Almond Butter Pie And A Giveaway!

In honor of my 600th post and my 7th year of blogging at Lick The Bowl Good, I have an awesome giveaway for you today! I received a few jars of Jif Almond and Cashew Butters recently. We had a few snacks incorporating the butters but I was itching to make something with it, so I made pie! In my opinion, pie is perfect any time- it's a casual, comforting dessert. When searching for the right recipe to make, I wanted something easy and something my 3 year old and my 34 year old husband would like. Enter Creamy Almond Butter Pie. 

First there's a crunchy buttery crust, then a toasty, nutty, creamy filling and then it's topped with more whipped topping and a sprinkling of sliced almonds for texture. My husband said this reminded him of an ice box pie and he liked his slightly frozen. Hayden and I liked ours straight from the fridge. If you can't find Jif almond butter, you could certainly use Jif creamy peanut butter. That cream cheese and almond filling is delicious together, though. If you want you could always make a chocolate crust instead of the graham cracker, maybe even add a layer of chocolate ganache in there. Yum!

Creamy Almond Butter Pie adapted from Jif

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Graham Crust: 

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Almond Butter Filling: 

• 1/2 cup Jif Creamy Almond Butter
• 1- 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
• 1- 8 oz. container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 3 Tablespoons sliced almonds

For The Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Stir in the melted butter until thoroughly blended. Press mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie pan, bringing crumbs evenly up the sides up to the rim.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. While crust is cooling, prepare the filling.

For The Filling: In a large bowl, beat the almond butter, cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and almond extracts and blend until combined. Blend in 2/3 of the  whipped topping, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. 

Pour the almond butter filling into the cooled crust. Spread the remaining whipped topping onto the filling. Top with sliced almonds. Chill at least one hour or until pie is firm. Serve chilled. 

I promised a giveaway, so one lucky winner will receive a prize pack from Jif, including:

• Jif Creamy Almond Butter
• Jif Crunchy Almond Butter
• Jif Creamy Cashew Butter
• Jif Crunchy Cashew Butter
• $200 Visa Gift Card
• Jif Note Pad
• Recipe Cards Using Jif Almond and Cashew Butters

To enter, tell me what or who you are thankful for this year. Leave me a comment on this blog. Giveaway open to US residents only. One winner will be chosen this weekend. Please leave your contact info with your comment. One entry per person. 

Thank you for entering and good luck!

Thank you to each and every one of you for encouraging me, supporting me and inspiring me in my blogging over the past 7 years.   I wouldn't be where I am without you. I look forward to choosing recipes, making them, photographing them in just the right light, adding the little details here and there, and sharing them with you. I  feel like you are all my friends sitting at my kitchen table and indulging with me. So thank you  for being you!

Salted Brown Butter Biscoff Treats

Any time I see Biscoff or brown butter in a recipe, I perk up and my eyes get a little bigger. I love those two ingredients and they're even better when you you combine them to make these Salted Brown Butter Biscoff Treats. Rice Krispy treats are so easy to make and they're perfect to make any time of year and I've never met any one who didn't like them. I've made Brown Butter and Spice Rice Treats for years but decided to try something a little different this time. 

Biscoff, if you're not familiar with it, is a creamy spread very similar in consistency to peanut butter, but it's completely nut free because it's made from crushed up Biscoff (Lotus Brand) cookies. They are lightly spiced, caramelized cookies that are quite addicting. When you make it into a spread and can then shovel it into your mouth with a spoon, it becomes heavenly! Mixed with the earthy, nutty flavors of browned butter and accented with sea salt, these treats become irresistible. Hubby said these were amazing, and he rarely dishes out that compliment. 

Salted Brown Butter Biscoff Treats adapted from Bakerella

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• 10 ounces mini marshmallows
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup creamy Biscoff spread
• 6 cup crisp rice cereal
• 1 cup coarsely broken Biscoff cookies
• fleur de sel salt

Butter a 9x9-inch pan. Place the marshmallows in a large bowl and set aside. 

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook, swirling the pot occasionally until the butter boils and becomes foamy. It will turn golden brown and start to smell nutty. Once the butter stops sizzling and the foam subsides, it is ready. Keep an eye on it because you don't want it to burn. This could take 5 to 8 minutes.

Once the butter has browned, remove from the heat and pour the butter and the browned bits over marshmallows. Stir until the marshmallows are fully coated. Place the bowl into the microwave and heat for one to two minutes, stirring occasionally until the marshmallows are completely melted. Stir in the Biscoff spread until fully incorporated. 

Carefully fold the cereal and the crushed Biscoff cookies into the marshmallow mixture until everything is well coated. Press cereal mixture into the buttered pan and sprinkle the top with sea salt, use as much or as little as you'd like. Allow treats to cool before cutting. 

Pillsbury Funfetti Celebrates 25 Years! (Giveaway Closed)

It's party time- the cake we all know and love is having a birthday!  Pillsbury's Funfetti is turning 25 this year and is celebrating in a bold and colorful way. When I think of birthdays, I immediately think of cake and Pillsbury Funfetti has us covered with their Funfetti Premium Cake and Cupcake Mix and four new frosting colors- Aqua Blue Vanilla with fish shaped candy bits, Hot Pink Vanilla with pink sugar crystals, Vibrant Green Vanilla and Bold Purple Vanilla with colorful candy bits. 

Last year for my birthday my mom made me a Funfetti birthday cake and while I wasn't so thrilled about turning 30, that cake made me feel like a kid again, with it's brightly speckled sweet interior. In honor of it's 25th birthday, I made something equally fun and delicious and started with everyone's favorite- crispy rice treats amped up with Funfetti cake mix and frosting. These definitely taste just like cake and worthy of a celebration. 

How do you celebrate birthdays? While chatting with my family and fellow baking buddies we've come up with some tips for you on how to maximize your birthday experience. 

1. Get the kids involved. Let them help in the celebration and planning of the day- from the food, to the decorations to the cake. Not only allow them to make some decisions on their own but let them help you mix the cake mix, hang the streamers and decorate the invitations. Even something as simple as choosing what color candles or balloons to use will make their day. Not only with the celebration be more personal, the kids will be proud of their contributions.
2. Often times, when there are birthdays, there is pressure to bring a gift. Then you struggle with getting the right gift for the person or how much to spend. Instead, ask your guests not to bring gifts but instead to donate their time, a toy or funds to a charity that means something to your family. If they insist on a gift ask them to provide an experience like a trip to the zoo, or going out for some ice cream rather than a gift wrapped plastic toy. 
3. Incorporate a craft into the celebration and let that serve as the party favor. Decorate a small wooden frame with non-toxic colorful paints, glue, beads, glitter and jewels. Let the kids craft and socialize. Once the festivities are over, they'll have a handmade keepsake to remember the great day. 

Frosted Funfetti Crispy Rice Treats by Monica h

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• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for dish
• 10 oz. mini marshmallows
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup Pillsbury Funfetti Cake Mix, dry
• 6 cups crisp rice cereal
• 1- 15.6 oz. can Pillsbury Funfetti Frosting (any color)

Butter a 9x13-inch dish and set aside. 

In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add marshmallows and vanilla and stir constantly until marshmallows are completely melted. 

Add the dry Pillsbury Funfetti Cake Mix to the marshmallow mixture and stir to combine. Add rice cereal and stir until the mixture comes together and the cereal is well coated. 

Immediately scrape the cereal into the buttered dish and press into an even layer. Allow to cool to room temperature before before frosting. 

Once rice treats are completely cool, frost with Pillsbury Funfetti Frosting and sprinkle the tops with the included sprinkles. 

Cut into squares and serve.

As part of the Funfetti 25th birthday celebration, Pillsbury wants you to join in on all the fun. They are generously offering one lucky reader a Celebration Starter Kit including: Pillsbury Funfetti Premium Cake and Cupcake Mix and 4 boldly hued Funfetti Frostings as well a $50 Visa or American Express Gift Card (total value ($60). 

To enter the giveaway: 

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me about your Funfetti birthday memories. Please be sure to leave an email for me to contact you if you win.

2. For a second entry "Like" Pillsbury Baking on Facebook

3. For a third entry "Like" Lick The Bowl Good on Facebook. Leave a separate comment for each entry. 

A winner will be selected at random and announced by May 1, 2013. 

To learn more about Pillsbury's Funfetti 25th Birthday Celebration please visit Pillsbury on Facebook where they're running a birthday promotion that ends April 25th. Also visit PillsburyBaking.com and Pillsbury on Pinterest. 

**The J.M. Smucker Company sent me free product samples and other compensation and asked me to promote it's new Funfetti products.