Fritos Brittle

I've been having fun sifting through recipes for snacks, treats, and sides to serve during the holiday season, and to perhaps bag up prettily and give as gifts. This recently caught my eye -- Fritos Brittle, an interesting taste treat served in The Chocolate Bar in Houston, TX. There are a variety of recipes, some of which include pecans, but I like this simpler version the best. We served it on some "test subjects" and it was very well received, though people were a bit hesitant when they first learned it contained corn chips.

Fritos Candy Brittle

2 cups pretzels

1 cup Fritos

12 mini peanut butter cups, unwrapped and halved

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Optional: Some peanuts for the top

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a 13×9-inch pan with parchment paper. Place pretzels in food processor and pulse to break - don't pulverize. Add Fritos to processor and break them up with pretzels. Dump into pan. Unwrap peanut butter cups and throw them in the mix. Place butter in a non-stick saucepan and melt over medium heat. When butter is melted, stir in brown sugar. Bring mixture to a full boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring once or twice. Pour over Frito mixture and bake for 8 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over hot candy. Return to oven for 1 minute to soften chips. Spread softened chocolate chips over bars (top with chopped peanuts if desired). Cool at room temperature until you feel the pan is cool enough to be transferred to your refrigerator, and then transfer to refrigerator to set the chocolate. When chocolate is set, lift from pan and break up the candy. Store in an airtight container.

Chocolate AND Fritos ...what's not to like?

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Is it time for a cookie?

I thought it just might be. After all, you've been so patient reading through recipes for savory things that I thought a cookie just might be in order, and these are particularly good. While in appearance they look like just ordinary chocolate chip cookies, they are so much more than that. Imagine a chocolate chip cookie, kicked up with the added addition of honey-roasted peanuts and peanut butter cups. Did I mention peanut butter?  It's in there too.  Oh yeah, now that’s a cookie!

Awesome Blowouts

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened (unsalted or regular)

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate pieces

3/4 cup honey roasted peanuts

3/4 cup coarsely chopped bite-size chocolate-covered peanut butter cups (about 15)

Heat oven to 350°F.

Using an electric mixer, beat together butter and peanut butter. Add sugars, baking soda and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla extract. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer, then stir in remaining flour by hand. Stir in chocolate pieces, peanuts and peanut butter cups. Drop by generously rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, placing cookie dough about 2 inches apart.

Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees F or until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack. Yield: about 2 1/2 dozen

NOTE: Wrapped peanut butter cups may be frozen for an hour, then unwrapped and chopped.

This recipe is just one of about 45 others that currently make up the new mini mystery cookbook that I recently created called Murderously Good Morsels. Others include: Badass BLT Dip, Dark & Stormy, Dracula's Favorite Tomato Bisque, C.S.Ice Cream Pie, and many more.  It’s a fun little cookbook of tried-and-true recipes with a mystery slant.