Lemon blackberry bars – townie
I had some blackberries to use up and this seemed like the perfect recipe. Yum this was delicious! Wish I had hag enough ingredients to have doubled it, but alas not this time!
lemon blackberry bars
adapted from two peas and their pod
For the crust:
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
Zest of one lemon
For the filling:
2 large egg yolks
1-14 oz. can fat free sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
6 ounces fresh blackberries
directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 8 by 8 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and lemon zest. Stir until graham cracker crumbs are moist. Press crumbs into the prepared pan, pressing the crust mixture one inch up the side of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
Once the crust is cool, combine the egg yolks and condensed milk until well mixed. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir until mixture begins to slightly thicken. Gently fold in the blackberries. Fold carefully so you don’t break the raspberries.
Pour the lemon blackberry filling evenly over the graham cracker crust. Bake for 15 minutes, or until just set.
Cool to room temperature, then chill for at least one hour before serving. Cut into bars and serve. Keep bars in the refrigerator-up to five days.
Baking Tuesday – apple coconut crescent dessert – townie
I had a can of apple pie filling to use up and a roll of seamless crescent dough… This recipe had both in it! Looking at the ingredients it seemed like a strange combination, but it turned out pretty good!
APPLE COCONUT CRESCENT DESSERT
adapted from http://ohmysugarhigh.com/apple-coconut-crescent-dessert-the-sleeper-dessert/
ingredients
1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent seamless dough
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 can (21 ounces) apple pie filling, chopped
TOPPING:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cold butter
1 cup flaked coconut
1/4 cup chopped pecans
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375°.
Spread crescent dough sheet onto an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
Stir together pecans, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sprinkle over cooked crust. Drop pie filling by spoonfuls and spread over crust.
In a small bowl stir together flour and brown sugar.
Cut in butter with fork or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add coconut and pecans to mixture and combine. Sprinkle over apple pie filling.
Bake at 375° for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
Streuseled Zucchini Bundt Cake – townie
Once again I had a zucchini from the csa to use up and a dessert to bake. This was pretty yummy although it was a bit dry for my liking. Doesn’t streusel usually have butter in it??
Streuseled Zucchini Bundt Cake
adapted from lifessimplemeasures
Ingredients
Cake:
2 c. (about 1-1/2 medium zucchinis) shredded zucchini
8 oz sour cream
3/4 c. sugar
2 egg whites
1 egg
1/3 c. oil
3 tsp. vanilla extract
3 c. all purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Streusel:
1/3 c. packed light brown sugar
1/3 c. chopped walnuts
1/3 c. raisins
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
Glaze:
3/4 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 to 3 tsp. milk
Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, beat zucchini, sour cream, sugar, egg whites, egg, oil, and vanilla extract until well blended. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; gradually beat into zucchini mixture until blended.
For streusel, combine brown sugar, walnuts, raisins, and cinnamon; set aside.
grease a 10-inch bundt pan. Add a third of the zucchini batter to the pan. Sprinkle half of the streusel mixture over the batter. Top with another third of the batter and sprinkle with remaining streusel mixture. Top with remaining batter.
Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pan to wire rack to cool completely.
In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Drizzle over cake.
Salted Caramel Macaroons
Wow these are delicious and addictive! I really wanted something sweet to munch on, but we had no eggs. Finding a dessert recipe with no eggs is not an easy task! I’m glad I found these! Yum!
Salted Caramel Macaroons
adapted from cakespy
Ingredients
1 can (14 oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 jar trader joes fleur del sol Caramel
1 cup All Purpose Flour
3/4 teaspoons kosher Salt
2 bags (14 oz each) shredded coconut
1 1/2Chopped Pecans
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate baking chips
Procedure
Heat oven to 325°F. Line 2 large cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper; spray with Cooking Spray.
In large bowl, combine condensed milk, caramel topping, flour and salt; mix well. Stir in coconut, pecans and chocolate chips until well mixed.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 1 inch apart onto cookie sheets.
Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Store in airtight container.
Baking tuesday- Triple Shot Espresso Cookie Dough Brownies – townie
Yay bumpkin is posting again! This dessert came out delicious! Really really really rich though. Husband even refused to share them with some of his friends. The espresso glaze was extra yummy!
Triple Shot Espresso Cookie Dough Brownies
adapted from big girls small kitchen
Ingredients
For the brownies:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon instant espresso
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the cookie dough:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
For the glaze:
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 teaspoons instant espresso
1 tablespoon milk
For the brownies, preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a parchment paper-lined 9×9-baking dish.
Combine wet ingredients—the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each, until smooth with no lumps.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, instant espresso powder and salt in another bowl. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
Bake in preheated oven until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
Remove, and cool pan completely on wire rack. Prepare cookie dough.
In a large bowl beat together butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, two to three minutes.
Mix in milk, vanilla and espresso powder. Add flour and salt and stir until incorporated.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Gently spread dough onto cooled brownies, smoothing the top into an even layer. Refrigerate while preparing the glaze.
For the glaze, in a small bowl, sieve the confectioner’s sugar. Add the milk and instant espresso. Whisk until smooth.
Pour over cookie dough, carefully spreading into a thin, even layer. Return pan to refrigerator and chill until set, about 30 minutes.
To remove brownies from pan, grasp the edges of the parchment paper and lift out the entire block. Place on a cutting board and use a large sharp knife to cut into squares.
Baking tuesday – Chocolate-Chip Coconut Banana Bread – townie
Baking tuesday really happened on Tuesday, but I didn’t get to post til today. Usually bananas go fast in our house, but for some reason this batch was sitting there going bad. This bread came out really good. Next time I would use more coconut and maybe sprinkle a bunch over the top before baking.
Don’t forget about my giveaway!
Chocolate-Chip Coconut Banana Bread
adapted from spoon fork bacon
Ingredients:
banana bread:
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3 medium (over-ripe) bananas
2 1/2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
mix-ins:
3/4 chocolate chips
2/3 cup shredded coconut, toasted
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together, into a mixing bowl and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mash bananas with milk. Set aside.
3. In another mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of the bowl and add mix in eggs, one at a time.
4. Stir in the vanilla, followed by the banana mixture, until just combined.
5. Stir in flour mixture until just combined and fold in chocolate chips and coconut.
6. Grease a 9 inch loaf pan (or mini loaf pans) and add batter.
7. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the bread.
8. Allow bread to cool in pan for about 20 minutes before removing and allowing bread to cool completely. Slice and serve.
Baking tuesday – Zucchini Cherry Muffins with Streusel Topping – townie
I had a zucchini to use up from the csa and came across this recipe. I was intrigued that the whole thing was made in the food processor! The original recipe was made in a 12 cup. I think mine is a 10 cup. And you definitely need a 12 cup. Mine was just small enough that i had to finish it off in my mixer. Luckily I still had some dried cherries from this recipe. It wasn’t quite 2 cups next time I’ll definitely use more cherries! These were really good. I think they could have used more zucchini to make them a little more moist! The crumb topping was delicious!!!! Might have to use this crumb topping on some other things!
Zucchini Cherry Muffins with Streusel Topping
adapted from goodlifeeats
Ingredients:
Crumb Topping:
1 cup toasted pecans
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Muffins:
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup olive oil
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup grated zucchini
2 cups dried cherries
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat two 12-cup muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray or fill with muffin liners
Put the nuts for the crumb topping recipe into the work bowl and pulse to roughly chop. Add remaining crumb topping ingredients and pulse until mixture is crumb-like. Remove crumb topping and set aside in a small bowl.
Process the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in the work bowl for 10 seconds to sift. Add the sugars and the milk to the work bowl and process together for about 5 seconds to combine. Add the oil, eggs, and vanilla through the small feed tube and process until combined. Scrape the work bowl and add the dried cherries and zucchini, pulse to combine (about 3-4 times).
Divide batter evenly among the prepared muffin tins. (I like to use my large scoop, it’s the perfect size for muffins!) Sprinkle crumb topping evenly on the tops of each muffin. Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Baking Tuesday – rockin’ s’mores bars – townie
If you follow me on facebook you saw the progress of this dessert. I found this recipe a long time ago in a Disney family fun magazine. They are delicious!!!! Yum yum yum!!!!
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Rockin’ S’more Bars
adapted from disney family fun
What you’ll need
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup crushed graham crackers
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 (1.55-ounce) chocolate bars
1 (7-ounce) jar of marshmallow creme
How to make it
Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Add the crushed graham crackers, flour, salt, and baking powder and beat until well mixed, stopping occasionally to scrape the sides of the bowl.
Spoon half the dough into the pan and spread evenly with your fingertips. Break the chocolate into pieces and arrange over the dough. Spread a layer of marshmallow creme over the chocolate. Flatten the remaining dough into pancakes and lay them over the marshmallow.
Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let the bars cool before serving.
Baking tuesday – Raspberry blondies – townie
On my last trip to Costco I bought 2 packages of raspberries instead of one so i had extra berries to bake :). These were delicious! And super easy to make! Next time I’ll double the recipe! This would be good with strawberries too!
raspberry blondies
adapted from myrecipes.com
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 cups fresh raspberries
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray 8-inch square baking pan with baking spray.
2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in brown sugar until moistened. Let cool slightly. Off heat, whisk in egg and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture until just combined.
3. Scrape batter into baking pan, smoothing top with a spatula. Scatter berries over batter. Bake until blondies are set in center, about 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.
Baking tuesday – Lime and Coconut Crumble Bars – townie
Last time I went grocery shopping I bought a bag of limes not realizing I already had a bunch in the fridge! I decided to bake them into something so they didn’t go bad. These bars were delicious I almost didn’t get a picture. Yum! Go make them now!
Lime and Coconut Crumble Bars
adapted from two peas and their pod
ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 (14 ounce) can fat free sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons lime zest
directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 8×8-inch baking pan and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Add in flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until everything comes together in a crumbly mixture and flour is evenly distributed. Mix in oats and coconut. Mixture will be somewhat dry and sandy.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, lime juice, and lime zest.
4. Put 2 cups of the oat mixture into the bottom of prepared baking dish and press firmly into an even layer. Pour lime mixture on top and spread evenly. Crumble all remaining oat mixture over the top of the lime mixture, covering it completely.
5. Bake bars for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into squares and serve. Store remaining bars in the refrigerator.
Baking Tuesday – caramel swirled pretzel m&m blondies – townie
Fathers day I asked the husband what he wanted me to bake… We had plans to go to my aunts house for a BBQ and I said I’d bring dessert. I had Made this same dessert awhile ago and we both loved it! This time I didn’t have the tjs caramel so I actually melted caramels. Came out delicious Again and much more caramely.
caramel swirled pretzel m&m blondies
adapted from cookies & cups
Ingredients
1 cup butter (2 sticks) room temp
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar packed
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp coarse Sea salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups Pretzel M&Ms
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 (14oz) bag caramels unwrapped
1/4 cup milk
How to Make
Preheat oven to 350°
Spray a 9×13 with baking spray. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugars together in a large mixing bowl.
Add vanilla and eggs and mix well.
On low add baking soda, salt and flour stirring until combined.
Fold in your pretzel M&Ms and chocolate chips.
In your prepared pan press 2/3 of your batter into the bottom of the pan.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until just beginning to set, but not golden brown.
While the bottom is baking put your unwrapped caramels into a microwave safe bowl along with your 1/4 cup milk. Microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring every minute until melted.
When the bottom is done pour the melted caramel on top.
Drop in spoonfuls the remaining batter and spread over the caramel as well as you can.
Continue baking for 15 minutes until golden brown and the caramel is bubbling.
Preheat oven to 350°
Let cool completely before cutting into squares
baking tuesday – lime squares – townie
i couldnt decide what i was in the mood for – chocolate, berries, coconut, lemon???? i browsed my pinterest boards and these lime squares jumped out at me… especially the pistachios in the crust! YUM! these did not disappoint at all… they were a nice change from the traditional lemon squares and equally delicious! the only thing i would do different next time is add more butter to the crust — the graham cracker crust was really crumbly..
Lime Squares with Pistachio Graham-Cracker Crust
adapted form martha stewart
Ingredients
-
For The Crust
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for pan
- 2/3 cup shelled pistachios
- 1 cup (4 ounces) graham-cracker crumbs
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoons grated lime zest
-
For The Filling
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 can (14 ounces) fat-free sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. spray an 8-inch square baking dish with pam. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides.
- In a food processor, finely grind pistachios with graham-cracker crumbs, sugar, and zest. Blend in butter. Press mixture into bottom and 1 inch up sides of prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned, 8 to 12 minutes. Cool crust, 30 minutes.
- To make the filling: In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and condensed milk. Add lime juice; whisk until smooth. Pour filling into cooled crust; carefully spread to edges.
- Bake until set, about 15 minutes. Cool in pan on rack; then chill at least 1 hour before serving. Using parchment paper overhang, lift out of pan, and transfer to a cutting board.
cherry squares/bars – baking tuesday – townie
i was trying to distract munchkin #2 from being hungry and demanding dinner while his sister was doing homework way before dinner time…. so we decided to bake 🙂 this recipe came together super easy — next time i would use 2 cans of cherry pie filling – otherwise it was delicious!
Cherry Squares
adapted from pretty kittens kitchen
Ingredients:
1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
3 c. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1 lg. can sugar free cherry pie filling
Directions:
Cream butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then beat in the extract. Gradually mix in the flour until well incorporated.
Spread 3/4 of the batter in the bottom of a 9″x13″ pan lined with parchment paper. Scoop cherry pie filling over batter in pan.
Drop remaining batter by spoonfuls over the cherries. (I often use a small cookie scoop and spread the globs out a bit with my fingers.)
Bake at 375 for 45 min. Let cool completely before slicing and serving.
baking tuesday – gooey butter cake – townie
ive made gooey cakes before – but i dont think they ever came out truly right.. this time this gooey butter cake came out right! more than right.. it’s DELICIOUS! its gone already! so good — go make it now 🙂
Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Bars
adapted from some kitchen stories
Ingredients
1 box of yellow cake mix (1 pound)
4 ounces of butter, melted
3 eggs
8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
2 cups of powdered sugar
1 tsp. of vanilla extract
Prepare
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. spray an 8 x 8 inch pan with baking spray.
2. Make the base first: mix together cake mix, butter and 1 egg.
3. Pat into pan, create an even layer.
4. Make the ooey gooey layer: Cream together the cream cheese, 2 eggs, sugar and vanilla.
5. Pour gooey layer over cake layer, spread to edges.
6. Bake for 45 minutes or until edges are golden brown, center should be a creamy yet solid consistency like cheesecake or heaven.
7. Cool completely in pan before cutting with a clean, dry knife.
baking tuesday – pumpkin magic bar minis – townie
i never posted my thanksgiving desert recipes — on the middle and bottom tiers are pumpkin magic bar minis — YUM
chocolate, pumpkin, cheesecake… it was a good mix!
Pumpkin Spice Magic Bar Mini’s
recipe from picky palate
1/4 Cup melted butter
3/4 Cup graham cracker crumbs
2 oz softened cream cheese
3/4 Cup pumpkin puree
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 Cup chocolate chips
1/2 Cup coarsely chopped cashews
3/4 Cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 Cup sweetened condensed milk
Caramel ice cream topping to drizzle (or make your own if you’d rather)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place melted butter and graham cracker crumbs into a bowl; mix to combine. Press into the bottom of mini cheesecake cups. Bake for 8 minutes then remove from oven.
2. In a bowl beat the pumpkin, softened cream cheese, sugar and cinnamon until smooth. Spoon evenly over each graham cracker crust, about 2 small spoonfuls. Next layer chocolate chips evenly over pumpkin layer following with cashews, coconut and condensed milk. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until top is golden brown. Remove and let cool. *Before bars completely cool, take a plastic knife and run around edges to loosen. It becomes very sticky and difficult to remove from the cups if you do not loosen.
3. Once cooled, carefully remove from cups and arrange onto serving tray. Drizzle with warm caramel and serve.
baking tuesday – passover apple pecan pie – townie
during passover you’re not supposed to eat anything with leavening.. this pie was delicious!! we didnt even miss a crust! next time i might add some craisins and more pecans! YUM
Passover Apple Pecan Pie
adapted from the shiksa
INGREDIENTS
- 3 granny smith & 2 gala apples – peeled, cored, and chopped
- 1/4 cup butter, divided
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 5 tbsp brown sugar, divided
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 3 egg matzos, crushed into large crumbs
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Nonstick cooking oil spray
- 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tbsp butter or butter substitute. Add applesauce, white sugar, 2 tbsp brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg and lemon juice. Stir till well combined, then bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium and add diced apples to pan. Stir apples till they are well coated with sugar mixture. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat for exactly 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not overcook. Uncover apples at the end of cooking and remove from heat; allow to cool.
Meanwhile, place crushed matzos into a large mixing bowl and cover with water. Let matzos soak for 1 ½ minutes (no longer), then drain in a colander. Gently squeeze the matzo crumbs in the colander to remove excess moisture.
In a small bowl, beat the eggs with the salt.
Add eggs to the matzo and stir till well combined.
Pour cooled apples and sugary syrup from the pan into the mixing bowl with the matzos. Stir till combined. Reserve the pan.
Spray a deep pie dish generously with cooking oil spray. Pour the apple mixture into the pie dish.
In the same saucepan you used to cook the apples, melt 2 tbsp butter, or butter substitute, then stir in 3 tbsp brown sugar and mix to form a thick syrup.
Stir chopped pecans in the syrup till they are well coated. Remove pan from heat.
Sprinkle candied pecans evenly over the top of the apple pie.
Bake pie for 45-50 minutes, until the top is golden brown and pie is cooked through. Serve warm.
Town Mouse and Country Mouse 
