Crisp Rice Treats with Nutella Fudge

Sometimes sweet and simple is best, especially when life gets to be a little too much.

To keep this post sweet and simple I’ll skip the litany of work, life, and electronics run amuck issues that have kept me from blogging lately.  Instead let’s just dive into this simple (heat, mix, spread) and sweet (Nutella – yum!) recipe.

Crisp Rice Treats with Nutella Fudge

(Nutella Fudge recipe from Cookin’ Canuck)

8 c crisp rice cereal, divided

8 c mini marshmallows, divided

7 ½ T butter, divided

7 oz. sweetened condensed milk

½ t vanilla

4 oz. chocolate chips

½ c Nutella

Grease a 9 x 13 pan. (For easy clean up, I lined the pan with foil before I greased it.)

Melt 4 c marshmallows and 3 T butter in a large pan.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 4 c rice cereal. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan.

Slowly melt together 1 ½ T butter, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, chocolate chips, and Nutella. (I used the microwave – 30 seconds, stir, then about 20 more seconds.)  Spread mixture over the rice cereal treats.

For the top layer, melt 4 c marshmallows and 3 T butter in a large pan.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 4 c rice cereal. Spread mixture over the Nutella fudge.

Let cool completely and cut into 24 squares.

Orange Nutella Hurricane Cookies

It’s become a running joke at work that if we’re expecting miserable weather, I must be headed to the beach to visit my family. It’s funny, but if I cross the Bay Bridge (connecting the east and west shores of Maryland) on a sunny day, I feel a bit uneasy.  Where’s the rain, wind, or fog?

So I guess it was no surprise that my weekend travel plans coincided with Irene. Sigh.

I spent Thursday debating whether or not to attempt the trip. Getting there on Friday would have been no problem, but depending on the severity of the storm, returning on Sunday could have been an issue. My nephew’s birthday was Friday and I hated to disappoint him, but when the evacuation notices came out Thursday evening, the decision was made for me.

After touching base with everyone through phone calls or text messages Saturday morning to be sure evacuation plans went smoothly, I spent the rest of the morning glued to the TV. I got through a few hours of watching the projected path of Hurricane Irene swirl up the East Coast, and then made my brain switch to baking mode.

Swirling storm to swirling cookies. An orange sugar cookie dough with a swirl of Nutella and almonds sounded good. Hearing from my family that they returned home safe and sound was even better.

Orange Nutella Hurricanes (cookie dough adapted from Holiday Cookies)

2 ½ c flour

1 t baking soda

¼ t salt

¾ c butter, softened

¾ c sugar

1 egg

1 T finely grated orange zest

2 T orange juice

½ c Nutella

½ c cinnamon roasted

    almonds, finely 

    chopped

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.  In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add egg, orange zest, and orange juice.

Add flour mixture and combine well.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap or waxed paper and refrigerate 45 minutes to 1 hour.

I rolled the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap.

Roll out the dough to a 10 by 13-inch rectangle. Spread Nutella to within a half inch of the dough edges and sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Starting at one of the longer ends, roll dough into a log.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°.  Slice into ¼-inch thick disks and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.  Bake approximately 12 minutes, or until golden brown at edges.

Chilling the log of dough made it easier to slice.

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

It’s been one of those lazy weekends – reading a mental candy book, hanging with my dog, spending way too much time exploring Pinterest. I did, however, manage to drag myself into the kitchen. Sugar, chocolate, Nutella – it was definitely worth the effort.

I wanted to try out my shiny, new cookie dough scoop, so I perused the cookie recipes section of the World Nutella Day website (and I did promise you more Nutella recipes).  It took me to a great Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe by Sugar Cooking.

I added an extra half tablespoon of cocoa powder to the dough.

LOVE my new cookie scoop.

The cookies smelled great coming from the oven.

This recipe is a winner.