Category Archives: Bars and Cookies

Bars and squares, cut out cookies, drop cookies, shaped cookies, filled cookies

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies, Holiday and tagged with , , , ,
Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

Cookies made from a boxed cake mix—one of my favorite kinds to make when I’m in a hurry and need a sweet fix!.. They only take about 5 minutes of your time, and they come out delicious and chewy!..  Just think,  you can use any flavor of cake mix in this recipe to make crinkle cookies;  ones that are particularly good are lemon, chocolate, and this one.   I chose the Red Velvet for now, because they look so festive.  I’m also considering using a white cake mix and tinting the batter a light green.  The two kinds together on a plate, red and green with white sugar coating, oooooh, so pretty!

RED VELVET CRINKLE COOKIESIMG_1812

INGREDIENTS:

  • 6 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 large eggs
  • 18.25  oz. box Red Velvet Cake Mix
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line 2 cookie sheets with a silicon mat or parchment paper.  Place powdered sugar in a shallow bowl and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, combine butter, eggs and red velvet cake mix until there are no large lumps left.
  • Roll dough into 1 inch balls ( about 1 Tablespoon worth of dough.) and roll in powdered sugar.

  • Roll balls of dough in powdered sugar.

    Roll balls of dough in powdered sugar.

  •  Place on cookie sheets, leaving about 2 inches for spreading.

  • Place on cookie sheets and allow room for spreading.

    Place on cookie sheets and allow room for spreading.

  • Bake for 8 – 10 minutes, or until the tops have cracked and they look set ( the centers will still be gooey)  Let sit for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

  • Place on a cooling rack to cool.

    Place on a cooling rack to cool.

  • May be stored in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.
Good on their own, but better with vanilla ice-cream.

Good on their own, but better with vanilla ice-cream.

These cookies are wonderful served with some vanilla ice-cream.

SOURCE:   Duncan Hines.com

Continuing the Baking Traditions

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies, Holiday and tagged with , , , , , , ,
Scandinavian Kringla Cookies

Scandinavian Kringla Cookies

As we now count down the weeks and days until Christmas, I will be doing a lot of baking.  It seems as though every weekend brings some event that I will be bringing baked goods to.  The first of these takes place  this weekend at our church where we will be having a “Christmas Cookie Walk”.  This has become an annual tradition where many of the women of the church bake cookies and package  them in half dozen amounts, attractively and creatively presented.  The townspeople look forward to this event and come in “droves” to purchase our home baked bars and cookies.

Baking cookies for the Holidays has been going on in my family for a long time.  For me, baking the same recipes that my mother and grandmother baked is a connection to the past, and like me my daughter also bakes some of these same recipes.  So we are carrying on those same baking traditions.

IMG_1816

I am making two kinds of cookies for our “Cookie Walk”.  One is an old Scandinavian recipe called Kringla that I am happy to share with you today.  The other is a Red Velvet Crinkle cookie.  I will be telling you about that one in my next post.

Kringla is a somewhat plain, not too sweet cookie with a mild anise flavor, made from a dough made tender by the addition of sour cream, and a little butter.  The dough is easy to work with in forming the “ropes” that you shape into the cookie.  Initially, after mixing , the dough is somewhat sticky, but I let it chill for about an hour, and then find it smooth and shapeable. Kids will like forming loops and twists with this easy to handle dough. Because they are pale in color, using decorative sugar to decorate them gives them a festive appearance.  A cup of hot coffee or a glass of cold milk is a must when enjoying Kringla.

KRINGLA

YIELD:   Makes about 48 cookies

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3  3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

    Anise is available as either crushed or whole seeds,or as an extract.

    Anise is available as either crushed or whole seeds,or as an extract.

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 Tablespoon water
  • 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 Tablespoon butter, melted
  • 1/4 teaspoon anise extract, or  1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • coarse or fine decorating sugar

1.  In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

2.  In a small bowl or cup lightly whisk together the egg white and water, set aside.

3.  In a large bowl, beat together the egg yolks, sugar, milk, sour cream, melted butter and anise extract, (or vanilla)

Cream together the sugar, egg, butter, sour cream, and anise extract

Cream together the sugar, egg, butter, sour cream, and anise extract

4.  Using a wooden spoon stir in the flour mixture until combined.  The dough will be stiff and sticky.  Cover the dough and  chill for about an hour.

5.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease 2-3 cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

6.  On a well floured surface, drop about 1 tablespoon of dough. Roll dough into a 5- or 8-inch long rope.

Roll small balls of dough into ropes either 5 inches or 8 inches long.

Roll small balls of dough into ropes either 5 inches or 8 inches long.

On the prepared cookie sheet, shape a 5-inch rope into a ring, crossing it over itself about 1 inch from ends.

Form dough into a circle and cross the ends.

Form dough into a circle and cross the ends.

Or fold an 8-inch rope in half and twist three times; seal ends with egg white mixture.

Fold dough in half and twist three times.

Fold dough in half and twist three times.

Repeat with the remaining dough, placing shapes 2-inches apart on the cookie sheets.

7.  Brush cookies with egg white mixture, and sprinkle with decorating sugar.

Brush with egg white and decorate with sugar.

Brush with egg white and decorate with sugar.

8.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until bottoms are a light golden brown.  Transfer to a wire rack and cool.

Baked and cooling on a wire rack.

Baked and cooling on a wire rack.

Enjoy Kringla with a cup of coffee or a glass of cold milk.

Enjoy Kringla with a cup of coffee or a glass of cold milk.

To bake ahead and store: After baking, place cookies in layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container.  Store in a cool area.  They may also be frozen for up to 3 months.

SOURCE;   My Mom’s recipe box.

Sweet Potato Cookies

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies, Holiday and tagged with , , , , , ,

Sweet Potato Cutout Cookies

These cookies share one of the traditional flavors of Fall and Thanksgiving:  sweet potatoes.  I like to make them for any children who may be at my Thanksgiving Table, as not all of them like pie, preferring ice cream and cookies instead.  This year I have added two new cookie cutters to my collection; a turkey and a pumpkin, and I wanted to try them out, and since I am cooking sweet potatoes for a side dish, the small amount needed for this recipe allows me to make two things at once.  I like that!

These cookies are a kind of takeoff on the traditional Thanksgiving casserole of Baked Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallow Topping.  I have made some minor adaptations to make them less sweet, and don’t usually frost them with the Marshmallow Frosting, but if calories are not a concern by all means top the cookies with the frosting.  You may also brush the tops with a little egg white before baking,  sprinkle with sugar and add a pecan or other piece of nut to garnish them.

What I did for the cookies pictured here is make an Ornamental frosting with egg white, confectioners’ sugar, and a little vanilla.  Then lightly frost them, like a glaze, and sprinkle with decorative sugar.

They are not a sweet cookie so they can take a small amount of frosting.  Children will like them for the shapes, and the frosting, not realizing they are getting some good nutrition from the sweet potatoes.   I haven’t tried it yet, but I think you could make them with pumpkin instead of sweet potatoes, since both are so similar as to be interchangeable .

SWEET POTATO COOKIES

Type of cookie:  Rolled cutout.   Makes about 15 large cookies

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon cinnamon  (Seems like a lot of spices, but this is no mistake.)
  • 1 Tablespoon ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 cup ( 1 stick) butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup cooked and mashed sweet potato
  • 1 egg white lightly beaten with a little water
  • 1/2 cup pecan halves, or other nut pieces
  • Marshmallow Frosting, (optional.)   Recipe follows.

1.  Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and pepper in a medium bowl; set aside.

2.  Cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and sweet potato and beat well.

3.  Add the flour mixture and blend well.  Form the dough into a flat disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Grease 2 cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

5.  Roll the dough out on a floured work surface to 3/8 inch thick.  Cut with a 3-inch cookie cutter.  Place the shapes on the cookie sheets 2 inches apart.

6.  Brush the cookies with the egg white mixture, and press a nut piece into the center of each cookie.

7.  Bake for 15 – 18 minutes, until lightly browned.  Let cool on the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks to finish cooling.

Turkey Cutout Cookies

Pumpkin Cutout Cookies

MARSHMALLOW FROSTING

  • 2 Tablespoons milk
  • 6 Tablespoons sugar
  • mini-marshmallows
  • 2 Tablespoons boiling water
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.  In a saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the milk and sugar for 6 minutes without stirring.

2.  In a double boiler heat the marshmallows.  When they are very soft add boiling water, stirring until smooth.

3.  Remove from heat.  Add the vanilla.  With an electric mixer on medium speed beat in the hot sugar, keep beating until partly cool.  Use at once.

Pretty and Inviting. Garnished with a pistachio nut and decorative sugars.

SOURCE:   Crazy about Cookies by Krystina Castella

Pumpkin Butterscotch Granola Bars

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies, Snacks and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Pumpkin Butterscotch Granola Bars

Are you tired of recipes with pumpkin?  I hope not, because this is another one, and as long as no one raises a red flag and shouts STOP, they’ll probably keep coming.  You know me and pumpkin by now, so as long as a recipe has the “P” word in it, I’m on it.

These are the BEST Granola Bars I have ever made.  I know that because my husband told me so, and I believe what he says.  🙂

Seriously, they are awfully good tasting, but also hold their shape without crumbling and cut nicely when cool.  They make a nutritional after school snack, or lunch box treat.  You can wrap them individually in wax paper or parchment paper and freeze them so they are available to grab on short notice.  Actually mine never made it to the freezer, because as you are chewing the last bite of the first one, your hand will be reaching for another one so in my house they didn’t last long.  Give them a try and I think you’ll agree with me —they are the best!

PUMPKIN BUTTERSCOTCH GRANOLA BARS

YIELD:  makes 20 – 24 bars depending on how you cut them.

1.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and prepare a 13″ x 9″ pan with a sheet of parchment paper  lining the bottom.

2.  Get these ingredients ready:

  • 4 cups oats, preferably old fashioned whole oats, but quick oats work, too.

    Get all the ingredients ready in advance.

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/3 cups slivered or sliced almonds
  • 1/2 cup pepitas ( I used toasted sunflower seeds)
  • 11 ounces butterscotch chips ( 1 bag)

3   In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, and vegetable oil, mixing until the oats are well coated.

4.  Add the honey and the  brown sugar, pumpkin and cinnamon and salt and mix to combine.

5.  Add the almonds and pepitas and mix in.

6.  Stir in the butterscotch chips.

7.  Transfer the granola to the prepared pan and spread it out evenly.

8.  Bake the bars at 325 degrees for 30 minutes and then press down hard with a spatula.

9.  Bake for another 20 minutes.

10.  Let cool completely before cutting into bars.  Wrap individually and store in an air-tight container, or freeze.

PUMPKIN BUTTERSCOTCH GRANOLA BARS, a delicious snack.

SOURCE:    blog:  Heather Christo Cooks

Mexican Spiced Shortbread Cookies

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Chocolate shortbread cookies with a little “kick” to them—-Oh, my!  The combination of chocolate, cinnamon and chile peppers is unbelievable; and the buttery, tender cookies just melt in your mouth.  Really they do!  The recipe has been making the rounds in my neighborhood  since one person brought them to our July 4th celebration, and everyone wanted the recipe.  They are that good!…I’ve made them twice since then and I expect I’ll be making them again for the Holidays.

MEXICAN SPICED SHORTBREAD COOKIES

YIELD:  Makes  3 dozen cookies

COOKIES

  • 6.75 ounces all-purpose flour  (about 1  1/2 cups )
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon chipotle chile pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon ancho chile pepper
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar

ICING

  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup 1 % milk
  • 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

NUTS

  • 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon butter, softened
  • 36 small pecan halves

PROCEDURE

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Baking sheets, un- greased, or parchment lined.

2.  Weigh or measure flour.  Combine flour, cocoa and next 4 ingredients (through ancho chile powder) in a bowl;  Stir with a whisk to blend.

3.  Place 1/2 cup butter in a large mixer bowl;  beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.  Gradually add oil;  Beat about 3 minutes till well blended.  Gradually add  3/4 cup powdered sugar, beat well.  Add flour mixture; beat at low speed till well blended.  Cover and chill for at least an hour.  This dough becomes quite soft as you mix it and needs to be well chilled before continuing.  I chilled mine overnight.

Ready for the Oven.

4.  Shape dough into 36 balls.  Place 2-inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.  Flatten cookies to 1/4-inch thickness.  Keep formed cookies on a baking sheet in the refrigerator prior to baking so they don’t spread too much in the oven.  Bake at 325 degrees for 18-20 minutes.  Cool 1 minute on baking sheet, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Out of the Oven.

5.  To prepare icing, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add 1/2 cup brown sugar and milk; This mixture will look curdled.   Cook 1 minute or until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly.  Bring to a boil;  reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat;  cool to room temperature.  Add powdered sugar and vanilla,  stirring with a whisk until smooth.

6.  To prepare nuts, combine 1 teaspoon brown sugar, sea salt and 1 teaspoon butter in a medium bowl.  Arrange pecans on a baking sheet.  Bake at 325 for 10 minutes or until toasted.  Add hot pecans to butter mixture, tossing well to coat.  Cool.

7.  Spread 1 teaspoon icing over each cookie;  top each with 1 pecan half.

SOURCE:  Unknown

Chewy Granola Bars

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies, Snacks and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When September and back-to-school time rolls around I always think of these bars.  That’s because my children loved them and I always made them to have as after school snacks, or to pack in lunch boxes.  I still make them because Mr. D. likes them a lot and I like to have them around for a healthy snack.

These bars can be customized to your taste by the addition of your favorite fruits and nuts or chips.  They are a great way to use up small amounts of fruits, or chips left over from another recipe.  They also freeze well and pack well so you can have them available all the time.  They can easily go along on a hike, a car trip, or camping.  What I like to do is wrap each square individually in plastic wrap, place in a covered container in the freezer, and take out the desired number as needed.  Last weekend Mr. D, and his friend went fishing for the day, and took some of these bars along to munch on.  His friend called to thank me and tell me how much he liked them.

These bars smell wonderful as they are baking, and eating one leads to wanting  another one, so they don’t last long.  It’s good to make a double recipe if you want to have a quantity on hand;  some to eat, and some to freeze.

CHEWY GRANOLA BARS

YIELD:  about 1 dozen bars, cut 2″ x 4 1/2″

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/3 cups oat flour  (or 1/3 cup quick oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2-3 cups mixed dried fruit and nuts (example: cranberries, apricots, dates, raisins, coconut, almonds, walnuts, chocolate chips)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 1/4 cup honey, maple syrup, or corn syrup
  • 1 Tablespoon water

DIRECTIONS

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 13″ x 9 ” pan.

2.  Stir together all the dry ingredients including fruits and nuts.

3.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter, syrup or honey and water.

4.  Toss the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients until the mixture is evenly crumbly.

5.  Spread in prepared pan to evenly cover the bottom and pat down gently.

6.  Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.  Remove from oven, loosen the edges and let cool for 5 minutes.

7.  Use a knife ( or bench knife) to cut bars while still warm.  Cool on rack.  Wrap individually to store or with parchment paper between the layers in an air tight container.  These bars freeze well.

SOURCE:   King Arthur Flour

Brown Butter White Chocolate Pretzel Blondies

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Brown Butter Blondies with White Chocolate M & M’s and Pretzels

I do believe I’m becoming a convert to blondies.  I used to think they were sort of second-rate to “real” brownies.  But since early Spring when I first started writing this blog,  I’ve found three recipes for blondies, all of which appealed to me enough to want to make them.

I’ve been saving this recipe since late winter/early spring when it was featured for Easter using pastel colored M & M’s.  My thought at the time was that it could easily be adapted to any time of year just by changing the M & M’s.  So this past week, when I saw white chocolate M & M’s on display for Halloween I grabbed them and thought “now is the time to try that recipe”.

These squares are so easy and quick to make– mixed by hand, no need to get out your mixer–and so pretty to serve with the colorful M & M’s.  They taste a little salty from the pretzels, have crunch from the  pretzels and candy, and the browned butter provides a nutty background flavor to all of it.   My only concern about these bars is related to the salt content.  Unsalted butter is not specified but I would recommend it, since the pretzels add salt and the recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  If you use salted butter, cut back the added salt to 1/4 teaspoon, since browning the butter adds to its saltiness.

BROWN BUTTER WHITE CHOCOLATE PRETZEL BLONDIES

SERVINGS:   24 squares

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup butter, browned and cooled
  • 1 1/2 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup pretzels, crushed
  • 1 cup white chocolate M & M’s ( or white chocolate chips)

Browned Butter

1.  Begin by browning your butter.  Use a light colored pan rather than one with a dark interior, so you can see the color change in the butter.  Allow the butter to melt over low heat,  once melted raise heat to medium and let butter cook, watching it all the while for a color change to golden brown.  This can take from 2-3 minutes, but it will happen quickly.  Remove from the heat at that point, otherwise it will burn.  Allow to cool.

2.  Crush the pretzels:  Place in a zip-lock bag and crush with a rolling pin or meat mallet.  They will be a variety of sizes. Break some of the larger pieces with your hands.  Large pretzel pieces will make it difficult to cut the squares, but you don’t want them to be all crumbs either.

3.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 13″ x 9″ pan with foil, and spray the foil with non-stick spray.

4.  In a medium bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients.

5.  In a large bowl, mix butter with brown sugar, stirring until all the sugar is saturated with the butter.  Add eggs and vanilla, stir to combine well.

6.  Fold in dry ingredients using a spatula.  Don’t overmix.

7.  Add in pretzels and white chocolate M & M’s and stir to distribute.

8.  Transfer to prepared pan and bake for 22-25 minutes.  The top will be shiny and somewhat crackled.  A toothpick should test clean.  Remove from oven and cool on rack.

Ready for the Oven.

Out of the Oven.

     

SOURCE:   Cook’s Illustrated New Best Recipes

Soft Oatmeal Cookies with Biscoff Glaze

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies and tagged with , , , , , ,

These cookies are so seriously good that I have to give them away. Yes, I do, because I could eat the whole batch all by myself.

Am I the only person who did not know about Biscoff Spread until now? I really hope its a new product on the market, otherwise I’ve been missing out on something so good I don’t have words to describe it. Its thick and spreadable like peanut butter, but made from Biscoff cookies, so there are no nuts in it—great for folks with nut allergies. It’s all natural and vegan, and it can be used just like peanut butter. Where to find it? Check your grocery store in the section where peanut butter and Nutella are located, or I’ve heard it can be found at Walmart, or at Amazon.com.

I learned about Biscoff Spread from another blogger that I follow and from whom I got this recipe. Ordinarily I’m not overly fond of oatmeal cookies, but these are the best I’ve ever had. Soft and moist, they melt in your mouth, and the glaze on top—oh my, its sooooo good. If you’re a little tired of run-of-the-mill chocolate chip cookies, give these a try. In the words of my favorite taste tester, “these cookies offer a new experience for your taste buds”.

OATMEAL COOKIES WITH BISCOFF GLAZE

The recipe says it will make 18 cookies, but I got 28. I guess my cookie scoop is smaller than what is specified in the directions but that’s OK, ‘cuz then I can have two.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 cups quick oats You can use regular oats, but the flakes in the cookies will be larger.
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 & 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 stick unsalted butter ( 4 oz.)
  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 6 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

GLAZE INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/4 cup Biscoff Spread
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 & 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons light corn syrup

DIRECTIONS FOR COOKIES

1. Whisk together all the dry ingredients, oats through flour. Set aside.

2. In a large mixer bowl, cream the butter, oil, and sugar. Add egg and beat until fluffy. Beat in yogurt and vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed.

3. Add in the flour mixture in 3 additions, and mix just to incorporate. Refrigerate the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a 2 tablespoon size cookie scoop to place dough onto prepared sheets.

5. Bake at 350 for 12–14 minutes, till light brown. Cool on wire rack.

6. While cookies bake, make the glaze. Whisk or beat all the ingredients together till smooth. Add more milk or sugar if needed to achieve a pourable consistency.

7. Place a cooling rack on a parchment lined baking sheet and put all the cookies on the rack very close together.

Pour glaze over cookies. It will spread and smooth out, and after about 30 minutes will become set. Store in an air-tight container.

SOURCE: BAKE AT 350

Ballroom Dancing and Brownies

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies, Snacks and tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

A few dancers on the floor.

I need to start getting myself geared up and thinking like a competitor. November is not so far away, when I will be out there on the dance floor dancing my heart out for the judges. That’s pretty much why I’m following my current diet plan. Besides that, I need to get totally immersed in ballroom dancing, and step up to the training that’s involved when I compete. When I’m not thinking about foods and cooking (and writing about it), I’m involved with my dance lessons. I take two private lessons and attend group classes –as many as I can manage–in a week. But that’s my usual routine. I will be increasing my lessons to 3/week and trying to get in as much dancing as I can to increase my tolerance and stamina. It’s a matter of really ramping up my activity level, working hard and keeping focused. Ballroom dancing is like any sport, needing strong muscles, balance, rhythm, and being aware of every part of your body as well as being in top physical condition. If you watched any of the Olympic athletes, I’m sure you have an appreciation for that.

The ladies’ gowns are so beautiful.

Well this past weekend I took some time out to attend a local, regional competition just to watch the dancers and to attend the banquet at the end of it all. There’s nothing like a competition to get you in the mood for competing. It’s a friendly environment with all the dancers supporting each other and people like me cheering them on. One thing I know about dancing is that it makes you hungry, and snacks as a source of energy, for those who are dancing, are always welcome. So I baked some brownies to bring along.

I’m not sure if my idea for these brownies is original or if I perhaps read about using pretzels with brownies in one of the many blogs I read, or some other source, but I did not have a recipe. What I did have was a package of peanut butter filled pretzels, so I decided to incorporate them into a nice fudgey brownie, ice the brownies with chocolate peanut butter ganache and put more pretzels on top. More is always better with me, as in: “you can never have too much of a good thing”. And when it comes to anything chocolate usually peanut butter is a good companion. I must confess that in this instance I took a shortcut and used a boxed brownie mix. Ghirardelli Brownie Mix is absolutely the best!

Another view of the dance floor.

PEANUT BUTTER PRETZEL BROWNIES

SERVINGS: 30

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom of a 13″ x 9″ pan.

Prepare the brownie mix as the package directs for fudge brownies.

Crush about 1 cup of peanut butter filled pretzel bites, keeping some of the pieces large. ( mine were Clancy’s brand ) The easiest way to do this is put the pretzels in a zip-lock bag and pound lightly with a meat tenderizer, or rolling pin.

Pour half the brownie batter in the pan, sprinkle on the cup of pretzels, cover with the remaining brownie batter. Bake as directed on the package.

Let brownies cool completely in the pan. Ice with chocolate peanut butter ganache. Cut the brownies into squares ( 5 across by 6 down), and place one whole pretzel on top of each one.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER GANACHE

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 & 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

pinch salt

1. Place chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl.

2. Combine cream, peanut butter and salt over low heat. Stir until smooth. Increase heat to medium-low and, stirring constantly, heat until bubbles form along the edges of the pan.

3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and let sit for 5 minutes. The chips will become all melty like. Gently whisk the chocolate chips until the mixture is shiny and combined. Stop mixing when the mixture is combined or it will become kind of grainy. Let the ganache sit to thicken up a bit to spreading consistency. You can put it in the refrigerator, or place over a bowl of ice to speed this up if you are in a hurry.

4. Spread the ganache with an off-set spatula. Hide any left over ganache in the back of the refrigerator, because you will want to eat it with a spoon!

Chocolate Caramel Oatmeal Bars

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies and tagged with , , , , , , ,

I made these bar cookies this week for my husband to take to a meeting.  (He always signs up to bring a dessert.  I wonder why? ) Anyway, these can be put together pretty easily and the recipe makes a 13″ x 9″ pan full.  That way I get to keep about 6 squares for us at home and he takes the rest.  Any dessert with chocolate in it seems to call me repeatedly until its gone, so I have to protect myself from such temptation.

The basis of the cookie dough is a boxed yellow  cake mix to which butter, egg, and oatmeal is added to make a crumbly mixture.  Press half of it in the baking pan,  partially bake it, then layer chocolate chips and walnuts on top, drizzle with caramel syrup, and cover with the remaining crumb mixture.  Finish baking and Voila!  you have delicious, chewy, chocolaty bars.  Whenever I bring these somewhere, or serve them, I get asked for the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

Yield:  24 bars  Cut 6 rows x 4 rows

  • 1 boxed yellow cake mix
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups Quick Oats
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
  • 1 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1 cup caramel ice cream topping
  • 1 Tablespoon flour

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 13″ x 9″ pan.
  2. With electric mixer beat cake mix with the butter and egg till crumbly.  Stir in oats. Reserve 1 1/2 cup oat mixture.
  3. Press remaining crumbs into baking pan.   Bake  14 – 18 minutes until light golden brown.  Do not over bake.
  4. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts over hot crust.
  5. Mix caramel syrup with the 1 T. flour.  Drizzle over chips and nuts.
  6. Use the reserved crumb mixture to sprinkle over the top.  Pat down lightly.
  7. Bake for another 20 – 25 minutes till golden brown.  Its best not to over bake these as they will get very firm and hard to remove from the pan.  Allow to cool slightly, and run a knife around the edges to loosen caramel from pan while still warm.  When cooled completely, cut into bars.    Makes about 24 bars.

SOURCE:    Taste of Home Annual Recipes, 2000