Month: December 2025

Puppy Chow Truffles

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I first tasted these at a clam bake in the fall and immediately thought they would be perfect for the holidays. At the event they were at a dessert table, and they were far from the prettiest dessert (I mean, look at them) but they were called “Moose Nuts” and I knew they were chocolate and peanut butter, so I had to have them. I took a bite and knew that I needed the recipe!

These take a little patience, but they are absolutely worth it. If you love puppy chow or muddy buddy Chex mix, you need to make these! Note that these are a little tricky. The original recipe I got from the baker of these at the event was a little vague (and silly…I’ll share it below), and I changed up the name, but this version of the recipe has worked the best for me. Warning – these are also addicting!

Puppy Chow Truffles

Here’s what you need

For the balls

  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter (I recommend smooth JIF, not a natural or homemade kind)
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 cups rice Chex
  • 1 cup pretzels

For the coating

  • 2 cups chocolate melting wafers
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Here’s what you do

  1. Add the peanut butter and 1/3 cup powdered sugar to a bowl. Heat in the microwave in 10 second intervals, stirring between each, until melted and smooth.
  2. Place the cereal and pretzels in a blender and pulse to chop them into small pieces (not a fine powder). Alternatively, you can crush them by hand with a rolling pin or by hand.
  3. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the cereal and pretzels and stir to combine.
  4. Melt the chocolate wafers in the microwave on 50% power in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until smooth.
  5. Roll Chex/pretzel/PB/sugar mixture into balls about 1 1/2 tablespoons each. If they’re not holding well, you may need to refrigerate the mixture for 30 min first. This part can be tricky because the mixture doesn’t always roll into balls or stay firm easily. You’ll need to press and squish it firmly to get it to hold together. I find using a cake pop mold can help – you roll with your hands as best as you can and then smoosh shape into the cake pop mold. Once shaped, freeze the balls for about 30 minutes before dipping in chocolate.
  6. Dip each ball into the melted chocolate to coat, then place them in the refrigerator until the chocolate hardens.
  7. Once the chocolate is set, roll the truffles in the remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Enjoy immediately!

Questions for you:

  • Do you call it puppy chow or muddy buddies?
  • Have you ever been to an event and found a recipe you knew you had to try?

And here’s the original recipe I received.  Good luck following it! One thing is true- the balls may piss you off and you may feel like you’re doing it wrong!

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies with Chocolate Ganache

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I can’t believe we’re already very much in the holiday season! Christmas is 10 days away, and Hannukah started this weekend. One of the reasons it’s my favorite time of year is really because of all the cookies and baking. If cinnamony-sugary cookies (Taylor Swift Chai cookies) aren’t your thing and you’re more of a chocolate person, here’s a fun recipe you can try on your own or bake with kids!

These chocolate thumbprint cookies have become such a staple in our Christmas cookie rotation over the last few years. Even though I started making them after my grandma died, I always think of her while baking them because she was a self-proclaimed chocoholic and I know she would have loved these. I make them in her honor and it makes me happy that my dad and GM get to enjoy them too since they both love chocolate just as much.

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies (With Chocolate Ganache)

Here’s what you need

For the cookies

  • 3 cups (about 360 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (80 g) Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ½ cups (330 g) packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 4 egg yolks, at room temperature
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

For the ganache

  • 1 cup (200 g) semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • Festive sprinkles for topping

Here’s what you do

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.
  2. In a large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar for about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and mix until fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
  3. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
  4. Scoop about 1 Tablespoon of dough at a time and roll into a ball.
  5. Use a small measuring spoon (or your/your child’s finger) to press an indent into each ball.
  6. Chill the indented dough for at least 1 hour or in the freezer. I like to make these in early December and freeze until they’re just ready to bake before Christmas.
  7. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  8. Arrange the chilled dough balls about 1 ½ inches apart on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or Silpat mats. Bake for 10 minutes.
  9. When they come out of the oven, gently press the centers again with the small spoon if the indent rose during baking. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 6 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  10. While cookies are cooling, add chocolate chips to a small bowl.
  11. Heat the heavy cream in the microwave until just about boiling.
  12. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute. Then, stir ganache until smooth.
  13. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of ganache into each cooled cookie. Sprinkle sprinkles to the top if you want.
  14. Chill the cookies for 10 to 15 minutes so the ganache can set. I like to pop mine in the freezer for a few hours to ensure they’re hardened before storing.

Questions for you:

  • What’s next on your holiday baking list?
  • Are you team cinnamon/sugar/spice cookie OR team chocolate cookie?

Inside Again

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 10 Comments

As much as I love this time of year for the holiday season … it’s my least favorite season for running. I hate the icy roads, the slippery sidewalks, etc. Bah hum bug? But it’s okay – because it’s still almost the holidays and I can cheer about that! So despite it being cold and slippery, I still got in my workouts this week, by opting inside.

So this week included a lot of treadmill time, some weights, and lots of baking! Oh, and I did force myself outside for a walk two days but it was slippery! So here’s what the week looked like:

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Chocolate Brownie Sandwich Cookies

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In case you didn’t notice, I’m very much in the midst of holiday baking. So far, we’ve made some graham cracker Heath bar toffee and Taylor Swift Chai cookies – with plenty more on the way!

These were next up. I asked each of my kids to share their top 3 holiday cookies, and one of FW’s favorites were these. Last year was the first year I had ever made them, and I wasn’t even planning on making them this year (like the Chai cookies!), but since they were top on his list, we made them again.

I need to first disclose a few things. First, this is not my recipe. One of B’s cousins made these cookies at his family’s annual golfing reunion, and FW gobbled them up there, so I asked for the recipe. Second, this uses a box of brownies! You can try to make them with your own homemade brownie, but I promise you, this recipe is not just easy, but it’s so tasty, and FW loves them this way. B’s cousin’s original recipe called for boxed frosting too – which you could definitely use! – but I think most boxes/cans of frosting have a funky aftertaste, so I opted to make my own and this is how the recipe has morphed into our own.

Here you go – here is the Chocolate Brownie Sandwich Cookie recipe. These are rich and very sweet, so if you’re eating them as part of a cookie tray, you may only want half of one so you have room to try some other cookies. Note that I typically double the recipe so that I have enough for us to enjoy, plus to give away with other holiday cookies.

Chocolate Brownie Sandwich cookies

Makes 1 dozen sandwiches (or as FW calls them, “chocolate hamburgers” — I don’t think that is very appetizing though)

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Taylor Swift’s Chai Cookies – Updated!

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Guess whose birthday is coming up this Saturday?

If you guessed my dad, you’d be right (Happy early birthday, Dad!). But if you guessed Taylor Swift, you’d also be right! Taylor Swift’s birthday is December 13, and in honor of her upcoming birthday – and the holidays, I decided to remake her famous Chai Cookie recipe.

I’ve made Donna Kelce’s chocolate chip cookies (here’s the recipe!), and last year I made Taylor’s Chai cookies (original version here). I enjoyed them, but it was a lot of steps and I never really got the icing to set completely. So this year, I decided to nix the cookie and it wouldn’t go on my holiday cookie plate. That is, until I asked FW to share what his favorite holiday cookies are — and he said these were in his top 3! (He also named chocolate sandwich cookies, which I’ll share the recipe soon – they’re so easy! – and raspberry thumbprints). So, the Taylor Swift Chai Cookies went back onto my list, with a few tweaks – mostly to the frosting.

Here you go – here is the updated Taylor Swift Chai Cookie Recipe. These are similar to a spiced snickerdoodle cookie with a buttercream eggnog frosting. And because of the butter, this frosting actually hardened and was great/easy to freeze!

Taylor Swift’s Chai Cookies (Updated)

(modified from Joy the Baker)

Makes about 2 dozen

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December December December

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 13 Comments

DECEMBER is here! Yahoo! I’m so glad we’re finally almost to the holidays, it really is my favorite time of year. Well, except for running-wise, we already got some snow and ice in Cleveland, so I am already stuck inside. Ick! But the good news is, I felt good almost all November and am back at running! I’m trying not to overdo it, and taking some days off and not running 2 long runs a week. Which is easy-ish because of how busy we are! But it’s worth it – I love all the Dec. things.

But first, here’s what November looked like:

  • 114.6 miles running with some run/walks thrown in
  • some untracked walks
  • weight lifting
  • 1 race (Turkey Trot!)

Here’s what the week looked like — spoiler alert,  there was a lot of indoor running so my pictures aren’t really of running because all I did was treadmill running! So here we go:

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December Virtual Coffee Date

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 15 Comments



Hi friends! Grab a hot beverage because it’s cold outside (at least it is in Cleveland) and let’s catch up for a virtual coffee date! As I did last month, I’m joining Coco and Deborah for their virtual coffee today, while also sharing a fitness update for a fitness linkup.  I can hardly believe we are at December! Looking at my calendar is a little frightening, but honestly, I love the chaos of the holidays. So, if we were having coffee today, I’d tell you that …

I’d tell you that we just wrapped up Thanksgiving travel. We spent more than 20 hours in the car for a four-hour meal, but it was worth it.  I saw my aunt, two uncles, and cousin that I only see once a year. I also got to see my parents quickly! I’m so grateful B does all that driving while I maintain my passenger princess status.

I’d tell you that I’m still injury-free and even got to run a Turkey Trot in Connecticut with my son, which is always such a fun tradition. Running with him makes me so proud. I wonder if my daughter will be ready for three miles next year? At their ages, I could barely run one mile!

Speaking of running, I’d mention that it’s almost time to sign up for spring marathons and half marathons! I enjoy this off season (for me) and focusing on strength training and running when I can … but before I know it I’ll be ready to train for the Cleveland Half Marathon again!

I’d tell you that December is packed with fun holiday activities. Book club, a Nutcracker viewing with my daughter and her friends, a band concert, two school holiday concerts, a piano recital, and more. It’s busy, but it’s the best kind of busy.

I’d tell you that speaking of a crazy calendar, tonight we’re doing something fun! We’re going to see The SpongeBob Musical at the Beck Center. We’re taking the whole family, and it will be GM’s first time seeing a show in a theater. I’m so excited for him to experience it. We even got comp media tickets, so we’re making a night of it with dinner out and then the show.

Photo credit Steve Wagner

I’d tell you that we recently saw the new Wicked For Good movie. I took all three kids while B stayed home to work on the basement (he’s been working on finishing it as much as we can — new ceiling and walls). It was so fun. While the first movie was undoubtedly better, I love the musical, and seeing it brought to life on the big screen was amazing.

I’d tell you that the kids are off school for something like 17 days over the holidays. It sounds like a lot, but I do enjoy the extra time with them. By the time school starts again, though, we’re all ready for the routine.

I’d tell you that we just finished decorating for the holidays. There are two types of people: those who decorate right after Halloween and those who wait until after Thanksgiving. My husband is firmly in the second camp, so we just got everything up. The house feels so cozy now, and I love having holiday music playing in the background.

I’d tell you that I’m ready for holiday baking season. Last year I baked nine different types of cookies plus buckeyes, Chex mix, chocolate pretzels, and fudge. I’m not sure if I’ll hit those numbers again, but baking cookies is one of my favorite traditions. I’ve started making a list and I’m going to try to be a little more organized this year to keep track of everything I make and when. I already made my favorite graham cracker toffee and shared it with some friends, and we did some cut out cookies.

That’s what’s going on in my world. What’s new with you? How are you kicking off December?

  • What is your go-to holiday cookie recipe? I always want new baking ideas!
  • When do you start decorating for the holidays or listening to holiday music? Do you wait until after Thanksgiving?
  • Have you ever seen the SpongeBob Musical? What was the last live musical you saw?

Linking up with My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and The Running Teacher for the Fit Five Friday linkup and the Ultimate Coffee Date hosted by Coco and Deborah