Carmelitas

Yummy Yummy. . .
These Carmelitas are so good!
Crispy oatmeal cookie base with a layer of chocolate,
then a layer of gooey carmel topped with the cookie base.
You can make these even more sinful. . .
with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce to top it off.
My boys LOVED these, and my oldest son declared that we open up our own restaurant and serve this dessert.
I do agree, this dessert is Restaurant quality!




Carmelitas

What you need:

-1 jar Mrs. Richardson's Caramel/Butterscotch topping
-12 oz package chocolate chips (a good brand like Guittards or Ghiradelli)
-2 cups flour
-2 cups oatmeal (I use the quick or Instant Oatmeal)
-1 1/2 Cups brown sugar
-1 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 1/2 Cup butter, melted

How to make:

1. Combine flour, oatmeal, melted butter, brown sugar, baking soda, salt in mixing bowl. Press 1/2 mixture into the bottom of a greased 9 by 13 pan. Bake for 17 minutes at 325 degrees.

2. Take out and layer chocolate chips and then the jar of caramel/butterscotch topping. Crumble the remaining crumbs over the topping and return to oven to bake for another 17 minutes.

3. Remove from oven and let sit for at least 5 hours before serving. If you put it in the fridge you won't need to let it sit as long (1 or 2 hours).

4. Cut into bars and serve.

Option for serving: put a scoop of Vanilla ice cream on top of one Carmelita and drizzle chocolate sauce on top.

Yum! Enjoy.

Lemon Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This Lemon cake is Very Easy and Quick to make.
It is also so Yummy!
The Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting makes this cake irresistible.
The Cake is very soft and moist, just how you would want a lemon cake to be.
A perfect Spring or Summer dessert. This recipe makes a lot, so perfect for sharing with others or taking to a fun event.


Lemon Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
makes one cookie sheet pan

Cake Ingredients:
-1 lemon cake mix
-4 eggs
-1 can lemon pie filling

Mix the cake mix and the eggs together in a electric mixer. Mix on Medium speed for four minutes. With a spatula hand mix in pie filling until well combined. This dough is very sticky. Spread onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
-1 (8 ounces) package cream cheese
-1/4 butter, softened
-1 juice of one lemon
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-3-4 cups confectioners' sugar

Beat cream cheese and butter until completely combined. Then add lemon juice, and vanilla extract together until smooth and fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar 1 cup at a time until you get the consistency you like. It should be very creamy.

Frost the Lemon Sheet cake with the Cream Cheese Frosting. Garnish with fresh berries.
Enjoy!

Blondies

Yes, I am blond
and I love me some Blondies!
These little bars are so very good.
Butterscotch chips are usually used in blondies, this recipe uses White chocolate chips.
I think it gives the blondies a deeper and richer flavor and really brings out the brown sugar from the cookie base.
These are so very easy to make, hand mixes up in 10 minutes bakes in 25.
A great recipe to have your little kiddos help you with, if you choose.
Don't forget to eat these with a glass of cold milk, YUMMY!

Blondies
makes 24 in a 13 by 9 baking pan

What You Need:
-1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-1 teaspoon salt

-1 teaspoon Baking Powder
-12 Tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
-1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
-2 large eggs
-4 teaspoons vanilla extract
-1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
-1/2 cup white chocolate chips
-1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

How to make:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13 by 9 inch baking pan with foil or Parchment paper, and then grease the foil or parchment paper with Pam spray.

2. In a medium bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together.

3. In a large bowl, whisk the butter and brown sugar together. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until combined. Stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Stir in the chips and nuts.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake the blondies until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 22-25 minutes.

5. Let the Blondies cool completely in the pan for about 2 hours. Remove the blondies from the pan, cut into squares and Enjoy!


Source: America's Test Kitchen

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

My husband said that these were the BEST bar cookies he had EVER had!
Needless to say these are really very good bar cookies.
This recipe makes a lot, a yummy crowd pleaser.
If you want to make less, you can half the recipe and bake it in a 9 by 13 pan.
Enjoy!


Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

Makes a cookie sheet pan of bars

4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 sticks butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 large milk chocolate bar, chopped up
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)


1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle position. Spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside. Whisk the melted butter and sugars in a large bowl until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips and turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula.

3. Bake until the top of the bars is light golden brown, slightly firm to the touch, and edges start pulling away from sides of pan, 45-50 minutes. DO NOT OVER COOK. They may seem undercooked, however when they cool they will be perfectly chewy. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.

Apple Streusel Bars

This is the Second dessert that I Made for the Teachers dinner.
They are very similar to my recipe for Pie Bars found here.
The apple filling is so good and the Almond extract in the icing makes it even better.
I received such nice complements from all the teachers. They really enjoyed these bars and the other food that I prepared and brought to the school.
You can easily double this recipe, and make it in a cookie sheet pan.


Apple Streusel Bars
adapted from Our Best Bites

STEP 1
SWEET PASTRY:
2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. real butter, softened (no substitutions!)
1 egg, beaten

To prepare crust, mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two forks until you have pea-sized crumbles.
Gently mix in beaten egg.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Gently pat about 2/3 of the crumb mixture onto the bottom of the dish. Preheat oven to 350 and set aside.

STEP 2
APPLE FILLING:
1/2 c. white sugar
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 c. (about 3 medium) sliced, peeled baking apples ( Granny Smith or Gala)
To prepare apple filling, combine flour, sugar, and cinnamon and toss with apples.

Spread apples out on prepared crust. Sprinkle reserved crust mixture over apples evenly and bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.

When finished, allow to cool completely.

STEP 3
GLAZE:
2 c. powdered sugar
About 3 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. almond extract

To prepare glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, almond extract, and enough milk to achieve desired consistency.

Place glaze in a Ziploc bag and cut off a very small portion of one of the corners. (Or just use a fork(Drizzle glaze over cooled pastry and allow to harden (you can place it in the refrigerator to hurry things along). Cut into bars and serve.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bars

This is a classic Pumpkin bar recipe.
I mixed it up a little bit by adding a teaspoon of cinnamon in the frosting.
I also added below the recipe, ways you can make this pumpkin dessert lower in fat.
This recipe makes a whole cookie sheet worth of yummy pumpkin bars, so it is a great party dessert! It is always a crowd pleaser.
Enjoy!


Pumpkin Bars
adapted from Paula Dean

Bars:

• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
  
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 15-ounce can pumpkin
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:

• 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 1cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

3. To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and cinnamon mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

4. Cut into bars and serve!

LOW-FAT Options:
-replace half the oil with applesauce
-replaced 2 eggs with fat-free egg substitute
-use splenda sugar blend in place of part of the sugar
- use neufchatel cheese instead of cream cheese
-or instead of frosting use 1/2 cup of Dark Chocolate chips add a spoonfull of fat-free whipped topping

Peanut Butter Fingers

I Love these things!
But really, I love anything that involves chocolate and peanut butter.
I made these for a party the other night, and they were all eaten up fast.
Good thing I did not take any home,
or I would have been tempted to eat more of them.
They are so good!
Enjoy.

Peanut Butter Fingers

-3/4 cup butter, softened
-3/4 cup brown sugar
-3/4 cup sugar
-3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
-2 eggs

Mix well, then add. . .

-1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
-1 1/2 cup oatmeal (NOT the instant kind)
-1/2 t. salt
-3/4 t/ soda
-1 t. vanilla

Spread on a greased cookie sheet. (This is what I do: I spray Pam on my hands, then press down evenly around in the cookie sheet)

Bake at 35o degrees for 10 - 12 minutes (until barely brown on top, DO NOT OVERCOOK!)

While hot, very carefully spread about 1/2 -3/4 cup of creamy peanut butter on top of cookie.

Let that sit for about 10 minutes- no longer than that, you still want the pan to be warm. Now spread one can of chocolate frosting on top. ( I cheat and use store bought chocolate frosting, you can make your own)

Pie Bars

Oh, these are so good!
They don't taste exactly like Pie, but have more of a cake-like texture to them.
You can really change them up, by using different fruit pie fillings. Blueberry, raspberry, apple, cherry, blackberry, lemon, etc. You get the picture!
Also, you have to use the almond extract in the glaze. That is what makes these bars so irresistible!
I just made the Pie Bars for a Church 'Pioneer Picnic' pot-luck dinner.
I had many requests for the recipe.
This is a very original dessert, you won't find many other recipes like it.
You have got to try this recipe!

Pie Bars

-1 3/4 cup sugar
-1 cup butter
-1 tsp. vanilla
-4 eggs
-3 cups flour
-1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
-2, 21 ounce cans of any fruit pie filling OR 2, 18 ounce lemon pie filling

GLAZE:
-1 cup powder sugar
-2 Tbsp milk
-1/2 tsp. almond extract (you have to use Almond Extract)

HOW TO MAKE:
1. Cream sugar, butter, vanilla. Add eggs, flour, baking powder until all mixed together.
2. Grease jelly roll or cookie sheet pan.
3. Spread 2/3 batter in pan.
(This is kind of hard because the dough is sticky. So I spray Pam cooking spray on my hands and spread out the dough with my my greased hands)
4. Spread the pie filling on top of the dough. (I usually will do two different pie fillings, just for the variety)
5. Drop teaspoon full of the leftover batter, Swirl around and spread kind-of flat.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
7. Cool, then pour glaze on top.

Enjoy!!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars

These are one of my favorite Bar cookies!
They are a good crowd pleaser,
and make a great dessert to take to a pot-luck, family get together, or a just because you want something sweet to eat.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars

MIX:

- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup butter
- 2 eggs
-1 tsp vanilla

ADD:
-3 cups instant oats
-2 cups flour
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet)

Press into a ungreased jelly roll pan or cookie sheet, bake at 350 for 15-17 minutes.

When cooled, combine 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 1/2 TB water, and drizzle over cooled cookies.

**DO NOT OVERBAKE these. I would not cook them for more then 17 minutes. For some reason they are not good if they are too brown.

Lemon Bars

These Lemon Bars made an appearance at our
Father's Day dinner today.
My husband loves anything lemon, and lemon bars happen to be one of his favorites!
This recipe is from Bakerella, they turned out really good I will make this recipe again for sure.

Lemon Bars
adapted from Bakerella

Crust:
1 cup butter
1 3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup confectioner's sugar (plus more for dusting)

Topping:
1 1/2 cup plain sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup lemon juice


Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour a 9 X 13 pan

To make crust:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and confectioner's sugar
• Cut in butter until combined and crumbly.
• Press mixture into bottom of pan.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

To make topping:

• While crust is baking, prepare topping.
• In a larger bowl, add sugar, flour, and baking powder.
• Then add slightly beaten eggs and lemon juice.
• Mix well and pour on top of warm baked crust.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes.
• When cool, dust with confectioner's sugar and refrigerate.
• Cut into bars and enjoy them cold!

Blueberry Bars

It is not really blueberry season here in Michigan yet.
However, tonight I was talking with friends about how fun it was when we all went blueberry picking with our kids last August.
I remembered that I had made these delicious bars from the fresh blueberries that we picked.
So I went back into my 'blog files' and decided to share this recipe.
It is a great snack, or you can also serve it with Vanilla ice cream or Whipped cream for a really good dessert.

Blueberry Bars

-3 cups of blueberries
-3/4 cup sugar
-1/3 cup water
-2 Tablespoons cornstarch
-dash of salt
**Cook together all the above in a saucepan until bubbly and thick. Then set aside to cool.
-2 cups flour
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-2 cups quick oatmeal
-1 cup brown sugar
-1 cup of butter or shortening

**Mix all the dry ingredients then cut in shortening with a fork or pastry cutter.
**Pack 1/2 of mixture into a greased 13 by 9 pan. Spread berry mixture, and then top with remaining flour mixture. I then shake a little bit of cinnamon and sugar on top.
**bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bars

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bars
adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
12 ounces semi sweet chocolate chunks
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional - I left these out)

Preheat oven to 375. Whisk together dry ingredients and set aside. Beat butter, sugars, egg and vanilla till fluffy and add dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chunks and walnuts. Press into a greased 9x13 inch pan and bake for 16-17 minutes until light golden brown. I have also doubled the recipe and pressed into a large sheet pan (11X17) with great results.

A few tips: Don't overbake!!! They make look slightly underbaked but when they cool off they are so good and moist. If you overbake they might be dry.

This was a crowd pleaser . . . I definite make again.