TWD: Chewy Chunky Blondies

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie pick was chosen by Nicole of Cookies on Fridays. They were the perfect dessert for a summer pool party! David and I had a group of friends over (and their kiddos!) last Saturday for a swim, and these cookies were gobbled up in no time!
These blondies really are chewy and chunky! They're absolutely full of good stuff...nuts, chocolate chips, and Heath bar pieces. I left out the coconut because...well...I forgot to put it in until I slid the pan in the oven. But I decided that it was probably best that I left it out, because lots of people don't like coconut.

Look at the fudginess! Yum! I had a couple of problems with these, but I'm not exactly sure what caused them. First, they baked up in the same way as my Chipster Topped Brownies...with lots of gaps and holes around the edges, with super-flat middles. The other problem was with baking time. I baked them for the prescribed 40 minutes and let them cool for 15 minutes. I went to turn them out of the pan...and SPLAT! part of them plopped onto the cooling rack and the other part stayed in the pan. I was able to get it all back in the pan and cooked it for another 10 minutes. Not done. Another 10 minutes. Not done. Another 10 minutes...still not done, but I was tired of dealing with them. I let them cool overnight in the pan, then inverted it, and they were still a little moist, but not really underdone. But they were good. And sweeeet! They're pretty rich, but that didn't keep us from eating the whole pan on Saturday! These are definitely a recipe to make time and time again...and maybe next time I'll remember to add the coconut. If you want to give these blondies a try, visit Nicole's blog, Cookies on Friday for the recipe. Happy baking!

TWD: Brrrrownies

This week's recipe is one that I've considered baking several times over the last year or so. And I'm not sure why, because I'm really not that big of a fan of peppermint. So I was glad that Karen, of Welcome to Our Crazy Blessed Life chose these for this week's installment of TWD. It gave me an excuse to take the plunge!
The brownie recipe is great (a little fudgy with a crackly top), with little chunks of peppermint patty mixed in. David and I enjoyed these, but we both decided that we prefer our brownies without peppermint. I think it overwhelmed the chocolate flavor. But then again, we're not really "peppermint people." They were good, though! I made them Saturday evening, then we had them on Sunday evening (at room temperature) with vanilla ice cream. Then, we each had one last night as an appetizer before dinner (again, at room temperature). I much preferred them on their own.
I think that my future baking endeavors will probably include this base brownie recipe studded with Reese Cups, or maybe with a ribbon of caramel running through them. Yum!
Please stop by Welcome to Our Crazy Blessed Life for the recipe. Happy baking!

White Chocolate Covered Peppermint Rice Krispie Treats

Late last week, I was in Cracker Barrell looking for an exchange gift, when I saw a box of white chocolate covered peppermint Rice Krispie treats. They looked absolutely adorable, and so festive. I didn't buy a box, because I knew I could recreate them very easily at home, and probably much cheaper! So...on my way home, I stopped and bought marshmallows, vanilla almond bark, and candy canes. I had the Rice Krispies and butter at home.
I whipped up a batch of Rice Krispie treats using the recipe on the box, which only took a matter of minutes. Instead of pressing them into a 9x13-inch pan, I used a rimmed cookie sheet. I wanted them thinner than a traditional Rice Krispie treat. After they cooled and set up, I cut them pretty small..about 2x2 inches. Then, I melted the almond bark and added a couple of teaspoons of shortening, just to make the almond bark a little thinner. Instead of dipping them, which took ages when I made the Chocolate Billionaires, I put the treats on a cooling rack, then poured the melted almond bark over them. It worked much better! Not all of the treats were completely covered, but I think they looked nice! I sprinkle of chopped candy cane finished the treats off. I packaged them in a festive Christmas tin and gave them to my Secret Pal for Christmas. I'm pretty sure she doesn't read my blog, so I feel pretty safe in showing them here!

Speaking of Chocolate Billionaires, I had a little of the dark chocolate left over from that recipe, so I used those on a few of the Rice Krispie treats that wouldn't fit in the gift tin. I topped these with mini chocolate chips and chopped peanuts. Honestly, I liked the chocolate covered treats better than the peppermint version, but that's mostly because I'm not really a huge fan of peppermint. These were an easy and quick food gift to make, and they're a nice change of pace from a plate of cookies. Yum!

Glazed Peanut Butter Bars

This afternoon, David and I went to a family reunion. Of course, my contribution was a dessert. Yesterday I found this recipe for Glazed Peanut Butter Bars in an old issue of Taste of Home Magazine. I wanted a recipe that would make a nice-sized amount of servings, and this fit the bill. It filled a half-sheet pan, which made lots of tasty little bars! I had almost all of the ingredients on hand, which was a bonus!
The bars were nice and chewy, which I enjoyed. The recipe didn't call for the mini-chocolate chips, but I thought adding them would be the right thing to do!

Glazed Peanut Butter Bars

Adapted from a recipe in Taste of Home Magazine, courtesy of Janis Luedtke

For the Bars:

3/4 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp. water

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 quick-cooking oats

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

For the Glaze:

1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter, sugars, and water. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture.

Spread into a greased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 18-22 minutes, or until lightly browned.

For glaze, in a microwave safe bowl, melt chips and peanut butter; pour over warm bars and spread evenly. Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting. Yield: 4 dozen

TWD: Applesauce Spice Bars

Thank goodness we had another easy TWD assignment this week! I love a good baking challenge, but not during my busiest work time of the year. I work for Lindsey Wilson College's School of Professional Counseling, and we're in the last week before our Fall semester begins...so needless to say...life is crazy! But thank goodness for Karen, of Something Sweet by Karen, for choosing a delicious and simple recipe.
I was just telling David the other day that I'm tired of summer and ready for fall. I can only take so much heat and humidity before I start dreaming of crisp breezes, the smell of leaves burning, the softness of cozy sweaters, and the smells of autumn baking. This recipe was perfect for satisfying my fall yearnings! Apples, brown sugar, spices...all of the hallmarks of a fall comfort food recipe are here! Dorie's Applesauce Spice Bars were wonderful, and they couldn't have been more simple to prepare. The recipe calls for unsweetened applesauce in the batter, and I didn't have any on hand. However, I did have some homemade applesauce that I decided to use. Since it was sweetened, I cut back on the brown sugar a little...but not enough. These turned out a little too sweet for me, but delicious nonetheless!
If you're pining away for fall and need a little "pick-me-up" this week, you can grab this recipe from Karen's cute little website, Something Sweet by Karen. Enjoy!

It's David's Birthday!

Today is David's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAVID! I've been telling him for at least two weeks that he needs to get Dorie's cookbook, Baking: From My Home to Yours and pick out his birthday treat. Finally, last night he got it out and made his selection. What did he pick? You won't believe it. He picked the Perfect Party Cake! What's the big deal? Well...unbeknownst to David, that's the TWD assignment for next week! It's a little too involved for a weeknight birthday treat, so I promised that I would make it for him this weekend. But for tonight's actual birthday treat, I have Joy the Baker to thank. I was looking around her beautiful (and funny!) site and came across Blackberry Pie Bars with Lemon Sugar. They looked delicious (and simple), so I decided to give them a go. The base layer is a pie-type crust made with lemon sugar (lemon zest rubbed into sugar, so that the sugar becomes lemon flavored/scented). You can even see the little flecks of lemon zest in the crust:

The next layer is a mixture of blackberries, sour cream, eggs, and sugar, and then there's a little more of the pie crust topping. After a stint in the oven, this is what you'll be rewarded with:

These were absolutely delicious! The crust is amazing. I'll be using that for other things in the future! I was thinking of a blueberry pie, perhaps. Mmmmm. Anyway, instead of birthday cake, David had a big ol' Blackberry Pie Bar with ice cream. I think he looks pretty pleased...
The recipe makes a ton of Blackberry Pie Bars, so the remainder will be heading to work with David in the morning. I hope the folks at CUB like them!
We've got some pretty sweet news to share, too. See the picture below? That's me and David, standing in what will be my new kitchen in about 6 or 7 months! We broke ground Monday morning on our dream home in David's hometown. We're so excited! We've found the perfect house plan, a fantastic builder, and we're on our way! Don't worry...I'll keep you updated! I may need some advice when it gets closer to kitchen planning time!

Blackberry Pie Bars with Lemon Sugar

Joy the Baker/The Pastry Queen

For the Crust/Topping:

3 cups AP flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

3 sticks butter, chilled and cubed

zest from 2 lemons

Blackberry Filling:

4 large eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup sour cream

3/4 cup AP flour

pinch salt

6 cups fresh blackberries

For the Crust:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a jellyroll pan generously. Zest both lemons. Place sugar into a bowl; add lemon zest. Using your hands, rub the lemon zest into the sugar until the sugar seems to feel a little wet from the lemon oil. Combine the lemon sugar, flour, salt, and butter in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the mixture is dry and crumbly. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the mixture for the topping. Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the jellyroll pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes while you make the filling.

For the Filling:

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add the sugar, sour cream, flour, and salt. Gently fold in the blackberries. Spoon the mixture evenly over the crust. You may need to distribute the blackberries evenly over the crust. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned. Cool for 1 hour before slicing into generous servings.