Rolo Stuffed Oatmeal Cookies {Back-to-School Printable}

Would it surprise any of you to hear that I was a major goody-goody teacher's pet in school?

I was the wannabe hall monitor.

I once got in trouble for reading in class. Not reading a passed note. Reading a novel. In the fifth grade.

Even though my mom will say I was a terrible teenager, all surly and teenagey, I was a goody-goody even then.

I never snuck out of my house.

I never cut class.

I did other things that shall remain untold. {Hi Mom!} But, in all truthfulness, I was a good girl.

The teacher's favorite. The one they could always count on to be on time, have her assignment, and not cheat. {There was, in fact, unbeknownst to me, a cheating ring in my sophomore history class that extended from the person behind me copying from my quizzes that wrapped all the way around the room so that the kid in the farthest corner had my answers on his paper.}

So would it surprise you then to know that, as much as I really do love being the Hospitality Committee chairperson and as much as I love doing things for the teachers at Jordan's school, I want them to like me.

And to me like is done through kindness, aka food. Or, in my universe, dessert.

When I stuffed Rolos inside of peanut butter cookies it was such a huge hit that I knew I had to do it again. Again, stuffing Rolos inside of cookies isn't new. I'm not the first to do it and I won't be the last. But today I'm sharing with you new-to-me Rolos stuffed inside of oatmeal cookies.

I love oatmeal cookies. Almost more than any other kind. {Shhh...you won't tell peanut butter, right?}

These cookies are for the teachers next week. I'm going to put them in their boxes on the first day of school.

{Pssst...they freeze reeealllly well.}

And because I want them to like me a lot, I made tags for the bags. These are "smart cookie" cookies.

Want the tags? So you can make some cookies for your kids' teachers?

Gotcha covered. For a .pdf copy of this printable, click here.

Now you can be the most popular too. Dessert = Like. It's just the truth.

~Read More~

PB & Nutella Sandwich Cakes

So, school starts next week. {Yay!}

I love so many things about the start of a new school year.

I love that twinge in my belly...the newness. Everyone says Spring is the rebirth...but for me I feel like I start anew every September. And, even though I have not personally attended classes or taught for seven years now, I still get that renewed feeling.

I love the smell of freshly sharpened pencils.  Actually, I love the school supply section in general. Pens, pencils, erasers, folders, notebooks, oh my! And everything is on sale for practically $1!

{Unless you buy 30 things. Then you've just spent $30. With $30 I could have gotten a pedicure.}

I love the  early mornings. We don't have to re-train Jordan to get up early. I'm lucky if she stays in bed until 6:00 am on a Saturday, let alone on a school day. The early out of the house means I can run outdoors (no childcare needed) in cooler weather.

I love the thought that, because school is here that means that eventually it will be Fall and it won't be 108 degrees anymore.

What I don't love about the school year? Making lunch.

Is anyone with me on this? I mean, it's hard enough to get variety in my kids' diet without having to pack it in a box with an ice pack that will inevitably melt before recess, rendering the contents luke-warm and melty by lunch.

If I left it to Jordan she would eat salami every single day. But only because I won't let her have fried chicken.

I'm constantly trying to come up with new lunchbox ideas. But when your kid won't eat anything but salami, that gets difficult.

However, I think she'd eat this sandwich, no problem.

I saw the idea for this sandwich in Food Network Magazine. That "bread" is actually cake.

Kinda genius, actually.

It's a cupcake without the icing mess.

Because the icing is the sandwich filling.

The Food Network version was a big cake. I wanted to make actual sandwich size mini cakes. So I baked half a box of white cake mix and baked it in a 9" square pan. I cut the square into four pieces and cut off the edges and the top and bottom (because no crust is allowed in my house). Do you all have that problem? I stuff a sandwich with crust in the lunch box and it comes home looking like a deformed rainbow.

Then you tort the four small cakes, so they look like bread. I know, my torting skills need work. But that crooked piece doesn't matter. Just turn it upside down, no one will ever know.

You could use jelly for the rest of your sandwich. That's not how we roll in this house.

We roll Nutella-style.

Sandwich these babies up, wrap 'em in plastic and chill until they've firmed up. It's like April Fool's Day in August.

A sandwich Jordan will eat. And a new reason to love the new school year: making cute school-themed food.

What do you love about back-to-school?

~Read More~

Caramel Apple Pretzels

Yesterday Jordan and I had a girls day at the mall. We picked out her "first day of school" outfit.

I am still having a hard time with the fact that one, there is less than two weeks of summer left, and two, I'm going to have a second grader.

SECOND grade. Which we all know is, like, three days from High School. {By the way she already acts, I think we may be even closer than that.}

She's seven and a half. Which is almost eight. Which is almost a Tween. And after that is Teen, when she will refuse to talk to me and her only "words" will be eye rolls.

Hello, Father Time? Will you slow the heck down please? Thanksmuch.

I figure I only have a few more years of "cutesy things" left. Things like showing her a dress at Old Navy that has a zebra on it and her grabbing it from me and insisting I buy it. Or holding my hand in a parking lot. Or allowing me to make cute back-to-school gifts to give her teacher.

{You know, before she's too cool to do those things and I have to do them behind her back or threaten that I won't think she loves me anymore if she won't hold my hand.}

So I figured I best get as much in as possible, before it all goes away. I bought her the zebra dress. And then I made apples for her teachers.

I must say, these apples gave me a pain in my head. I love the way they ended up. But they were not what I originally envisioned. The idea for the red pretzels came from Party Pinching. But you know me. I have to do MORE. I can't be happy with just some cute red pretzels that look like apples.

The "MORE" ended up with two failed recipes and a second batch of pretzels.

But I'm happy with these. They're good.

And make me want Fall.

Pretzels dipped in caramel. Dipped in red candy melts. Topped with a green "stem."

Perfect for back-to-school.

They're small. So if your kid is past "cute," just hide them in his supply box. He'll never know.

Are you excited for back to school?

~Read More~

Apple Oreos

Last week my daughter started first grade. First. Grade.

Sigh.

Wait a minute. I'm having a flashback to my post about when she ended Kindergarten. I think I said the same thing. I guess I'm nothing if not predictable.

I mean, in first grade she's with big kids. On the playground. When I dropped her off on the second day she went out to play on the yard first. With, seemingly, every other kid in the school. I lost sight of her after about 10 seconds and about had an anxiety attack right there on the blacktop. Usually on playgrounds I can see her whenever I bother to look (just kidding, of course).

So, now that she's in first grade, the first thing people like to say to me is "What are you going to do with all that free time???"

(Let me preface this by saying I worship you working moms. I mean, I know my mental capacity and it doesn't include that. You ladies are amazing.)

Here is a list of things I plan to do with my free time:

1. Clean my house. Like, really clean it. Not shove things under the bed and in the closet because I'm rushing since my daughter is on her seventh iCarly of the day.

2. Grocery shop, go to Target, run to the mall to find the exact pair of Sporty Shorty Light UP! sneakers that they show in commercials on iCarly, then run back to Target again because they called about a prescription after I'd already left.

3. Bake, photograph, photo edit, and blog. While I'm alone. So that my daughter knows what I look like from the eyes down (all that she can see of me while I spend endless hours behind the computer screen). Oh, and so that I don't have to listen to the 19th iCarly of the day. Because my daughter can impersonate Sam to the T, and that scares me a little.

4. Eat bon bons and watch trashy reality TV. Otherwise known in the business world as a "lunch break."

5. Continue making a bulletin board at school because no one else stepped up to volunteer and when I asked the principal who was taking over he said (chuckling)..."Um...you?"

6. Make wonderful treats like these Apple Oreo Cookies for the teachers because I am now the Hospitality Chair on the PTC Committee. (Yes, I am a sucker. Let's paint a big PTC bullseye on my forehead, shall we?)

These Oreos are a great way to say hello or thank you to a teacher. Or, make them for your kids. They'll love them. And, if you're not making 75 of them, they are super easy.

First, you have to make your apples. I used red and green candy melts (Wilton). I found the mold online at Custom Chocolate Shop. You can also find them at Country Kitchen Sweet Art.

Then you need to cover your Oreos with a nice warm coat of chocolate. I like using a mold I got at An Occasional Chocolate, but if you don't have a mold you can just dip them.

Now, you have this:

Just attach the apples to the Oreos with a dab of melted chocolate.

Wrap them up pretty and you have a wonderful teacher gift!

To all you teachers out there: thank you for what you do. You deserve so much more than you get and I hope your year is full of good students and good treats.

************

In case you missed my shameless self-promotion yesterday, I've been nominated for a Most Valuable Blogger Award here in Sacramento. If you like me and want to help me out, please consider voting for me!

Here is the link:
http://sacramento.blogger.cbslocal.com/most-valuable-blogger/blog/449-crazy-for-crust/

It only takes a few seconds. There is no sign-in required and you can vote once a day through September 9th. Thank you so much for your vote!

Now, back to your regularly scheduled recipe...

Apple Oreos
Recipe by Crazy for Crust

Ingredients:
Red candy melts (Wilton or other)
Green candy melts
Chocolate candy melts, chips, or almond bark
Oreo Cookies


Directions:

1. To make the apples: melt the red and green candy melts and place them in a squeeze bottle (can be found at stores like Michaels). I find that working with a squeeze bottle is cleaner and easier. Squeeze some red into the apple mold for the apple, green for the stem. Tap it on the counter a few times to settle the candy and then freeze until hardened (about 3-5 minutes). They should easily release.
2. To make the chocolate dipped Oreos: melt your chocolate in a large microwave safe bowl. You can dip the Oreos directly in the chocolate or you can use a mold. If you are using a mold, squeeze (from a bottle) or spoon some chocolate onto the base of the mold. Tap to level. Add the Oreo and cover with more chocolate. Tap to cover and freeze until hardened (about 5 minutes).
3. Attach the apples to the Oreos with a dab of melted chocolate.

Yield: One 14 ounce bag of chocolate melts will cover about half of a 16-ounce package of Oreos (that's about 20-25 cookies). One bag of red candy melts will make about 40-50 apples (you will only need about half a bag of green melts for this many).

Happy Back to School!

This recipe may be linked with:

Monday: Mingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Joy of Desserts. Tuesday: 2 Maids a Baking (2 Maids a Milking), Tea Party Tuesdays (Sweetology). Wednesday: Cast Party Wednesday, Made It On Monday (Lark's Country Heart), This Chick Cooks.  Thursday: Sweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls), Turning the Table Thursdays (Around My Family Table), Tasty Thursday (The How-To Mommy). Friday: Sweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son), I'm Lovin' it Fridays (TidyMom). Saturday: Sweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies). Sunday: A Well-Seasoned Life, Sharing Sundays (Everyday Sisters)