Sweet and salty, this decadent White Trash Chex Mix checks all the boxes! It’s fast and easy, perfect for your next get-together, game day, or holiday party. And, chock full of crunchy Chex cereal and pretzels, salty peanuts, and sweet bits of candy and marshmallow, it’s got a little something for everyone!
Start by lining a jelly roll pan with parchment paper, then layer on the Chex cereal (I like to use Corn Chex, but you can use any flavor, or a mix of rice, corn, and wheat), pretzels, peanuts, M&M’s, peanut butter chips, coconut, and mini marshmallows.
Technically, the candy pieces are unnecessary, since the almond bark coating is sweet enough, but the M&M’s add a nice pop of color and I enjoy the peanut butter flavor of the chips. I also enjoy the added textures of the coconut and the marshmallows. But feel free to substitute or leave out any ingredients that are not to your liking. It should look something like this:
Next, simply melt the almond bark in the microwave, stirring at one minute intervals until smooth. Pour over the Chex mixture and toss gently to thoroughly coat, then sprinkle the sea salt evenly over the top. And, voila! Instant deliciousness! Whip up some White Trash Chex Mix for your next party!
Chock full of crunchy Chex cereal and pretzels, salty peanuts, and sweet bits of candy and marshmallow, it's got a little something for everyone!
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12– 16
Author: The Country Dish
Ingredients
3cupsChex cerealany flavor or combination
2cupspretzels
1 cupsalted peanuts
1/2cupM&M's candies
1/2cuppeanut butter chips
1/4cupsweetened flaked coconut
2cupsmini marshmallows
24oz.white almond bark
1tspflakey sea salt
Instructions
Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper, then layer on the first seven ingredients in the order given.
Melt almond bark in a large microwaveable bowl, and stirring at one minute intervals until smooth.
Pour melted almond bark over Chex mixture and toss gently to coat. Sprinkle evenly with sea salt. Allow to completely "set up," and break into smaller chunks before serving.
Nothing says “lazy Saturday morning” like these easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls. Warm from the oven, these soft, pillowy rolls are redolent with sugar and spice and buttery goodness. Add a little brown sugar caramelized on the bottom and a schmear of Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting, and you’ve achieved breakfast perfection!
I grew up on cinnamon rolls. My mother is well known for being a bread baker extraordinaire, and that often spilled over into cinnamon rolls. Every week during my childhood, Mama cranked out three loaves of sandwich bread as well as numerous other baked goods — sometimes baking powder biscuits, sometimes cornbread, sometimes banana bread, usually cookies, and, often, cinnamon rolls.
Hers often featured a layer of ground nuts (usually hazelnuts back then, from the trees in front of our house) because they added a little extra nutrition and because my dad was fond of them, and, occasionally, raisins, although we’ve since broken her of that bad habit. She often left them unfrosted, to cut down on added sugar. Sometimes she drizzled them lightly with a simple vanilla glaze. They were fabulous. (They still are, she just makes them much less often these days.)
Nowadays, I generally have to make my own cinnamon rolls, so I eat far fewer, which is probably a good thing. Since they’re a rare treat, I prefer to go all out and top mine with a rich cream cheese frosting. And my children prefer that I leave out the nuts and, of course, the “bugth” (aka raisins) — as a certain cute little two-year-old once lisped. But, naturally, you can easily add either (or both) if it floats your boat.
This is my go-to recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls. It features rich, buttery dough, rolled out and topped with plenty of cinnamon, butter, and melted brown sugar, and then finished with a thick layer of Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting — it’s the epitome of comfort food. Why not whip up a batch for your family this weekend? Trust me, nothing says “love” like a fresh, warm Homemade Cinnamon Roll!
Nothing says "lazy Saturday morning" like these easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls. Warm from the oven, these soft, pillowy rolls are redolent with sugar and spice and buttery goodness.
Prep Time40 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Proofing Time3 hourshrs
Total Time4 hourshrs
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Servings: 15rolls
Author: The Country Dish
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
1 1/2cupswaterat room temperature
1eggbeaten
2Tdry milkoptional
1tspsalt
1/2cupsugar
1tspbutter extractoptional
1/2cupmelted butteror vegetable oil
5cupsflour
2 1/2 tspinstant yeast
Filling Ingredients
3/4cupsugar
3/4cupbrown sugar
1/4cupcinnamon
2Tcornstarch
1/2cupbuttersoftened
Instructions
If using bread machine: Layer dough ingredients into bread machine pan in order given. Use "dough" setting.
If using stand mixer with dough hook: Layer all dough ingredients except flour into mixer bowl in order given. Add 2 cups of flour and blend well on low speed. Continue adding flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until fully incorporated. Increase speed slightly and knead for 5 minutes. Place dough in lightly greased bowl, covered with plastic wrap, and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled (usually 1 to 2 hours).
To prepare filling: In a small microwaveable bowl, combine sugars, cinnamon, and cornstarch. Incorporate butter, microwaving for 10 second intervals if needed to form thick paste.
To prepare baking dish: Butter bottom and sides of 11" x 15" baking dish. Line with parchment paper, trimming as necessary, and leaving long "handles" on ends to facilitate removal.
Once dough as risen, roll out into a large rectangle, 20" deep x 30" wide. Spread with filling to within 1" of edges. Roll up into a 30" long log, pinching along seam to seal. Using a very sharp knife, carefully slice into 15 even rolls, about 2" each. Place in a 3×5 pattern in prepared baking dish and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until doubled (usually 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours). Remove plastic wrap before baking.
Bake in a 400F oven for 20 minutes, or until tops are lightly browned. Cool on rack for at least 15 minutes before using parchment paper to remove from pan. Allow to cool completely before spreading with Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting, if desired.
Let’s face it: Whether it’s a warm, gooey, early morning cinnamon roll, or a luscious slice of cake for dessert — it’s all about the frosting. And I’m not talking about that plasticky stuff out of a can, but “The Good Stuff.” Nothing elevates a dessert like homemade frosting, and, king among them all, nothing seems to garner quite as much interest amongst the hopeful throngs or carry as much panache with the would-be cake-eaters as the words, “Cream Cheese Frosting.” Fortunately, it’s as easy as can be to whip up a batch that tastes just as delicious as it sounds!
This Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting recipe is just the thing to finish off your favorite cake, such as Beverly’s Carrot Cake… or to schmear liberally over a warm batch of Homemade Cinnamon Rolls… or even to lavish atop a graham cracker (or ten) and devour! Sweet and creamy with just a hint of a tang from the cream cheese, it’s everything you ever dreamed of in a frosting and more. It really is “Perfect!”
My absolute, favorite cake ever! Beverly’s Carrot Cake combines the warm spiciness of ginger with pineapple, coconut, chopped pecans — and nary a raisin in sight! Topped with creamy Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting, I’ll bet it’ll become a favorite at your house, too.
In the beginning…
I don’t remember my mother or grandma ever making carrot cake when I was a child. Then again, maybe they did and it’s been mercifully blotted out of my memory because it broke my cardinal carrot cake rule: Thou shalt not put any raisins into thy carrot cake. (I actually like raisins — just not adulterating my carrot cake).
When I was about ten years old, I was pouring over a new “Ruralite” cookbook, and a recipe for carrot cake (sans raisins) with cream cheese frosting caught my attention. I’d always loved spice cake, pineapple, and coconut — and I wasn’t sure what cream cheese frosting was, but I liked the sound of it.
A star is born…
I tinkered with the recipe a bit, adding more spices — especially ginger, a particular favorite of mine — and this and that, until I achieved, at least to my palate, cake perfection. From then on, I became the official carrot-cake-cooker of the family — and it continues to be one of my most requested recipes right down to this day!
So, the next time you need a cake for a special occasion, or a dessert for a bring-a-dish, or just a whole lotta comfort, bake up Beverly’s Carrot Cake — I promise, you won’t regret it!
Beverly's Carrot Cake combines the warm spiciness of ginger with pineapple, coconut, and chopped pecans. Topped with creamy Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting, I'll bet it'll become a favorite at your house, too.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time35 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 15– 20
Author: The Country Dish
Ingredients
2cupsflour
1 1/2tspbaking soda
2tspbaking powder
1 1/2 tspsalt
2tspcinnamon
1tspginger
1/2tspPenzey's Cake Spiceor a pinch each of nutmeg & allspice (optional)
2cupssugar
1tspvanilla extract
1 1/2cupssalad oil
4eggs
2cupscarrotfinely grated
1 (small)cancrushed pineapplewith juice
1/2cuppecanschopped
1 1/3cupssweetened flaked coconut
Instructions
Add all ingredients to mixing bowl, then blend thoroughly, on medium speed, about 2 minutes.
Spray half-sheet roaster pan (approx. 11"x15") with Pam for Baking (or prepare with shortening and flour). OR, prepare (3) 9" layer pans — reduce cooking time accordingly.
Baking at 350F for 35 minutes, or until knife in center comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting with Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting.
Nothing says “summer” quite like the sweetness of sun-ripened strawberries, and this Strawberry Cheesecake French Toast is no exception. Combining juicy, fresh strawberries and rich cheesecake filling, this decadent dish is sure to be the star of your summer-time brunch table!
“Coffee has given me unrealistic expectations of productivity.” — Unknown
Even though I consider myself a morning person, that doesn’t necessarily mean that I feel like cooking for a crowd first thing in the morning — and that’s where this recipe comes in. It’s perfect for overnight houseguests — just make it the night before and stick it in the fridge, ready to be baked in the morning. Or, you can take it along, ready to bake, when you’re the houseguest, or to your vacation rental, or in your RV (provided you have a cooler to stick it in and an oven in your RV big enough to bake it).
A word about expectations:
To those of you, poor souls, who have never made a baked French toast casserole before — I actually hate calling it “French toast” because, in my opinion, it resembles that (also delicious, but completely different) dish not at all. This should, perhaps, be more accurately called a bread pudding, and, thus, has a distinctly custardy taste and texture. However, my youngest daughter, who loves French toast and detests flan, gobbles this up with no problem, so, I guess, my only point is… baked French toast is in its own category of “deliciousness.”
This Strawberry Cheesecake French Toast makes a very elegant and popular addition to any celebration or holiday brunch or even lunch, especially in the spring or early summer. And it can be made in advance, because, even though it’s hard to resist eating a rich gooey chunk of it while it’s still warm, it tastes even better chilled! When it’s chilled, it feels more like a Tiramisu that tastes like a giant strawberry cheese danish.
Let’s get started….
First, you’re going to want to generously butter your baking dish, sprinkle it with the brown sugar, and wedge your Texas toast into it. Thoroughly combine your egg mixture, and pour it right over the bread:
Next, beat your softened cream cheese until it’s good and fluffy, and add in the butter, vanilla, lemon juice, and powdered sugar. Dollop it all over the bread, and use a butter knife or a rubber spatula to spread it out as evenly as possible:
Now, stir your jam into your fresh strawberries. If it’s really thick and globby, you may need to thin it out with a bit of water. Spoon it evenly over the cream cheese layer:
Finally, we’re going to combine the remaining butter, flour, and brown sugar to create a nice streusel topping. Crumble it evenly over the top:
All that’s left is to bake and enjoy! I bake it at 350F for 30 minutes covered, and then 30 minutes uncovered.
As you can see…
Even though it’s a layered affair that consists of several component parts, this delicious dish is surprisingly fast and easy. So don’t be scared to give it a try — whip up a batch of Strawberry Cheesecake French Toast today!
Combining juicy, fresh strawberries and rich cheesecake filling, this decadent dish is sure to be the star of your summertime brunch table!
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12servings
Author: The Country Dish
Ingredients
6slicesTexas toastat least 1" thick
1/2cbrown sugardivided
1cstrawberriessliced
1cstrawberry jam
6eggs
1cmilk
1/3cheavy creamor half 'n' half
1/3cmaple syrup
2tspvanilla extractdivided
1tsplemon juice
1/4tspnutmeg
1/4 tspsalt
8ozcream cheesesoftened
3tbspbuttersoftened (divided), plus additional for buttering dish
1/2cpowdered sugar
1/2cflour
Instructions
Generously butter bottom and sides of 9"x13" baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Place Texas toast flat in the pan — it should cover the bottom.
Whisk together eggs, milk, cream, maple syrup, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/4 tsp each of nutmeg and salt. Pour over bread in pan.
Beat cream cheese until fluffy, then add 1 tbsp butter, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp lemon juice, and 1/2 c powdered sugar, and beat until well combined. Dollop evenly over bread layer, and spread as well as possible.
In a small bowl, stir together strawberries and jam, thinning with 1 tsp of water if necessary to combine. Spoon strawberry mixture over cream cheese layer, as evenly as possible.
In a quart Ziplock bag (or small bowl), combine 2 tbsp butter, 1/2 c flour, and 1/4 c brown sugar. Smoosh together thoroughly. Sprinkle over top of strawberry layer.
Refrigerate overnight (or at least 1 hour). Bake at 350F for 30 minutes covered in foil, and 30 minutes uncovered (or until evenly puffy).
This Chocolate Bread Pudding swirled with the rich flavors of mocha and rum, and studded with chocolate chips, is sure to knock your socks off! It’s super quick to mix up, and can be refrigerated overnight so that it’s ready to be baked up first thing in the morning. It’s perfect for overnight houseguests, special occasions with the family, or just lazy weekend mornings.
Thanks for muffin…
Now, anybody who knows me knows that I love to shop at Costco. And in most cases, I think the Kirkland brand is just as good, indeed, often better than it’s brand name counterpart. That being said — and maybe I’m just spoiled by the most excellent bakery at our locally owned grocery store — I do not like Costco’s muffins. Some of them are okay, I suppose, but, overall, I find them to be dry and heavy compared to those at our local place. Sorry, Costco.
On a happier note, this means I’m much more likely to have some muffins left over long enough to go a bit stale, and, voila! They make the best bread pudding imaginable. In fact, since I developed this fabulous recipe for Chocolate Bread Pudding, my kids regularly coerce me into buying Costco muffins solely dedicated to this purpose. It’s just that good!
Of course, you can use any brand of jumbo-size chocolate muffin that happens to be languishing on your counter, or even experiment around with muffins and extracts of different flavors. Just remember that this recipe is built around the concept of using a sweet bread, so, while it’s fine to substitute out muffin flavors, the egg base doesn’t contain enough sugar on it’s own to use, say, French bread.
Now, let’s get baking…
Don’t forget, this delicious Chocolate Bread Pudding needs to sit for at least one hour, or, better yet, overnight, to absorb some of the liquid before baking. Keep it covered with plastic wrap, but don’t forget to remove it before baking. It should look like this:
Just one bite of these sinfully decadent Easy Toffee Bars full of rich chocolate with a melt-in-the-mouth texture, and you’ll be swearing that all those store-bought cookies “taste like sadness”!
You’re only 6 ingredients away from deliciousness!
There are few things easier to bake, and equally beloved by young and old alike, as the humble cookie. Yet, even so, in these hectic times, it can sometimes be an inhibitingly lengthy process to form those seemingly infinite little cookie dough mounds and tediously bake them off one pan at a time. Most of us are busy, or lazy, or both.
Behold, the allure of the bar cookie! Invented, I like to imagine, by a hungry teenage boy who, having gone to the trouble of mixing the cookie dough, cannot resist the urge to simply form it into one giant cookie – presumably the sooner to eat, and the less to share.
This ease of baking it all at once and being done with it holds true for busy moms as well, and these Easy Toffee Bars have the added plus of calling for very few ingredients, all of which you probably already have on hand in your pantry, as well as boasting a richly decadent shortbread flavor and texture due to not including any eggs.*
*Note — I just threw that sentence in there to bypass all you people who were about to ask me if I accidentally left out the eggs. Also, before you ask, yes, it is actually important that you use real butter for this recipe. Otherwise, it just won’t have that same crispy, toffee-like crunchiness and, errrrr, buttery-ness.
A tasty walk down Memory Lane…
This recipe for Easy Toffee Bars was actually one of the first cookies that I taught myself to make at the tender age of 8 or 9, after my mother gave in and turned me loose in the kitchen without her help after an ill-fated cherry-pie-making teaching session. And I made it often, party because it’s delicious, and partly because clean-up is a breeze, thanks to a non-sticky dough that releases from the bowl and paddle like magic.
In those long-ago days before the internet, most of my recipes were found in my mother’s big, fat, red-checkered “Better Homes & Gardens” cookbook, and this one was no exception. My mother’s copy of this 1953 classic is still her favorite cookbook, filled with handwritten notes and dog-eared pages, and I was thrilled to acquire my own pristine copy of this edition on ebay a while back.
Actually, I originally bought it thinking that my mom might prefer a copy that was not disintegrating before our very eyes due to much love and heavy usage, but I quickly realized that her copy had deep sentimental value having been purchased for her by her own mother. Apparently, when my mom was eleven years old, my grandma (who never had much in the way of money) bought it for her at the local “Green Stamp” store (though once common, these will probably only be remembered by those readers who were children of the 60’s or before). At any rate, I, therefore, came out of it with my very own copy – not a bad outcome at all.
Even at a young age, I was nearly incapable of following a recipe without “tweaking” it, blatantly cannibalizing recipes right and left into my own creations. But, while most of the recipes in this book are showing their age in one way or another, this one may just be the only one that I still make exactly as written because it is, quite simply, perfect.
These Easy Toffee Bars are rich & decadent, full of dark chocolate with a texture that melts in your mouth! Whip up a batch in minutes!
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time25 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 2dozen
Author: The Country Dish
Ingredients
1cbuttersoftened
1tspvanilla extract
1cbrown sugar
2cflour
1csemi-sweet chocolate chips
1cnutschopped
Instructions
Cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla. Gradually add flour. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
Press dough into ungreased 9"x13" baking dish (use an 11"x15" pan for thinner, crunchier cookies). Bake at 350F for 25 minutes. Cut into bars while still warm.
This Jell-O salad is not only the easiest and fastest Jell-O salad I’ve ever made, but it’s also easily the best tasting of the creamy Jell-O salads, in my opinion. I think it’s that little bit of a tang from the cottage cheese that keeps it from being too sweet and combines perfectly with the pineapple. Whatever the reason, my Auntie Barb’s Jell-O Salad is always a crowd-pleaser!
I am on fire! And not in a good way…
I almost didn’t post a recipe today. Because my world’s on fire. And I’m not speaking metaphorically. It’s, literally, on fire. I suppose it’s just a story on the 5 o’clock news to most people out there, but here in Western Oregon, unusual wind conditions have paired up with a dry fire season to blow wildfires in the Cascade Mountain Range down into the western valleys.
The one burning fifteen miles east of my house started out as two fires yesterday (reported last night to be 6000 and 8000 acres respectively), and has now explosively merged into a 115,000 acre monster known collectively as the Archie Creek Fire. It seems to be pushing relentlessly westward (me-ward), and it seems surreal to be under a Level 1 Evacuation Notice, here in an area touted for its lack of natural disasters and “things that can kill you.”
Adding to the surreal effect is the ever-changing color of the sky, and the light in general. Yesterday, an ominous blood-red haze hung over the region all day long, making everything eerily dark and red-tinged, even inside at midday.
This photo was taken by my sister-in-law yesterday at 9:00 a.m.:
Today the light is only faintly pink at my house. A heavy blanket of grey smoke has enveloped every inch of the sky, mercifully (I suppose one must always look at the bright side) insulating us from what was supposed to have been a triple digit day — it is only 74F so far (2:00 p.m.)
I’m starting to feel like Scarlet O’Hara when Atlanta burned, caught between Sherman’s troops and the sea. Unfortunately, without Vivien Leigh’s good looks. Here’s hoping that we won’t have to pack up our wagon, errr, travel trailer and head towards the ocean.
In the meantime, we all have to eat…
And Auntie Barb’s Jell-O Salad is the fastest thing I can think of to take to a potluck — which we’re having many of here, in an impromptu sort of fashion, for evacuees and firefighters.
It’s also named for my dear Auntie Barb, a legend in herself, who invented it, and who lived on French Creek Road in Glide, Oregon for around thirty years — where another wildfire has been raging. So, enjoy Auntie Barb’s Jell-O Salad as we strive to keep our chins up during whatever life throws our way during these unprecedented times. And, remember, legendary times call for The Fluff of Legends!
These Peanut Butter Brownie Bars are so easy, you’d never expect them to taste so decadent, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture and a rich peanut butter flavor. With hints of coconut and butterscotch caramel, these crowd-pleasers will be gone as fast as… well, as fast as a batch of cookies in a room full of teenagers.
“Necessity is the mother of taking chances.” — Mark Twain
The day I first invented these cookies, I needed a bar cookie that I could whip up quickly and get in the oven in the few minutes left before my cafe opened. One of my cookie racks was pretty much empty, and I had several customers who I didn’t want to disappoint by not having something peanut-buttery. I was also out of gluten free goodies, so I thought I would kill two birds with one cookie, so to speak.
After skimming through several peanut butter bar recipes and several gluten free bar recipes, my Peanut Butter Brownie Bars were born. If you need them to be gluten free, just make sure to use gluten free flour and check that whatever chips you’re using are gluten free.
It turns out that Reese’s brand peanut butter chips are gluten free, as are Ghiradelli caramel chips. Unfortunately, the Ghiradelli caramel chips can be ridiculously hard to find in my neck of the woods, except for sometimes around the holidays, but Hershey’s brand sea salt caramel chips or butterscotch are both gluten free as well (as of this writing).
And these Peanut Butter Brownie Bars are so insanely delicious, you’d never guess they’re gluten free!
What I love about these cookie bars, is that they’re only gluten free incidentally — there is absolutely no sacrifice in taste or texture! The first batch seemed so unbelievably delicious, that only about half of them made it out to the display rack, thanks to myself, my barista (Jolie), and a couple of strategically-timed coffee breaks.
In fact, these fabulous Peanut Butter Brownie Bars will forever remind me of Jolie and all of our wonderful, loyal customers who loved them — and that just makes them that much sweeter.
These Peanut Butter Brownie Bars are so easy, you'd never expect them to taste so decadent, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture and rich peanut butter flavor, along with hints of coconut and butterscotch caramel.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 20bars
Author: The Country Dish
Ingredients
1 1/4call-purpose flourgluten free, if desired
1/2calmond flour
3/4cbuttermelted
1/4cpeanut butter
1cbrown sugar
1egg
1/4tspsalt
1tspvanilla extract
1tspbaking powder
1cpeanut butter chipsgluten free, if desired
1ccaramel or butterscotch chipsgluten free, if desired
1csweetened flaked coconut
Instructions
Stir ingredients together in order given, until well combined. Press evenly into lightly greased or parchment lined 9"x13" baking dish. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes.
