oatmeal raisin cookies

Many apologies for the awkward absence! :( Life get's tough some times and it's safe to say I failed miserably at managing it. That being said, I have me here a recipe that always has my family ready for some sweets. These oatmeal raisin cookies are a perfect mix of both sweet and salty with just enough cinnamon kick. Just thinking about it makes me want to eat some and I just ate! Oh...and did I forget to mention that these are from scratch? Oh yeah...everything is separate down the to big ol' can of oats! Enjoy :)

candy bacon!

1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, 8 slices
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Add bacon and brown sugar in a large ziplock sandwich bag and toss, making sure to coat the bacon with the brown sugar. Line a baking sheet with a wire rack and lay bacon on the rack. Pat any remaining sugar on the bacon.

Put the baking sheet on the top rack of the oven and bake until crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven to a serving dish and let cool slightly before serving.

grandma's rice crispy treats

Remember when you were young and going to family events finding those awesome rice cake squares your aunt made every time. No? Oh, guess that was just me then. I always thought this deliciously sweet gift from god was difficult to make until I actually looked on the side of the Rice Crispy box and found out I was incredibly wrong. Quite possibly the easiest thing to make. Of course that means I had to make them, and let me tell you...they tasted great every time!

bite-sized pb&j cups

When I want to feel the nostalgic satisfaction of childhood  I need look no further than my pantry. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were by far my favorite of sandwiches and still are today! Sandwiches mind you, are not something we make here on Un-Pampered Chef...so how can I incorporate them? Glad you asked! Luckily I happened upon this great recipe from my grandma for peanut butter cookies but decided to take it a step further. Trust me: like most of the treats made on here, these peanut butter and jelly cups are AWESOME!

s'more mugs

"Please sir, can I have s'more?" See what I did there? Whitty, I know. I found this little recipe a couple days ago and immediately knew this would be the next posting. When it comes to s'mores...I just can't resist. Fat kid? Yes. This little treat has long since been a favorite of mine, ever since I was a youngin'. Even now I still love the graham cracker-chocolate-marshmallow combination and the best parts about this recipe: under 5 minutes of cooking in the microwave. That's right, I said it. No oven this time, this one's super easy!

The recipe makes about 3 mugs comfortably and when I first made my friends try it they were a little hesitant until they took the first bite. Every time, each one's eyes grew wide and they couldn't believe it could tast so good. I can't help but agree...this is crazy delicious and super easy.

chocolate cream whoopie pies

Just the name sounds fun...though if you are from the NE United States, Whoopie Pies are nothing new for you. Finally making their way down here to Texas these little treats look pretty darn delectable. The other day when searching for ideas for this week I stumbled upon a recipe for easy Whoopie Pies. The reason they are easy is because they come from a cake box! (The trick is making the cake as the box directions dictate but leave out the water...I used a Duncan Hines) The whole recipe (frosting included) was way too easy, seeing how even I was able to make them.

The biggest trick honestly through this process was finding a good recipe for frosting. Since the cake part was so easy I wanted to try and challenge myself. The best recipe I found out is called "butter-cream frosting" and finally after searching for what seemed like hours I ended up finding a great (and easy) one from Martha Stewart oddly enough, that I slightly altered. After a few tries I think I finally have us a winner:

simple sweet limeade pie

This week was incredibly busy for me; but sometimes that just happens!

That being said, I thought this would be the perfect week for a tart but awesome Limeade Pie my dad showed me about a year ago.

As mentioned, this pie is definitely tart but oh man does it hit that sweet spot everyone has...as long as you like pies that is.