Tasty Treats

Oh. my. gosh. These are so good. I found the recipe in Wondertime (Sept. 2008), and my family has been eating them like they are going out of style; Spencer thinks that it is dessert! I will try to post a picture later, but it was a ton of fun to make these with my kids. They got to get their hands all gooey and wondered what in the world was wrong with their mama that I told them to play with food. I have not been blessed with a nice Kitchenaid stand mixer, but I thought using our (clean) hands was actually much more fun! My boys love to cook with me, Slade especially, and I know their inspiration comes from the movie Ratatouille. Slade is always making a "wecipe" (recipe) and sharing it with everyone, and Spencer always gets in on the action. Scarlet is with me most days I cook dinner, so I hope that my kids always stay in the kitchen and want to be with me. It's the best time to talk, I've found. You learn all kinds of cool stuff about their day. Personally, I have been eating a couple of these for breakfast every day (Stefan, too!).

Powerballs (I know, the name...)

1 c. honey
1 c. peanut butter
Blend together until smooth
Slowly add (in a stand mixer or by hand) 3 c. old-fashioned oats
1/2 c. ground flaxseed
1 c. chocolate chips
Mix together
Add:
1/2 c. coarsely chopped peanuts
1/4 c. raisins
1/4 c. dried cranberries(I think you could use any dried fruits in place of the raisins/cranberries)

Roll into ping-pong sized balls. You can eat them as soon as you are finished, but they are better after some time in the fridge. They can be frozen as well (layer between wax paper in airtight container). If you use your hands, I found that spraying my hands first with cooking spray helped not make it so sticky.