Lemon Bars

Oh how I love lemon bars!  When we go to potluck dinners I always find myself drawn to the lemon bars.  But then the crazy part is that I always forget about them when it comes time to make desserts at home.  Last night I found myself craving them and went in search of a good recipe.  I might be strange in that I don't like them to be insanely lemony or tart.  So you could definitely modify this recipe to add more lemon zest to make it more tarty.  The crust is a soft, delicious, shortbread base.  I also loved that the lemon filling set up perfectly and wasn't sticky or oozing off the crust (a problem in the past with other recipes).  It's a perfect summer dessert with the lemon flavor.  My husband is more of a chocolate lover and he even went back for seconds of these.  Enjoy!

Lemon Bars adapted from Allrecipes

2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 1/4 cup butter, melted

4 eggs

2 cups white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 to 1 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan. In a medium bowl, stir together 2 cups flour and confectioners' sugar. Blend in the melted butter. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan.  Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, or until golden. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light. Combine the sugar, baking powder and 1/4 cup of flour so there will be no flour lumps. Stir the sugar mixture into the eggs. Finally, stir in the lemon juice. Pour over the prepared crust and return to the oven.

Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until bars are set. Shake powdered sugar over bars after taking out of oven. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.  

Tips: I may reduce the temperature to 300 after adding the filling and cook for a little longer at a lower temperature so the crust doesn't become overdone.  Add lemon zest (so as not to throw off the balance by adding too much liquid with lemon juice) if you like them more tart. 

Maple Bars

I am so excited to blog about this dessert!  Not only because I haven't posted a dessert for awhile, but also because it is such a delicious throwback to my childhood.  My grandma used to make these bars all the time.  And then my own mom made them a lot when I was young.  Last week I gave a lesson in church about our heritage and wanted to share a recipe that was part of my family.  And so I made these to share.  They are so phenomenal!  Now don't be scared away by the idea of boiling raisins.  All it does it make the raisins soft--like melt-in-your-mouth soft.  There is also a very slight cinnamon hint that pairs perfectly with the combo of the moist raisins and chocolate chips in this bar.  And the maple glaze is very subtle and creates such a fantastic topping to this soft, comfort food!  And they're the perfect dessert in that they're sweet and addicting--but not too rich.  I could probably eat a whole pan of them myself if they were calorie-free. But you have my premission to pretend they are!

Maple Bars from Barbs

Boil for 10 minutes:

1 1/2 C raisins

2 C water

Cool mixture and then add 1 1/2 tsp soda

In a separate bowl; Cream together:

1 C butter

1 1/2 C sugar

Then add 2 eggs and mix well

In a separate bowl from above mixture, sift:

3 1/2 C flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp salt

Then add dry mixture to creamed mixture. Add raisins.  Add 1 c chocolate chips.

Spread into two greased 9x13 pans.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or when center comes out clean with a toothpick. Watch them closely at the end as they can overbake quickly.

Maple Glaze

1/4 C butter

1 C brown sugar

4 T water

Bring mixture to a boil.  Remove and cool.  Add enough powdered sugar to make a glaze (I did about 1/3 to 1/2 cup).  Spread on bars while still quite warm.  Cut when cool.

Pumpkin Blondies

We were able to get away and go to a cabin as a family this last weekend.  My little brother is moving to North Carolina tomorrow with his wife and brand new baby :(.  So it was our last hoorah before they move.  My uncle has this fabulous cabin where we just relaxed, played games, talked, read books, and ATE lots of good food.

I brought along this recipe to share while we were all together.  I guess it attests to how good they are when we made a trip into the teensy little town nearby to buy more white chocolate chips to make these AGAIN.  We seriously polished off the pan before they had even cooled!  The second pan of blondies had a small sliver that survived to the following morning and we all decided that they were even MORE delicious the second day.  In fact, I'd recommend following the directions (we were just too enticed by their scent while baking) and letting them cool completely before slicing into them.  They were so, so, so delicious!  The white chocolate pairs perfectly with the pumpkin and I'm sure you'll be wanting to make a second batch after you make them, too.

Pumpkin Blondies from Dinner & Dessert (see blog for original source)

2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 package (12 ounces) white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled).  Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.

Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into squares.

Tips: I used unsalted butter for the first batch because I had brought it.  However, I only had salted butter for the second batch. I reduced the salt to about 1/4 tsp and we all agreed that there was no difference between the two.

Apple Spice Bars

I have been eyeing these bars over at Dinner & Dessert and waiting for a chance to try them. I was not disappointed! I love fall with all of its pumpkin and apple-filled desserts. These reminded me of the cinnamon blondie at Sugardaddy's. Have you heard of Sugardaddy's? If not, to be compared to their blondie is a huge compliment. Sugardaddy's was one of our favorite places to get blondies and to take visitors to see while we were living in Ohio. They were featured on Throwdown with Bobby Flay and also on Ellen (among other things) and have the cutest packaging. Their owners are passionate and so we would often take visitors just to hear them explain their desserts. But I digress...these bars reminded me of home and were a close match to the flavors from one of my favorite fall treats. They are delicious served with ice cream, too. They were soft and perfectly balanced between the apples, brown sugar, and spices.

Apple Spices Bars from Dinner & Dessert (see her blog to see original source)

Ingredients:
2 c. plus 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
small pinch ground cloves
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 apples, cored and diced (a little less than 2 c.)
cinnamon sugar for sprinkling

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 9×13 pan with foil and baking spray.
-In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.
-Whisk to combine well and set aside.
-In bowl of stand mixer, combine sugars and butter and beat on medium high until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
-Add eggs, one at a time, beating well to combine.
-Add vanilla extract and beat to combine.
-Turn mixer on slow and fold in flour mixture a little at a time until just combined.
-Fold in apples.
-Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan and sprinkle top generously with cinnamon sugar.
-Place in oven and bake until cooked through, when top slightly bounces back to the touch, about 30 minutes.
-Remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from pan, cutting and serving. (bars will be very soft)

Tips: I'm still adjusting to my oven since moving (I think it's not quite hot enough). I let them bake for about 33 minutes and then removed them. They were SO delicious--but slightly gooey in the middle on the second day. So I think I'll bake mine for about 40 minutes next time. But, as I said, it could just be my oven.

Cookie Dough Topped Brownies

I'm sure I'm not alone in LOVING Melanie's blog over at My Kitchen Cafe. I found this recipe on her blog earlier this week and knew that I HAD to try it for our church's BBQ today. I had never heard of this recipe before and was salivating while reading her post. I was not dissappointed in the least with the final results. How could anything topped with cookie dough be bad? I honestly wanted to just sit down and eat the whole bowl of cookie dough while I waited for the brownies to cool. The brownies were perfectly soft and chocolately and the cookie dough on top was such a decadent, yummy finish. There were at least a couple of dozen desserts brought to the BBQ and this one was the only one that had every single morsel gone--with many requests for the recipe. Thanks, Melanie! I'll definitely be making these again.

Cookie Dough Topped Brownies from My Kitchen Cafe

Brownie Layer:

1 12-ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (or 2 C)
1 cup (2 cubes) butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter and chocolate chips. Stir constantly and remove from heat when chips are fully melted. In the same pot, blend in the sugar. Then add eggs, blending fully one at a time. Add flour and salt and beat until air bubbles form in the batter. Pour into a greased 9 X 13-inch pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn heat down to 325 degrees and bake for 10 more minutes.Cool completely and then top with the cookie dough layer.

Cookie Dough Layer:
1/2 cup (1 cube) butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown Sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a small bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in milk and vanilla. Gradually add flour and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls over cooled brownies; carefully spread over top (this can be tricky but I found the best way is to slightly wet my hands and pat the dough down gently so it doesn't pull up the brownies). Cut into squares. Store in the refrigerator.

Tips: UPDATE: I double the cookie dough and it makes it less of a frosting and you can taste it more.  And how could more cookie dough be bad, right?

I followed the directions to the tee and they turned out perfectly cooked. I did, however, leave the cookie dough topping sitting out while I let the brownies cool in the refrigerator. I think that made it even more difficult to spread it over the brownies. So I put it all in the fridge (after the cookie dough was on in teaspoon full portions) and once it had chilled a bit it made it significatly easier to pat down on the brownies. Also, I didn't have dark brown sugar (just the "regular" kind) and it still tasted awesome.

Scotch-A-Roos!

I'm finally back! It has been a crazy, whirlwind few months. The main source of craziness being that we moved across the country to live with my in-laws while our house is still on the market in Ohio (anyone looking for a great house?). Thankfully my husband's new job took us to the West where our family lives and so we can live with family in this limbo state?!? Anyways--so in the midst of moving and then getting settled, it's taken a little while to get our internet up and running and to get back into the swing of actually cooking instead of having our dinner mainly consist of some form of drive-thru.

So I'm excited to get back into the swing of blogging and reading all of your great blogs! I have been wanting to make this recipe since a friend brought it to our New Year's party. But be warned....they are extremely addictive! I made one pan with my sister and after we all devoured it I came home and made another pan. They are really soft and chewy and have the perfect amount of peanut butter. And then you add the yummy butterscotch chocolate icing to the top and it really is the perfect combination.

Scotch-a-roos from Mykette

1 C corn syrup
1 C granulated sugar
6 C Rice Krispies
1 C peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 C chocolate chips (I used 1 1/2-2 C)
1 C butterscotch chips (also used 1 1/2-2 C)

1. Combine corn syrup and sugar in a large pot. Cook over medium heat to a boil; boil one minute.

2. Remove from heat and add peanut butter and vanilla. Add rice krispies. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.

3. Chill. Melt chips in bowl in microwave and spread over treats. Chill again until chocolate sets up. Enjoy!!!

Oatmeal cookie bars

My sister-in-law, Amy, was nice enough to share this recipe with me. She made them when we were all together for Thanksgiving a couple of years ago and I haven't forgotten them. They are really, really good!

Oatmeal Cookie Bars

2 C rolled oats (not instant)

2 C flour

1 1/2 C brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 C butter--melted

1 C chocolate chips

1/2 jar Mrs. Richardson caramel

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients but chocolate chips and caramel. Press 1/2-2/3 of mixture into a 9x13 pan and bake 10-15 min. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Drizzle caramel sauce over top. Crumble remaining mixture on top. Bake another 15-20--don't overcook! Cool completely before eating.