Apple Shortbread Bars

I found this recipe on Lovin In The Oven blog. It is fantastic (the blog and the recipe)! You really can't go wrong with any dessert made with apples. I picked up some fresh Pippin apples from the Portland Farmers Market (SO excited it's open!) and used them in the filling. They weren't too sweet or juicy so they were perfect for these bars. I took Kim's advice and used a smaller pan (8x8) so the bars came out thick, I also followed her suggestion to make less of the icing. She recommends leaving off the icing all together, as the bars are quite sweet. But when it comes to dessert sweet is a-ok with me so I left it on. The flavors are reminiscent of apple pie, but the shortbread gives the bars a sweet crunch that really takes these bars to the next level of decadent dessert! You should absolutely make these, now, you will NOT be disappointed!

Apple Shortbread Bars

From Lovin In the Oven

Shortbread Crust Ingredients

2 c. flour

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. real butter, softened (no substitutions!)

1 egg, beaten

Apple Filling Ingredients

1/2 c. white sugar

1/4 c. flour

2 tsp. apple pie spice, or cinnamon

4 c. (about 3 medium) sliced, peeled baking apples (I used 3 pippin apples)

Glaze Ingredients

1 c. powdered sugar

About 2 Tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

To prepare crust, mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl.

Cut in butter with a pastry blender or use your hands to mix in until you have pea-sized crumbles.

Gently mix in beaten egg. Spray an 8x8 pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Gently pat about 2/3 of the crumb mixture onto the bottom of the dish. Preheat oven to 350 and set aside.

To prepare apple filling, combine flour, sugar, and apple pie spice.

Toss with apples and spread apples out on prepared crust. I actually forgot to toss apples with flour and sugar and had to pick them off the crust and toss them. Apparently I can't watch TV and bake at the same time ☺

Pat reserved crust mixture over the apples, it's ok if there are some uncovered parts, its supposed to be like a streusel. I just tore off bits of batter with my fingers and patted it into place. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until lightly browned. When finished, allow to cool completely. To prepare glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. My tip, to make less of a mess, combine all glaze ingredients in a Ziploc bag and smoosh together with your hands. Be sure not to leave any powdered sugar lumps. When glaze is desired consistency, cut off a very small portion of one of the corners of the Ziploc.

Drizzle glaze over cooled pastry and allow to harden (you can place it in the freezer to hurry things along).

Cut into bars and serve.

What's your favorite fruit dessert? I think these might be mine!

I linked up at Real Food Wednesday with Kelly the Kitchen Kop, What's On Your Plate Wednesdays, Let's Do Brunch, It's A Keeper Thursday, Sweet Tooth Friday, Sunday Showcase, Weekend Wrap Up at Tater Tots and Jello. and Works for Me Wednesday.

Light Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Another tasty light option today! Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins. The perfect way to utilize any frozen berries still lurking in the depths of your freezer. The muffins are sweet and tender with berries bursting through in every bite. The lovely thing about this recipe is that it is so very versatile. The original recipe calls for raspberries but really any kind of berry or fruit would be delicious (okay maybe not ANY kind, but most kinds!) The muffins stay healthy thanks to non-fat cream cheese and the use of egg whites. I used even less sugar than called for in the recipe, and some of the reviewers said they halved the butter and added an eighth cup of applesauce. Oh the healthy possibilities!

Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Adapted from Cooking Light

2/3 cup (5 ounces) fat-free cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large egg whites

1 large egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl.

Beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended. Add sugar; beat until fluffy. Add vanilla, egg whites, and egg; beat well. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

With mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and buttermilk to cream cheese mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Gently fold in strawberries. Grease 24 muffin cups or line with foil cup liners in muffin cups.

Spoon batter evenly into liners. Bake at 350° 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Remove from pans; cool on a wire rack.

The Cooking Light website says that each muffin has 142 calories. If you make the adjustments I made (less sugar, non-fat cream cheese, omit nuts) they are even less than that! So eat two!

Enjoy your weekend!

Linking up to Weekend Wrap Up at Tater Tots and Jello , Motivate Me Monday and Sunday Showcase at By Stephanie Lynn

Coconut Cream Eggs

Tired of Cadbury creme eggs yet? Ok, me neither, at least not the caramel kind. However, I would like to encourage you all to add a new sweet to your Easter candy repertoire AND one that you can make yourself! Coconut Cream Eggs, think Mounds Bar but way better. Better for a few reasons, no preservatives, weird add-ins, etc. the filling is way creamier than a mounds bar, and they are smaller than Mounds bars so you can eat more ☺. I have problems coating things in chocolate, they never seem to look as perfect as I want them to, so my eggs are not all perfectly egg shaped. They are more oblong and randomly sized, which is due to the fact that I was in a hurry and didn't take time to mold the cream cheese/coconut mixture the way I should have. So be sure you give yourself a bit of time if you are a perfectionist. If not, don't worry they'll still taste fabulous!

Coconut Cream Eggs

Taste of Home

Ingredients

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon butter, softened

4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 cup flaked coconut

2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon shortening

In a bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add sugar and coconut. Refrigerate for 1-1/2 hours or until easy to handle.

Using hands dusted with confectioners' sugar, mold rounded tablespoonfuls of coconut mixture into egg shapes. Place on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Freeze for 2 hours or until slightly firm.

Melt chocolate chips and shortening. Remove eggs from the freezer a few at a time; dip into chocolate mixture until completely coated. Return to waxed paper; refrigerate until hardened.

I drizzled mine with colored frosting. I used this recipe. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 3 dozen.

Happy Spring!

Linking up to Tatertots And Jello, Sweet Tooth Fridays, Just Something I Whipped UP, Meatless Monday, Motivate Me Monday and Under the table and Dreaming

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, with Grape Nuts!

Oatmeal raisin cookies are my favorite type of cookie. Yup, that's right! I like them even better than chocolate chip! This recipe is great as it includes Grape-Nuts which gives them crunch! The raisins can be switched out for chocolate chips, m&ms, or other dried fruit. Try to let the cookies cool for at least five minutes before indulging, as the cookies cool they acquire the perfect chewy, moist oatmeal raisiny flavor that will send you straight back to your childhood! Enjoy!

Grape Nut Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

From allrecipies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup Grape-Nuts cereal

A few handfuls raisins

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla.

Combine flour, oats, cereal, raisins, baking soda and baking powder.

Gradually add to creamed mixture. Roll into 3/4-in. balls.

Place 2 in. apart o ungreased baking sheets; flatten with a fork. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Cool for 3 minutes before removing to wire racks.

Hope your day is filled with happiness!

I am linking up to Full Plate Thursdays, Funky Junk Saturday Night Special and It's A Keeper Thursday.

Banana Nut Muffins

Need an easy weekend breakfast? How about banana nut muffins? With a streusel topping? No problem! These are simple, no fuss muffins that require few ingredients, barely any effort and little time. The recipe comes from a 1968 Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. It started out as a Banana Coffee Bread Recipe. I made some changes, and out came these moist, satisfying muffins! The simplicity of the recipe allows the bananas to really steal the show while the streusel topping adds a nice crunch. Hope you enjoy!

Banana Nut Muffins

From Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, 1968 Edition

Makes 12 Muffins

See! OLD recipe!

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white granulated sugar

3/4 cup mashed ripe bananas, about 3 medium bananas

2 eggs

1 1/4 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven t0 350 degrees. Grease a twelve cup muffin pan, or use paper liners.

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.

Stir in bananas, stir in dry ingredients. Mix well. Fill muffin tins about 3/4 full (mine were a little fuller).

Sprinkle with streusel topping (recipe below).

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Streusel Topping

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup chilled butter

1/4 cup finely chopped nuts

Mix flour, sugars, and cinnamon; cut in butter till crumbly.

Add nuts. Sprinkle on top of muffin batter.

I had some extra, which I put in a Ziploc and threw in the freezer. All ready for the next time I'm craving a batch of muffins or coffee cake.

Have a lovely weekend!

Linking up to Tatertots and Jello Weekend Wrap up, Tasty Tuesdays, Tempt my tummy tuesdays, Rook No. 17, and Sunday Showcase at By Stephanie Lynn.

Cinnabon Clones

I happen to adore cinnamon rolls. Especially Cinnabon cinnamon rolls. Giant, cinnamony, flaky.... need I go on?! I had never tried recreating them until I ran across this clone recipe, originally from Tod Wilbur's "More Top Secret Recipes". I always thought Cinnabons would take sooo long, and honestly when I wake up in the morning the last thing I want to do is spend the first few hours of my day baking bread. I need sustenance immediately, waiting around for breakfast is not a good plan for me, I tend to get cranky without food :) Thus the perfect solution, freeze and bake cinnamon rolls! I used a recipe adapted for the bread machine to make it even more effortless and got tips from the King Arthur website on how to freeze yeast breads before baking. All I had to do was make the cinnamon rolls on a leisurely weekend afternoon and pop them in the freezer. I kept them in the freezer for a week, then the night before I wanted to eat them I just put them in the fridge and in the morning into the oven and voila! Homemade Cinnabons! If you like your cinnamon rolls super decadent (like me) you can whip up an easy cream cheese frosting to slather on once the cinnamon rolls are baked. Yum!

Cinnabon Clones

From More Top Seceret Recipes, by Todd Wilbur via food.com

1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast

1 cup warm milk

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup margarine or butter

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

4 cups flour

FILLING

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

1/3 cup margarine or butter, softened

ICING

8 tablespoons margarine or butter

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions For Bread Machine (see bottom of page for by hand recipe)

Put all ingredients for dough into your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer (usually wet first, then dry, then make a well in the dry ingredients and add yeast). Set to dough cycle and let the bread machine do it's work!

When dough cycle is complete. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approx 21 inches long by 16 inches wide. It should be approx 1/4 thick. To make filling, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

Spread the softened margarine over the surface of the dough, then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the surface.

Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge.

Cut the dough into 1 3/4 inch slices, and place in a lightly greased baking pan.

At this point I had one extra that didn't fit in the pan so I stuck it in a muffin tin and baked it right then and there!

Ten minutes at 400 degrees.

But, moving on to the freezing of the rolls... Carefully place them in a plastic bag,

one large enough to “tent” over the risen buns. Place the bag in the freezer. When the buns are frozen solid, gently press the bag more tightly around them, and reseal. The evening before the morning you want to serve the buns, remove them from the freezer. Unseal, and “poof” the bag up a bit, so it’s not touching the buns. Reseal, place the buns in the refrigerator, and let them thaw overnight.

Next morning, remove them from the fridge, and take them out of the bag. Let them sit at room temperature while you preheat your oven.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown.

While the rolls are baking combine the icing ingredients.

Beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy.

When the rolls are done, remove from oven. Allow to cool 10 minutes.

Flip pan over onto a serving plate.

Spread generously with icing. If your rolls are still hot, like mine were, when you spread on the icing, it will begin to melt just fyi.

Melty frosting...

If you prefer your rolls without icing, sprinkle with some chopped nuts, and enjoy!

By Hand Recipe

For the rolls, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl.

Add sugar, margarine salt, eggs, and flour, mix well.

Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour.

Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size. Once doubled in size continue with directions above (from the step after dough is removed from bread machine).

Linking up at Sugar and Dots, My Backyard Eden, Good Cheap Eats, Paisley Passions, Friday Favorites, Prairie Story, It's A Keeper Thursday, Tater Tots and Jello, By Stephanie Lynn, and Trendy Treehouse.