S'Mores Granola Bars

Granola bars are my favorite grab and go snack and you really can't get any easier than this recipe. I love the Quaker Chewy S'mores Granola Bars, so I tweaked the recipe to be as s'mores like as possible. I used Kraft mini marshmallows, they taste like the marshmallows in Lucky Charms, or the kind that come in those little packets of hot cocoa, so they were perfect for these bars. The finished product was quite similar to the Quaker bars, but a bit chewier and more chocolaty tasting. Definitely a keeper. 

No bake S'mores Granola Bars

Adapted From laurenslatest.com

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups quick cooking oats {not rolled oats!}
1 cup crispy rice cereal
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips, plus more for topping

1/2 cup mini marshmallows, plus more for topping

Mix together Rice Krispies, oats, 1/2 cup marshmallows, and mini chocolate chips (if you want them with less chocolate flavor, leave out the chips till the end). Set aside.

 In a small pot, melt butter, honey, and brown sugar together over medium high heat until it starts to bubble. Reduce heat and cook for another two minutes. Stir in the vanilla. 

Remove from heat and pour over oat/rice mixture. Mix well ensuring that all ingredients are moistened. Line a small jelly roll pan (12x8x1) with aluminum foil.

 Pour mixture into lined pan. Pack it in really tightly or the bars won't set and will fall apart when cooled.  

Sprinkle the top with more chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. Let cool, then cut into bars.

 Have a sweet day! 

Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy Easter! I'm keepin it brief today! Just a good old fashioned recipe for chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. The recipe has gotten over 2000 favorable reviews on allrecipes.com, it's a definite winner! Have a great week!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

allrecipes.com

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups quick-cooking oats

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the quick oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Don't over mix! Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven.

Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutella Peanut Butter Cookie Cups

Hello everyone! It's officially Spring! To kick off the season in delicious style, I whipped up a batch of cookie cups. Simple really, just use your favorite cookie recipe, hollow out the middle and fill it up with nutella, white chocolate, peanut butter, or any combination of the three. I made peanut butter cookie cups and chocolate chip cookie cups. I tried a couple different flavor combos, my favorite was the chocolate chip cookie filled with Nutella and white chocolate. Amazing. Next time I want to do white chocolate macadamia cookies filled with nutella. The cookie/filling possibilities are endless.

Nutella PB Cookie Cups

Adapted from Pillsbury

1 batch of your favorite cookie dough

1/4 cup white chocolate chips

1/4 cup nutella

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F), line a muffin tray with muffin liners or coat well with butter. For the cookie cups you can use whatever cookie recipe you like, you may have to adjust the cooking time though.

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough

Chocolate Chip Dough

Once you've got your dough ready, scoop into the muffin tins (I used an ice cream scoop).

Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

Cool in muffin cups on cooling rack 30 minutes. Centers of cookies will sink slightly.

If the cookies don't sink enough to form a "cup" scoop out the middles using a spoon or a melon baller.

Peanut Butter Filling

In small microwavable bowl, microwave white chips on Medium 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until smooth. Stir peanut butter into melted chips until blended. Spoon about 2 teaspoons peanut butter mixture into each cookie cup.

Nutella Filling

If you prefer nutella filling you can either mix it with the white chocolate or just spoon it as is into the middle of the cookies.

If you're feeling especially adventurous, combine white chocolate chips, peanut butter and nutella. It's delicious, I promise!

Have a sweet day!

Irish Cream Whoopie Pies

Hi All! Happy Monday! I am not a big fan of corned beef and cabbage so I decided to make something a little sweeter in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Irish Cream Filling. I found a highly rated whoopie pie recipe on All Recipes and used that for the cookie part. I used a recipe for Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting from recipegirl (an amazing site that you should all visit!) for the cream filling. I was quite impressed with the whoopie pies, they had a deep chocolate flavor and stayed SO moist! The Bailey's frosting is thick and creamy with just the right amount of Bailey's flavor. A little tip, add the powdered sugar slowly and with a light hand, it helps keep the frosting from being too grainy (a tip my mom taught me).

The green sprinkles are, of course, optional, but I think they lent a nice St. Patty's Day feel to the pies. Hope you enjoy!

Chocolate Whoopie Pies

From this recipe on allrecipes.com

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease or cover cookie sheets with parchment paper. I actually did one batch on cookie sheets and one batch in special whoopie pie pans, both turned out great, proving that I probably didn't need to invest in whoopie pie pans... but live and learn!

Sift together the 2 cups flour, baking soda,1/4 teaspoon salt, cocoa and 1 cup sugar. Set aside.

In a medium bowl stir together the egg, oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 3/4 cup of milk until well blended.

Gradually stir in the sifted dry ingredients.

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets. I used whoopie pie pans, but these would work just fine on regular cookie trays. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm.

Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Bailey's Irish Cream Filling

From RecipeGirl.com

1 cup butter (2 sticks), at room temperature

3 cups powdered sugar

4 Tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place butter, cream and vanilla in a large bowl.

Use an electric mixer to blend together, slowly add powdered sugar until you reach desired consistency (smooth and creamy).

Frost away!

I was verrry generous with the frosting

Have a sweet day!

http://www.getouttamyheadplease.com/2012/03/show-it-off-link-party-14.html

Another fun link up! http://asouthernfairytale.com/2012/03/12/broiled-grapefruit/

Apricot, Caramel, Coconut DOUBLE Crumb Bars

My grandma's favorite Starbucks treat was always their "Signature Coffee Cake." If she was feeling especially indulgent on a Sunday afternoon after church, we would go to Starbucks and she would order a piece. I never quite understood her fascination with it, once you got through the crumbly topping, the cake was kind of a let down. But that crumble on top..... it is kind of amazing. I would nibble on that and let grandma have the cake. Well, in the spirit of a good crumbly topping, I give you Apricot, Caramel, Coconut DOUBLE Crumb Bars. I just love buttery crumbly streusel so when I made these crumble bars I decided to double the streusel and it was a gooood plan. The thick crumble is dotted with butterscotch chips and surrounds a sweet gooey center of caramel, coconut and apricot. The caramel gives a creamy honeyed flavor that perfectly complements the cakey crisp topping. Yum!

Apricot, Caramel, Coconut DOUBLE Crumb Bars

Adapted from Pillsbury.com

4 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 package butterscotch chips

2 cups butter, cut up

1 cup apricot preserves

1/3 cup caramel ice cream topping

3/4 cup unsweetened or sweetened shredded coconut

Heat oven to 350°F.

In food processor bowl with metal blade, put flour, sugar and butter.

Cover; process with on-and-off pulses until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. (Or, in a bowl, mix flour and sugar; cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture looks like coarse crumbs.) Mix in butterscotch chips.

In bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch pan, evenly press half of crumb mixture.

In medium bowl, mix preserves, caramel topping and coconut.

Spread over crumb mixture to within 1/2 inch of edges.

Sprinkle remaining crumb mix evenly over apricot mixture to edges of pan.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool completely, about 2 hours before cutting into bars.

Have a sweet day!

Linking to Under the Table and Dreaming

Apple Pie Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread

When I saw a recipe on pinterest for cinnamon pull apart bread I was inspired, why had I never thought of cinnamon rolls in bread form? Amazing! I also saw a recipe for apple pie cinnamon rolls, so I put those two together and what resulted is Apple Pie Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread. I had to cook it a lot longer than the cinnamon roll bread recipe called for, possibly due to the liquidity of the apple filling. If I make it again I am going to try and figure out a way to decrease the runnyness of the filling. It was quite messy to cut the apple filled dough into slices, but the messiest part by far was smooshing the rolls together. I imagine this is a cooking project that kids would LOVE!

Apple Pie Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread

Smooshed together from Top With Cinnamon and Alli n Son

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 teaspoon dried active yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup water

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For cinnamon sugar filling...

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon cornstarch

For apple filling...

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup peeled, cored, grated apple (1 to 2 large apples, 3-4 small apples)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup butter, melted

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attached, place the cornstarch, sugar, yeast, salt and 2 cups of flour. Heat the milk and butter together in a small saucepan until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and add the water. Let this cool for about a minute, then add the vanilla, and pour all the liquid into the bowl with the flour. Stir this all together until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Start the mixer on a low speed as you add the eggs one at a time until they're just incorporated.

Stop the mixer and add 1/2 cup more flour to the bowl. Mix again at low speed for about half a minute. Add 2 more tbsp of flour and mix in on medium speed until you get a smooth, slightly sticky dough (about 45 seconds). On a work surface sprinkled with about 2 tbsp of flour, knead the dough until it's not sticky (about 1 minute). Place the dough in a large, oiled bowl and cover it with cling film. Leave the dough to rise in a warm place until it's doubled in size which should take about an hour.

While the dough rises, make the fillings. In one bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch, set aside.

In another bowl, stir together the sugars, flour and spices called for in the second filling.

Mix the grated apples with the lemon juice, then add to the flour and sugar mixture. Mix well, and place in the fridge until ready to use.

Once the dough is ready, lightly flour your work surface and gently tip the dough onto it, sprinkling a little more flour on top of the dough.

Roll the dough out into roughly a 40 x 40 cm square, then brush about 2/3 of the butter over the entire surface of the dough.

Sprinkle 3/4 of the first (cinnamon sugar) filling mixture evenly on top of the butter on the dough.

Top with the apple filling then roll the dough tightly into a log. Be prepared for some oozing.

Place the log horizontally on your work surface. Take a piece of thread and place it vertically on your work surface. With the thread still vertical, place log on top of the middle of the thread. Move the thread to the left or right, so it is still under the dough, and is one centimeter in from the end of the log. Take the ends of the thread and hold them above the log. Cross them over each other once and pull them away from each other until the thread has cut through the dough completely. (you are effectively making a loop of thread around the dough and pulling on the ends to make the loop smaller so that it cuts through the dough on all sides with an even force). On a piece of parchment paper, lay the slice down, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Cut another slice and place it on top of the first slice, sprinkle with cinnamon.

Continue until you have a stack about five slices high.

Smoosh the stack a bit and place horizontally in a greased 9x13 inch bread pan. Continue in this manner until you have no dough left. Be prepared for lots of leakage, I covered the entire area with a slip pat and clean up wasn't too bad.

When all of your slices are in the pan, cover pan with plastic wrap and put in a warm place to rise for another hour. Fifteen minutes or so before dough is done rising, go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the bread for 1 hour, when it should be golden brown on top.

Let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

Run a butter knife around the edge of the pan and gently tip the loaf out onto the wire rack. Put the bread the right way round again and enjoy!

Have a sweet day!