#3820 - Milk Chocolate Peanut Squares

(by Shirley McNevich)

1/4 cup Kayro lite corn syrup
2 tablespoons softened butter
1 TBSP vanilla
1/8 cup Jif smooth peanut butter
1 dash salt
3 cups Domino's powdered sugar
35 Kraft caramels (unwrapped)
1 cup dry roasted peanuts (your choice if salted or unsalted)
12 oz. Nestle's milk chocolate chips

In a mixer add lite corn syrup, softened butter, vanilla, peanut butter and salt--beat well. Slowly add powdered sugar--beat until it forms dough. Remove dough from mixer and press it evenly into a greased 9" square pan. Refrigerate until cold. In a saucepan over low heat add the unwrapped caramels--cook/stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat--add peanuts--stir to mix. Remove pan from refrigerator--spread the caramel mixture evenly over the dough mixture--cool to room temperature, then refrigerate a few hours until firm. Remove from refrigerator--cut the whole thing into 1" wide squares. Melt all of the milk chocolate chips according to bag directions. Stab a square with a toothpick, dip it into the melted chocolate to coat and set it on wax paper. Use the toothpick to smooth a little chocolate to cover the hole. Repeat with all squares.

#3327 - Homemade Cracker Jacks

(by Shirley McNevich)

8 cups plain popped popcorn
1 cup roasted peanuts
3/4 cup Domino's dark brown sugar (packed)
1/4 cup butter
3 TBSP Kayro clear corn syrup
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Grease a large jelly roll pan (pan with a lip on all sides) with Pam. Spread the popped popcorn evenly over the pan. Sprinkle the peanuts evenly over the popcorn. In a cast iron skillet add brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt--cook/stir over medium heat until butter is melted. Once butter is all melted, cook for 3 minutes WITHOUT STIRRING. Remove from heat--add baking soda and vanilla--stir briskly until mixed. Pour the hot mixture evenly over the popcorn (it's ok if you don't coat every single piece of popcorn). Use a greased spatula to gently mix the popcorn mixture, then spread it out again evenly in the pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool completely. Break into pieces.

#2746 - Pudding Peanut Clusters

(by Dorothy Hafer - friend)

1 - 3oz. box Jell-O chocolate pudding mix (NOT instant)
1 cup white sugar
1 TBSP butter
1 cup salted roasted peanuts
1/2 cup Carnation evaporated milk (NOT condensed)
1 tsp. vanilla

In a saucepan add pudding mix and white sugar--slowly add the milk. Cook/stir over medium heat and add butter--cook/stir until boiling. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer and cook/stir for 3 minutes. Remove from heat--add vanilla and peanuts--stir until mixed, then keep stirring until mixture thickens and mixture begins to lose it's glossy look. Drop by spoonfuls into clusters on to wax paper lined cookie sheets. Cool completely.