Who Doesn't Love a Bar? #CooktheBooks

Our Cook the Books selection for June/July is Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J Ryan Stradal, chosen by Simona of Briciole.

Chocolate Frosted Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars #OurFamilyTable

Peanut Butter Pretzels mixed with powdered sugar and more peanut butter make the base of these delicious bars.  Chocolate frosting tops them off for a special sweet treat.

There are Pretzels Everywhere today over at our From the Dinner Table Group.......

Krispy Peeps Treats #SpringSweetsWeek

This post is sponsored in conjunction with #SpringSweetsWeek. I received product samples from sponsor companies to help in the creation of the #SpringSweetsWeek recipes. All opinions are mine alone.

Enjoy a Springtime version of your favorite marshmallow krispy treats by swapping out pastel colored Peeps for the marshmallows.

We're still celebrating Spring Sweets Week and look what we're serving up today.....

Lemon Bars #FilltheCookieJar

A tender butter cookie crust covered with a creamy, bright, lemon filling with the top having just the right amount of crunch makes these bars perfect for our Summer themed Fill the Cookie Jar event.

This recipe comes from Ina Garten.  She sprinkled hers with powdered sugar which would probably make for a prettier presentation.

However, I, personally, love the look of that tender top crust that forms when you make lemon bars. These bars are perfect to take to a potluck picnic this summer.  They are sure to be a hit.

Our friend, Cynthia of Feeding Big, invites us all to post our Cookie recipes on the first Thursday of each month.  You will find a lot more Summer cookies following my recipe.

Lemon Bars

slightly adapted from Ina Garten

2 sticks butter, room temperature

3 1/2 c. sugar, divided

2 c. flour

pinch of salt

6 eggs

zest of 3 lemons

1 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

1 c. flour

Cream together the butter and a 1/2 cup of the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the flour and salt.  Mix at low speed until incorporated.  Increase speed and mix until combined. Press the dough into the bottom of a 9x3x2" baking pan.  Place in refrigerator while oven preheats to 350*.  Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned.

Whisk together the eggs, 3 cups of sugar, zest, lemon juice and flour until smooth.  Pour over the crust and return to the oven for another 30-35 minutes, until the filling is set.  Cool to room temperature before cutting.  Print Recipe

Make sure you take some time to see what the other home bakers have been creating. 

•  S'mores Sandwich Cookies by Jolene's Recipe Journal 
• Pink Lemonade Cookies by Palatable Pastime 
• Lemon Bars by A Day In The Life on the Farm 
• Double Strawberry Hazelnut Cookies by Cindy's Recipes and Writings 
• Red White and Blue Striped Tuiles by That Recipe 
• Easy Whoopie Pies with Ice Cream by Organized 31 
• Red, White and Blue Cookies by Cookaholic Wife 
• Basil Lime Cookies by Join Us, Pull Up a Chair
• Orange Drop Cookies by Big Rigs n' Lil' Cookies

"In a Panic" Cherry Peach Cobbler Bars #FantasticalFoodFight

When Sarah announced the theme for this month's Fantastical Food Fight (Cherry Cobbler) I decided I was going to do bars.  I marked it on my calendar and I even decided when I was going to make them as I was having a dinner party and decided that they would be one of the desserts that I served.

Then, as so often happens, life throws a curveball.  You know......that phone call you get letting you know that 5 people will be arriving for dinner in an hour and a half.  Oh, and by the way one of them is Vegetarian.  What do you mean, you don't know?  Of course, you know.  Everyone knows.  Oh C'mon....please don't say these things only happen to me!!

Not one to panic....I actually work pretty well under stress....I think it's a result of working as a cop for so many years.  Okay, so forget the plans of Pasta e Fagioli...let's do a Minestrone instead.  And I will just move the cherry cobbler bars from when planned to the impromptu dinner.   A quick google search finds a fast, easy recipe for cherry cobbler bars using packaged oatmeal cookie mix.  Great, that will work!!

So, I run to the store and, of course, there are no tart frozen cherries to be found.  Change of plans again.  I can still use the idea of the cookie mix.  I head over to the canned goods.  I find an organic tart cherry and peach dessert filling. Perfect.

Run home, throw together the soup.  While the soup is simmering, combine the cookie mix with butter and set a cup of it aside.  Add egg and almond extract ( I used Nielsen-Massey that I had received as a sponsor gift for another event) to the remainder and press it into the bottom of a baking pan.  Open the dessert filling, and pour it over the crust, sprinkle with the reserved cookie mixture and throw it in the oven.

Put the dishes into the dishwasher, pour yourself a glass of wine and when the guests arrive......your house smells wonderful and you are relaxed and ready to be a gracious host.  Life is good.......even if it is more of a crumble than a cobbler because in your panic you entered the wrong search engine.

Cherry Cobbler Bars
adapted from Midwest Living

1 (17 oz)  pkg. Oatmeal Cookie Mix
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 egg
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. almond extract
1 (22 oz) jar tart cherry and white peach fruit filling

Empty package of cookie mix into a large bowl.  Cut in the butter using a pastry blender.  Remove one cup of this mixture and set aside.

Add the egg, vanilla and almond to the remaining cookie mixture and stir until well blended.  Press into the bottom of an 8x8x2" baking pan that has been treated with baking spray.

Pour the fruit filling over the bottom crust.  Sprinkle the reserved one cup of the cookie mixture over the fruit filling.  Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 45-50 minutes until topping is golden brown.

Let cool in the pan on a rack before cutting into bars.  Print Recipe

More Cherry Cobbler Creations

An InLinkz Link-up

Peanut Butter Bars with Oatmeal and Chocolate for #FoodieExtravaganza

This month's Foodie Extravaganza is brought to you by Sneha of Sneha's Recipe.  Sneha went over to The Nibble and discovered that November is National Peanut Butter Lover's Month.  I am a huge lover of peanut butter so this event has me very excited.  If you are a peanut butter nut, as well, you are in for a great treat this month as we all share our favorite peanut butter recipes.

My first thought when given this ingredient was Thai food.  Oh, how I love Thai food.  Just writing this makes my mouth water.  I noticed that I have yet to share any Thai food on this blog so it would have been perfect.  Alas, it was not meant to be but it will be made and shared on another day. Hopefully, very soon.

We celebrated Peanut Butter for Foodie Extravaganza two years ago.  At that time, I shared a recipe for a Chinese Dessert, Peanut Butter Filled Steamed Buns.  They were delicious and there were 19 peanut butter recipes shared in all.  Good thing that there are thousands upon thousands of Peanut Butter Recipes so we could celebrate every November for years and not run out of things to share.

One of my favorite recipes that I made were these Peanut Butter and Jelly Cakewiches that I made for my friend, Kirsten's, birthday one year. This Chocolate Peanut Butter Trifle  and Tagalong Bundt Cake were huge hits.  Then, of course, is everyone's favorite, the Peanut Butter Cup, I made mine in the shape of Eggs for Easter.  You are going to LOVE this recipe,

So, you can see why I first thought to go savory with today's recipe but I ended up making another wonderful Peanut Butter dessert to share with you.

I was cooking dinner for a church meeting and knew that these gooey, peanut butter bars would be a huge hit.  And they were.  The tray came home empty.  It is very hard to photograph brown foods...one of the tragedies of being a food blogger....sigh.

Trust me when I tell you that these looked much better than they photographed and tasted much better than they looked.  It is a quick and easy recipe that I found on Taste of Home.  Just knowing that they came from Taste of Home should be all the convincing you need to know that they are wonderful!

I made a couple of very slight adaptations to this recipe.  I used mini chocolate chips because that was what I had in the cupboard.  I only had a 1/4 c. light brown sugar so I added a 1/4 c. dark brown to it.  I used old fashioned oats instead of quick cooking oats.  They turned out amazing and I was proud to serve them at our meeting.

Peanut Butter Bars with Oatmeal and Chocolate

slightly adapted from Taste of Home

1 stick butter, room temperature

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c light brown sugar, packed

1/4 c. dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

1 c. flour

1/2 c. oats

1 t.  baking soda

pinch of salt

1 c. mini chocolate chips

1/2 c. powdered sugar

2 T. creamy peanut butter

2 T. milk

In large bowl of stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugars and peanut butter until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg and vanilla.  Add the flour, oats, soda and salt. Beat on low speed until incorporated.  Increase speed and beat until well blended.  Reduce the speed to low and stir in the chocolate chips.  Spread into a 9x13" baking pan that has been treated with baking spray.  Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove to a cooling rack.

Combine the powdered sugar, 2 T. peanut butter and milk in a 2 cup measuring cup, whisking until smooth.  Pour over the bars and spread with the back of a spoon to cover.  Cool completely and cut into 36 bars.  Print Recipe

 Check out these great Peanut Butter submissions!

• Homemade Peanut butter Cups from Fearlessly Creative Mammas
• Cold Noodles with Asian Peanut Sauce from Hardly a Goddess 
• Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Bars from Palatable Pastime 
• Peanut Butter Bars with Oatmeal and Chocolate Chips from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Peanut Butter Cookies from Basic N Delicious 
• Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups from Sneha's Recipe 
• West African Peanut Soup from Caroline's Cooking 
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Bread from Making Miracles 

 Foodie Extravaganza is a monthly food fest, where a group of bloggers all create and share a recipe around one of the monthly food 'holidays' as detailed in The Nibble.  Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out HERE.  

I am celebrating #FoodieExtravaganza during #PumpkinWeek

Happy Wednesday Everyone.  Not  only is it Day #3 of  Pumpkin Week but it is also the first Wednesday of the month.  You know what that means.....yep, it is time for Foodie Extravaganza.

Pumpkin Week is the brainchild of Terri of Love and Confections.  Each Fall, Terri invites us to join her in a weeklong event in which we create and share recipes that contain pumpkin.  She plans this early enough so that our readers have time to find the perfect recipes for Halloween and Thanksgiving.  So far this week I have shared with you a Pumpkin Milkshake and a Ginger Pumpkin and Leek Soup.

Foodie Extravaganza is brought to you this month by Kathleen of  Fearlessly Creative Mammas who chose Chocolate as our theme.  Themes are chosen, each month, from The Nibble where you can find all the foods being honored with a holiday for that month. October has holidays for both Chocolate and Pumpkin so it worked out perfectly that Foodie Extravaganza fell during Pumpkin Week.

A while back my friends, Rob and Linda, gave me The Ghiradelli Chocolate Cookbook that they had bought for me while on a trip to San Francisco.  This cookbook is filled with the history of Ghiradelli, an Italian Chocolatier who emigrated to San Francisco in 1849.  It gives the history of chocolate and it gives tips on storing and using chocolate and even gives ideas on entertaining with chocolate. Choc-tail party anyone?

Of course, it is filled with great recipes as well.  Alas there were no recipes containing both pumpkin and chocolate but there was one for Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars.  It didn't take long for me to make the leap to Chocolate and Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars.

I substituted pumpkin puree for the peanut butter but left everything else pretty much the same. You can click on the link for my recipe for pumpkin puree which freezes very well or you can use canned puree.  The recipe called for Sweet Ground Chocolate and Cocoa.  I couldn't find this product in my local grocers so I just used baking cocoa.

I started by making the crust, pressing it into a 9x13" baking pan and baking it until set.  While the crust was cooling, I made the pumpkin cheesecake filling, poured it over the crust and baked it for about 37 minutes.  I allowed the cheesecake to cool completely before melting the chocolate and frosting the cheesecake.

I cut my portions smaller than called for in the cookbook which called for scoring the chocolate to make 24 bars.  I scored mine to make 40 bars.

Make sure you scroll past the recipe to find links to the other Pumpkin Week and Foodie Extravaganza participants.  I am also linking up to Foodie Reads 2016 where like minded bloggers share their foodie books and inspiration.

Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
adapted from Ghiradelli Chocolate Cookbook

Crust:

8 sheets graham crackers, crumbled
1/3 c. baking cocoa
1 stick butter, melted
3 T. sugar

Cheesecake:

16 oz. Cream Cheese
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. pumpkin puree
3 T. flour
4 eggs
1/2 c. Half & Half
1 t. vanilla
2 oz. milk chocolate chips
1/2 t. coconut oil

Combine graham cracker crumbs, cocoa, sugar and butter.  Press evenly onto the bottom of a 9x13" baking pan.  Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack, leaving oven on.

While crust cools, place the cream cheese, sugar, pumpkin and flour in the large bowl of a stand mixer.  Using the paddle attachment, beat at low speed until well combined.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Mix in the milk and vanilla.  Pour into the baking pan over the crust. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until just set.  Allow to cool completely.

When cheesecake is completely cooled, place the chocolate and coconut oil in a small bowl and microwave in 15 second increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth.  Spread over the cheesecake and refrigerate for 10 minutes.  Remove from refrigerator and score the chocolate to make desired number of bars.  Return to the refrigerator for at least half an hour or until ready to serve. Print Recipe

More Pumpkin Week Recipes

• Autumn's Savory Pumpkin Cream Pasta with Bratwurst from Kudos Kitchen by Renee.
• Bean Soup with Pumpkin and Zucchini from Feeding Big.
• Chocolate and Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars from A Day in the Life on the Farm.
• Chocolate Hazelnut Swirl Pumpkin Muffins from Love and Confections.
• Gluten Free Pumpkin Pizza from Gluten Free Crumbley.
• Kadu Bouranee from Culinary Adventures with Camilla.
• Maple Pumpkin Butter from Cooking With Carlee.
• Pumpkin Bread Rolls from Making Miracles.
• Pumpkin Cornbread from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.
• Pumpkin Crepes from The Redhead Baker.
• Pumpkin Milkshake from Cindy's Recipes and Writings.
• Pumpkin Waffles with Pumpkin Praline Topping from Grumpy's Honeybunch.
• Pumpkin Whoopie Pies from The Freshman Cook.
• Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chili from Palatable Pastime.
• Whipped Pumpkin Spice Honey Butter from Family Around The Table

More Chocolate Goodies

• Holy Mole Pork Stew from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Triple Chocolate and Cream Trifle from Fearlessly Creative Mammas
• 2 Kiss Cupcakes from Sneha's Recipe
• Chocolate Lovers Dream Cake from Cookin and Craftin
• Kahlua Chocolate Cake from Making Miracles
• Queen Anne Squares from Tara's Multicultural Table
• Hot Fudge Cheesecake Brownies from Cookaholic Wife
• Nutty Chocolate Fudge from Basic N Delicious
• Chocolate Blintzes from Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Slow Cooker Chicken Mole from Caroline's Cooking
• Simple Chocolate Cake from Passion Kneaded
• Chocolate Rugelach from Hardly a Goddess
• Crispy Chocolate Surprise Balls from G'Gina's Kitchenette
• Marshmallow Turtle Bars from Food Lust People Love
• Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins from Not Too Shabby Gabby

If you are a blogger and would like to join Foodie Extravaganza and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out HERE.