Cookie Bar

Here's the 4th in my posting of cookies for the holidays. These cookie bars are easy to make and delicious to boot. Have fun baking!


SALTED PEANUT CHEWS
Makes: 36 bars

INGREDIENTS:
1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies
3 cups miniature marshmallows
2/3 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 bag (10 oz) peanut butter chips
2 cups crisp rice cereal
2 cups salted peanuts*

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 350°F. In an ungreased 13x9-inch pan, break up cookie dough. With floured fingers, press dough evenly in bottom of pan to form crust. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove partially baked crust from oven. Immediately sprinkle marshmallows evenly over crust. Return to oven; bake 1 to 2 minutes longer or until marshmallows just begin to puff. Cool while making topping.
In large saucepan, heat corn syrup, butter, vanilla and peanut butter chips over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in cereal and peanuts. Immediately spoon warm topping over marshmallows; spread to cover. Refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes. Cut into 6 rows by 6 rows.

*Try macadamia nuts for a quick change. The taste is great!

Chocolate Times Three

What could be better then chocolate chip cookies with three different chocolates in them?! These very yummy cookies are easy to make and make your home smell like the holidays. Have fun making them and of course eating them too! Happy Baking!


Chocolate Times Three Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1 cup milk chocolate morsels
3 (1-ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup crunchy brickle chips**

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets. With an electric mixer, beat butter and shortening at medium speed until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beating well. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Stir in chocolate morsels and crunchy brickle chips. Drop cookies by 1/4 cupfuls* about 3-inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 11 to 12
minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool for 2 minutes on baking sheets. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Yield: 3 dozen

*You can make these cookies smaller but watch them as the baking time will be shorter
**This is optional. It you like the crunchy taste use them. If you don't skip this ingredient.

Cookie Time

Time for the second cookie recipe for the holidays. These easy to make shortbread bars are very tasty and are great with a cup of hot tea! Hope you enjoy.

Strawberry and Nut Shortbread

1 1/4 cups plus 2 tbs flour, divided
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup strawberry jam**
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 cup walnuts or pecans

Combine 1-1/4 cups flour and sugar in medium bowl. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbles. Press into bottom of lightly greased 9x9 inch baking pan. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until edges are lightly golden. Remove from oven; spread strawberry jam over shortbread. In medium bowl beat eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Combine 2 Tbs flour, salt and soda, add to egg mixture and blend. Stir in nuts. Spoon over jam, spreading lightly to corners of pan.
Bake at 350F for 20 minutes more or until top is set. Cool in pan, cut into bars.

**You can substitute any flavor jam, peach is especially tasty.

Cookies For the Holidays

Now is the time to start thinking about what kind of cookies you'd like to make for the upcoming holiday season. I thought I would help you out with a posting of a cookie recipe every week until Christmas. This is an easy to make recipe but with great flavor. Hope you enjoy recipe #1.

Melt-away Nutmeg Cookies

1 cup butter, softened (do not use a substitution)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup ground almonds (about 3 ounces), toasted
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg

In a mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar and vanilla extract. Gradually add flour; mix well. Stir in almonds. Shape into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 300 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

Combine confectioners sugar and nutmeg. Gently roll cooled cookies in sugar mixture.

Yields about 5 dozen.

Apples & Cranberries

Time for another tasty muffin recipe. These can be made ahead of the holiday season and frozen. Be sure to wrap completely cooled muffins tightly in plastic wrap or tin foil before storing in the freezer.

Apple-Cranberry Spice Muffins

This fall favorite has a smooth, cakelike texture that nicely complements the chewiness of the fruit. A great way to start the day or as a snack.

1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup sour cream
1 large Granny Smith apple (or other tart variety), peeled, cored, and finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries


Heat the oven to 400° F. Grease the bottoms only of 12 standard muffin cups.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg,
cloves, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, and sour cream until well blended. Add the egg mixture, apples, walnuts (if you're using them), and dried cranberries to the dry ingredients. Stir just until the batter is blended, then divide it among the muffin cups.

Bake the muffins for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes before removing them.

Makes 1 dozen.

This recipe comes to you courtesy of FamilyFun.go.com

Easy Pumpkin Bread

At the request of a dear friend of mine, I'm posting an easy to make recipe for Pumpkin Bread. This moist and delicious bread is great for breakfast or snack. Hope you enjoy.

Pumpkin Bread

3 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. salt
2 t. baking soda
2 t. baking powder
2 t. cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg (not too much, this is a strong spice)
1-1/2 c. oil
2 c. sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 c. canned pumpkin

Sift together three times, flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg (this will insure that all of the spices are throughout the mix and there are no lumps). In a separate bowl, combine oil and sugar and mix well. Add the flour mixture into oil mixture, mix well. Add eggs and pumpkin, mix well. Pour into 2 greased 9"x5" loaf pans. Bake for one hour at 350 degrees. Makes 2 loaves.

Quick Sweet Bread Recipe

Here's a recipe that's not only quick but delicious too. Great to freeze and serve as a quick breakfast.

Quick Honey Sweet Bread

2-1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1/4 t. cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
1/2 c. oil
1-1/2 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. honey

Mix all ingredients together; spoon into a greased and floured 9"x5" loaf pan**. Let stand for 20 minutes; bake at 375 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes. Makes one loaf.

**You can also make muffins with this recipe by using 12 paper muffin liners in a muffin tin. Fill each paper cup 2/3 full and let sit for 20 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes or until toothpick test comes out clean.

Cracker Cookies?!

I found this wonderful recipe on a box of crackers this past week and thought it might be one that you would want to try. It's so easy and ever so delicious.




PREMIUM® Macadamia Macaroons

Makes: About 3 dozen cookies

1 pkg. (7 oz.) BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut
1 cup PLANTERS Macadamias, chopped
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla
30 PREMIUM Saltine Crackers, finely crushed
3 egg whites
2 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Spread coconut and macadamias into 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake 10 min. or until lightly toasted, stirring frequently. Cool.

COMBINE milk and vanilla in large bowl. Add coconut mixture and cracker crumbs; mix well. Beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Add to coconut mixture; stir gently until well blended. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough, 2 inches apart, on lightly greased baking sheets.

BAKE 12 to 14 min. or until edges of cookies are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Melt chocolate as directed on pkg.; drizzle over cookies. Place in wax paper-lined shallow pan. Refrigerate until chocolate is set.

Thanks to Kraft for this wonderful and easy recipe.

G-Force Cookies

These cookies will not only be fun to eat but they are fun to make with your kids.

G-Force Cookies

This team of delicious peanut-butter cookies is inspired by "G-Force," the Walt Disney Pictures
film starring a spy squadron of specially trained guinea pigs. Your mission: try not to eat them all in one sitting!

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Peanut halves
Mini chocolate chips

Step 1
Cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until fluffy. Sift
together the flour, baking soda, and salt, then stir them into the wet mixture, just to blend. Cover
and chill until firm, about 1 hour.

Step 2
Heat the oven to 350°. Form level tablespoons of dough into cylinders, pinching the ends a bit to
make rough guinea pig body shapes. Use a knife to chop the peanut halves in half, then add
peanut-piece ears and mini chocolate chip eyes to each cookie. Place the guinea pig cookies 2
inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until firm, about 8 minutes. Makes about 28
cookies.

Thanks to Disney's Family Fun magazine for this all inspiring recipe.

Easy Does It Sandwich Cookies

Looking for an easy sandwich cookie recipe, then you've come to the right place. These little cookies are great tasting and the kids will love helping you assemble them. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 package chocolate fudge cake mix
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 1 can (16 ounces) ready made frosting or marshmallow cream
  

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, butter and egg (dough will be stiff). Shape into 1-in. balls.
• Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until set. Cool for 1 minute before removing from pans to wire racks.
• Spread a heaping teaspoonful of frosting over the bottom of half of the cookies, top with remaining cookies.
• Yield: about 2 dozen.

Yummy Pretzel Bars

With the holidays rolling around quickly, I'm gathering my favorite cookie and cookie bar recipes to share with my friends during my annual Cookie Exchange. I thought I'd start off with an easy to prepare cookie bar recipe that the whole family can enjoy.

Pretzel Bars

1-1/2 cups crushed pretzels
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup (6 ounces) chocolate chips*
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut (optional)**

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the crushed pretzels and butter; mix well and press into the bottom of the baking dish. Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the pretzel mixture then sprinkle evenly with the chips, pecans, and coconut. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes then chill for 30 minutes before cutting into bars.

Makes 20 to 24 bars.

*Peanut butter chips are a tasty alternative to the chocolate chips.
**My family is not crazy about coconut so I don't put any on for the batch for home.

After School Treat

Tired of trying to get your kids to have healthier snacks after school. Try baking these PB&J muffins and you won't have to force them to eat healthier anymore.

PB&J Muffins Made Healthy

1 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup sugar or equivalent amount of splenda sweetener
2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup creamy low sodium peanut butter
1 large egg
3/4 cup low fat milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup strawberry, raspberry, or grape jelly (sugar free or low sugar)

1/ Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12 muffin tin with muffin papers. In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, mix the peanut butter with the egg. Add the milk, a little at a time, then mix in the butter. Pour the wet batter into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine. The batter will be stiff.
2/ Put a heaping tablespoon of batter in the bottom of each muffin cup. Use a finger to make an
indentation in the center and put a teaspoon of jelly in the hole. Cover with another heaping
tablespoon of batter or enough to fill each cup about 2/3 full. Spread the batter gently until no jelly is visible. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the muffins onto a wire rack to cool for at least 10
minutes. Careful: the jelly centers can be hot. Makes 12 muffins.

Hope you enjoy!

I'm Back

While going through a magazine earlier this weekend I found a wonderful link to cookie recipes for the upcoming holiday season. Needless to say I was very excited about this link and thought what a better way to start my blog again but with a link I can share. I'm looking forward to all of these wonderful recipes and I hope you will be too.

BHG.com/100cookies

Special Kind of Shortbread

While watching Food Network the other day, I came across a program that showed how to make "Millionaire's Shortbread". Although I had never heard of it, it sounded intriguing. With only 5 ingredients needed (not counting the table salt) it's easy to prepare and OH SO DELICIOUS! Hope you enjoy!


Millionaire's Shortbread
Recipe courtesy Claire Robinson - Food Network
2 dozen

Ingredients

Shortbread:
2 sticks butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for preparing pans
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for preparing pans
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Caramel Layer:
2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons butter

Chocolate Topping:
3/4 pound good-quality milk chocolate

Shortbread Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter 2 (8-inch) square nonstick pans and coat with flour, tapping off excess. Place the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse once. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles peas. Press the shortbread mixture into prepared pans and bake until golden brown around the edges, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Caramel Layer:
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the condensed milk and 2 tablespoons of butter. Slowly bring the mixture to a boil, stirring continuously. Continue stirring over the heat until mixture becomes thick and amber in color, about 15 minutes. Pour the caramel over the cooked shortbread and spread evenly using an offset spatula. Cool to room temperature.

Chocolate Topping:
In a glass bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Once chocolate has melted, pour it over the cooled caramel layer. Cool at room temperature for about 10 minutes, and then place in the refrigerator to cool completely, allowing chocolate to slightly harden but not get hard. Cut into 2-inch squares and enjoy, or store in an airtight container, at room
temperature, or my favorite - keep in the refrigerator for a yummy sweet and cool treat!


Who says you have to be a millionaire to enjoy life?!

Bananas, Caramel and Chocolate, OH MY

Three of my favorite ingredients all wrapped up in one! These banana, caramel, chocolate crepes are simple to make but oh so yummy. Happy crepping! (Is that even a word? "lol")

BANANA, CARAMEL, CHOCOLATE CREPES

INGREDIENTS:

Crepes
1 box (19.5 oz) Fudge Brownie Mix
1 cup All Purpose Flour
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil

Filling:

1 cup Butter
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
6 large firm ripe bananas, cut into 1/4-inch slices

Toppings:

1/2 cup Caramel Ice Cream Topping
3/4 cup frozen (thawed) whipped topping
2 tablespoons Confectioners Powdered Sugar
1/4 cup Chopped Walnuts

DIRECTIONS:

1. In large bowl, stir together brownie mix, flour, eggs, milk and oil until smooth.
2. Spray 10-inch skillet with CRISCO® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray; heat over medium heat. Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto center of skillet. Immediately rotate skillet until thin layer of batter covers bottom. Cook over medium heat about 1 minute, turning once, until top appears slightly dry.
3. Remove crepe to cutting board, flipping crepe over so first cooked side is facing up. Immediately roll up crepe; place on plate to cool. Cover with kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining batter.
4. In large saucepan, cook butter and granulated sugar over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar is dissolved. Stir in vanilla and lemon peel until well mixed. Add banana slices; gently toss until coated and slightly softened.
5. Fill 1 crepe at a time, keeping remaining crepes covered. Gently unroll crepe; fill with slightly less than 1/4 cup banana filling. Reroll crepe; place seam side down on platter. Repeat with remaining crepes. Top crepes with drizzle of caramel topping and dollop of whipped topping. Sprinkle tops lightly with powdered sugar; sprinkle with walnuts. Serve immediately.

**I'm not posting the calorie count because, well you know that this is not your calorie friendly dessert. but everyone deserves a treat once in awhile. :-)

Grilled Caramel Apples - YUMMY!!!

WOW! What a wonderful way to use your grill. :-) This simple, but oh so delicious dessert keeps your kitchen from getting hot and utilizes the grill that you probably already have fired up for that backyard barbecue. Apples, caramel topping, tin foil and nuts if you would like are all you need to make this great little dessert. Hope you enjoy!

Grilled Caramel Apples

From eatbetteramerica.

Prep Time:10 min

Start to Finish:20 min

makes:4 servings

2	large apples
1/4	cup caramel topping

1.	Heat gas or charcoal grill. Fold four 18x12-inch pieces heavy-duty foil crosswise in half; spray with cooking spray. Cut apples in half; remove cores. Cut each half into 4 wedges.
2.	Place 4 apple wedges in center of each piece of foil. Drizzle 2 tablespoons caramel topping over apple wedges on each piece of foil. Wrap foil securely around apples.
3.	Place foil packets, seam sides up, on grill. Cover grill; cook over medium-low heat 8 to 9 minutes or until apples are crisp-tender. Open packets carefully to avoid steam; caramel will be hot. Serve immediately.

** You can add some walnuts, pecans or any nuts that you prefer, to the mix before sealing the tin foil and placing on the grill.

A Juicy Treat

I know that this is not really a baking dessert, but I thought it was quite refreshing for a hot summer day and that you might enjoy it too!

Orange Slushy

6-oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate**
1/4 c. sugar
1 c. milk


1 t. vanilla extract
12 ice cubes
Place all ingredients in blender; blend to desired consistency. Serves 2.

**You could use any frozen fruit juice concentrate that you like.

Now sit back, relax, and enjoy your slushy! :-)

Fruit For Dessert

With summer here and fresh fruit being plentiful, let's make dessert a healthy choice and not heat up the kitchen.

FANTASTIC FRUIT SALAD

1 - 29 oz. can of peach slices - undrained
1 - 20 oz. can of pineapple chunks - undrained
1 - 3-1/8 oz. box of dry instant sugar free vanilla pudding mix
1 lb. strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 banana
1 pint blueberries
1 bunch of grapes
1-2 tablespoons of sugar (or splenda) if desired


In a large bowl combine the peaches. pineapples and their juices from the cans with pudding mix. Mix well to combine the juice and pudding. Gently add the strawberries, banana, blueberries, and grapes. Add sugar (splenda) if desired.
Chill in the refrigerator for an hour or more. Enjoy!

Chocolate again, YUMMY!

I think I must have this whole "chocolate is your friend" theme going on, since I've posted about chocolate a lot. I just couldn't resist this recipe though, how decedent can chocolate be?! Hey, it's a holiday weekend so why not splurge. Besides, dark chocolate is good for you! :-)





Grilled Dark Chocolate Sandwich
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients
¼ cup fat-free evaporated milk
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 ½ tablespoons butter, softened
8 slices thin whole-wheat or white sandwich bread
3 tablespoons bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons chopped nuts (optional)

Instructions
1. Heat evaporated milk just until boiling. Add chocolate, let stand for 1 minute, then whisk until smooth. Let cool
slightly.

2. Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread. Divide the chocolate mixture on the unbuttered side of 4 slices,
leaving a little border. Press chocolate chips and nuts, if using, into the chocolate. Cover with the remaining slices
of bread, buttered-side up, and press lightly.

3. Cook the sandwiches in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Turn over, press with
a spatula, and cook until nicely browned and the chocolate is barely melted, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Serve warm.

Nutrition Information
Per serving: 151 calories; 7 g fat (4 g sat, 1 g mono); 6 mg cholesterol; 21 g carbohydrate; 4 g protein; 2 g fiber;
131 mg sodium.

(Recipe from Eating Well) They sure know how to make me smile!

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Chocolate chip cookies and healthy to boot, what more can a woman ask for?! These cookies are loaded with healthy ingredients, and chocolate too, so why not whip up a batch today and make someone you love (that would be you) very happy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients
¾ cup rolled oats
1 cup whole-wheat flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup butter, softened
¼ cup canola oil
⅓ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.
2. Grind oats in a blender or food processor. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg and vanilla; beat until smooth and creamy. With the mixer running, add the dry ingredients, beating on low speed until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Drop the dough by heaping teaspoonfuls, at least 1 inch apart, onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake cookies, 1
sheet at a time, until firm around the edges and golden on top, about 15 minutes. Cool the cookies for 2 minutes on
the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Nutrition Information
Per cookie: 99 calories; 5 g fat (2 g sat, 2 g mono); 11 mg cholesterol; 12 g carbohydrate; 1 g protein; 1 g fiber; 1 mg sodium.

Tips
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Come on now, do you really think they will last that long in your house?! "lol"

Healthy Choices

Because today was the start of my get healthy attitude, I've decided to post a healthy dessert that everyone will enjoy. It's quick and easy and oh so sweet tooth satisfying.

Caramel Apple Enchilada Sundaes

Apple wedges are poached in low-calorie butter and rolled inside flour tortillas, then baked in syrup made with non-calorie sweetener.

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp granular Splenda
2 large Granny Smith apples
12 tbsp low-calorie butter
1/4 cup brown sugar Splenda
1/4 cup water
4 fajita-size flour tortillas, low-fat or low-carb
Low-fat or sugar-free frozen vanilla yogurt
Caramel sundae topping, sugar-free

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8" baking dish with nonstick spray. Mix cinnamon with the 2 tbsp Splenda and set aside. Peel, core and cut apples into 8 wedges each. Heat 4 tbsp of the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add apples wedges and saute until soft crisp, about 5 minutes. Place 4 apple wedges on each tortilla; sprinkle evenly with cinnamon-Splenda mixture. Fold like a burrito: fold in sides, then bring bottom flap up over apples and roll. Place in a prepared baking dish, seam down. Bring water, remaining butter and the 1/4 cup of both Splendas to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Pour over enchiladas and let set 30 minutes. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to set 10 minutes before serving. Serve with a scoop of yogurt and drizzle with caramel topping.

Number of Servings: 4

Great for any day or a special occasion.

In Honor of Mother's Day

In honor of Mother's Day, here's a recipe that you can make with the kids (if you have any small ones at home, or with your husband if you choose :-)). Just be careful with the caramel sauce, when heated it can be very hot.




CARAMEL APPLE STREUSEL BARS

INGREDIENTS:
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations™ refrigerated flaky dough sheet
3 cups chopped peeled cooking apples (2 large)
1/2 cup caramel topping
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Unroll dough;
press in bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of pan. Sprinkle apples over dough.
2. In 1-quart saucepan, heat caramel topping and 1/4 cup flour to boiling over medium heat, stirring
constantly. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly, until thickened. Drizzle over apples.
3. In medium bowl, mix brown sugar, flour, oats and cinnamon. With pastry blender, cut in butter, until
mixture looks like fine crumbs. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle evenly over apples.
4. Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until top is golden brown and apples are tender.

Breakfast Treat

I'm back after a trip north and thought why not share a new favorite breakfast treat. This was a huge hit at a recent brunch and I know you will love them just as much as everyone else did!


EASY STICKY BUNS

Ingredients
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup pecans, chopped in very large pieces
1 package (17.3-ounces/ 2-sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted

For the filling:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup raisins (optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 12 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups. Distribute the pecans evenly among the 12 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture.
Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, 1-1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of the raisins. Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Trim the ends of the roll about 1/2-inch and discard. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1-1/2 inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns.
Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Be careful - they're hot! Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon) and cool completely.

Happy baking!

Happy Easter!

Let's celebrate Easter with a coconut cake. Not everyone likes coconut, but this cake is a really easy cake and believe me the coconut is a bonus! Hope you enjoy.







COCONUT CAKE

1 - yellow cake mix
1-1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups coconut, divided
1 - 8oz. cool whip, thawed
1 can (20 oz.) pineapple chunks, drained

Prepare cake batter and bake in 13x9 inch pan as directed on the package. Cool 15 minutes in the pan. Pierce the cake with large fork at 1/2" intervals.

Combine milk, sugar and 1/2 cup coconut in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil on medium heat. Reduce the heat to low. simmer 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Spoon over the warm cake, spread the coconut to evenly cover top of the cake. Cool completely.

Add 1/2 cup of the remaining coconut to the cool whip, stir gently until well blended. Spread over the cake. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of coconut**. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. Top with the pineapple chunks just before serving.

**Tint your last cup of coconut green and top the cake with jelly beans for a really festive look.
Eliminate using the pineapple with this method.

Happy Birthday to You!

Today is our daughter's birthday and in honor of her I'm posting a recipe for Chocolate Eclair Cake. She is her mother's daughter with her love of chocolate, and apparently so is our granddaughter. You go girl! :-) Hope you enjoy this not so calorie friendly, but oh so yummy dessert! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRANDI!

Chocolate Éclair Cake


Pastry:
1 cup water
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
4 eggs

Filling:
1 8oz package cream cheese
2 cups milk
2 packages instant vanilla pudding
1/2 teaspoon Rum flavoring

Hershey's chocolate syrup
Cool whip

Pastry:
Boil water and butter then remove from heat. Add flour and stir until mixed. Add eggs all at once stirring until well blended. Spread in 9x13 inch pan and bake for 40 minutes or until golden at 350 degrees.

Filling:
Beat cream cheese with milk. Add pudding mix and Rum flavoring. Beat until smooth (it will thicken as you beat). Pour over cooked pastry, top with cool whip and drizzle with Hershey's chocolate syrup.

Cookies for Breakfast

Cookies for breakfast?! Yes, that's what I said. This recipe is healthy enough to eat for breakfast! Won't that make the kids (big & little) happy. There are so many really healthy ingredients that one of these with a glass of milk, a cup of tea or a cup of coffee will start your day off right. Hope you enjoy.


Really Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:
1 c. raisins
1-1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. canola oil
1-1/4 c. Splenda granulated
2 egg whites
1 t. vanilla
1 - 3.9 oz. single-serving cup of unsweetened applesauce
1/3 c. mashed banana
3-1/4 c. old-fashioned oats
1-1/3 c. chopped walnuts

Directions: Put raisins into small bowl and pour in enough very hot water to cover; set aside. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix well. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl, combine the oil and Splenda; beat well. Beat in egg whites and vanilla. Mix in the applesauce and banana, followed by the flour mixture. Drain water from raisins; pat to remove excess moisture with a paper towel. Stir in oats, walnuts, and raisins; mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheet that has been lightly sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for 8-9 minutes at 350 degrees F. or until tops of cookies are slightly firm to the touch.
Number of Servings: 48

Time For Healthy

Hope you enjoyed the cheesecake recipe last week. I thought I should post a healthy dessert recipe this week. Don't worry it will still satisfy that sweet tooth. :-) Hope you enjoy!




Apple Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

1/4 C. granulated sugar
1 t. ground cinnamon
2 C. 1% lowfat milk
1 C. egg substitute
1 T. brown sugar
1 - 1/2 t. vanilla extract
8 slices stone-ground 100% whole-wheat bread, toasted and cut corner-
to-corner
2 large apples, cored & diced
1 - 1/2 Pint lowfat vanilla frozen yogurt

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9" square baking dish with nonstick spray. 2. Mix sugar & cinnamon. In a bowl, blender, or food processor whisk or blend milk, egg substitute, brown sugar & vanilla extract.
2. Arrange half the toast in baking dish; sprinkle with half the cinnamon-sugar and apples. Repeat layers. Pour milk mixture over top.
3. Bake uncovered 40-50 minutes until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.
4. Cut in squares; top with scoops of frozen yogurt.

Number of Servings: 9

Bailey's Irish Cream Cheesecake

So, I was going to wait and post this on Sunday, the 15th, but thought this might we one that you'd like to try over the weekend, so here it is. Hope you enjoy!

BAILEY'S IRISH CREAM CHEESECAKE

1-1/2 cups finely chopped pecans*
2 T. sugar
3 T. melted butter or margarine
4 - 8oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 T. flour
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
4 eggs

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Mix chopped pecans with 2 T. sugar and butter and press into bottom of 9" springform pan. Bake 10 minutes.

Beat the cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar & flour in large mixer bowl on medium speed until well blended. Add the sour cream and Bailey's and mix well. Add the eggs, 1 at a time on low speed just until blended. Pour in pan.

Bake 1 hour 5 minutes or until the center is almost set. Run small knife around the rim of the pan to loosen cake. Cool before removing from the pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

*You can also make this with a graham crust if there are nut allergies. Use 1-1/2 cups graham crumbs, 2 T. sugar and 3T. melted butter or margarine. Mix together and press into the bottom of the springform pan and bake 10 minutes at 325 degrees. (Chocolate graham crackers work well too.)

**I top my cooled cake with green sprinkles for St. Patty's Day.

In Honor Of St. Patrick's Day

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, this week's recipe will be a Bailey's Irish Cream Cheesecake. This has proven to be a favorite anytime but with the "Irish" holiday coming up on March 17th, I couldn't resist posting this recipe on Sunday, March 15th. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do! May the luck of the Irish be with you!

Oh so good!

The crunch cake is really yummy. It really is a pretty easy recipe and I hope you enjoy it.
Cake...
2-3/4 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1-3/4 c. sugar
1 c. shortening
3/4 c. milk
1 tsp. orange extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
3 large eggs

Topping...
2 T. flour
3 T. brown sugar
3 T. confectioners sugar (10X)
1/4 tsp. orange extract
1/2 tsp. orange zest
1/2 c. chopped pecans

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar & stir. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives. Add the milk, extracts and eggs. Beat thoroughly, set aside. For the topping, combine 3/4 cup of the cake batter with flour, brown sugar, 10x sugar, extract and zest. Mix well. Add pecans. Spread topping in the bottom of a well-greased tube pan. Pour the batter on top and bake at 375 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes. Remove immediately from the pan or it will stick.

*Optional...
Mix 1/4 cup 10x sugar and a teaspoon or 2 of milk together to make a glaze consistency. Drizzle on top of cooled cake. You can also add 1/4 tsp. of orange extract for flavor.

Although this may seem like it's involved, it really isn't and mixes quickly. It not only works well as a dessert after dinner, but it's a great breakfast treat.

Yummy crunch cake

Going to try a new recipe for a crunch cake. Looks like a very interesting cake, not difficult to make and so many yummy ingredients that it has to taste good. I'll let you know how it turns out and just maybe this will be my first recipe on this blog.

Welcome

Hi everyone! Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. I am truly a dessert lover and I'm looking forward to posting exciting, easy dessert recipes and some healthy options for flavorful desserts. If you have a special recipe you would care to share with my readers, please feel free. After all, who wouldn't want a new dessert recipe. Watch this blog for my first recipe coming to you on March 8th. In the mean time, have an extra dessert for me!