Shelf Reliance Mom: Strawberry Cheesecake or Pina Colada Muddy Buddies

My anniversary is coming up. 8 years of marriage...woohoo! Annnnd we dated for 3 years preceding that so really to us it feels like an 11 year anniversary.

Even though Drew is training for a triathlon and probably doesn't actually have time to be indulging in a sweet tooth craving, I thought I'd be super considerate and make him something sweet anyway. ;) He loves to munch (ask what he does after the kids go to bed almost every night to keep himself awake while he works late hours) so I thought I'd help him switch it up a bit and add some zang to the late night hours.

This post can really be blamed on Dessert Now, Dinner Later who introduced the idea of Cherry Cheesecake Muddy Buddies. Then, I was talking to Meilea about the Muddy Buddy recipes she's tried and she said her favorite is Strawberry Cheesecake. I told her, I was thinking the same thing... man, these would taste so much better with Freeze Dried Strawberries added in for REAL Strawberry flavor. And then my mind started wandering and I thought, self, Freeze Dried Pineapple is ALWAYS a hit... you must do the Muddy Buddies some justice and use REAL Pineapples in at least one recipe. So I kindly listened to both trains of thought and created 2 recipes that I am SURE you are going to enjoy, like TODAY.

In fact, I'm so sure you'll enjoy them because my sister took a bag of these to her work to enjoy, and brought a baggie for her carpooling friend. She came home with multiple requests for the recipes and $16 (and more money to come) to pay for baggies to be distributed at work. Yes, they're awesome!

First up:
Strawberry Cheesecake Muddy Buddies

Ingredients:
10 c Chex cereal of choice
1 (12 oz) bag White Chocolate Chips
1 (10 oz) bag of Cherry Chips (or 2 white)
2 T Coconut Oil (you can use shortening)
3/4 c FD Strawberries, ground into powder
2 (4 oz) boxes Jello Brand Cheesecake Pudding Mix
1 c Powdered Sugar

Directions:
1. Grind Strawberries in your food processor or blender.
2. Get a ziplock bag and combine Strawberry Powder, Powdered Sugar and Cheesecake Pudding Mix.
3. Measure out your cereal into a large bowl.
4. Empty your White Chocolate Chips, Cherry Chips and Coconut Oil into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave them for 30 seconds at a time stirring well in between each time increment.
5. Pour steadily over bowl of Chex mix and use a soft spatula to mix the melted chocolate around and completely cover the mix. You will want to make sure there aren't huge chunks that need to be broken up before adding to the Powder Mixture.
6. Dump chocolate covered cereal into the Powder Mixture and shake until it is evenly coated.
7. Put into a serving container and ENJOY!

I like to premeasure everything so once the chips are melted,
we're ready to roll through all of the remainding steps.

Kid tested, Mother approved :)

Yes, even bloggers making a professional post find ways to make incredible messes.
I love how my nephew seizes the moment and thinks, sweet, I'm going to grab some while they're all over.

Second recipe for the day:

Pina Colada Muddy Buddies

Ingredients:

10 c Chex Cereal of your choice

1 (12 oz) bag of White Chocolate Chips

2 T Coconut Oil (or you can use shortening)

3/4 c FD Pineapple

1/2 c FD Vanilla Yogurt Bites (can replace with 1/4 c powdered sugar)

3/4 c Powdered Sugar

1/4 c Coconut Flakes, ground up slightly

1 (4 oz) box Jello Brand Coconut Creme Pudding Mix

Directions:

1. Grind Pineapple, Vanilla Yogurt and Coconut Flakes in your food processor or blender.
2. Get a ziplock bag and combine Pineapple, Coconut, and Yogurt Powder, Powdered Sugar and Coconut Creme Pudding Mix.
3. Measure out your cereal into a large bowl.
4. Combine White Chocolate Chips and Coconut Oil into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave them for 30 seconds at a time stirring well in between each time increment.
5. Pour steadily over bowl of Chex mix and use a soft spatula to mix the melted chocolate around and completely cover the mix. You will want to make sure there aren't huge chunks that need to be broken up before adding to the Powder Mixture.
6. Dump chocolate covered cereal into the Powder Mixture and shake until it is evenly coated.
7. Put into a serving container and ENJOY!

I'm a chocolate kinda girl, so of course I had to make a Reese's and Andes (different from this recipe) version. I also found these Milky Way, and Cookies n' Cream versions to get started on. YUM!

Thanks for stopping by!