Butterfinger Bars

These bars are the perfect combination of salty, sweet, crunchy and chewy. Peanut butter and butterscotch is one of my favorite flavor combinations. When you combine peanut butter, agave, and brown sugar you get a mixture that’s creamy, rich, decadent and tastes like the middle of a butterfinger candy bar. You simply pour the mixture over cereal and let it set until the bars are firm enough to cut. You can use almost any cereal you want (I used cornflakes for these but special K and rice crispies work well too.) Think of them as “healthy” butterfingers!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup agave
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 3-4 cups cornflakes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Method:

1. Combine the peanut butter, brown sugar, agave and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until melted.
2. Pour the mixture over the cereal and stir to combine.
3. Press the cereal mixture into a greased 8×8 inch pan and allow to set until cool before cutting into bars.

“Visions of Sugarplums…”

To celebrate the holidays, here’s a round-up of sweet treats that make the perfect end to a Christmas meal. Merry Christmas!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Cookie Dough Topped Brownies

Banana Zucchini Bread

Snickerdoodles

Compost Cookies

Sweet and Salty Brownies

Orange Cranberry Coconut Biscotti

Oatmeal Shortbread

Coconut Macaroons

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Butterscotch Peanut Butter Cookies

Homemade Marshmallows

Pumpkin Cranberry Bars

These bars are perfect for the holidays. They’re moist and subtly sweet with the comforting flavors of pumpkin and spice and tangy bites of dried cranberries. They make a great dessert with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream or even toasted with a cup of coffee for breakfast. Think pumpkin bread in bar form…

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup canola or safflower oil
• One 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease and lightly flour two 9 x 13 inch brownie pans.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl and set aside.
4. Whisk together the sugar, eggs, and oil in a separate bowl until well blended. Stir in the pumpkin, water and vanilla and mix well.
5. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir just until all the ingredients are moist. Stir in cranberries. Do not over mix.
6. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake 25 – 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each comes out clean.
7. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before removing from the pans

Banana Zucchini Bread

Summertime means an abundance of fresh zucchini, and what better way to use it up than to fold it into a nourishing batch of bread. This loaf is moist and subtly sweet with a hint of banana flavor. With a mere 2 tablespoons of oil, it’s virtually fat free so you can enjoy it guilt-free. I love to toast a slice and smear with a dollop of almond butter for an irresistible and filling snack.

Ingredients:

• 1 egg + 1 egg white
• 3/4  cup sugar
• 1 banana, smashed
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups zucchini, shredded
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour

Method:

1. Cream together the first 6 ingredients until well combined.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining dry ingredients and slowly add to the wet ingredients.
3. Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 45- 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cake Batter Truffles

This recipe is for all you funfetti fans. Remember the fluffy, sprinkle laden box mix cakes of your childhood? These “truffles” couldn’t be simpler. These sweet little nuggets are speckled with rainbow sprinkles, and they have that familiar yet irresistible cake batter flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1 box funfetti cake mix
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup frosting
• 1-3 tablespoons milk

Method:

1. Combine the first 3 ingredients and gradually add enough milk so that your batter comes together but is not wet.
2. Roll into balls and chill.

Cookie Dough Truffles

Let’s face it, while freshly baked cookies are nice, there’s nothing like those spoonfuls of dough you sneak out of the bowl before baking. These “truffles” are filled with chewy hunks of cookie dough enrobed in a coating of rich, dark chocolate.  A kiss of sea salt makes them irresistibly complex. It’s everyone’s favorite guilty pleasure … all dressed up.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 14 oz dark chocolate

Method:

1. Beat butter and sugars and in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add milk and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt and mix on low speed until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.
2. Cover and chill dough for 1 hour.
3. When dough is firm enough to handle, form dough into 1″ balls and arrange on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Place sheets in freezer and let chill for 30 minutes.
4. Melt chocolate candy coating in a double boiler or in microwave according to package directions. Using forks or a dipping tool, dip cookie balls into candy coating to cover. Tap fork on side of pan to remove any excess coating, and return to waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Chill until set. Store, chilled, in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Compost Cookies

This recipe comes from NY’s Momofuku Milk Bar, a unique bakery that specializes in outside-the-box treats. These cookies are chock full of ingredients- you can throw in just about anything you’ve got in your pantry. I used coconut, dark chocolate chips, oats, pretzels, potato chips, and Fritos. They are crisp on the outside and dense and chewy on the inside with surprising crunch from the chips. Think of the flavor of a chocolate dipped pretzel in cookie form…

Momofuku Milk Bar Compost Cookies

• 1 c. butter
• 1 c. sugar
• 3/4 c. light brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. corn syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 c. your favorite baking ingredients (I used chocolate chips, coconut, and oats)
• 1 1/2 c. your favorite snacks foods (chips, pretzels, fritos)

Method:

1. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugars, and corn syrup on medium high for 2-3 minutes until fluffy and pale yellow in color.  Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula.
2. On a lower speed, add eggs and vanilla to incorporate.  Increase mixing speed to medium-high and start a timer for 10 minutes.  During this time the sugar granules will fully dissolve, the mixture will become an almost pale white color and  your creamed mixture will double in size.
3. When time is up, on a lower speed, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Mix 45-60 seconds or just until your dough comes together and all remnants of dry ingredients have incorporated.  Do not walk away from your mixer during this time or you will risk over mixing the dough.  Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula.
4. On same low speed, add in the hodgepodge of your favorite baking ingredients and mix for 30-45 seconds until they evenly mix into the dough.  Add in your favorite snack foods last, paddling again on low speed until they are just incorporated.
5. Using a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop portion cookie dough onto a parchment lined sheetpan.
6. Wrap scooped cookie dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour or up to 1 week.  DO NOT BAKE your cookies from room temp or they will not hold their shape.
7. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.  Arrange your chilled cookie dough balls on a parchment or silpat-lined sheetpan a minimum of 4″ apart in any direction (I put my 3 oz. balls 12 to a baking pan).
8. Bake 9-11 minutes.  While in the oven, the cookies will puff, crackle, and spread.  At 9 minutes the cookies should be browned on the edges and just beginning to brown towards the center.  Leave the cookies in the oven for the additional minutes if these colors don’t match up and your cookies still seem pale and doughy on the surface.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you find yourself sneaking hunks of cookie dough from the bowl when you’re baking, these cookies are for you. I bake them just long enough to crisp up the outside, but they remain chewy and slightly doughy on the interior. Gooey oatmeal laced batter hugs morsels of white and dark chocolate chips. A hint of almond extract gives them a nutty bite and tiny specks of rice crispies add subtle texture. Good luck trying to eat just one…

Ingredients:

• 3 sticks of butter
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 cups oats (not instant)
• 2 cups sweetened coconut
• 1 cup rice crispies
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 1 cup white chocolate chips

Method:

1. In a stand mixer, beat softened butter and sugars for 2 minutes until creamy.
2. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat in extracts.
3. Gradually add in dry ingredients in the order listed until just combined.
4. Roll into golf ball sized balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
5. Place cookies in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (or the freezer for 10) to chill the dough. This will help the cookies keep their shape while they’re baking.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Don’t over-bake if you want chewy centers!

Strawberry Lime Chia Pudding

The natural sweetness of ripe strawberries and tartness of lime combine for a light and healthy dessert. It’s like summer in a bowl. Chia seeds help thicken this “pudding”  and the almond milk and almond extract add a subtle richness. You can serve it chilled with a dollop of whipped cream or even freeze it for a sherbet-like consistency.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup strawberries
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 packet stevia or truvia
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• 2 tsp. chia seeds

Method:

1. Place all of the ingredients in a high speed blender and process until smooth. Refrigerate for 2 hours until set.

Sweet and Salty Brownies

This recipe comes from the famed NY restaurant, Baked. They’ve perfected the art of sweet and salty in a rich, gooey brownie.  The fudgey, dark chocolate batter is layered with a sultry salted caramel that flows through the brownie like molten lava.  If you are like me and prefer spoonfuls of brownie batter to the finished product, you won’t be disappointed.  Even after they are baked, these brownies are more like chewy caramel-laced fudge.

Sweet & Salty Brownie {from Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented}
Yield: 12 large brownies or 24 small brownies

Ingredients

For the caramel filling
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon fleur de sel
1/4 cup sour cream

For the Brownie
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder (like Valrhona)
11 ounces quality dark chocolate (60 to 72 %), coarsely chopped
1 cup ( 2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Assembly
1 1/2 teaspoons fleur de sel
1 teaspoon coarse sugar

Make the Caramel
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and corn syrup with 1/4 cup water, stirring them together carefully so you don’t splash the sides of the pan.  Cook over high heat until and instant read thermometer reads 350 degrees F, or until the mixture is dark amber in color (keep a close eye on the caramel at all times, as it goes from golden brown to black and burnt very quickly), 6 to 8 minutes.  Remove from the heat, and slowly add the cream ( careful, it will bubble up ) and then the fleur de sel.  Whisk in the sour cream. Set aside to cool.

Make the Brownie
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter the sides and bottom of a glass or light colored metal 9 by 13 inch pan.  Line the bottom with a sheet of parchment paper, and butter the parchment.

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

Place the chocolate and butter in the bowl of the double boiler set over a pan of simmering water, and stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and combined.  Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water of the double boiler, and add both sugars.   Whisk until completely combined and remove the bowl from the pan.  The mixture should be at room temperature.

Add three eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined.  Add the remaining eggs and whisk until just combined.  Add the vanilla and stir until combined.  Do not over beat the batter at this stage, or your brownies will be cakey.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate.  Using a spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until there is just a trace amount of the flour mixture visible.

Assemble the Sweet & Salty Brownie

Pour half of the brownie mixture into the pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Drizzle about 3/4 cup of the caramel sauce over the brownie layer in a zigzag pattern, taking care to make sure the caramel does not come in contact with the edges of the pan or it will burn.  Use your offset spatula to spread the caramel evenly across the brownie layer.  In heaping spoonfuls, scoop the rest of the brownie batter over the caramel layer.  Smooth the brownie batter gently to cover the caramel layer.

Bake the brownies for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, and check to make sure the brownies are completely done by sticking a toothpick into the center of the pan.  The brownies are done when the toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Remove the brownies from the oven and sprinkle with fleur de sel and coarse sugar.

Cool the brownies completely before cutting and serving.

The brownies can be stored, tightly wrapped at room temperature, for up to 4 days.