Nutter Butter Ghosts

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Nutter Butter Ghosts

Mini Pumpkin Spice Donuts

My kids went nuts over these donuts! I have never seen them devour anything so fast. They were eating the donuts as I was dipping them in cinnamon and sugar. I couldn't keep up with them. I finally had to tell them to stop eating so I could have some. They told me these were the best donuts they've ever had.

Printable Recipe

Mini Pumpkin Spice Donuts
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup milk

Coating:
4 Tbsp butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a mini donut pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin, and milk until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Using a pastry bag or a spoon, carefully fill each donut cup with the batter. The donut cups should be full without overflowing. Bake for 8-9 minutes, until donuts spring back when gently touched. If using a large donut pan, bake for 12-15 minutes. Turn donuts onto a wire rack and cool for a few minutes.

Melt butter in a small bowl and combine sugar and cinnamon in another bowl. Dip each donut in butter, then coat in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Blue-Eyed Bakers

Past Recipes:
One year ago: Apple Pie Caramel Apples
Two years ago: Beef Stew

Chicken Cordon Bleu Florentine Casserole

If you're looking for something that is healthy, this is probably not the dish for you. But if you're looking for something that is totally packed with flavor, here you go. I wasn't sure if my kids would like this since it has gorgonzola cheese in it. So I didn't tell them. My kids loved this! It's very rare that all 4 of my kids have seconds. My 3 older kids actually had thirds! This was so delicious. Definitely a new family fave!

Printable Recipe

Chicken Cordon Bleu Florentine Casserole
4 cups campanelle pasta
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
2 1/2 cups milk (1% or 2%)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp peper
2 cups (8 oz) shredded Italian blend cheese
6 oz crumbled gorgonzola cheese
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb chicken, cooked and shredded
9 oz ham, cubed
1 box frozen spinach or 6-8 oz fresh spinach (blanched)
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 tsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, whisking the entire time, until bubbly and thick. Stir in salt and pepper. Add Italian cheese and gorgonzola cheese. Stir until melted and mixed well. Set aside.

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and stir 1 minute or until fragrant. Add chicken and season with salt and pepper to taste. Saute for a few minutes. In a 9x13 baking dish, mix together pasta, chicken mixture, ham, spinach, and cheese sauce. Mix well.

Stir together bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and 2 tsp olive oil. Sprinkle over pasta and bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

Serves 6

Recipe adapted from LDS Living

Past Recipes:
One year ago: Easy Caramel Popcorn
Two years ago: Chicken and Black Bean Burritos

Mini Pumpkin Pie Crescents

I love fall and all of the flavors, including pumpkin. My kids loved these. They gobbled them up so fast.

Printable Recipe

Mini Pumpkin PIe Crescents
2 tubes refrigerated crescent rolls
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice, divided
7 Tbsp sugar, divide
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Combine cream cheese, pumpkin, 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice, and 3 Tbsp sugar. Beat until fluffy and creamy. Set aside.

Roll out each crescent. Cut lengthwise into 2 pieces. Spread a small amount of filling on each crescent, starting at the wider end and spreading halfway down the crescent. Roll up starting from the wider end.

Mix together 4 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice, and 1 Tbsp cinnamon. Roll each crescent in cinnamon mixture and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes.

Makes 32 crescents

Recipe adapted from Six Sisters Stuff

Past Recipes:
One year ago: Frozen Reese's Peanut Butter Pie
Two years ago: Chicken with Pan Sauce

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup

Printable Recipe

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups milk (1% or 2%), divided
1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
1 pkg (12 oz) frozen corn
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 1/2-2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth. Whisk in chicken broth and 1/2 cup of milk. Bring to a a gentle boil, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Remove from heat and whisk in enchilada sauce and remaining milk. Set aside.

In a crock pot, combine the beans, tomatoes, frozen corn, onion, and bell pepper. Place chicken on top of this mixture. Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables in the crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

Right before serving, shred the chicken and return to crock pot. Serve topped with cheese, cilantro, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

Serves 6

Recipe adapted from Table For Two

Past Recipes:
One year ago: Layered Salad with Creamy Herb Dressing
Two years ago: Layered Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

Chipotle Lime Glazed Shrimp

Printable Recipe

Chipotle Lime Glazed Shrimp
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp sugar

glaze:
1-2 tsp chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
4 tsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

Combine all ingredients for the glaze. Set aside.

Toss shrimp with salt, pepper, and sugar. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of the oil on high heat until smoking hot. Add half of the shrimp to the pan in a single layer. Cook for 1 minute until spotty brown and the edges turn pink. Remove pan from heat. Using tongs, flip each piece of shrimp. Let stand until center is opaque, about 30 seconds. Transfer shrimp to a large bowl. Add remaining vegetable oil to the skillet. Repeat with remaining shrimp. Cook for 1 minute, remove from heat, and flip each shrimp. Let stand for 30 seconds. Return the first batch of shrimp to the skillet. Add chipotle mixture and toss to mix well. Cover and let stand until cooked through, about 1-2 minutes. Serve over rice or in tortillas.

Serves 4-6

Recipe adapted from Love and Olive Oil

Past Recipes:
One year ago: Swedish Meatballs
Two years ago: Caramel Snickers Brownies

Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes

I can't think of a better combination than Oreos, cheesecake, and cupcakes. These were so delicious! Oh, and for cheesecake, these were actually pretty easy to make.

Printable Recipe

Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes

1 pkg oreos, divided (12 coarsely crushed and 27-30 whole)

2 lbs cream cheese at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

4 large eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten

1 cup sour cream

pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 275. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Place one cookie in the bottom of each liner.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese at medium speed until smooth. Gradually add sugar until combined. Beat in vanilla. Drizzle in eggs a little at a time until combined. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in crushed cookies by hand. 

Divide filling among cups, filling almost to the top. Bake until set, about 22 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes. Remove from muffin tins and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

Makes 27-30 cupcakes 

*The original recipe calls for 42 cookies to make 30 cupcakes but there were 39 cookies in one package of Oreos so I made 27 cupcakes.

Recipe adapted from Handle the Heat

Past Recipes:

One year ago: Loaded Baked Potato Salad

Two years ago: Rustic Chicken and Herbed Cornmeal Dumplings