Did you know, yesterday (July 21st) was National Junk Food Day?? While it’s important to not over-indulge every day, this day is the one to let loose! Even doctors say it’s good to take a mental health break by indulging in your favorite junk foods once in a while. Why not make it National Junk Food Day?
- The term “junk food” was first popularized in the 1960s, but only really caught on following the release of the top radio hit, “Junk Food Junkie” by Larry Groce in 1976.
- The Twinkie derived its name after bakery manager Jimmy Dewar saw an advertisement for the “Twinkle Toe Shoe Company” on a trip to St. Louis in the 1920s. They became the best selling snack cake in the United States after WWII and have appeared in many movies such as Ghostbusters (1984), Grease (1978), and Sleepless in Seattle (1993).
- Over 1 billion pizzas are delivered in the United States every year. More pizzas are delivered on Super Bowl Sunday than on any other day of the year.
- Candy Bars and Soda: An average American consumes about 22 teaspoons of sugars per day. Most of these come from high-fructose corn syrup contained in candy bars and soft drinks. The average American eats about 24.5 pounds of candy per year, with almost half of that made with some variation of chocolate.
- Ice Cream: The top five most popular ice cream flavors are vanilla, chocolate, butter pecan, strawberry and chocolate chip mint – in that order.
- Potato Chips: On the average, Americans eat over four pounds of potato chips every year. My go-to is Mikesell’s Groovy Potato Chips!
A few of my go-to recipes are:
- Mikesell’s Chocolate Chunk Groovy Chip Cookies: The sweet taste of chocolate chunks mixed with the salty, savory goodness of Mikesell’s chips — what more could you ask for?
- Mikesell’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars: This recipe is the perfect salty and sweet combination to take your chocolate chip recipe to the next level. Our salty, delicious pretzel twists bring the perfect texture and added crunchiness to this recipe.
- We’re making a few of our favorite decadent recipes on National Junk Food Day, but there’s always room to bring a little comfort to your day. Snack with intention… We do it with brands we know, love and trust, like Mikesell’s
Mikesell’s Chocolate Chunk Groovy Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
- 2 cups coarsely broken Mikesell’s Groovy Potato Chips
- 1 cup butter
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup chocolate chunks
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer (fit with the paddle attachment), beat the butter and both sugars on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add in vanilla, eggs, baking soda and salt mixing until incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour, mixing until just combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chunks and Mikesell’s Potato Chips.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoon) drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them well apart.
- Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes until the edges are golden, but the tops are still pale.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5-7 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy!
Mikesell’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars:
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of Mikesell’s Mini Pretzel Twists
- 1 cup of butter, melted
- 5 cup of peanut butter
- 3 cups of powdered sugar
- 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp. of coconut oil
Directions:
- Set aside 1.5 cups of Mikesell’s Mini Pretzel Twists and finely crush the other 1.5 cups.
- Mix together butter, peanut butter, crushed pretzels and powdered sugar in a large bowl.
- Line a baking pan with foil or parchment paper and press peanut butter mixture onto pan.
- In a microwave, melt semi sweet chocolate chips and coconut oil. Stir until smooth.
- Spread stirred, melted chocolate over your peanut butter mixture on your baking pan.
- Spread your reserved, 1.5 cup of Mikesell’s Pretzels over top and refrigerate, covered for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, cut into bars – Enjoy!
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