Fall is for...Baking!

We must have jinxed ourselves with all that playground plundering and nice weather talk because we've had nothing but chilly temps and rainy days here since the weekend. Yuck! We've stayed as busy as we can indoors though, meeting friends at Cartwheels and Coffee, snuggling in to watch a movie or two, and making some yummy snacks to share with our friends and preschool teachers.

Here's the treat we made together today...holiday pretzel bites. I love these because Caroline can do all of the prep work, which she absolutely loves since she always wants to help in the kitchen but isn't always able to do so safely.  We used Pumpkin Spice Hershey's Kisses and autumn colored M&M's this time around. My only complaint is that the Pumpkin Spice Kisses didn't melt as easily as regular Kisses do, so this batch wasn't as "pretty" as other ones we've made. That's okay though, they still taste delicious!

Tomorrow I will be baking a dessert to share with my fabulous supper club ladies. I still haven't picked which recipe I'm going to use, but these are the front runners. I really don't think I can go wrong...

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars
http://pinchofyum.com/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookie-cheesecake-bars

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/recipe_view/pumpkin_gooey_butter_cake/

Pumpkin Gingersnap Tiramisu
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pumpkin-gingersnap-tiramisu

Holiday Pretzel Bites

Here's a picture of a very pretty batch...

Prep time:  5 mins

Cook time:  4-5 mins

Ingredients

• 1 bag waffle pretzels (I like the butter flavored ones)
• 1 bag Hershey Kisses - any flavor you're in the mood for!
• 1 bag M&M’s

Instructions

1. Unwrap Kisses and set aside in a bowl. 
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Fill baking sheet with as many pretzels as you can!
3. Place 1 Kiss on each pretzel.
4. Bake at 170 degrees for 4-6 minutes, or until kisses have melted to cover most of the pretzel.
5. Remove from oven and gently place an M&M on each pretzel. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes to set.

Julia helps Caroline unwrap the Kisses.

Caroline carefully placing the pretzels on the cookie sheet...

...and the Kisses on the pretzels.

              While the pretzels were "baking," the girls sampled some of the extra Kisses. Yum,,,

Yum...

Yum...

... and yum!!

My little bakers, Julia, Caroline, and Margaret

Delicious!