Junior Chefs Strike Again!

Those junior cookers were at it again this week.  I like to think of that experience as a great lesson in patience!! We had 8 chefs Monday night. .and since March was National Peanut Month. .we started by making peanut butter popcorn. .which was a hit among the children!

Our next recipe came out of this book. .and if you don't have it and love cookies. .it's an excellent choice.  I bought it last fall from a Books R Fun dealer for about 13 bucks. .well worth every penny!! The kids' recipes for the Christmas cookie exchange came out of here too.  It calls for sweetened condensed milk and graham cracker crumbs in addition to the regular staples that you would usually have on hand in your kitchen.

Once 8 kids in two separate groups got into the swing of measuring, mixing, asking questions, and sharing tasks. .I totally didn't think about taking pictures. .until they left and all that remained was Dev's plate of cookies. .and a mess!!

And I didn't even take a picture of the popcorn littered floor. .or the flour layered over everything!! Aside from the mess. .the products turned out great!! And these cookies were even better than I had hoped they would be. .We used Recees pieces. .because that's all I could find in my cabinet after I decided Monday that we were making those (nothing like a little proscrastination, eh?) The real recipe called for M&Ms. .I used those yesterday afternoon in another batch. .I like the peanut butter better than the chocolates. .but Jeremy preferred the chocolates.  You choose for yourself. .but you GOTTA try 'em!! It makes a big batch!

Crisp Graham Cookies

½ cup butter flavored shortening

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 ½ tsp vanilla

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

3 Tbsp creamy peanut butter

1 ½ cup flour

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 cups plain M&Ms or Recees pieces

½ cup chopped pecans

Cream Crisco and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Add vanilla and milk. Blend in peanut butter. Combine dry ingredients; add to the creamed mixture. Stir in the candies and nuts. Using cookie scoop, place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.

Wishing everyone a terrific entrance to April!!