#1326 - Cereal Bars

(by Shirley McNevich)

4 cups regular Cheerios cereal
2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
2 cups Planter's dry roasted peanuts
2 cups M & M candies
1 cup Kayro lite corn syrup
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups Jif peanut butter
2 tsp. vanilla

Grease a jelly roll pan--set aside. In a large bowl add Cheerios, Rice Krispies, roasted peanuts and M & M's--carefully toss to mix. In a saucepan over medium heat add Kayro lite syrup and the white sugar--stir and bring to a boil, then cook and stir until white sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat--add peanut butter and vanilla to the hot sugar mixture--stir until mixed and smooth. Pour peanut butter mixture over the cereal mixture--stir with a wooden spoon until coated. Press the whole mixture evenly in the greased jelly roll pan. Cool completely, then cut into bars.

#1008 - Butterscotch Peanut Clusters

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 1/2 bags (11oz. size) Nestle's butterscotch morsels
2 tsp. vanilla
16oz. Planter's dry roasted peanuts

Line cookie sheets with wax paper--set aside. Melt butterscotch morsels in either a microwave or a double boiler (according to bag directions). Once melted, quickly add vanilla to the butterscotch and stir briskly. Add whole peanuts to the butterscotch mixture--stir carefully. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls on to the wax paper--refrigerate. Once they have set and are cold, remove each cluster from wax paper and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Variation--put in a few less peanuts and add some Kellogg's Rice Krispies in their place.

#959 - Homemade Peanut Clusters

(by Shirley McNevich)

16oz. Baker's semi-sweet baking chocolate (or Baker's white chocolate if you prefer)
2 tsp. vanilla
16oz. Planter's dry roasted peanuts

Line cookie sheets with wax paper--set aside. Melt baking chocolate in either a microwave or a double boiler (according to box directions). Once melted, quickly add vanilla to the chocolate and stir briskly. Add whole peanuts to the chocolate mixture--stir carefully. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls on to the wax paper--refrigerate. Once they have set and are cold, remove each cluster from wax paper and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Variation--put in a few less peanuts and add some Kellogg's Rice Krispies in their place.

#879 - Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Cake

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 box Duncan Hines chocolate cake mix
1 - 3.5oz. box Jell-O vanilla INSTANT pudding/pie filling
1 cup cold milk
1/2 cup Jif peanut butter
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
2 squares Baker's semi--sweet baking chocolate (melted according to box directions)
1 1/2 cups Cool Whip (thawed)

Make the cake batter and bake it in two 9" round cake pans as directed on the cake box. Cool cakes 15-20 minutes, then remove from the cake pans and let them cool completely. In a bowl add pudding mix and cold milk--beat with a whisk until well blended. Add the peanut butter--beat with the whisk until blended. Refrigerate the pudding mixture until the cakes have completely cooled. When cakes have cooled, melt the Baker's chocolate according to box directions--add the whole roasted peanuts to the melted chocolate--stir. Cover a cookie sheet with Saran Wrap. Drop the chocolate covered peanut mixture by teaspoonsful on the Saran Wrap. Let the peanuts cool to room temperature, then refrigerate them for 15 minutes. Put one of the cake layers upside down on to a cake plate. Spread 1 cup of the refrigerated pudding mixture just on the top of the cake. Place second cake layer (top side up) on top of pudding layer. Add the Cool Whip to the remaining refrigerated pudding mixture--stir. Frost the top and sides of the cakes with the Cool Whip/pudding mixture. Remove the refrigerated peanut clusters from the Saran Wrap and arrange them on the top of the cake. Refrigerate.

#788 - Peanut Butter Snack Mix

(by Shirley McNevich)

3 TBSP honey
2 TBSP butter
3 TBSP Jif peanut butter
4 cups assorted Chex cereal
2 cups miniature pretzels
1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts (or more if you like)

In a microwave safe bowl add honey, butter and peanut butter--microwave on high until it's soft enough to stir, then stir until smooth. In a large bowl add Chex cereal, pretzels and peanuts--stir. Pour peanut butter mixture over the cereal mixture--stir and toss to coat. Butter a jelly roll pan and spread the whole mixture on the jelly roll pan. Bake at 175 degrees for 90 minutes (stir mixture after the first 45 minutes of baking). Keep refrigerated after it has cooled.

#734 - Quick Peanut Brittle

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 TBSP butter
dash of salt
1/2 cup Kayro lite corn syrup
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups Planter's dry roasted peanuts

Spray a cookie sheet with Pam--set aside (best if cookie sheet has a lip). In a microwave safe bowl add the dry roasted peanuts, salt, lite corn syrup and white sugar--stir until mixed. Place bowl in the microwave and cook on high for 3 to 7 minutes (microwaves vary--if you have a low wattage microwave try about 6-7 minutes; if you have a higher wattage microwave try about 3-4 minutes). You will know the mixture is ready when the peanuts are browned and the corn syrup is bubbling. Remove from microwave, add vanilla and butter--stir until butter is melted. Return to microwave and cook another 2 minutes (longer for low wattage microwaves). Remove from microwave, add the baking soda and stir until mixture is foaming. Pour the mixture on to the prepared cookie sheet and spread it out with a greased spatula. Once cool and set, break into pieces. You may have to test this recipe out a few times to get the best times to use for cooking with your particular microwave.