Harvest Chex Mix

I just love this chex mix! I just sends me straight to thoughts of fall. I got it at from my mom a few years back and it's been a favorite ever since. Though I don't often make it... It makes a big batch that's best shared and all these ingredients don't add up to a cheap snack. So I look forward to enjoying it once or twice a year!

Harvest Chex Mix Recipe:
1 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1T cinnamon
Combine above ingredients in a small sauce pan until the butter is melted and you have a sauce. Do not boil.
1 box Crispix
1 box Honeynut Chex
1 can mixed nuts
1/2 bag pretzels
3 packages apple chips
Mix together in a large bowl. Then pour over butter mixture while still warm. Spread on 3 cookie sheets and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with M&Ms

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

I just love this recipe for chocolate chip cookies! It's what I grew up with. They're always soft and they freeze really well too. This recipe is from the good old white (because there's another yellow cover version) Bethesda Mennonite Cookbook. All the ladies in the church submit their recipes and you end up with an amazing cookbook full of home cooked goodness and traditional Mennonite foods. I believe it's out of print but you can always find a copy floating around Christmas gatherings. It's a real hot item for those group pick and swap type gift games!

The Recipe:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
1 4oz pkg instant vanilla pudding
2 eggs
12 oz chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts, optional
Combine butter, sugars, vanilla and pudding; beat till smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs. Add flour and soda; then stir in chips and nuts. Drop onto baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. For chocolate chocolate chip cookies use chocolate instant pudding. 1 batch = approx 3 dozen.

My husband sometimes asks for 'regular' chocolate chip cookies. You know, the recipe on the back of the bag. That's what he grew up with. These have a cake-ier quality that's good but different than those. But I don't make them very often. I find them dry, crumbly and crunchy after they cool off. But I've heard that if you have a good seasoned cookie baking stone they're better. This particular time I made these cookies was for AWANA Cubbies at church and my daughter really wanted M&M cookies. Because of the possibility of allergies, I couldn't go with my monster cookie recipe so I decided to experiment. So in this doubled batch I put 2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips and 1 cup of mini M&Ms. They're just as yummy! And of course, we tested the M&Ms for quality before adding them. :)

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!