Peanut Butter Bon Bons Recipe

From Money Saving Mom...

Peanut Butter Bon-Bons Guest post from Brigette Shevy This recipe brings back special childhood memories for me… every December, my family would make and freeze dozens and dozens and dozens of cookies – and we always included these bon-bons! We would spend the week before Christmas making up platters of goodies to give away to all of our neighbors, relatives, friends, co-workers, and anyone else my mom could come up with… we even included the mailman and UPS man! Of all of the delectable treats we would make, these were always one of my very favorites. I mean, how could you not like peanut butter and chocolate? These bon-bons only take a handful of ingredients, make a large batch, and store in the freezer very well. They look fancy and indulgent and taste amazing. Just one word of warning, though: these are extremely addictive!

Peanut Butter Bon-Bons

Adapted from an ancient edition of Better Homes and Gardens "Gifts From Your Kitchen"
Makes 4-5 dozen (or more, if you like them smaller)
Ingredients:

• 2 cups peanut butter
• ½ cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups crispy rice cereal
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 12oz semi-sweet chocolate chips*
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

* This amount of chocolate is just enough to cover each ball. If you coat them very thick, you will need more chocolate than this.

Directions:

Melt peanut butter and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir in vanilla. Add rice cereal and powdered sugar and mix well (it might seem a little dry at first but will start holding together the more you mix. I usually finish up the mixing using my hands).
Form into 1-inch balls, firmly packed. Place on a cookie sheet and freeze until firm (at least 30 minutes).
In a saucepan (or the top of a double broiler), melt the chocolate chips and oil together over very low heat, stirring often.** Using a toothpick, dip each peanut butter ball in the chocolate and place on wax-paper lined cookie sheets (I go back later and smooth out the toothpick hole on the top of each bon-bon). Chill until firm. These can be eaten cold or at room temperature (or even frozen… but I'm weird like that!)
**You want the chocolate to stay in a nice, warm "liquid-y" state during all the dipping. I don't have a double broiler, so I usually take the saucepan on and off of the very low heat several times during the process. You can also add a little more oil if you need to.

That’s it!
If you’re looking for a simple, delicious treat to make for a holiday party… give my Peanut Butter Bon-Bon’s a try!

Brigette is a full-time wife and mother who is blessed with three amazing bundles of energy (ages 5, 3 and 1). She enjoys music, experimenting in the kitchen, homeschooling her children, finding great deals, long-distance running, and anything chocolate.

Peanut Butter Bon-Bons is a post from: Money Saving Mom

-----------------------

Eating food made from scratch saves you tremendous amounts of money. Peanut butter is a frugal source of protein and this treat is much cheaper than buying Reese's Cups from the store.

Saving Money At Christmas

- By Guest Writer

Here's how to make more, save more and spend less during the Holidays. There are several ways to create extra cash flows, ways to save and ways to spend less. In my opinion it's easier to spend less on things, rather than to find extra ways to make more money but both are ways to eventually get rich later.

Spend Less- One way is to not be concerned what others may say about you. For example if you contact friends and relatives and explain that you would like to skip exchanging presents you can save both time and money. Money that can be invested in stocks when the market is down. Purchasing items from the 99 cent store can also be a way to save money.

Save More- coupons, buying things in bulk on sale. CVS offers a lot of great discounts via the CVS card. CVS typically offers 20% on most items and have many specials. Eating habits like becoming more vegan and growing your own vegetables is another way to save more on the food bill.

Make more- one way to make more is to invest in stocks/quality companies when the market is a severe decline. Investing in batches can be a way to stretch the investing dollar to buy more shares of quality companies cheap. Be careful though and think more Coca Cola than Facebook. One is a company that will stand the test of time the other is a bet at the racetrack.

Give Gift Cards to Receive Rewards Points

Get more for less this Holiday Season when you give gift cards as presents.  Sometimes it just makes more sense to give a gift card to family, friends or service providers (i.e. salon, pet sitter, babysitter, etc)  Many of us have those handy-dandy reward programs attached to our credit or debit card. Log on to your card's website; most rewards programs are on-line and offer the latest program details. If you are a point-saver (those little points really add up over time) you may qualify for one or more gift cards.

Every month my particular credit card showcases a different gift card at less than the going rate.  Most card programs offer choices like department stores, restaurants, hotels, gas and services and make wonderful gifts.  If you plan ahead not only will you save precious cash, you can make your earned points go farther.

As always, don't spend more than you have to buy things, just to get the points. Going into debt will not help your cause to win financially. Before spending any money buying gifts with a credit card, open up excel and create a simple budget to limit the amount of purchases.  Winning rewards points feels like a good incentive but could be counter-productive to getting out of debt.

Buy Things That Are Refurbished

A good tip to cut down on those Christmas expenses is to buy refurbished. There are plenty of great Christmas items that can be bought slightly used and these are usually the better gifts.

To refurbish simply means to clean up and make like new.  For electronic items, this could be accepting a return from a customer on a perfectly good item that may have been slightly used. Or it could be a defective part that was replaced on something that is practically new.

When looking for electronic items, consider refurbished items, especially if those items come with a warranty.  By taking the risk of replacement under warranty, this means that the manufacturer or retailer believes that the item is good and will not break.

If there is any question, ask whether the seller accepts returns on the item and how long after the sale that offer stands.

Living frugally means getting more for less or delaying purchases as long as possible.  A great example of something refurbished is a used car, which has been thoroughly inspected, cleaned, and fixed.  Driving a used car will save you thousands.

Buy Candy After Halloween for Christmas Stockings

You don't need to stuff your children's stockings with holiday-specific Christmas candy. Use the Halloween candy bars that go on sale the day after the holiday. This goes for Valentine's day and Easter too. Supermarkets load up with holiday specific items and then discount them the next day. Stack some coupons on top of the heavily discounted candy and then stash it in your freezer until the next holiday.

How long can you freeze candy?
If properly sealed in a Zyploc bag, candy will keep for months in the freezer.  Make sure you have an airtight seal.  Even if you loose power, the candy should be fresh and fine as long as it stays dry in the airtight bag.

Slash the Christmas Budget, Bake Cookies

A good way to save money during Christmas is to slash the budget when giving gifts. Be sure to communicate this well in advance of the big day too. The last thing you want to do is hand your sibling or parent a box of cookies and they give you a BlueRay player in return. Don't feel bad about cutting corners when thinking of gifts. This is about taking responsibility for your financial future.

When giving gifts to coworkers, do they really expect you to buy them something expensive, or will they be happy with a thoughtful tasteful gift. For example, instead of getting everyone in the office a present, merely bake them some festive cookies. In return, you are likely to get your own tin of something in return and your coworkers won't feel obligated to buy something expensive.

Christmas Sugar Cookie Recipe 


INGREDIENTS:
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together, set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Gradually blend in the sifted ingredients until fully absorbed. Cover dough, and chill for 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. On a clean floured surface, roll out small portions of chilled dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are barely brown. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

- AllRecipes.com

Cost per Serving
Flour costs about 12 cents per cup. This recipe calls for 45 cents of flour.  There are 6 teaspoons of Baking powder per ounce and 8 ounces will cost about $5.50. So, each teaspoon costs about 11 cents.  The salt costs less than a penny.  The sugar costs 93 cents and the eggs cost 20 cents. 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract will cost 10 cents.  1 cup of margerine can cost about 50 cents.  The total cost of the recipe is about $2.30 and the recipe makes 4 dozen cookies.  The cost per cookie is about 5 cents.

Make Homemade Gifts

Make as many gifts as you can. There's no need to spend days on this. Try making up bottles of your favourite salad dressing. Use any suitable old bottle which you've washed and soaked the label off. Add
a new label with something exclusive sounding eg My Very Own Secret Recipe and you're done.

Or make your own Peppermint Stick Cocoa.  Put it in a jar that you've thoroughly cleaned and it is an excellent gift. (Recipe below.)

Other quick gifts of this type are flavoured oils - try chilli flakes, peppercorns and herbs as the flavouring. A good use for all those dried herbs languishing at the back of your cupboard!
.

Peppermint Stick Cocoa Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup powdered milk
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy


Preparation

Layer powdered milk, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, chocolate chips, and peppermint candy.

Note:
This mix will fill a 1-quart jar (12 servings), but if your containers are different sizes, just keep the ratio of ingredients constant. On the back of the tag, write: "Mix contents in a large bowl. For each serving, place 1/3 cup cocoa mix in a mug and stir in 1 cup boiling water. Store remaining mix in airtight container."

-Allrecipes.com

Save Money at Christmas with Your Own Charlie Brown Tree

Remember that Charlie Brown Christmas Special with the tiny sad tree?  This Christmas, instead of buying a over-fertilized commercial tree that's been sitting dead on a sidewalk for weeks, go to the woods and cut your own.  This will give your family a satisfying activity that they will remember for years and a free tree that will be a discussion piece for the entire holiday.  Make the trip an experience by bringing along hot cocoa and homemade cookies as a surprise treat.

If anyone asks why you didn't just buy a tree from the store, say that you are "going green" and that you plan on picking up an artificial tree from the store when they are heavily discounted after the holiday.  You can save a bundle by buying an artificial tree from a site like Amazon.com when a retailer is trying to unload their Christmas inventory to make room for something else.  A typical artificial tree should last a decade and if you buy it on discount, it pays for itself in a few years.

Use a Smartphone or Store Ad for Price Matching

Many people like to save money while shopping for the holidays, and there are many simple ways of doing so without a lot of effort. Since you have become financially savvy, you now only shop with a list, right? Well, before heading to the store to buy something, grab
another store's advertisement that has that item in it, or find the item online with a price. Almost all stores have a price match system
and will match the advised price of another store, and some will even beat it by 10%! When you head out shopping, take other store flyers with you, and you could find yourself saving some money on unexpected items. This also goes for store coupons. Lowes and Home Depot will honor any coupon used by their competitors. Just take the coupon to
customer service to get the discounted rate.

Get a Job for Christmas

Earn extra cash this holiday season by working a seasonal retail job.  Find a Christmas Tree lot that needs an extra hand.  Help someone rake up leaves around their home (Craigslist posts have this).  Even consider working as Santa.

Apply to local and national retail outlets this holiday season who hire scores of season employees to meet the demands of the season. Accumulate more experience for your resume and make money for your holiday gift list.  As an added bonus, lots of stores give employees discounts to purchase items.  So, you might do all your Christmas shopping in one place.

Free Personalized Video Message from Santa

Right now you can get a FREE video message from Santa for your children! Just head to Portable North Pole TV and you will be able to create a personalized video message that includes your child's picture, favorite toy and more! FREE video message from Santa

Cheap Gifts for the Holidays

Making homemade food is always a cheap way to give great gifts during the holidays.  Here we have three recipes found on a recipe website that will all fit the Christmas Holiday theme.  Visit the recipe site to find more great recipes.  Making food from scratch is frugal.

Fudge Sauce - $2.64 per Gift

Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped $
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Preparation

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream and corn syrup to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in the chocolate until melted. Stir in the vanilla.

Pour into jars and cool completely before covering or refrigerating (otherwise the sauce will become granular). Keeps up to 1 month in the refrigerator.

- Source

Nine-Bead Soup Mix - $1.80 per Gift

Ingredients

• 1 (14-ounce) package barley
• 1 (16-ounce) package dried red beans
• 1 (16-ounce) package dried pinto beans $
• 1 (16-ounce) package uncooked lentils
• 1 (16-ounce) package dried black-eyed peas
• 1 (16-ounce) package dried black beans
• 1 (16-ounce) package dried navy pea beans
• 1 (16-ounce) package dried great Northern beans
• 1 (16-ounce) package dried green split peas

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Store in an airtight container.
- Source

Peanut Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies - $1.54 per Gift

Ingredients

• 1 cup (1/2 lb.) unsalted butter, at room temperature $
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar $
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter $
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour $
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chocolate chips (12 oz.) $
• 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
• 1 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped

Preparation

1. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and peanut butter until well blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
2. In another bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir or beat into butter mixture until well incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips, oats, and peanuts.
3. Drop dough in rounded 2-tablespoon portions, 3 inches apart, onto buttered or cooking parchment-lined 12- by 15-inch baking sheets. With a lightly floured fork, flatten slightly into 2 1/2-inch rounds about 1/2 inch thick.
4. Bake in a 350° oven until cookies are golden and tops feel set when lightly pressed, 12 to 14 minutes (they will feel underdone but will firm up as they cool); if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking.
5. Let stand 5 minutes on sheets, then, with a wide spatula, transfer cookies to racks to cool. If hot cookies start to break, slide a thin spatula under them to release; let stand on pan to firm up, 2 to 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.
- Source