Sweet and Salty | The Domestic Rebel

Pretzel Football Muddy Buddies

August 29, 2017 Leave a Comment

Perfect for football season, these Pretzel Football Muddy Buddies are a highly addictive, tasty treat that is great for snacking during nail-biter games!

Admittedly, I’m not a big sports person.

I played basketball for 3 years in elementary school, but hated running during practice and games which… is kinda counterproductive for basketball.

I also danced throughout my life, but one time my friend filmed me during a belly dancing performance and I saw that I am actually a horrible dancer. Like, terribly, horribly bad. I always envisioned myself as this sultry belly dancer but when I saw that footage of me smacking gum (during the performance!) and lazily undulating my stomach, I mimicked a shimmying beluga with a noisy belt on. AKA, not a cute look in case you were wondering.

So yeah, sports aren’t really my thing. But if I had to choose a favorite (besides watching wrestling, which I somewhat enjoy), it would be football because of one reason: the food!

Football food is the best, do you agree? Hot dogs, chili, BBQ, nachos, cheese & meat platters… it’s all so good and I am pretty much obsessed with football games for that sole reason.

And lucky for me, food – I mean, football season is coming up shortly, so bring on the beer and guacamole!

If you’re a football-food-obsessed person like me, or maybe you’re an actual football-sports-obsessed person, you will love these addictive Pretzel Football Muddy Buddies! Not only are they super cute, they’re SO TASTY. Sure, they’re a little more labor intensive than your regular muddy buddies recipe, but I guarantee they’ll be a crowd-pleaser at your next tailgating event!

Regular muddy buddies are made with Chex cereal which is good… but I had a HUGE, Costco-size tub of peanut butter-filled pretzels that were begging to be used, so I tossed them in a chocolate & peanut butter mixture and coated them in powdered sugar. To make it extra peanut buttery, I threw in some miniature Reese’s cups and decorated a few of the pretzels as footballs.

Needless to say, my football-sport-obsessed dad and brother went CRAZY for these! I already have requests for it to be remade during the 49ers first game of the season in September.

I mean… how could you not love this?!

Pretzel Football Muddy Buddies

Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel

Recipe type: Treats

Prep time: 20 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 8-10

These Pretzel Football Muddy Buddies are not only adorable, they're highly addictive and DELICIOUS, too! A surefire hit at your next football party or tailgate!

Ingredients

9 cups peanut butter pretzel nuggets, divided
1 & ½ pkg chocolate candy coating, divided
⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ pkg vanilla candy coating
2 & ½ cups confectioners' sugar
1 family-size bag Reese's Miniature Peanut Butter Cups

Instructions

Place 8 cups of the peanut butter pretzel nuggets in a very large bowl. In a medium bowl, melt one (1) of the packages of chocolate candy coating and the peanut butter together on HIGH heat for 30 seconds. Stir, then heat for an additional 15-20 seconds, stirring until melted and smooth. Pour the chocolate PB mixture evenly over the pretzel nuggets and toss to coat.
Place the confectioners' sugar in a gallon-size Ziploc bag and spoon in the chocolate-coated pretzel nuggets. You may have to work in batches. Seal the bag and shake the bag vigorously to coat the pretzel nuggets with the confectioners' sugar. Spread the coated pretzel nuggets onto a parchment-lined baking sheet to set and dry.
For the remaining cup of pretzel nuggets, melt the ½ pkg of chocolate candy coating until smooth and melted. Dip each pretzel nugget one at a time into the melted chocolate and, using a fork, gently remove onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Allow to set. Meanwhile, microwave the vanilla candy coating and pour the smooth vanilla candy coating into a small squeeze bottle (recommended) or a sandwich-size Ziploc bag - seal out the air and snip off the tip of the bag, if using.
Working steady and slowly, pipe stitches onto the chocolate pretzel nuggets. Let stitches dry. Toss the peanut butter cup candies in with the confectioners' sugar-coated pretzel nuggets and place the football pretzel nuggets around the bowl.

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These Pretzel Football Muddy Buddies are INSANELY GOOD! Chocolate-covered peanut butter-filled pretzels are tossed with powdered sugar and peanut butter cups and decorated to look like mini footballs! Perfect for game-day!

Not only are these muddy buddies way awesome, they’re SO tasty. Chocolate-covered peanut butter pretzel nuggets are officially a thing now, and you HAVE to give them a try!

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

Filed Under: Candy, Chocolate, Everything!, No-Bake, Peanut Butter, Sweet and Salty, Treats

Sweet & Salty Potato Chip Caramel Snowball Cookies

February 21, 2017 3 Comments

These Sweet & Salty Snowball Cookies are such a unique, fantastic cookie! Flavored with ground potato chips and stuffed with caramel candies, they’re perfect for any sweet & salty lover.

So I’m in trouble.

Okay, not real trouble. Not trouble-trouble. But basically, it’s been raining like hell lately and I have no recipes left to schedule after this one. Eek!

Normally I’m a batch-baker, meaning I’ll bake like 4-6 things in one day, photograph them all the next day, and schedule them out throughout the next couple weeks as I see fit. But with my move, plus settling in, plus a pizza and quiche mishap (I’ll explain later), and now rain, I have had no chance to whip something up!

Side note: Pizza mishap happens when you’re tired as all hell and bake the pizza on the cardboard round that it sits on in the package, resulting in a gooey, severely underdone, doughy and inedible crust… which meant I only ate the cheese & tomato topping for dinner.

Side note #2: The quiche mishap happens when you’re tired as all hell and hangry as all hell and make a quiche from your vague memories of making quiche a bajillion years ago, resulting in you using DOUBLE the liquid in comparison with the eggs, leaving you with basically scrambled egg soup in a soggy pie crust for dinner.

Side note #3: I promise I actually know how to cook and am not an impostor in disguise. I just am really tired, k?

ANYWAY. So if it’s lights-out around here for the rest of the week, it’s because I’m scrambling to bake something and make it look halfway edible and appetizing in my dreary photos due to the terrible natural light happening ’round these parts. Please forgive me?

In the meantime, I’m glad I remembered about these babies which I made a few weeks prior to my move. They are phenomenal!

I want to make an amendment right here and now that Snowball Cookies should be a year-round thing and not exclusive to Christmastime. There’s nothing especially Christmas-y about them, minus the snowball-ish appearance. But it doesn’t snow in California, really, so like, snowballs never equated to Christmas for me, so… is it really a Christmas cookie? Sorry, rambling.

ANYWAY. So basically, my snowball recipe requires flour and ground pecans, which give it that wonderful nuttiness. But for this version, I remixed it up with flour, ground pecans AND GROUND POTATO CHIPS Y’ALL.

Dude.

Life-changing.

And I didn’t stop there, because minimalism isn’t my jam. I stuffed each snowball with a Rolo because potato chips and caramel work surprisingly well together.

The result is pure sweet & salty perfection, and I guarantee if you’re a fan of a sweet & salty flavor combination, you’ll flip for these bad boys!

Sweet & Salty Potato Chip Caramel Snowball Cookies

Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel

Recipe type: Cookies

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 12 mins

Total time: 27 mins

Serves: 22-25

These sweet & salty cookies are total perfection! Ground potato chips and caramel candy filling make them extra special.

Ingredients

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup ground pecans
1 cup finely crushed ruffled potato chips
2 cups all-purpose flour
22-25 Rolo candies, unwrapped
1 & ½ cups confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the vanilla until combined. Lastly, beat in the ground pecans, finely crushed potato chips and the flour and gently mix until it just about comes together. The dough may be slightly crumbly at first, but it will be moist enough to hold together if you knead it with your hands.
Using a 2 oz cookie dough scoop, scoop out a ball of dough and gently press your thumb into the center to create an indentation. Place the Rolo candy in the indentation and gently roll the cookie dough around the candy to cover it completely. Place 1" apart on the baking sheets.
Bake for approx. 10-12 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking time to ensure even baking. Cool on the pans for about 10 minutes, then gently coat with the confectioners' sugar. Let stand until cool, then coat again with confectioners' sugar.

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These Sweet & Salty Snowball Cookies aren't your grandma's ordinary snowball! Made with ground pecans and crushed potato chips for a salty bite, they're filled with gooey, buttery caramel candies. So easy, impressive and one of a kind!

Sweet, salty, tender little nuggets of heaven in your mouth! I just love that the potato chips give it a nice salty bite in contrast to the sweet, buttery and gooey caramel center. So good!

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

Filed Under: Candy, Caramel, Cookies, Everything!, Sweet and Salty

Cranberry Bliss Cracker Toffee

December 5, 2016 Leave a Comment

This Cranberry Bliss Cracker Toffee uses only a few ingredients you probably have on hand! Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth toffee with a white chocolate and cranberry topping that’s perfect for the holidays!

Some days, I think I’m a genius.

I’ll be in Target, having stood and stared at the packages in the candy aisle for 20 minutes like a psychopath, and it will come to me: a brilliant recipe idea.

I’ll throw the ingredients into my cart and race home to make it, photograph it, post it and share it to the world.

And then sometimes I’ll realize, only after I’ve made it and declared my brilliance in the middle of a Target, that someone else has made something super similar, or exactly the same, as my “brilliant” idea.

Today is that day, folks.

My adorable, beautiful, sassy friend Kate from Diethood made this recipe a few years ago, and when I went to make it, I happened to catch her latest share of it and thought, drat! But then, hey, I’m in good company!

So yes, Kate made it first. She also uses saltines which is an awesome idea if you happen to have those on hand, which – who doesn’t?

My recipe uses butter club crackers because those are my fave and we had a box at home that somehow managed to avoid being devoured .234768 seconds after we bought it. Tomato, tomahto. Use what you want! This recipe would also work swimmingly with graham crackers or Ritz crackers.

Boil up your toffee mixture for exactly three minutes. Add in some vanilla (because duh), then pour it over your cracker layer until it covers all the crackers in a warm, toffee blankie. Bake the toffee just so it gets all set, then sprinkle on some white chocolate to melt and spread it around. Sprinkle on some dried cranberries and voila! You now have made the most addictive snack ever.

So I may not be a genius, but that’s okay. At least I can eat my feelings in this toffee. #blessed

*adapted from here

Cranberry Bliss Cracker Toffee

Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel

Recipe type: Candy

Prep time: 1 hour 10 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 1 hour 20 mins

Serves: 4-6

This Cranberry Bliss Cracker Toffee is highly addictive and super easy to make! Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth toffee topped with a creamy white chocolate and tart dried cranberries.

Ingredients

1 sleeve (about 40-45) butter club crackers (you may also use saltines, graham crackers, or Ritz crackers - I don't measurements for any substitutions; just make sure whatever cracker you use covers your pan)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 & ½ cups white chocolate chips (1 (12 oz) bag plus an additional ½ cup), divided
1 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a jelly roll pan (15"x10" or mine's 16"x11") with parchment paper, bringing the parchment up the sides of the pan. Fill the entire bottom of the pan with an even layer of club crackers. Set aside briefly.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together on medium heat, stirring constantly. Once it starts to boil, set your timer and boil for exactly 3 minutes, stirring the entire time. Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the vanilla extract.
Pour the hot toffee mixture evenly over the crackers, trying your best to cover all of the crackers with the hot toffee. Use an offset spatula to help you quickly spread the hot toffee across all the crackers.
Bake for approx. 6-7 minutes. Mixture will be bubbly. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the 2 cups of white chocolate chips. Return to the oven for 1 minute. Remove from the oven and let the white chocolate chips set on the toffee for about 2 minutes, then use another offset spatula to spread the white chocolate around evenly. Sprinkle with the dried cranberries.
In a small bowl, melt the remaining white chocolate chips until smooth. Drizzle evenly over the toffee. Cool completely, then break into pieces.

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This Cranberry Bliss Cracker Toffee will be your new favorite holiday treat! Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth toffee made of club crackers and caramel, topped with creamy white chocolate and tart dried cranberries. Like Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars meets Christmas crack!

Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth brown sugar toffee studded with tart, juicy cranberries and creamy white chocolate. I cannot resist this toffee and neither can you!

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

Filed Under: Candy, Chocolate, Christmas, Everything!, Holiday, Sweet and Salty, Treats

Maple Caramel Bacon Crack Bites

November 22, 2016 18 Comments

Just like the original, but in BITE-SIZED portions, these Maple Caramel Bacon Crack Bites will be the first to go anywhere you take them! Sweet, salty, smoky and sticky two-bite morsels of heaven!

Now that the holidays are here (!!!), I bet you all are super popular and have lots of parties to attend.

I moved five years ago and forgot to thank the mailman once, so I’m just thinking my invitations got lost in the mail somewhere.

BUT, since normal people have friends (right?), I’m assuming you all have lots of commitments nowadays. And most of those require you bring some kind of appetizer or dessert to share, because that’s what normal people do, yeah? Chips & salsa’s old news, and sometimes you just don’t have time to whip up something super fancy, like a quiche or tarte tatin or whatever fancy people who read Cooks Illustrated eat.

Enter: these Maple Caramel Bacon Crack Bites. Easy to prepare, totally unique and the perfect balance of sweet, salty and smoky. Is there anything better!?

This is a riff off of a recipe I made a few years back – Maple Caramel Bacon Crack. It’s become a huge hit and I figured I should update it with my own Rebel twist, which is why I used mini phyllo cups in place of the crescent rolls to make perfect two-bite treats. This treat is great to bring to parties because it can easily be doubled – or tripled – if need be, but it already makes 30 (which, if you’ve had the original, may not be enough for even two people!).

And I guarantee it will be the first to disappear. Is there anyone who would deny bacon slathered in a maple caramel sauce? If so, you shouldn’t be friends with them. Unless they’re vegetarian. In which case, hi, veggie friends – I love you and don’t judge you for not swooning over swine. 🙂

To make these bad boys, simply fry up some bacon – a pound to be precise. I used whatever was on sale, but I know some people have bacon preferences so use what you like: hickory-smoked, applewood-smoked, peppered, or even turkey bacon. *The only thing I will say is you should use regular-cut bacon, not thick-cut bacon, as thick-cut pieces will be too big and heavy for the delicate phyllo cups.*

Fry the bacon until it’s just about done but not quite crispy yet – you want it a little more on the chewy side since it will be baking some more in the oven. After you chop it into tiny little bits, put it into the phyllo cups with some brown sugar and maple syrup. Sprinkle a little extra brown sugar on top and bake it until the phyllo and bacon are crispy and the maple caramel is bubbly and glossy.

Then try to resist groaning and scarfing down the whole batch. I speak from experience.

Happy Holidays!

4.8 from 4 reviews

Maple Caramel Bacon Crack Bites

Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel

Recipe type: Treats

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 30

These Maple Caramel Bacon Crack Bites are bite-sized bits of heaven! Only 4 ingredients and SUPER easy to make. You can easily double or triple this recipe!

Ingredients

2 (15 count) pkgs frozen phyllo cups (30 total)
1 lb regular-cut bacon (any flavor/smoke preference, such as peppered, hickory-smoked, maple flavored, etc, but I would recommend not using thick-cut as it will be too heavy and big for the delicate phyllo cups), cut in half cross-wise
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup maple syrup (I used pancake maple syrup, but real deal syrup will work)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and lightly grease it with cooking spray. Place the phyllo cups onto the baking sheet and set aside briefly.
Fry the bacon in batches in a large skillet, cooking until the bacon is just about done but not crispy. The bacon should be on the chewier side, as it will continue to cook more as you bake it. Drain the bacon onto a paper towel-lined plate and let cool briefly before chopping into tiny bits.
Scoop a ½ tsp of brown sugar into each phyllo cup and add a small squirt of maple syrup on top. Fill past the brim of the phyllo cup with bacon, mounding it into the cup. Sprinkle with the remaining brown sugar.
Bake for approx. 12-15 minutes or until the phyllo cups and bacon are crisp and the maple caramel is bubbly and caramelized. Cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

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Maple Caramel Bacon Crack Bites: bite-sized morsels of heaven filled with crispy, smoky bacon, sweet brown sugar and sticky, syrupy maple syrup. Only four easy ingredients and it makes a TON. Easily doubled or tripled! A must-make!

Sweet, salty, sticky and smoky, these bite-sized poppables are so delectable!

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

Filed Under: Caramel, Christmas, Everything!, Holiday, Sweet and Salty, Treats

Salted Caramel Macaroons

November 11, 2016 9 Comments

Coconut fans will love these Salted Caramel Macaroons! Tender, gooey and bursting with toasted coconut and salted caramel flavors. So easy to make, too!

I am a huge coconut lover. If there’s coconut in it, chances are I will flip for it.

I also am a lover of coconut macaroons. They are, quite possibly, one of the easiest cookies to prepare. You don’t need to chill them, you don’t need to let them rest, you don’t need to massage them gently, put cucumbers over their eyes and whisper “it’s going to be okay” to them. You seriously just mix the ingredients all at once in one single bowl, portion them out, bake and… eat!

So why don’t I make macaroons more often? BECAUSE I AM LAME, THAT’S WHY. But seriously, I think it’s because I maybe subconsciously think that because they’re so easy, like maybe the recipe is a cop-out? I don’t want y’all to think I’m pulling a fast one on ya or anything.

But truthfully, I need to make more iterations of coconut macaroons because they will definitely be the star of your holiday cookie trays. So, ya know, you can finally be the one with the best-tasting cookies at Milly’s annual cookie party this year. (Watch your back, Milly).

And another thing – the idea of these macaroons came to me suddenly when I realized you can (and should!) use dulce de leche in place of the sweetened condensed milk in my macaroon recipe. WHY HAVEN’T I THOUGHT OF THIS BEFORE?! To be frank, it’s kinda genius.

If you can’t find dulce de leche, Borden/Eagle Brand now makes CARAMEL sweetened condensed milk, so use that! They also make a chocolate condensed milk, but for today’s recipe, salted caramel steals the show.

Enjoy!

Salted Caramel Macaroons

Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel

Recipe type: Cookies

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: 15-18

These Salted Caramel Macaroons are a simple, stunning cookie that takes no time at all! No chilling, no mixer required, one bowl. Easy peasy! If you cannot find dulce de leche, you can find caramel-flavored sweetened condensed milk that can be used in its place.

Ingredients

5 & ½ cups shredded coconut
⅔ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract
1 (13 oz) can dulce de leche (or caramel-flavored sweetened condensed milk)
Sea salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the coconut, flour, vanilla and almond extracts and dulce de leche. Stir together with a rubber spatula until combined and moistened.
Drop heaping Tablespoonfuls of the coconut mixture onto the baking sheets, about 1" apart. Using wet fingers, gently push any wonky edges into the cookie so it's perfectly round; this will prevent those wonky edges from browning too quickly or burning. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with sea salt.
Bake for approx. 12-15 minutes or until golden and lightly toasted. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.

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Salted Caramel Macaroons: tender, chewy, sweet & gooey coconut macaroon cookies flavored with toasted coconut and salted caramel. Super easy, fast, no mixer-required and perfect for gift-giving!

Pure, unadulterated caramel flavor is what you’ll get in these tender, buttery, gooey and chewy macaroons!

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

Filed Under: Caramel, Christmas, Coconut, Cookies, Everything!, Holiday, Sweet and Salty

Pecan Praline Blondies

September 27, 2016 9 Comments

Even if you aren’t a Southerner, you probably know what pralines are – those crisp, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth candies filled with crunchy pecans. Get that same flavor here in these addictively irresistible Pecan Praline Blondies!

So I’ve only ever had true, authentic Georgian pralines once. And it was like, the best thing ever of my LIFE.

…And I found them in the gift shop at the Atlanta airport when I had a layover there. #truth

I mean, what else do you do when you’re stranded in a Georgia airport besides read trashy gossip magazines and drink a jumbo-sized Coke Zero? Exactly.

Anyway, I bought a big ol’ bag of pralines because I needed to understand what this Southern classic dessert hype was all about. And I think I maybe arrived at my house with one or two pralines left – I seriously ate. them. ALL.

So now I need to plan a trip just to go back to the South and eat my weight in pralines. Because that’s totally something I’d do. #alsotruth

I have tried making pralines at home, but typically pralines are quite finicky and require a precise kind of climate. If it’s too humid, they may never set up. Typically, that means no pralines in the summertime, and I really loathe having Mother Nature dictate when I can and cannot have candy. You already do it to my fruits and vegetables, but damn you for preventing me from making pralines!

These Pecan Praline Blondies take the guesswork and magic spells out of making pralines. You don’t need a specific climate, you don’t need to break out your book of witchcraft and wizardry, and you don’t need to do rain dances and/or prayers to ensure it works. This recipe is that easy.

Not to mention, this recipe is a one-pot recipe. That’s right: a single pot is used to make both the blondie batter and the praline frosting. I win at eliminating unnecessary dishes! That’s how much I hate putting dishes away.

So break out your favorite sauce pot and preheat the oven. We’re taking a tour of the South in your mouth. Or… wait, that doesn’t sound right. Whatever. Oh look, PRALINES!!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Pecan Praline Blondies

Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel

Recipe type: Bars

Prep time: 2 hours 20 mins

Cook time: 22 mins

Total time: 2 hours 42 mins

Serves: 15-18

These Pecan Praline Blondies are fantastic! Rich and sinfully sweet with crunchy pecans and loads of butter and brown sugar. A must-make!

Ingredients

FOR BLONDIES:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
FOR PRALINE ICING:
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup brown sugar
⅓ cup heavy cream
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13x9" baking pan with foil, extending the sides of the foil over the edges of the pan. Spray the foil with cooking spray and set aside.
To make the blondies: In a medium/large sauce pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Stir in the brown sugar until combined. Let cool for about 5-10 minutes. After it's cooled off a little, whisk in the eggs and the vanilla until combined. Lastly, whisk in the salt, baking powder and flour until a soft batter forms.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake for approx. 19-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely.
Wipe out the sauce pot and return it to the stove. To make the praline icing: Add the butter and brown sugar to the sauce pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir constantly for 2 minutes. Add in the heavy cream and bring back up to a boil. Immediately remove from the heat and cool slightly, about 10-15 minutes. Once cooled off a little bit, add in the powdered sugar. Fold in the pecans.
Working quickly, spread the praline icing over the blondie base in an even layer. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to set the icing before cutting into bars.

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These Pecan Praline Blondies are a wonderfully EASY and DECADENT recipe! Made in ONE pot (both the frosting and the blondies), they're sweet, crunchy, gooey, chewy and utterly delicious.

I love how buttery, rich and brown sugary these blondies are! They’re the perfect dessert and one of my new favorites! A must-make for any blondie lover.

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

Filed Under: Bars, Blondies, Everything!, Sweet and Salty

Salted Caramel Mocha Cookie Dough Brownie Bombs

September 16, 2016 10 Comments

When two worlds collide, oftentimes the results are mixed. The result of these Salted Caramel Mocha Cookie Dough Brownie Bombs is sensational! Gooey, decadent & sinfully fabulous!

…And then I had to go and stuff Rolos inside of cookie dough stuffed inside brownies stuffed inside chocolate. PHEW! Bomb inception. Brownieception. Whatever you want to call it, y’all need to run to your kitchen to make these bad boys!

So it’s no surprise that everything’s been tumbleweed-y and desolate in my dating life. I’d even go as far to say as I’ve moved backwards in my search for Mr. Right. And by ‘search’, I mean not searching at all and just hoping that I bump into a guy serendipitiously at the grocery store and we both marvel over our shared love of bread and 2006 era emo music.

But my friends – the few I can count on one finger – say that I should dress up every time I run my errands so that in case I meet Mr. Right while at Target, I’ll look prepared.

But to that I say: I’m lazy. And also, have you done a full-face of makeup before? It is not for the faint of heart. There’s the whole blending of the foundation situation, which is already hard enough for me since my perfect match was matched with the PRIMER color. Then I have to get my cat eye on symmetrically and make sure I don’t have any knots in my hair since I have a strange aversion to brushing my hair. It’s just this whole big thing and I am so not about that.

And then there’s the whole thing where I sometimes abruptly leave my house to grab some additional ingredients at the store, unknowingly covered in flour and chocolate stains. So clearly, I am rocking this whole attractiveness thing.

But to this I say: wouldn’t my Mr. Right want to see the real me? Me, with a rogue sprinkle in my hair and powdered sugar smudges on my clothes? Makeup-less and rockin’ a half-bun? Wouldn’t he want to fall in love with me when I’m looking like an underground goblin and then be surprised in a good way when I clean up nicely? That’s just what I’d think, anyway. And maybe that’s also why I’m single. WHATEVER.

Anyway, let’s get to these bombs, ‘kay? They really are the definition of a bomb. A calorie bomb, yes. But worth it? Yes yes. In fact, these may be my favorite brownie bombs to date. That’s saying something!

These bad boys are Salted Caramel Mocha flavor and OH MAH GOSH are they good. The fudgy brownies are packed with espresso flavor which really ramps up that mocha aspect. Then the egg-free cookie dough surrounds a Rolo candy which brings that caramel flavor into play.

The whole thing is over-the-top, totally sweet and outrageously rich… so don’t say I didn’t warn you. This recipe is NOT for people who don’t have sweet teeth, and this is not for the faint of heart. You gotta be a committed sugar lover to enjoy these, so keep that in mind!

Now, let’s get to eating, shall we?

5.0 from 2 reviews

Salted Caramel Mocha Cookie Dough Brownie Bombs

Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel

Recipe type: Brownie Bombs

Prep time: 2 hours

Cook time: 22 mins

Total time: 2 hours 22 mins

Serves: 18

These Salted Caramel Mocha Cookie Dough Brownie Bombs are INSANE. Super rich, outrageously decadent and fabulous in flavor and texture. A must make for any brownie bomb lover!

Ingredients

FOR BROWNIES:
1 box fudge brownie mix
⅔ cup oil
¼ cup water
2 eggs
1 Tbsp instant espresso powder
FOR COOKIE DOUGH & CARAMEL FILLING:
½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 Tbsp heavy cream or milk
¼ tsp salt
1 & ½ cups flour (if you're worried about using AP flour because of contamination, use organic flour, GF flour, oat flour, almond flour, coconut flour, or another flour substitute)
1 cup miniature chocolate chips
18 Rolo candies, unwrapped
1 pkg chocolate candy coating (I like CandiQuik)
Sea salt, for sprinkling on top

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally grease a rectangular 13x9" baking pan. Set aside.
In a large bowl, prepare the brownies, adding in the instant espresso powder. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for approx. 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs. Do not over bake! It is imperative that the brownies are fudgy! Cool completely.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar and sugar until creamy, about 1 minute. Add in the vanilla and heavy cream, mixing well. Lastly, add in the salt and flour until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Using a Tablespoon-sized cookie dough scoop, scoop a ball of cookie dough and make an indentation in the middle with your thumb. Add in a Rolo and roll the dough around the Rolo candy until fully enclosed. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
Trim the edges off of the brownies, and cut the brownies in 18 equal pieces (5 rows by 3). Take a piece of a brownie and flatten it slightly with the heel of your hand. Wrap the brownie around the cookie dough ball, rolling it in your palms to completely enclose the cookie dough ball. If needed, dampen your hands to help mold the brownie around the cookie dough. Repeat with remaining bombs and freeze until firm, about 40 minutes.
Melt the chocolate candy coating until smooth, according to package directions. Drop each bomb into the candy coating, coating completely and gently remove with a fork and place onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt.
Store leftover bombs airtight in the fridge or freezer, but if you freeze them, PLEASE bring them to room temperature before serving as the caramel candy will be solid and I don't want you to break your tooth!

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These Salted Caramel Mocha Cookie Dough Brownie Bombs are AWESOME. Espresso fudgy brownies are wrapped around egg-free chocolate chip cookie dough that's filled with a caramel candy and everything is coated in chocolate and sea salt. Sweet, salty, decadent, delicious!

Richly decadent, super sinful and utterly delicious, these brownie bombs are one for the books and my new favorite!

Craving more brownie bombs? You’ve come to the right place!

Reese’s Egg Brownie Bombs – don’t have eggs? Use regular miniature Reese’s cups!

Peeps Brownie Bombs

Pecan Pie Brownie Bombs

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

Filed Under: Brownie Bombs, Brownies, Candy, Caramel, Chocolate, Cookie Dough, Everything!, Sweet and Salty

Salted Caramel Monkey Bread

September 12, 2016 5 Comments

Move over, regular ol’ monkey bread. This Salted Caramel Monkey Bread is where it’s at! Gooey, sticky, sweet and salty with pillows of cinnamon-sugar crusted dough. It’s basically heaven on a plate!

A couple of days ago, I was straight up hangry. It wasn’t pretty.

I’ve been hangry before. Who hasn’t? But this time, it was serious.

It started (I think) because I hadn’t really eaten anything all day and jumped right into the kitchen with my jumbo iced coffee to start baking. I baked and photographed things from 9am-1pm, running around like a headless chicken and making a leaning tower of dirty dishes in the sink while exercising my Tetrus skills to fit everything in there so I wouldn’t be wasting precious counter space. There were chocolate chips everywhere, a dripping bowl of ganache, two exceptionally sticky milkshake glasses that were quickly melting, and a million other things crammed in.

I was hot and tired, and tired of being hot and tired, and the wafting smell of chocolate was even too much because my body was craving salt. Lots of salt. Like, big ol’ burger and a large fry-amount of salt.

My craving for salt is what made me think of making this Salted Caramel Monkey Bread! So in a way, it’s a good thing I was hangry. YOU’RE WELCOME.

This Salted Caramel Monkey Bread is probably one of my favorite renditions of it. The cinnamon-sugar-crusted pillows of dough are completely encased in a gooey, sticky caramel sauce that’s then topped with thick flakes of sea salt. The whole thing is pretty heavenly – so says my family – and something we’ll make time and time again thanks to its ease of preparation yet impressive outcome.

I hope you love it too! (Hangry or not) 🙂

5.0 from 2 reviews

Salted Caramel Monkey Bread

Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel

Recipe type: Breakfast

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Total time: 55 mins

Serves: 10-12

This Salted Caramel Monkey Bread is a fabulously EASY yet impressive recipe your family will love!

Ingredients

¾ cup white sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
¾ cup brown sugar
2 (16.3 oz) cans refrigerated biscuits (8-count each)
1 cup prepared caramel sauce
Sea salt, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally grease a round Bundt or tube pan with cooking spray. Spray it well, and then spray it well again. Trust me!
In a small bowl, whisk together the white sugar and cinnamon until combined. Cut each biscuit round into 4 equal quarters and dredge the quartered biscuits into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Scatter in the greased pan and repeat until all the biscuits are coated and in the pan. Sprinkle any remaining cinnamon sugar mixture over the biscuits in the pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar. Pour over the biscuits in the pan. Bake for approx. 40-45 minutes or until the biscuits are bubbly and golden. Let set in the pan for about 5-10 minutes, then carefully invert the pan onto a platter.
Immediately garnish with the prepared caramel sauce and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve immediately.

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Salted Caramel Monkey Bread: cinnamon sugar-crusted pillows of dough covered in a sticky, gooey, sweet salted caramel sauce. So easy, only a few ingredients & totally IMPRESSIVE!

Sinfully sweet, sticky and gooey with little pockets of crunchy sea salt, this Monkey Bread is a real winner!

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

Filed Under: Breakfast, Caramel, Everything!, Muffins & Breads, Sweet and Salty

Ruffles Krispy Treats

September 6, 2016 10 Comments

Sweet and salty lovers, rejoice! These Ruffles Krispy Treats are AWESOME. Made with salty, crunchy Ruffles potato chips instead of the classic cereal, they’re gooey, crunchy, sweet and salty… and totally perfect!

So I had planned to have a really relaxing Labor Day Weekend. Instead, I had a laborious Labor Day Weekend.

I didn’t hit up any hot sales at the mall. I didn’t lounge by the pool with a fruity drink. There were no mini beverage umbrellas. There was no lake/beach/river day. It was all WORK.

If I wasn’t baking, I was photographing. And if I wasn’t photographing, I was trying to organize my prop room unsuccessfully. I finally caved and bought those steel 5-tier bakers racks to assemble and use to organize all my props. You know you’ve made it big when…

So now my prop room is all pretty and organized which feels awesome. My back and knees, however, do not feel awesome. And if you’ll excuse me, I have a much-needed massage booked today. I’ll let myself out, thanks.

But before I go, I wanted to make sure you guys knew about these Ruffles Krispy Treats. They’re kinda sorta my new favorite thing ever.

If you know me, you know I love sweet and salty combined. Chicago-style popcorn is my jam. Salted caramel is my homeboy. And thus, these krispy treats are now my newest BFF.

I started thinking that you don’t have to make krispy treats with the cereal. I mean, you could, but why would you want to be a rule-follower when you could be a rebel? (See what I did there? Sorry).

So I did exactly that and made classic krispy treats with Ruffles potato chips, because I’m rebellious like that. The result is a crunchy, crispy, gooey, sticky, sweet & salty fabulousness that can only be described as me screaming “MAKE THEM NOW” (or was it ‘take them now?’) with a mouthful of them.

Be a rebel!

5.0 from 2 reviews

Ruffles Krispy Treats

Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel

Recipe type: No Bake

Prep time: 1 hour 10 mins

Total time: 1 hour 10 mins

Serves: 15

These Ruffles Krispy Treats are SO delicious! Sweet, salty, gooey, crunchy and totally fabulous! A fun twist on the classic krispy square!

Ingredients

1 family-size (13.5 oz) bag of Ruffles potato chips
10 cups miniature marshmallows (1 bag, plus 2 additional cups)
5 Tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Line a 13x9" baking pan with foil, extending the sides of the foil over the edges of the pan. Spray the foil with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, crush the potato chips in bite-sized pieces. Just make sure they aren't teeny finely ground crumbs, but no huge pieces of chips either. If anything, err on the smaller size. Toss in 2 cups of the miniature marshmallows. Set aside.
In a large sauce pot, melt together the butter and remaining 8 cups of the marshmallows, stirring until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla. Pour the mixture over the crushed chips. Toss to coat until moistened, and working quickly, pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Grease the bottom of a glass cup and gently compact it into the prepared pan.
Let set for about 1 hour at room temperature. Store leftovers airtight at room temperature.

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Ruffles Krispy Treats - sweet, salty, crunchy, gooey and a fun twist on a classic dessert! Such a quick and easy recipe!

If you’re a sweet and salty fan, you guys must give these krispy treats a try!

Want more sweet & salty deliciousness? Check out these other posts!

The Best Salted Caramel Sauce

Salted Nutella Caramel Butter Bars

Salted Ganache Cookie Cups

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley

Filed Under: Bars, Everything!, No-Bake, Sweet and Salty, Treats

Peanut Butter & Jelly Bread Pudding

August 29, 2016 6 Comments

If you love the classic flavors of peanut butter & jelly, you will flip for this Peanut Butter & Jelly Bread Pudding!

So: confession. I’m not a huge bread pudding fan.

It’s a texture thing for me, honestly, but I feel like if it’s the right flavor combination, I could get over that pretty quickly. I don’t want some boring bread pudding with ice cream on top. Why bother wasting my calories that I have specifically allotted for anything other than fresh fruit & vegetables? I only want to try something if I find it’ll be worth it for me in the long run. There’s nothing worse than eating a dessert and thinking, I kinda wish I didn’t eat that.

And believe me, I’ve thought that too many times about dessert. It kinda makes me want to pour one out for my fallen homies, ones destined to be failures, who never quite made it as their more successful and tasty relatives. The ones who died tragically only to be forgotten by those who were last touched by them… or worse, to be scorned by those closest to them.

(Side note: should I write eulogies?)

ANYWAY. This bread pudding will not disappoint. If you like peanut butter & jelly sandwiches… or heck, anything PB&J flavored – you will flip for this version of bread pudding.

Let’s chat about this BP for a sec. So the bread is crucial to this pudding. (Hello, it’d be like using imitation vanilla for vanilla ice cream. Just no). I used a brioche loaf because brioche is eggy and buttery and wonderful and I basically want to shrink myself in a tiny shrinkometer and live on a loaf of brioche for the rest of my days. If you can’t find brioche, a thick Texas-toast kinda bread will do, or something like challah. Just don’t go old-school and use Wonder Bread or anything. That was the go-to for PB&J sammies, but it won’t work well here.

You cube up the bread into about 1″ pieces and soak it in the egg/milk/peanut butter mixture which sounds like exactly what the ingredients are. This gives the bread time to really absorb that peanut butter flavor and what gives bread pudding its texture.

Layer half of the peanut butter eggy bread into the pan and top it off with a can of strawberry pie filling. Now before you come insulting me for using what I had on hand, let me explain: it’s utterly perfect here. The strawberry goo that coats the berries is wonderful and really ramps up the ‘jelly’ part of this PB&J equation. Could you use something else? Maybe, but WHY DON’T YOU FOLLOW THE RULES! GOSH, BECKY. (Kidding. But seriously, strawberry jam would work in its place).

Layer it again and bake it until it’s set and perf, about 50 minutes or so. Let it cool for a hot minute before cutting it into pieces as big as your face. And sprinkle it with chopped peanuts if you’re human. Then prepare to swoon. Hard.

Ta-da!

*adapted from Sept. 2014 Woman’s Day magazine

5.0 from 1 reviews

Peanut Butter & Jelly Bread Pudding

Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel

Recipe type: Treats

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 60 mins

Total time: 1 hour 30 mins

Serves: 8-12

This Peanut Butter & Jelly Bread Pudding is phenomenal! Buttery, gooey, with lightly toasted tops and the exact flavors of this classic combination.

Ingredients

1 loaf (10-14 oz) egg bread (such as brioche, challah, or Hawaiian bread), cut into 1" cubes (should be about 8 cups of bread)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups whole milk
6 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt
¾ cup sugar
2 (21 oz) cans strawberry pie filling (I love using Lucky Leaf)
1 cup dry-roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally grease a casserole 13x9" baking dish with cooking spray or butter. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add in the creamy peanut butter. Gradually add in the milk, whisking constantly and carefully, to combine. Mixture will smooth out somewhat. Add in the beaten eggs, vanilla extract, pinch of salt and sugar and whisk to combine. Mixture will be smooth and runny. Add in the bread and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes, stirring at the 10 minute mark.
Once bread has soaked some of the liquid mixture, spread ⅔ of the bread mixture into the prepared pan. Top with the entire first can of pie filling, gently swirling it on top of the PB bread mixture. Top with the remaining bread mixture, and lastly, top with the remaining entire can of pie filling, gently swirling it into the PB bread mixture.
Cover the pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 35-45 minutes (mine cooked about 40 minutes) or until golden brown and just about set. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Let set for 5-10 minutes before cutting into squares. Store covered in the fridge.

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Peanut Butter & Jelly Bread Pudding: peanut butter-soaked gooey bread pudding swirled with strawberry jam and topped with crunchy peanuts. Sweet, salty, super easy, and divine!

I may not have started out as a bread pudding fan, but I think I’m now converted! This casserole is SO dang good. I love the crunch of the salty peanuts in contrast to the gooey peanut butter-soaked bread and sweet ribbons of strawberry fruit filling. This truly is a must-make!

Have a fabulous day!

xo, Hayley

Filed Under: Everything!, Muffins & Breads, Peanut Butter, Sweet and Salty

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Salted Caramel Macaroons

Pecan Praline Blondies

Salted Caramel Monkey Bread

Ruffles Krispy Treats

Peanut Butter & Jelly Bread Pudding

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