Raspberry Bars

Base
1 cup flour
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c butter, softened
Mix together and press into a 8 or 9 inch pan. (I line mine with parchment, so easier to get out of pan to cut).
Bake 350 for 10 mins

Cover base with about 1/2 cup raspberry jam

Topping
1 cup white sugar
1 egg well beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 T melted butter
2 cups coconut
Cream together. Dollop the topping on by hand - it will not spread very easily if you add it all at once.
Bake 350 for 40-45 mins.

ENJOY!

Rhubarb Bread w/Crumb Topping

I have already cut and frozen 10 quart bags of rhubarb and more is in the garden ready to be picked! so....I decided to look for a recipe for Rhubarb Bread. I had one ...but I can't find it. I decided to search online for a new one and alter just a little.
Bread

1 1/2 c brown sugar
2/3 c oil
1 egg
1 c buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 c sliced rhubarb

Topping

1/2 c white sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 T butter

Mix all ingredients in order. Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. (I made them in 3 smaller loaf pans so I could share with others - I usually pick up those cardboard pans on sale).  I mixed the topping together with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over top of loaves. Bake at 350 for 60 mins. (I baked the 3 smaller pans for 50 mins). Test in middle with toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. Let cool in pan 10 mins before flipping out. (I left mine in the pans)  ENJOY ♥ Let me know if you love it too!

Outrageous Pretzel Bars

  Now that the football season is finally over with a SUPERBOWL WIN for the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS!! #12TH MAN......I have extra time to BAKE!
    Now with only 2 of us at home, #1 I need to find somebody else to eat my baking, and #2 we don't eat as much food in this house as we use to. I had a bag of pretzels that just weren't disappear as fast I wanted them to. I thought, Perfect...I have a recipe for those!
  I'm not sure when I found this recipe, but I had saved it away to 'someday' make it. It was actually from GMA. The only thing I added to the recipe was after they were cooked, I thought they needed a little caramel, so I drizzled some on top of them.
  I took these out to our small group tonight - they are my "testers" Everyone enjoyed them and one person said they were their new favorites!  ENJOY ♥

Cookie Dough Base

1 cup butter

3/4 c dark brown sugar (can use light)

3/4 c white sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/4 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 c semi sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter, sugars for about 1 minute on medium. Add eggs, beat. Add all dry ingredients, just 

until combined. Fold in 2 c chocolate chips.

Press into a foil lined 9 x 13 pan

Chocolate Fudgy Middle

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 c semi sweet chocolate chips

In microwave, melt. (in my microwave - it only took 1 minute) Don't over heat!

Stir until smooth and add 1 tsp vanilla extract - cool

Add to top of cookie dough layer

Pretzel Topping

2 c chopped pretzels

1 T sugar

3 T melted butter

Toss together and add to top of bars. I lightly pushed them in.

Bake @350 for 40 minutes. Let cool in pan. Lift out foil and cut into bars! 

Hope you enjoy these - Leave a comment and let me know and don't forget to SHARE!

German Chocolate Brownie Cakes

     It's the New Year!! I have decided to try new recipes this year. Not just with baking but with meals. For many years I have just fallen back on the 'same old' menus. So yesterday, I decided to start with a new recipes for baking! What a SURPRISE ??! NOT.
     Well this recipe turned out nothing as I had planned..but I think BETTER! The recipe started out to be German Chocolate Sandwich Cookies. I decided to take a shortcut and use a cake mix to make the chocolate cookies (simple recipe on blog already). Looked in pantry and NO chocolate cake mix - rare event! I then thought well maybe I could use a brownie mix? I always use the Costco brownie mix (Ghiradelli) Thankfully I had one bag left in the box.
  I then, what I think, is a brilliant idea - why have I never thought of this? Why not make the brownies in a muffin tin with the foil liners? PERFECT! I followed the recipe on the box and used my ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake liners. The one recipe made 12 "cupcakes". Wasn't sure how much time it would take, so I decided to do 20 mins - PERFECT!
     We have some nut allergies in our house, so I decided to make the German Chocolate Icing without nuts and then separate it into 2. I decided to serve the Brownie Cakes plain, and then 2 dishes with the icing - one with pecans, one without. That way the guest could put on as much as they wanted :) 
     These are so DELISH, that the ones that ate these, thought they were so much better than a cookie would have been! I hope you will try them! ENJOY ♥

     

TOPPING:
7 oz (1/2 can) sweetened condensed milk
1 egg yolk
4 T (1/2 stick) butter
Cook in saucepan over medium heat until bubbly and starting to thicken. BE CAREFUL you need to keep stirring as it will burn. Remove from heat. 
Add
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c flaked coconut
1/2 c chopped pecans

One BROWNIE Mix
Make as recipe directs. Fill 12 foil muffin tins. Bake 20 minutes

OTHER IDEAS:
Make brownies in muffin tins and then top with scoop of ice cream and drizzle with chocolate sauce or caramel sauce. Your creativity will be endless ♥

Blackberry Bread

I bought a 1/2 flat of blackberries today at the store and then had to find something to bake.  I had seen a recipe that I thought I was going to use, then when it called for wheat flour  I decided that I just didn't think I felt like that today :)  I had gotten a new cookbook for my birthday, but haven't used many recipes from it. I looked for 'blackberry" but nothing....so, I had to adapt from blueberries.

It is a DELISH loaf with a crunchy top.

TOPPING
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c all purpose flour
4 Tablespoons butter at room temperature
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

LOAF
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c milk
4 Tablespoons butter at room temperature
1 egg
2 c all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 c fresh blackberries
1 T grated lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat 375. Oil 9x5 loaf pan

Stir topping and set aside.
Stir the sugar, milk, butter and egg together until smooth. Add all dry ingredients into wet. Fold in the blackberries and lemon zest. (I only added 1/2 the berries as they were all falling apart) Spread batter into pan. (I then added the rest of the berries one at a time, lightly pressing each into batter). 


Sprinkle topping on top.

 Bake for 50 minutes. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Loosen from the sides of pan with knife and let cool on baking rack.

ENJOY!!  I did!

KEY LIME PIE

It has been a long time since I last blogged a recipe, but once again, I was asked for this recipe so I thought I might as well type it up and share it with you all.

I've always been frustrated with making the traditional Key Lime Pie, as the filling always looks so shallow in the graham cracker piecrust.  I decided to try and couple different ideas, and here is what I ended up with :)
This photo is a little messy as it was the last piece that I brought home for my daughter to enjoy - one of her favorites!

Graham Cracker Pie crust:  1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 c sugar, 4 T melted butter. Mix all together and press into pie pan. (I use the back of a measuring cup to help evenly distribute) Bake 375 - 15-18 mins.

Filling:

4 egg yolks
1 C. key lime juice
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
Beat all together and pour into baked piecrust.
Bake 350 for 20-25 mins.  Chill for at least 2 hours. ENJOY!!

(PS in the photo it looks a little green.....I made it for St Patricks Day and therefore added a few drops of green food coloring)

Chocolate Revel Bars

     I can't even tell you how many times I have made these bars!  I got the recipe from a friend that I have had since we were both teenagers, up in Canada.  We are still friends TODAY and soon we will also have being Grandma's together. . . . we can both hardly wait!!

1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
3 cups oatmeal
1 tsp. baking soda

Middle:

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
2 T butter
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup walnuts (optional) * I don't add, as husband has allergies

     Preheat oven to 350.
     Cream butter, brown sugar - add egg and vanilla extract. Mix in dry ingredients. It will be crumbly.* I have also added 1/4c peanut butter and then only used 3/4c butter.
     In microwave bowl, add chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk and 2T butter.  Melt on HI for 1 minute and stir - it may need a little more time to melt chocolate but be careful not to overheat. Only turn on microwave for 30 second at a time until just melted. Add vanilla extract.
     In 15 x 10 pan press 2/3 of oatmeal mixture. Top with chocolate mixture. Crumble remaining oats ontop and lightly press. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Don't overbake or the middle part will not be so creamy and gooey!  ENJOY ♥ makes LOTS!