Sweets and Snacks to Celebrate

Dazzle guests this holiday season with delicious dishes that only taste like you spent hours in the kitchen. These recipes, created in partnership with lifestyle and cooking expert Sandra Lee, show how using high-quality, like scratch ingredients such as Bob Evans’ refrigerated side dishes lets you create perfectly prepared holiday recipes in minutes.

Find more recipes ideal for sharing and gifting this holiday season through Farm Fresh Ideas, an online club featuring recipes and tips, at www.bobevans.com/recipes.

Sweet Potato Cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup Bob Evans Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon maple extract
• Chopped honey roasted pecans, optional
• Mini marshmallows, optional

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. In large bowl using hand mixer or paddle attachment, cream together shortening and brown sugar. Add egg and sweet potato and mix until combined.
3. In small bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. With mixer on low speed, slowly add flour mixture until well mixed. Use a small cookie scoop and drop rounds onto greased baking sheets.
4. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before frosting.
5. In separate bowl, beat together butter, powdered sugar and maple extract until frosting is light and fluffy. Frost each cooled cookie with maple butter cream frosting. Sprinkle with pecans and mini marshmallows, if using. Carefully toast marshmallows with a culinary torch, avoiding melting frosting, if desired.

Bacon Wrapped White Cheddar Jalapeno Poppers

Ingredients

• 2 packages Bob Evans Thick Sliced Bacon, slices cut in half
• 1 package Bob Evans White Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
• 1 package garlic herb cheese spread
• 20 jalapeno peppers, halved and seeded with membranes removed
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, ground

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 400 F.
2. Bring bacon to room temperature so it is pliable and easy to work with.
3. In mixing bowl, combine mashed potatoes and garlic herb cheese with rubber spatula. Stir until incorporated.
4. Spread approximately 1 teaspoon mashed potato mixture in each jalapeno half; level off with butter knife or spatula. Be sure not to heap potato mixture or it will spill out of peppers. Wrap each jalapeno with bacon; use 3 half slices for large jalapenos or 2 halves for smaller sizes. Be sure bacon is wrapped to seal in mashed potato mixture tightly.
5. In small mixing bowl, combine brown sugar and cayenne pepper. Generously sprinkle bacon with brown sugar and pat gently to make it stick to bacon.
6. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and place wrapped peppers on sheet. Bake until bacon reaches desired crispiness, about 25-35 minutes.
7. Let peppers cool slightly before serving, about 5 minutes.

Loaded Mashed Potato Dinner Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 package Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes, divided
• 1 cup Bob Evans Thick Sliced Hardwood Smoked Bacon
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 green onions, small diced
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 package dinner roll dough (24 rolls)
• 4 tablespoons butter, unsalted and melted

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. To make filling, in mixing bowl combine mashed potatoes, bacon, cheese, onion, salt and pepper. Stir until combined.
3. Flatten dough into round using palm of hand, spoon 2 tablespoons of filling in middle. Place on baking tray.
4. Brush surface of rolls with melted butter and cut cross pattern with sharp scissor at middle until you can see filling.
5. Bake rolls until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from pan and cool at room temperature for 5 minutes. While cooling, brush tops with melted butter.

Loaded Mashed Potato Poppers

Ingredients

• 1 package Bob Evans Sour Cream & Chive Mashed Potatoes
• 2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 6 slices Bob Evans Hickory Smoked Bacon
• 8 ounces nacho cheese flavored tortilla chips
• 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 6-8 cups vegetable oil, for frying
• 16 ounces sour cream for dipping, optional

Preparation

1. Stir together cold mashed potatoes, cheese and bacon. Scoop 48 tablespoons of potato mixture onto parchment- or wax paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate 15-20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place tortilla chips in bowl of food processor and pulse to fine crumbs, or place chips in large resealable bag and smash using a rolling pin. Pour crumbs into shallow bowl.
3. Beat eggs and pour into another shallow bowl.
4. Pour flour into shallow bowl; set aside.
5. Heat oil in fryer or Dutch oven to 350°F.
6. Remove mashed potato scoops from refrigerator and roll into balls. Roll each ball in flour, tapping off excess.
7. Once all potatoes are coated in flour, dip each into egg, allowing excess to drip off, then into the tortilla chips, making sure to coat evenly with crumbs. Set on clean baking sheet. Discard excess flour, egg and tortilla chips.
8. Fry small batches of poppers until golden brown, 30-40 seconds. Remove from fryer and place on paper towel to drain excess oil. Serve hot with sour cream, if desired. Poppers can be reheated in 350 F oven for 6-8 minutes.

Sponsored by Bob Evans