Blackberry Jam Bars

These bars are buttery, soft and crumbly and full of rich berry flavor from the jam. I made these for a play date and the kids (and adults) devoured them. I saved around ten bars to take pictures of this morning and they were all gone when I got up ( I have some night snackers in the house!).

photo: recipegirl.com

The recipe calls for a combination of AP flour and almond flour or finely ground almonds. I ground my own almonds since we had some on hand. I'm sure you could use all AP flour, but the ground almonds really add a delicious flavor that make these special. So if you can, go for the almond flour.

Photo: recipegirl.com

My only change to the recipe was to add coarse sanding sugar to the top before baking. Nice sparkle and crunch.

Blackberry Jam Bars
Yield: 15 large or 30 small bars

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup almond flour or very finely ground almonds
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups seedless Blackberry Jam
powdered sugar, for dusting
Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray 9x13-inch pan with nonstick spray.

Prepare shortbread: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine butter and sugars; beat until creamy. Add vanilla and salt and beat until well combined. Beat the almond flour and the all-purpose flour into the butter mixture on low speed, just until a smooth dough forms. Divide the dough in half. Wrap one half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or so. Press the other half of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan to form the bottom crust.

Bake the crust until it is just beginning to turn light brown around the edges, about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven. Place jam into a bowl and stir very well until it is nice and smooth. Spread the jam evenly over the partially baked crust. Crumble the refrigerated shortbread dough over the jam to form a crumbled topping. Return the pan to the oven and continue baking until the topping is firm and crisp and golden in color, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar before cutting into bars.

Tips:

*Almond flour is sold in a bag (I always buy Bob's Red Mill brand). Ask your market if they carry it.
*If you can find a jar of Smucker's brand seedless Blackberry Jam- 18 ounces- it is the perfect size for this recipe.
*Substitute raspberry or apricot jam if you wish to change up the flavors.
*The bars will keep in a covered container at room temperature for about 1 week. Or keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Recipe and Photos: recipegirl.com

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies!

Cookie dough lovers rejoice! These fudgy brownies, topped with a layer of egg free chocolate chip cookie dough are simply amazing. They are my new favorite treat. 

These bars are pretty easy to make. They start with a yummy homemade brownie batter.

 Once they bake, cool completely.

Then spread homemade chocolate chip cookie dough (egg free!) on top of the brownies. I couldn't really spread the dough, so I patted it into disks and then pressed it together on top of the brownies.

 This glorious mixture goes into the refrigerator for an hour to setup.

 Then just cut and enjoy!

My family loved these and I had plenty of extras, so I shared them with the neighbors and they loved them too!

chocolate chip cookie dough brownies

Source: RecipeGirl.com

BROWNIE:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour

COOKIE DOUGH (EGG FREE!):
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3 Tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup semisweet chips + 1 teaspoon shortening for drizzle, optional

Directions:

Prepare the brownies: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with nonstick spray. In a medium glass bowl, melt chocolate in the microwave in short bursts of 30 seconds; stir after each burst and remove from microwave when melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, mix butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. Mix in melted chocolate. Blend in flour and mix just until combined (don't over-mix). Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake 25 to 35 minutes*. Watch closely and remove from oven when toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Prepare the cookie dough: In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to combine butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Mix in milk and vanilla. Mix in flour just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spread cookie dough over the cooled brownies. Refrigerate until the dough is quite firm. It's okay to speed up the process and place it in the freezer too. The firmer the dough, the easier it will be to cut into neat squares. Use a sharp knife to cut the brownies. You may need to wipe the knife off with a paper towel in between cuts since the fudgy brownies and cookie dough will tend to stick to the knife a bit. These brownies are best to serve placed inside cupcake papers and served with a fork.

If you'd like to add chocolate drizzle on top, melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon of shortening in the microwave; stir until smooth. Scoop the melted chocolate into a zip baggie and snip off the corner. Squeeze the bag to drizzle the chocolate on top of each brownie. Sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top, if desired.


*  These took longer to bake then the stated time. More like 30-40 minutes. Start checking them for doneness around 30 minutes and then give the pan a slight shake ( with an oven mit on of course). If they jiggle, check them every 5 minutes or so. Once they longer jiggle and a tooth pick comes out almost clean, they're done. They'll finish cooking as they cool.
** The brownies do puff up fairly high, but will settle once they cool and then you can press them down further when you add the cookie dough on top. 
*** The cookie dough topping will have the texture of regular cookie dough, so be sure to beat your sugar and butter really well until light and fluffy. Also, let the vanilla and milk beat in for a few minutes.  This will help the slight grittiness from the sugar.
**** I'm not sure if packaged brownie mix would work for these, but if you do go that route, stick with fudgy, thin brownies so you don't end up with monster tall bars.

Best Damn Pumpkin Dessert, Period!

Yes, that is the title. And, it's pretty accurate I must say.

I made these bars/dessert/plain goodness for a dinner we had with some friends. Everyone loved these and had seconds and thirds! 

A doctored cake mix is used for both the crust and topping. And sandwiched between the two, is a spicy layer of creamy pumpkin filling. This dessert is a cross between pumpkin pie and a pumpkin bar. The buttery, cakey topping makes this dessert stand out.

The crust and topping are studded with toasted pecans which gives this dessert a nice texture and flavor. The pumpkin layer in the middle is rich and creamy and has a nice balance of sweet and spice.

This dessert has a few steps, but it's really simple to make. It can be served plain or dressed up with ice cream or whipping cream. (Plus, the leftovers go extremely well with coffee in the morning!)

* * * * * * * * * 

Pumpkin Dessert

Inspired by: Slight Detour

Preheat oven to 350

CRUST:

1 Box yellow cake mix (Reserve 1 1/4 cups and set aside)

1/2 cup melted butter

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup pecans, chopped and toasted

Mix cake mix (minus the 1 1/4 cup), melted butter, beaten egg and nuts until combine. Press into a 9x13 greased pan.

FILLING:

1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin puree

4 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2/3 cup evaporated milk

2 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg
A pinch ground ginger and cloves

1/4 tsp salt

Mix together above filling ingredients until smooth (mixture is runny, but just keep beating it with a fork until you have a smooth consistency and all the spices are blended in). Pour filling over the crust.

TOPPING:

Reserved 1 1/4 cups cake mix

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup pecans, chopped and toasted

5 Tablespoons butter, softened

Mix together topping ingredients until crumbly. Gently scatter mixture over filling.

Bake @ 350 for 50-60 minutes. Cool and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

My Notes:

* My pumpkin dessert was done at 57 minutes. The topping was golden brown and the filling was set (no giggle) when I took it out of the oven.

* I served a scoop of Dryers Pumpkin Ice Cream on the side. Eggnog or vanilla would be tasty too.

Caramel Pecan Bars

These caramel bars are incredible! The crust is so buttery and rich and the honey pecan topping is just divine. Plus, these are a snap to put together (after making Ian Garten's version that is).

They would make a nice bite-size treat for Thanksgiving. Come to think of it, you could probably throw a pinch of pumpkin pie spice in the recipe (maybe in the crust?) to add a nice festive flavor. Yum!

Once they're complete cooled and cut, it's hard to have just one. In fact, it's impossible!

My only problem with these was with the amount of butter in the crust. It was way too much! It pooled on top of the crust while it was baking and the bars came out of the oven oozing with butter. Once they cooled to room temperature they setup up fine, but I think 3/4 cup butter (in the crust) or even less would be perfect. The buttery flavor would still be just as delicious.

That aside, these are so good and very addicting. They would be a perfect treat for Thanksgiving or any holiday table.

Caramel Pecan Bars

Makes about 24 squares

Shortbread

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter, cut into one inch cubes

Caramel Pecan Topping
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons maple syrup, opt.

3 tablespoons heavy cream

3 1/2 cups pecans, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and line with parchment paper, if desired.

Mix the flour and sugar together in a bowl. Add the cubed butter and cut into the flour mixture with a fork or pastry cutter until the butter is the size of small peas. Press into the prepared baking dish and bake until it just starts to turn golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Decrease oven to 300.

In another bowl, mix together the melted butter, honey, maple syrup (if using), brown sugar, and heavy cream. Add the pecans and stir until all the pecans are coated. Pour on top of the baked crust and spread evenly. Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes.

Cool completely before slicing.

Pretzel-Shortbread Bars

A delicious combination of sweet and salty with a distinct crunch from buttery pretzels in the bar and sprinkled on top. These would make a fun, quirky treat to take to a party! 

My only change was to add a teaspoon of vanilla to the dough and use an 8 x 8 in sq. glass pan. I read some reviews on Martha Stewart and they said a 9x9 pan made these too thin, so use an 8x8.  These bars  are a tad crumbly, so an extra tablespoon or two of butter may help.

Pretzel-Shortbread Bars
Source: Martha Stewart
Ingredients
Vegetable oil cooking spray
3 1/4 cups salted miniature twist pretzels
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat a 4 14-by-13 1/2-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom with cooking spray. Line bottom with parchment.
Pulse 1 3/4 cups pretzels in a food processor until powdery. Transfer 1/2 cup to a bowl; discard any remaining pretzel powder. Stir in flour and baking powder. Transfer remaining 1 1/2 cups pretzels to food processor, and pulse a few times until coarsely chopped.
Beat butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and beat in egg yolk, then pretzel-flour mixture, until combined. Mix in 1/2 cup chopped pretzels.
Press dough evenly into pan. Top dough with 1/4 cup chopped pretzels, pressing slightly; discard any remaining pretzels.
Bake shortbread until pale brown and firm in the center, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let shortbread cool for 1 hour. Remove shortbread from pan, and cut into 1/2-inch-wide rectangles using a serrated knife.

Peanut Butter Bars

I was a little skeptical about these bars because they were so easy to make and required no baking. But they turned out really well and were very tasty and addicting. They taste like peanut butter cups in bar form. Yum!

* * * * * * *

Here we go...

Melt Butter

 Stir in 2 cups of crushed graham cracker crumbs

 And 2 cups of powdered sugar

 And 1 cup of creamy peanut butter

(I had crunchy peanut butter on hand, so my bars turned out, well, more crunchy)

 Mix it all together

 Press into a 9x13 dish

 Spread Chocolate on and refrigerate. 

Cut and serve. That's it!

I tried two different chocolate toppings for fun. On one half I did the chocolate topping called for in the recipe (pictured below, right half) and on the other half I melted mini peanut butter cups from Trader Joes and spread that on and then sprinkled cut up pieces of peanut butter cups on top of that. Both combinations were tasty, but the recipe topping makes it taste more like Reese's Peanut Butter cups. But really, you can't go wrong with any peanut butter/chocolate combo.

 These are great because you can make them in advance and refrigerate them until ready to serve. I cut some this morning after chilling all night and they were nice and soft and cut really easy.

Peanut Butter Bars

source: allrecipes.com

Ingredients
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
4 tablespoons peanut butter

Directions
In a medium bowl, mix together the butter or margarine, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
In a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

* I refrigerated the peanut butter bar part for about 20 minutes before spreading on the melted chocolate, then popped them back into the refrigerator.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

 These cookie bars are a yummy treat and super easy to whip anytime you're craving something sweet!

These bars are soft and buttery and can be made with any combination of your favorite chocolate chips, dried fruit and nuts.


I divided the dough in half and made one dark chocolate and cherry batch and one white chocolate, toasted pecan and cherry batch.

Both variations were delicious! 

Try this recipe and use it as a base to add you favorite chips etc., I'm sure you'll love them!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

3/4 cup packed brown sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon molasses (opt.)

2 eggs

1 (12 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts (opt.)

Preheat oven to 375* Grease a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, both sugars and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in molasses. Gradually beat flour mixture into butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Spread into prepared pan.

Bake 10-13 minutes or until golden brown. Start watching these at about 9 minutes and make sure they don't brown too quickly! Pull them out of the oven when they are golden on top.


Variations:
* 1/4 cup peanut butter, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips
* White chocolate chips, dried cherries

* Dried cherries, toasted pecans and dark chocolate
* Butterscotch chips and toasted pecans

Caramel White Chocolate Bars

These are insanely good. Very addicting. A buttery brown sugar crust is topped with melted caramel, white chocolate chips, chopped pecans and more brown sugar crust and then baked to a golden perfection. Between the caramel and white chocolate these are sweet! You may want to add a pinch of salt to the top crust or caramel for a yummy sweet and salty combo. But these are tasty as is!

Caramel White Chocolate Bars

Ingredients
32 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
5 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (or semi-sweet chips)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt together the caramels and heavy cream, stirring occasionally until smooth.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir in the melted butter until well blended. Press Half of the mixture into the bottom of a 9x9 inch baking pan. Reserve the rest.

Bake the crust for 8 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove and sprinkle with white chocolate chips and pecans. Pour the caramel mixture over the top and then crumble the remaining crust mixture over everything. Press down slightly.

Return to the oven and bake for an additional 12 minutes, or until the top is lightly toasted. Wait until completely cooled before cutting into squares.

inspired by allrecipes.com

Grandma's Blueberry Squares

Growing up, my grandma used to have dinner at her house every Sunday. Every meal she prepared always ended with a dessert of some kind, always. I don't think I've ever dined at her house and not had dessert. Maybe that's where my sweet tooth comes from?! 

These delicious blueberry squares were requested at the last family birthday party and everyone loved them! It had been awhile since I had these and I forgot how good they were. 


Buttery moist cake is layered with blueberry filling and topped with a zesty frosting. They're wonderful served plain, with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.

Grandma's Blueberry Squares


1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup butter
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 can wilderness blueberry pie filling
Ground nutmeg


LEMON FROSTING
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice


Cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Add baking powder and salt. Mix. Add flour and mix until well blended.
Spread half of the dough in a 9 X 13 pan. Carefully spread blueberry pie filling over dough. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Drop remaining dough from a teaspoon evenly over blueberries. Carefully spread dough with fingers to cover as much as possible. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes until done. Insert toothpick to test for doneness.


To make lemon frosting, combine powdered sugar, melted butter and lemon juice and blend well. Spread on baked portion while still warm. Cut into squares.

Coconut-Almond-Crusted Brownies

These chocolate brownies are fudgy and rich and are topped with a delicious mixture of flaked coconut, chopped almonds and chocolate chips. I also used butterscotch chips because the ladies I was making them for like that flavor. The topping also has a pinch of salt in it which gives these brownies a nice sweet and salty flavor. 

These brownies are pure deliciousness!

Coconut-Almond-Crusted Brownies
adapted from Gourmet, 1996 - Inspired by this tasty blog

For topping
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
3/4 cup almonds (or pecans, walnuts), chopped
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4-1/2 c. mini-chocolate chips (I also used butterscotch)
For brownie layer
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 large eggs
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
More mini-chocolate chips, to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F. and butter and flour an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan, knocking out excess flour.

Make topping:
In a bowl stir together topping ingredients EXCEPT chocolate chips until combined well. When topping has cooled, add chocolate chips.

Make brownie layer
In a 1 1/2-quart saucepan melt butter over moderately low heat--or melt butter in large glass bowl in microwave. Remove pan from heat and stir in sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition. Into a bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt and stir into butter mixture until just combined well.

Spread batter evenly in pan, sprinkle with additional mini chocolate chips and topping. Bake brownies in middle of oven 30 to 35 minutes, or until a tester comes out with crumbs adhering to it. Cover with foil for last 15 minutes. DON'T overcook. They will seem a little gooey due to the melted chocolate pieces and the topping will be browned. Cool brownies completely in pan on a rack before cutting into small squares. Brownies keep, layered between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container at cool room temperature, 5 days.

These are excellent served hot with a scoop of high-quality vanilla bean ice cream.

Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

I love frosted sugar cookies! They're one of my favorite treats. I don't know what it is about a soft, pillowy sugary cookie topped with creamy vanilla frosting, but I love it. When I was pregnant with my second baby, I craved sugar cookies the entire third trimester and that never went away.

This recipe is really quick and very satisfying. The cookie part taste just like a rolled out sugar cookie, but without all the work. You simply mix up the dough, press it into a pan (note the large pan size) and bake. The frosting is also really quick and very yummy. If you love sugar cookies, you must give this recipe a try!

Here is the yummy sugar cookie dough (not that I would ever sneak some dough). I halved the recipe and pressed it into a 9-in fluted tart pan, just for fun and presentation.

Here is the baked giant sugar cookie awaiting a glorious topping of vanilla, almond frosting.

Spread out the creamy goodness...

For a splash of color and because my four year old insisted, I added rainbow sprinkles to finish off the cookie. You can use any sprinkles you want and also tint the frosting.

This sugar cookie is as good as it looks. The cookie is soft, but has a nice dense texture and a delicious flavor from the vanilla and almond extracts. The frosting is light and fluffy and has the perfect amount of sweetness. The sprinkles on top give it a good crunch and add a nice touch of color.

Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
1 cup butter, at room temperature I halved the recipe and used a 9 x 9 tart pan

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract I used 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp almond extract

5 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 13 x 18 inch sheet pan and line with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixture, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium high. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Add the vanilla. Add the flour mixture in 2 addition, mixing until just combined.

Press the cookie dough into the sheet pan, using a greased spatula or parchment paper to spread it evenly. Bake for 10-15 minutes until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool completely.

Buttercream frosting

1/2 cup shortening I halved the frosting recipe too

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

4 cups confectioners sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract 

4-5 tablespoons milk

Pinch of salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the shortening and butter until combined and smooth. Add the vanilla and salt and mix until combined. Add the confectioners sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Cream together on medium high for about a minute. Add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until smooth. 

Spread onto cooled cookie. Slice into bars and serve.

Inspired By: therepressedpastrychef

Makes 24 bars

Since I baked mine in a round fluted tart pan, I cut the cookie into wedges instead of bars. 

Also, note the pan size if you're making the full recipe. It's 13 x 18!