently flatten 1/2 Rice Krispies Treats bar. Place 4-5 pecan pieces inside, followed by a drizzle of caramel sauce. Roll into a ball and dip in melted almond bark. When almost solid, put a little caramel sauce on the back of a pecan and press onto top of truffle. 

S'mores Truffles:

Gently flatten 1/2 Rice Krispies Treats bar. Place 3 JET-PUFFED miniature marshmallows inside and roll into a ball. Dip in melted almond bark. Immediately sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. 

M&M Truffles:

Roll 1/2 Rice Krispies Treats bar into a ball. Dip in melted almond bark. Immediately sprinkle with chopped plain M&M's. 

Peanut Butter Truffles: 

Mix together peanut butter, powered sugar and vanilla. Evenly split into 6 portions and flatten each portion out. Set aside. Roll 1/2 Rice Krispies Treats bar into ball. Wrap ball with peanut butter mixture, rolling in hands until completely covered. Dip in melted almond bark. Immediately top with one peanut butter M&M. 

I just make one variety at a time, so I don't end up topping one the wrong way. It's hard to tell what kind each one is before the toppings are on! Another tip, is if you microwave your Rice Krispies Treats for about 10 seconds before you add ingredients or try to shape them, they are a little bit easier. It may seem like a lot of ingredients, but I'm willing to bet you have most of them in your pantry. You don't need much of each thing! 

Now here's another exciting part. Starting tomorrow, March 24th through May 3rd, you can vote on your favorite Kellogs Rice Krispies Treats recipe in a challenge and mine is one of them! But the winning isn't just for me. Each vote you make gives you a chance to win prizes, including:

$250 gift cards 

Beats Pills™ By Dr. Dre

Kellogs Rice Krispies Treats 

and much more! 

Head here to vote! 

You can find Rice Krispies Treats at your favorite retailer, mine, obviously being Target!

Make a Caramel Macchiato at Home {with Verismo}

Did y'all know that I used to be a Barista? Yep. Through nursing school, I wore that Starbucks apron proudly. I loved making fancy drinks, seeing regular customers and of course, drinking all that coffee myself. I loved that job so much, that after I graduated and worked as a nurse, I kept working there. I would open at 4am and do a 4 hour shift before my nursing shift started. It was awesome. Until I realized that I couldn't go on very little sleep anymore, no matter how much coffee I drank. 

10 years later, I'm still a huge fan of the good ole joe. But probably the last coffee drinker on the face of the planet to not have a single cup coffee maker. Until now. I just got the Starbucks Verismo brewer from Staples. And take a look, it's champagne! 

This beautiful little machine makes a darn good cup of coffee. The House Blend pods are my favorite variety for a good cup of coffee in the morning. 

But, the barista in me loves this machine for more than just a good cup of coffee. The Verismo won my heart when it gave me a Starbucks Caramel Macchiato at 7am, while I was in my bathrobe. See, the Verismo has Milk Pods and Espresso Pods that let you create a "fancy drink" right in your own house. 

First up, I bought a bottle of Starbucks Vanilla Syrup. It's the same thing they use behind the counter and it comes in a bottle big enough to basically last your whole life. Put a Tablespoon of that stuff in your cup and get to brewing. 

The milk pod actually makes the milk froth up a bit, creating a thin layer of foam on top. When the milk pod is done, run the espresso pod right on top. You know what's next. Ooey gooey caramel. You can use the stuff you find with the ice cream toppings, or make your own. Give a generous drizzle of that stuff over the top and you're ready to serve! 
At 7am, when I just finished packing lunches, fixing breakfasts and am about to start on the mountain of laundry, a fancy coffee is just what I need. And I love that I can make it now in the comfort of my own robe! 

Now that the weather is warming up, the Verismo would be perfect for an iced drink as well! Put your vanilla in the bottom of a 12 oz glass, as you would in a hot caramel macchiato. Fill the glass halfway with ice, then almost to the top with the milk of your choice. Brew one Verismo espresso pod and pour it through the center of your drink. Drizzle with the caramel and enjoy! 

I am so excited to keep trying new drinks in the Verismo. I will also be impress guests this weekend with some coffee alongside dessert! 

I was given the above Verismo brewer by Staples in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own. 

Easy Fudge Pie {Comfort Food Perfection}

“This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Kleenex but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #KleenexTarget  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO”

When the people in my house are sick, my first instinct is to cook. Something to warm them. Something that taste good enough to ease the discomfort. Something to make them smile. 

This school year, we've battled quite a large amount of sickness. After years with only a handful of doctor visits, we've been far more than a handful of times since September. And it's not just the one actually in school who's sick. It's everyone. Coughs, strep throat, sinus infections and the inevitable runny nose. Poor Cooper has seriously had one for 3 straight months. I'm relying on Kleenex to keep his little nose from getting chapped as he keeps trying to "blow one more time". And thanks to Kleenex, he doesn't look like Rudolph from all that blowing. 

At least if I'm going to have boxes of Kleenex sitting all over my house, they are these adorably festive packages! Right now at Target, you can use this coupon to save $1 off a multi pack of Kleenex tissues.
It's been really rainy here lately, just to add to all the sniffles, and I wanted to give my little man something to make him smile after school yesterday. I pulled out an old faithful recipe, written on crumpled paper, that has been stained with softened butter splatters. It's been used so many times, I can't even count. Most of those times to bring comfort to my family, or to take to someone who could use a little cheer at their home. 

The start is my no fail crust, which is an easy, 3 ingredient recipe passed on from a family friend. 

That crust is filled with silky chocolate, which is pretty much the cure all for anything, right? 


And to make this pie go from perfection to comfort food perfection, homemade whip cream and crushed candy canes are added to the top. 

Which makes for one happy, runny nosed little man. 

Easy Fudge Pie Recipe:

Crust: 

5 1/3 Tbsp Butter, softened
3 oz Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup Flour

Filling:

1 stick Butter
6 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa
1 cup Sugar
1/4 c Flour
2 Eggs

Mix crust ingredients with a fork and press into greased pie pan. For the filling, melt butter in a saucepan. Once melted, remove from heat and whisk in remaining ingredients. Pour into crust and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. 

Whipped Cream:

3/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Tbsp. Sugar

Whisk ingredients with a hand mixer until soft peaks form. Put on pie just before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Serve with crushed candy canes for a festive treat!