Easter Cheerio Nest Treats

This recipe is from Lauren's family, from her early days of Easters with family and friends. Recently (before Easter) Lauren was describing these delicious little treats to me, and how her family would make them each Easter, but she hadn't had them in a long time. They look like cute little eggs in nests. Magically, her old neighbor from her hometown sent her a batch for Easter this year, and I can vouch they are very tasty. I imagine they are especially fun to make with and for children. Be sure not to use off-brand ingredients (a tip from Lauren's Mom). I wish I had a picture of them!

What's in it

24 caramels

2. T. water

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (think Jiffy)

1 1/2 cup Cheerios

12 peanut M&M's - preferably Easter colors

How it's made

Put caramels and water in saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring all the time until melted and smooth. Add PB and mix.

Remove from heat. Add Cheerios. Mix until evenly coated.

Drop by round spoonfuls on wax papered cookie sheet. Press 1 M&M into each cookie (like a nest!). Place in refrigerator until firm.

Makes 12 cookies.

Banana Oat Muffins

Overripe bananas: they're a little scary looking, and honestly quite disgusting when you open them, but they are the perfect motivation for making a baked treat. I love banana bread, and make it often, when I have three or more overripe bananas. This week I only had two, so I figured I'd have to mix it up a bit.

I found a recipe for banana oat muffins on allrecipes.com, the website I usually start with when looking for a good base recipe I can adapt for my pantry. I found a simple recipe with good reviews, and it looked super easy to make. I am sure you can substitute as you like with the recipe posted here as well. A good rule of thumb - if you're not down with sugar or oil, just use applesauce instead, and a little brown sugar. You can also incorporate yogurt or sour cream in lieu of milk or oil. Get creative, have fun, banana muffins are very forgiving. (Also check out our other banana recipes: Nana's Banana Bread, Banana, Pecan, Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, and Best Oatmeal )

Banana Oat Muffins

~Print Recipe~

What's in it

1 1/2 C flour (you can do half whole wheat, half unbleached)

1 C oats

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C sugar (you can mix and match brown and white)

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

cinnamon

1 egg, lightly beaten

3/4 C milk (I used almond breeze)

1/3 C oil (or applesauce - I grated an overripe apple into it)

1 C mashed ripe banana

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

optional: chopped walnuts, chocolate chips

How it's made

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line cupcake/muffin pan with paper liners or spray with oil. (Recipe makes a baker's dozen.)

In a large mixing bowl, combine the first 7 (dry) ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix until just combined. Using the 1/4 C measuring cup, scoop batter into muffin pan, almost full. Bake 18-20 min until done.