Cookie Bars

Again I did not get an after shot...but to my defense, there wasn't any leftovers so I couldn't!! These were gone fast when I brought them to work!

Cookie Bars (Pinterest):

1/2 c butter
1 c brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 c flour, sifted
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
3/4 c chocolate chips

Melt butter in microwave safe bowl until melted. Let cool. Add brown sugar, vanilla & egg-mix well. Add dry ingredients gradually. Blend well and pour into greased 9x9" pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and bake at 350 for 20-25 min.




Enjoy!...

Chocolate Chip Caramel Butter Bars

I needed to make a dessert for a potluck for work & I found this recipe on Pinterest. I don't have the after shot but they were really good! And they did not last long with the therapists!

Chocolate Chip Caramel Butter Bars (Pinterest) (24 bars):

1 1/2 c unsalted butter
1 1/2 c sugar
2 large eggs
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp salt
4 c + 1/4 c flour, divided
2 c chocolate chips
1 (11-12 oz) jar caramel or salted caramel ice cream topping

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x13" pan with foil & spray with nonstick cooking spray. Cream butter & sugar with a mixer. Once mixture is creamed & fluffy, mix in the eggs & vanilla extract until smooth, then mix in the baking soda, cream of tartar & salt. Slowly mix in 4 c flour until mixture is just combined, then stir in the chocolate chips.

Press about 2/3 c of this mixture in the bottom and about 1/2" up the sides of the prepared pan. Stir in the caramel sauce & remaining 1/4 c flour in small bowl. Pour over the top of the dough. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining dough evenly over the top of the caramel.

Bake 25-33 min, or until the top looks done & is golden brown around the edges. It will still be somewhat jiggly in the center. Cool completely before cutting. It's easier to cut when chilled. Store in airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month.




Enjoy!...

Salted Caramel Butter Bars

We needed to make some desserts for a work meeting so I scoured Pinterest for some kind of bars to make up and I ran across these. They sounded good and simple to make. They were definitely good & really really rich! Almost too rich! If I make these again, I think I'd add more coarse salt on the top to take out some of the richness of it.

Find the recipe here



Ready to be baked again...

Enjoy!..

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Bars

I think Nicole or Dana posted this on their timeline on Facebook and tagged everyone else for this recipe. These bars were soooo good! Really rich and full of flavor. Nicole was babysitting her niece Ariana and I guess Ariana was being very vocal and basically being feisty. When I got there with Dana, Nicole said she was ready for something sweet! She had just gotten Ariana to sleep when we got home and of course she woke up for us :). So she got to help us make this yummy dessert. This was my last dessert I made with these ladies before I moved :( so of course I had to add the extra pictures. I'd definitely make this recipe again.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Bars:

1 (16 oz) pkg peanut butter sandwich cookies, divided
4 tbsp butter, melted
4 oz cream cheese, room temp
1/2 c powdered sugar
1/3 c creamy peanut butter
1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip, divided
1 (3.9 oz) pkg instant chocolate Jello Pudding Mix
1 1/2 c milk
1/2 c milk chocolate and peanut butter chips (we used more to completely cover the bars)

Preheat oven to 350. Finely crush 24 of the cookies. In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter and finely crushed cookies until well moistened. Press into an ungreased 8x8-inch or 13x9-inch baking dish. Bake for 10 min. Allow crust to cool before continuing.

Meanwhile, mix the pkg of pudding with the 1 1/2 c milk in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and peanut butter together. Fold in 1 c of the Cool Whip and mix until well blended.

Spread the chocolate pudding over the cooled crust. Place dollops of the cream cheese mixture over the pudding layer and with a spatula or large spoon, gently spread to completely cover. Spread the remaining Cool Whip over the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate 2 hours. (We ignored this part of the step since we wanted to eat it right away!)

In a plastic bag, break up the 8 remaining cookies. Sprinkle the cookies and the chocolate/peanut butter chips over the top just before serving. Slice into squares and enjoy!




Ariana holding dearly to our bag of chocolate/peanut butter chips!...






Spreading the chocolate mixture on top of the crust...






Spreading the peanut butter mixture over the chocolate...






Ariana tasting the Cool Whip...






Nicole tasting the Cool Whip...






The Cool Whip layer...






The cookies and chocolate/peanut butter chips layer...






Enjoy!...

S'mores Bars

One of my friend's found this on Facebook and tagged some of us in it to make these. Not sure who was the original source but I did find the recipe on Pinterest so I'll post that recipe on here. These turned out ridiculously good! They had so much flavor and they were really rich! I was at my friend Jeremiah's and his little sister and I actually went out around midnight to pick up the ingredients so we could make it that night. Jeremiah's girlfriend also helped make them-I kinda did but mainly I entertained their baby :) I would definitely make this again and again!

S'mores Bars (20 servings):

1 box graham crackers
2 (7 oz) jars marshmallow creme
1 tub Cool Whip
2 tsp vanilla
1 bag semisweet chocolate chips
1 c heavy whipping cream
1 tsp salt

Mix the marshmallow creme with the cool whip until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix again. Line a 13x9-inch baking dish with graham crackers (you may need to break them so they fit somewhat evenly on the bottom of the dish. Once the marshmallow creme is mixed, spread about 1/2 of the mixture over the graham crackers. Using a spatula, spread as evenly as possible. Layer some more graham crackers on top of the spread of marshmallow creme. Add the remaining marshmallow creme on top of the crackers, making sure to spread the cream out as much as possible.

Melt the chocolate chips and heavy cream in the microwave, stirring about every 30 seconds, until the chocolate has melted down. Add the salt and mix to incorporate. Carefully pour the chocolate over the bars, spreading evenly on top. Put the dish in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour. (I don't think we waited that long!)

Cut into squares and enjoy!

Red Velvet Rice Krispy Bars

I found this recipe on Pinterest via www.passthesushi.com I also made this recipe for the girls' weekend at the cabin and it was a definite hit! This could easily be made up for Valentine's Day or Christmas, dyeing the white chocolate to any color you want. The recipe calls for Cocoa Rice Krispies but I was afraid the chocolate cereal would make the bars way too sweet so I just used the original Rice Krispies and it tasted just fine. I have to admit, when I was making this, my parents & my friend were looking at me like I was crazy to mix these ingredients together but it worked out and tasted really good. I'll definitely make these again!

Red Velvet Rice Krispy Bars:

3 tbsp butter
1 (10.5 oz) bag mini marshmallows
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c red velvet cake mix
6 c Cocoa Rice Krispies or regular Rice Krispies cereal
4 oz white chocolate, melted

Grease a 9x13-inch pan well. Heat butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the marshmallows, cake mix and vanilla. Stir frequently as the marshmallows melt until the mixture is smooth. Quickly fold in the cereal to the mixture until well combined and everything is coated.

Transfer sticky cereal mixture to the prepared pan. It works well if you butter the back of a large spoon to press the mixture evenly into the pan. Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and pour it into a plastic sandwich bag. Snip off the corner and drizzle over the cereal. Let it set before slicing into squares. Enjoy!




Marshmallows & cake mix...






Mixture melted...






Rice Krispies spread out in pan...






The white chocolate exploded on me...






Enjoy!...

Grandma's Rhubarb Crunch

For the last couple of springs, my mom has made up this yummy dessert that came from my grandmother-her mom. I had copied down several of her recipes a couple years ago so when I found some rhubarb in Whole Foods, I decided to make it this year. I didn't get around to it and when I went to my parent's over Memorial Day weekend, I decided to make it there instead, with the help of my mom. Come to find out, that my grandma's recipe had originally come from a Farm's Journal Country Cookbook, as had most of her other recipes as well. My mom found the book after my grandma died and claimed it. Not all of her recipes were from the book, but I guess most were.

This dessert is so good..nice and light and fruity. You can mix strawberries or raspberries into the rhubarb mixture if you'd like, I only used rhubarb this time.

Grandma's Rhubarb Crunch:

*Crumb Topping

1 c sifted flour
3/4 c uncooked rolled oats
1 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c melted butter
1 tsp cinnamon

*Fruit Mixture

4 c diced rhubarb
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 c water
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together the crumb topping ingredients until crumbly. Press 1/2 of the crumbs into a greased 9x13 inch pan. In a small saucepan, combine the fruit mixture. Cook, stirring, until thick and clear, about 5-8 minutes. Pour over the crust. Top with the remaining crumbs. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Cut into squares and serve warm.




The book my Grandma used for pretty much everything...






The copyright of 1959!...






Filling mixed together...






Bottom crust...






Filling that's ready...






Filling poured on top...






Crumbs on top ready for the oven...






Enjoy!

Carmelitas

I had been madly craving something sweet but something that was baked and not cookies. So I started looking on Pinterest for ideas and came across this gem via luluthebaker.blogspot.com The picture looked fantastic and it seemed easy to make. And omg it was amazing! But it was so rich I could only eat a little bit at a time. I actually brought it up to my parent's with me so they could help me eat it before it went bad. It was definitely good but I don't think I'll make it again unless I'm going somewhere I can bring it so others besides me can eat it!

Carmelitas:

32 caramel squares, unwrapped
1/2 c heavy cream
3/4 c butter, melted
3/4 c brown sugar, packed
1 c flour
1 c rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
6 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Combine caramels and cream in a small saucepan over low. Stir until completely smooth; set aside. In separate bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats and baking soda. Pat half of oatmeal mixture into bottom of an 8x8 inch pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips. Crumble remaining oatmeal mixture over caramel. Return to oven and bake an additional 15-20 min, until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely before serving.

*The bars take a while to cool since there's a lot of caramel in there. The bars taste good warmed up in the microwave.




Mixed together...







Crust before the oven...






Bottom crust from the oven...






Melted caramel on top of the chocolate chips...






Additional crumbs crumbled on top...






Enjoy!

Fruit Squares

I found this recipe in a Eating Well magazine and it seemed like a really good Spring dessert. With Easter coming up, I decided to try making these. The recipe had 3 different variations for these bars: Blueberry bars, Strawberry-Rhubarb bars & Raspberry bars. My plan was to make a double batch in the same pan, not realizing that the flavors would blend together to make a marble effect. It turned out okay in the end though. I had originally wanted to make raspberry and strawberry-rhubarb but it's not the season for rhubarb and Whole foods didn't have any fresh or frozen rhubarb so I went with blueberry instead.

I made this dessert the night before Easter at like 1 am because I had bowling leagues that night and I went out with some friends after. It was either make it when I got home and sleep in in the morning or wake up early to make it..I opted for the sleeping in part! I didn't realize what a process it was to make! But it was definitely worth it in the end! I had a lot of leftovers so I should have just made the one batch but it worked out okay. Some of my family said it was too tart while others seemed to like the tartness of it just fine.

I'm posting the single batch so if you decide to make a double batch like I did, just double the measurements!

Fruit Squares (9 squares) (Eating Well):

*Crust

1 c white whole-wheat flour
1/3 c powdered sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp butter

3 c blueberries or 2 c chopped strawberries with 2 c chopped rhubarb or 3 c raspberries
1/3 c water
2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
1/3 c sugar

3 tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
2 large eggs

Garnishes: Sliced raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8-in square baking sheet with foil and coat it with cooking spray. Combine flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch and salt in med bowl. Add oil and butter; using your fingertips, blend into flour mixture until evenly combined. The mixture will be a little crumbly. Firmly press dough into prepared pan. Bake until just barely beginning to brown, 15-20 min.

While crust is cooking, combine fruit of your choice and water in med saucepan. Cook over high, stirring, until fruit is mostly broken down, 4-6 min. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve and press on solids to extract all the juice; discard solids. You need 1 c strained juice; remove any extract or add a little water if you are short. Stir in lemon or lime juice into strained fruit juice.

Whisk sugar, cornstarch and salt in med bowl until well combined. Whisk in eggs. Stir into the juice mixture. Pour filling over crust.

Bake until just set, 15-20 min. The center should still be a little jiggly-it will firm up as it cools. Let cool to room temp on a wire rack about 1 1/2 hours. Using foil, gently lift bars out of pan. Cut into 9 squares. Garnish with fresh fruit and dust with powdered sugar just before serving.




Blueberry & Raspberry filling...






The flavors blending...






Fresh from the oven...






All decorated...






Enjoy!...