Magic Turtle Bars

These days I'm looking for quick recipes for delicious treats that I can make either while Logan sleeps or while he "helps" me when I wear him in the kitchen. Magic bars definitely fit the description because they are basically just piles of tasty goodies layered on top of one another and baked to perfection. Very easy to do, even when your littlest kitchen helper falls asleep on you while you explain the merits of semi sweet versus dark chocolate chips. And this turtle candy inspired version of a magic bar live up to the hype. They are amazing--dark chocolate, caramel and pecans are an irresistible combination. The chocolate gets slightly melted, the caramel is gooey and the nuts offer a perfect salty crunch. Plus the texture of these bars is like a party for your mouth. Based on how quickly these vanished from our counter (and the fact that I had to package some up to give away), these are a huge hit.

Macadamia Nut White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recently I was asked to bake cookies for a family birthday party. The request included chocolate chip and oatmeal cranberry, but also macadamia nut white chocolate chip. Except I'd never made them before, so I needed to find a recipe that would be just as good as the others. And these really are. Soft and chewy, loaded with sweet white chocolate chips and studded with salty, almost creamy, macadamia nuts these might be a new favorite. I actually had to make them again since Dave only got the handful of "ugly" cookies from the original batch. I don't usually reach for a cookie with macadamia nuts, but I really like these cookies and am glad they were requested. Otherwise, I may have never decided to make them.

Fruit Cake Cookies

I know fruit cake gets a bad rap as a dense, badly flavored brick of a cake that no one wants to eat, but these cookies take what's good about it--fruit, nuts and flavor--and turn it into a soft, chewy cookie that you'll want to enjoy.  I was surprised by the lightness of this cookie and thoroughly enjoyed all the different bits of fruit scattered in each bite.  This is how fruit cake was meant to be enjoyed--on soft, chewy cookie at a time.

Texas Trash

Have I got a week of food ready for you.  It's a week's worth of tailgate and football food with some delicious items that will double as football snacks or full on meals perfect for eating while watching the game.  And I'm starting off with a simple party mix with an awesome name that will completely kick the booty of whatever snack mix you've been enjoying up until now.  Smoky flavor with a spicy kick, this Texas Trash snack mix is delicious and hearty with tons of different textures and delicious goodies.  Pretzels, nuts, cereal and corn chips all serve as the delivery mechanism for a lovely mix of seasonings and spices, perfect for munching while drinking a beer and watching the game.  Although it's pretty tasty for movie night, too.

Trail Mix Rice Krispies Treats with Salted Caramel Swirl

It was bound to happen, huh?  Eventually I would get on the salted caramel kick (just in time for some new trend to hit the foodie blog world).  It's not that I resisted on purpose, I just haven't had salted caramel that made the craze make sense to me.  Dave and I visited Portland earlier this summer and I had a cupcake supposedly topped with salted caramel buttercream frosting.  I was less than impressed.  It barely tasted like caramel, let alone a heavenly salted version.  And I've just always had other things I wanted to try.  Not that it doesn't sound like a good idea--gooey salty and sweet treats--and I've certainly pinned, marked, and otherwise saved my fair share of salted caramel concoctions.  And now, I've got to make them because these treats are a perfect ambassador for the trend.  First off, it's a Rice Krispies treat, which gets lots of love from me to begin with.  And the caramel just makes them that much gooier (wow, I didn't actually think that was a word, but spell check is unfazed).  Add in the sweet and salty trail mix from M&M's that I didn't even know existed, which in and of itself is a perfect treat, and there's double deliciousness in the form of my favorite candy.  Plus, this salted caramel shines perfectly against the sweet and salty trail mix and the crunch of the cereal provides the perfect canvas for all that's going on here.  Simply put: yum.

My friend Mere had a birthday last month, but a couple weeks before her birthday, I was going to meet up with her before she caught a flight from Boston after spending a week on a business trip in Vermont.  So I decided a little early birthday baking never hurt anyone and took to searching for something portable for the plane and a little different.  I looked through some of my pins and some of my favorite blogs and noticed this amazing recipe from Shelly at Cookies & Cups and thought, "where has my grocery store been hiding that trail mix?", printed the recipe and hit the store on my way home.

Applesauce Granola

Okay, just because I like granola doesn't mean I'm crunchy.  In fact, granola is often laden with as much fat and sugar as some of my cookie recipes!  How can that possibly be good for you?  But this granola is different.  It's actually pretty good for you what with the healthy fats and low sugar.  Plus, you can customize it a little, using your favorite nuts, adding or omitting dried fruits as you please, and there are lots of ways to serve it (I'll share one way with you on Friday).  It's tasty, has a lovely nutty flavor from baking slowly, and the sweetness is perfect for eating plain, but doesn't overwhelm anything you might serve it with, like mixed into yogurt.  A hearty breakfast is just around the corner.  I made this twice in two days, once plain to use as an ingredient in another recipe and again with dried cranberries mixed in to serve as my "breakfast batch."

Scouring the interwebs for a granola recipe that wouldn't make glazed doughnuts look like health food comparatively, I found this recipe at Fake Ginger. You remember Amanda, right?  I was paired with her for the Secret Recipe Club when I made those lovely Candied Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Well, Amanda came through again with another winning recipe, fairly simple and one of the more "accessible" granola recipes out there to boot.  I've said it before--I do like to eat more healthfully for meals and such because I do enjoy my sweets so much.  But I hate the idea of having to shell out big bucks for ingredients I've never heard of or don't know how to use otherwise because they are healthy.  There's plenty of food in my kitchen that's already good for me--I just have to learn how to put it together properly.  So Amanda took me on that journey for granola.  And it turned out beautifully.  I opted to use part walnuts and part almonds in my first batch, then used pecans in my second batch (which were perfect with the dried cranberries).  A delicious addition to breakfast, whip this up and enjoy!

Linzer Tarts

In 2005 Dave and I tackled the long distance relationship, him living in Massachusetts while I still lived in central Pennsylvania.  Dave bought his house the year before and for Thanksgiving in 2005 I visited him and his family for the holiday with the caveat that he allow me to complete several of my cookie recipes for my holiday baking.  Living the bachelor life, Dave didn't particularly care what I did with his oven so long as he got some of the treats. 

So on during Thanksgiving week when so many people spend their time in the kitchen making real food, I stumbled into the kitchen and prepared to make many batches of cookies.  Busying myself in the kitchen, Dave was in the living room watching TV or playing video games. I had several cooling racks full of cookies, having just completed a batch of Classic Peanut Butter Cookies, and just starting on a recipe of Oatmeal Cranberry. My first two sheets of oatmeal cookies were in the oven when the timer went off and I opened the oven door.

There was a flame.

German Chocolate Toffee Cookies

Personally, I've always found German chocolate to be a subtle flavor and the real essence of what we've come to know as German chocolate comes from the supporting players like nuts and coconut.  As you know I'm wary of cakes, but I like the idea of these flavors for a cookie, especially for the holidays.  The result is a cookie with a good texture and nuttiness, but without a cohesive flavor throughout.  Dave was a little disappointed the recipe didn't include coconut and thought the chocolate was far lighter than most German chocolate treats he's enjoyed.  Depending on your audience, this could be hit or miss as it.

I found this recipe posted from Jeannieskitchen on BetterRecipes.com, and it was originally a Taste of Home recipe submitted by Joyce Robb.  First off, I had to halve this recipe when I saw it made 13 dozen cookies!  I'm all for recipes that make a lot of cookies, but this was little much for my crowd.  Feel free to double up the quantities below and you'll have a great cookie exchange treat.  Second, I would add a little more than the 2 ounces of German chocolate (maybe 4 ounces), increase the toffee bits to at least a cup and add flaked coconut.  That was really the flavor that was lacking to give you that ultimate German chocolate taste. 

Apple Blondies with Pecan Pie Topping

Yummy!  And an original recipe, although based in part on the standard Blondies recipe. This is what happens when frugality meets innovation and they run into necessity.  I had a good bit of the pecan pie topping leftover from the Pecan Pie Cookies and I didn't want to see it go to waste.  I thought it would make a good topping for something with apples, maybe a bread.  Then Cindy texted me that she and her brood were coming over (they were invited) and I knew I needed to make a dessert for the occasion (since I was in the middle of making holiday cookies so I knew they'd be disappointed seeing all the tasty goodies on the racks but not allowed to eat them).  So I quickly put together these Apple Blondies and used the remaining pecan topping to create this delicious treat.

The apples keep the bars moist without them being gooey and the pecan topping is a very subtle nuttiness.  The cinnamon and spice in the blondie compliment the crunchy brown sugar top.  And they are delicious with or without a bit of vanilla ice cream.  A clever fall combination of flavors if you want to do some more apple baking before the orchards are empty.

Pecan Pie Cookies

Welcome to holiday cookie season!  I've started making some of my freezer friendly recipes and this is the first in the group.  And just to give you some variety this year, I'll also be including things other than cookies throughout the season.  I've got birthdays and Thanksgiving to bake for in the coming months, so I promise you there will be some variety. The decision making process for which cookies to bake this year was tough and I limited myself to just nine repeats from last year's list because they are fan favorites.  Those are:

Almond Swirls
Cinnmon Snaps
Fruit Filled Thimbles
Gingerbread Cookies
Hotel Cookies
Oatmeal Cranberry
Old Fashioned Sugar Cut Outs
Orange Cranberry
Snickerdoodles

Zucchini Bread

It didn't occur to me until I found myself at the farmer's market faced with a bunch of beautiful zucchinis that I have never 1) made zucchini bread, or 2) eaten zucchini bread.  And this from the girl who used to eat the overabundance of squash from her grandfather's garden raw all throughout the harvest.  So I was determined and bought a nice two pound squash hoping that would be enough.  Turns out I got enough to make two of these delicious breads. I was surprised by the sweetness and enjoyed the toasted nuts scattered throughout.  It just looks like the perfect loaf right out of the oven and smelled heavenly while baking.  The moisture from the zucchini kept the bread from drying out and preserved the softness inside the crunchy edges.

Since I didn't have a go-to recipe, I turned to one of my favorite bloggers, Brown Eyed Baker.  She didn't fail me on this one, providing a simple and delicious recipe for a first timer like me.  I'd considered adding cranberries but stopped myself, wanting to appreciate the pure taste of a classic zucchini bread.  This recipe could easily be adapted for muffins or mini loaves, and you probably could throw in some additional mix-ins.  But the beauty and flavor of this recipe rests in the simplicity, so I actually think I may leave well enough alone. For once.

Chunky Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's been a while since I've made cookies.  And since bananapalooza continued in my freezer, I thought these would be a nice treat to use some of them.  Dave, Cindy and I had a hard time describing these cookies.  They are delicious and soft, but the texture is unlike any other cookie I've made.  Moist and chewy aren't even the right words to describe them. They aren't cakey or airy.  They're supple and have a very nice mouthfeel (besides awesome flavor).  They're almost like a denser muffin top.  Ok, so since I can't describe them, you'll just have to make them yourself to figure out what I'm talking about!

The combination of banana, chocolate and walnuts isn't new but the delivery of these fine friends in a wonderful cookie is enjoyable.  Perhaps the texture came from the mixing method--I threw caution to the wind and followed the recipe by mixing all the "wet" ingredients (butter, sugar, bananas, eggs, vanilla) together without creaming the butter and sugar first.  It went against all my instincts but I had to try it out.  The original recipe, from Better Crocker, also called for vanilla frosting, but I don't think they need it.  I also didn't have it.  I did have a smattering of chocolate frosting and used it up on a few cookies, but they were fine without the extra decorations.  Even though I used my medium cookie scoop, I still got more cookies than the recipe called, so you could probably go bigger.  These would be a fun back to school treat, perfect for a bake sale, or tuck the recipe away for holiday baking.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

This is so yummy, I had to make it twice in a week because Dave and I ate the first loaf so fast.  I found myself with an overabundance of bananas in the freezer (again) and although I did make a batch of my Banana Nut Bread, I wanted to try something different.  To the internet I went and stumbled upon another peanut butter and banana combo. This bread is moist, full of peanut butter flavor and the banana actually plays a supporting role.  The chopped peanuts are a great little surprise and the glaze brings it all together.

This recipe comes from Sweet Pea's Kitchen and I'm so glad I found it.  I altered the recipe slightly because I didn't have any ground flaxseed.  Since the flaxseed was used as a fat in this recipe, I replaced it with an additional 2 Tablespoons of butter.  The other thing I changed was to double the amount of chopped peanuts--2 Tablespoons just seemed like too few.  When I asked Dave if I should include the glaze, he gave me a resounding yes.  And later we both agreed that the bread just wouldn't be the same without the chopped peanuts and the glaze.  Since we ate the full loaf so quickly, I decided to make mini loaves, in the hope that I might be able to share some with friends.  One has made it out of the house so far.  We'll see about the rest.

Apricot Blondies

These were a sweet surprise.  They were so simple to make and unassuming that I wasn't expecting them to be so delicious.  I didn't plan on baking but I was invited to crash a baby shower (don't ask) and Cindy, who invited me, asked if I had any cookies in the freezer since the mom-to-be loves my treats and the event was pot luck.  I didn't have anything on hand, but never one to disappoint, I took a quick spin through my recipes, looking for something quick and fruity.  Mom-to-be fell in love with the Cranberry Apricot Bars, so I wanted something with a similar impact.  These are sweet and nutty, soft and chewy, a definite win.  Even Dave who doesn't care for the Cranberry Apricot Bars thought these were good.  And Cindy and the mom-to-be raved over these.

This recipe comes from the Christmas Cookies cookbook where I found the Cinnamon Bars and Peanut Butter Brownies.  It's simple and delicious, but unfortunately I didn't have all the ingredients.  The recipe calls for pecans but I ran out last week when I made the Banana Coffee Cake.  Instead I substituted almonds and the match was perfect.  I also added a light powdered sugar glaze.  The nuts and apricots provide a great flavor and the soft texture of the bar make this a wonderful treat.  These would also be great for brunch or a dessert.

Banana Coffee Cake

Did you make the Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel that I made a couple weeks ago?  If not, hold on.  I've discovered something awesome.  This coffee cake is moist and flavorful and turned out perfect.  Plus it was easy to make. There is a lightness to this cake that I think comes from the cream cheese.  And while I enjoyed the pecan topping, Dave and I agreed that the chocolate chip streusel paired with this cake would be a winner.  It'd be the lovechild of two good recipes to make a great brunch addition, dessert or snack.

This recipe comes from allrecipes.com and was posted by Georgia Courtney.  I made an addition to the batter, which is good because I also forgot something from the batter.  I added a teaspoon of Penzey's Spices Baking Spice to the batter.  But Georgia's recipe says to put half of the pecan topping into the batter.  Oops.  I forgot to read that bit until I already had the batter in the pan. In hindsight, though, I'm glad that happened because I don't think there would have been enough topping to cover the whole cake if I'd only had half.  Below is the version I used, but play around with the toppings by either adding some to the batter or layering like my previous attempt.  No matter what you try, it'll turn out good.

Banana Oatmeal Bread

There are oodles of banana bread recipes out there and rather than try a bunch that are just slight variations on each other, I wanted to test some with substantial differences  Hence, this version with oatmeal and macadamia nuts.  Macadamia nuts are one of those things that I've had in the cupboard for a while and can never quite figure out what to do with them, so this was perfect.  They aren't a powerful nut, so the extra flavors in this bread help bring them out.  The bread is hearty, but has great flavor from the nuttiness of the oats and nuts, is moist and sweet from the bananas, and the light cinnamon undertone brings it all together.

Another MixingBowl find, this one is an original recipe from thesweetestpea.  I followed the ingredients as she stated (although I dropped from 6 to 4 bananas because my bananas were big), but her suggestion was to just dump everything in a bowl and mix which kind of freaked me out.  So I split up the wet and the dry ingredients and incorporated everything the way I know best.

Strawberry Blondies

Remember when I made a bunch of lemon stuff?  Yeah, it's time for strawberries.  Because Dave and I went to pick them in a strawberry field.  And they are delicious, but I had 12 cups of them and didn't want them to go to waste before we could eat them all.  (Except this recipe doesn't use any of those strawberries.)  You're welcome.

This recipe is from the May 2011 Food Network Magazine.  And it's better when I make it properly.  And by properly, I mean when I don't double the flour by accident because I can't read.  Or read in a straight line.  I made these and kept going back to the recipe to make sure I was measuring the right amount of flour.  I must have checked it 3 or 4 times.  And each time, my eyes skipped the line and instead of measuring out 3/4 cup of flour, I measured 1 3/4 cups of flour.  Oops.  And I didn't notice until after they were in the oven.  Except, the thing is, the resulting bars were actually pretty good.  They were dense and I couldn't get the jam to swirl in the batter the way I wanted, but they were still tasty.  When made correctly (as below), they were even better, with a more chewy and moist inside but thick and crunchy edge.  The butterscotch and walnuts blend nicely with the strawberry to give a sweet, nutty flavor.

M&M Cashew Pretzel Bars

There is a lot going on in these bars and it's all delicious.  The soft bar includes chopped pretzels, topped with a thick layer of ganache and decorated with cashews and M&Ms.  It's a nice balance of salty and sweet.

One of the treats up for bid during the Bloggers Bake for Hope bake sale, I've been eying this recipe from Kerstin at Cake, Batter and Bowl for some time now.  I didn't alter anything on the recipe, but I used a different pretzel since it's what I had on hand.  And I used the "spring mix" M&Ms since I don't pay full price for candy and those were in the candy bag.  I could have done dark chocolate or peanut butter M&Ms, but Dave wanted to try the original recipe.  And it turned out quite well.  I'll be making these again.

Hotel Cookies

I had to change the name on these and it's all Dave's fault.  I used to work in an office that did a lot of business with the local Doubletree Suites. As a thank you, a few times a year they would deliver a huge tray of their yummy cookies.  I would bring a few home and share them with Dave and we would be two happy little piggies enjoying delicious cookies.  When my director found this recipe and shared it with me, I immediately thought they would be the same at the Doubletree's cookies.  Sure enough they are a very close facsimile.  And when I made this batch, Dave asked me if they were the hotel cookies.  So I said yes, and that's the new name.

My director found this recipe in Midwest Living magazine from April 2010 and right away she said I had to make them.  They were included as the #1 pick on an article on the best chocolate chip cookies found in the region's best bakeries, cafes and coffee houses.  So the actual name of these cookies is Lindsay's Chocolate Cafe Chocolate Chip Cookies from Lindsay's Chocolate Cafe and Coffee House in O'Fallon, Missouri.  I stayed pretty true to the original recipe, only changing the grated chocolate to chocolate chips and mixing two kinds of nuts.  I do make my cookies a little smaller, so feel free to got larger with your scoop.  Just add a few minutes baking time, but be sure to check them often so you don't overcook.

Hotel Cookies

2 1/2 cups rolled oats
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
4 ounces milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (not pictured--I thought I was going to do all pecans but decided to mix it up)

In a medium bowl, mix oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with electric mixer for about 30 seconds.  Add sugar and cream mixture, beating until combined and scraping sides of bowl as necessary.  Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined.  Beat in as much of the flour as you can using the mixer, then stir in remain flour with a wooden spoon until incorporated.  (Hint: If you use a stand mixer and switch from your beater attachment to your paddle attachment before you add the flour, you will be able to mix in all the flour without breaking out your wooden spoon.)  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

On a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet, drop by spoonfuls (I use a small cookie scoop) about 2 inches apart.  Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.  Turn baking sheet 180 degrees halfway through. If using more than one sheet at a time, rotate positions in the oven for more even baking.  Cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes, then move to complete cooling on rack.

Makes 7 1/2 dozen.

Happy Baking,
The Cookie Princess