Pumpkin Nutella Cookie Bars

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Want to switch up your Thanksgiving dessert a little this year? You should make something that still includes pumpkin…but also includes NUTELLA!! Sounds like a winner, doesn't it? Cookie bars are exactly what they sound like: a moist cookie-like dessert that is made into thicker bars. And then stuffed with Nutella :) They would be great on your Thanksgiving table and a surprising new treat everyone will enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Nutella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x9” pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.

Place melted butter, pumpkin, and both sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. You can also use a hand mixer, if you prefer. Mix until smooth, about 30 seconds. 

Mix in egg yolk, baking soda, salt, spices, and vanilla. Mix in flour until batter is smooth. It’ll be a soft batter.

Press half the batter in the bottom of the pan. The batter is sticky so you may want to spray your hands with cooking spray. It’ll be a thin layer in the bottom of the pan. Bake for 8 minutes.

Place Nutella in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for just a few seconds until pourable. Pour evenly over the top of the partially baked crust. Spread it carefully so it doesn’t rip the cookie bars. Scoop tablespoons of batter over the top and carefully spread with your fingers. It won’t be a smooth layer but will mostly cover.

Bake an additional 17-20 minutes until the top is no longer glossy and the edges are golden brown. Cool completely before slicing.

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Source: Adapted from Crazy for Crust

S'mores Brownies

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I absolutely adore s'mores, but it's not always convenient to make them. My simple solution is putting the s'mores toppings on other adored treats. Such as brownies! This way you get moist, rich brownies combined with the tasty summer treat that we all know and love. But now you can make them year-round in the convenience of your own kitchen! Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. espresso powder, optional
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Toppings:

• 2 whole graham crackers, broken into pieces
• 2 cups mini marshmallows
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan.

Crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla till smooth.

In a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Continue to heat, just until the mixture is hot, but not bubbling.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, pour in the butter mixture. Add the cocoa mixture, mixing until combined. Add the flour and chips, stirring until smooth.

Spoon the batter into a lightly greased 9" x 13" pan.

Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Remove them from the oven. 

Set oven to broil. Sprinkle graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate chips over top of cooked brownies. Place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes or until marshmallows are golden brown.

Source: SK Original

Blueberry Strawberry Crumble Bars

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Hey guys! Today's SRC post comes from Jess over at Pumpkins and Peonies. I absolutely love everything about her blog from the look of it, to the recipe selection, to the assorted content. Definitely go check it out! And while you're there check out these crumble bars. They were to.die.for. 

I finally got our treadmill working again and we recently got a new elliptical, so both Chris and I have been on the hunt to restart our healthy lifestyles. But these bars kind of kicked that out the door. Well, for the day at least. And we still deemed them as healthy since they contain fruit. That's acceptable, right?

I made these when we had company this weekend and we all happily devoured them. Serve them warm with a little ice cream on top and it's heaven on a plate. You can even switch up the berries (i.e. use raspberries, blackberries, etc.) to fit your taste buds. Anything really goes here. Enjoy!!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Crust and Topping:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks

Filling:

• 2 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 cup fresh strawberries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice

Generously coat 11×7-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

For crust and topping: Place flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon into a food processor. Pulse to blend (about 20 seconds). Add butter and pulse until you have a crumbly mass (not dry by sticking together).

For filling: Toss blueberries and raspberries in a small bowl with sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice.
Spread half of crumble mixture into prepared pan and pat down gently. Spread fruit filling evenly over crust. Top as evenly as possible with remaining crumble mixture and press slightly. Chill 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. After chilled, bake bars 40 to 45 minutes until fruit starts to bubble. Reduce oven to 325 degrees F and bake additional 15 to 20 minutes or until fruit that is bubbling is deeper in color and edges of squares are browned. Cool completely in pan before cutting or refrigerate 2 to 3 hours before cutting.

Source: Pumpkins and Peonies

An InLinkz Link-up

Banana Blondies with a Brown Sugar Frosting

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These blondies are my new obsession. I had a few overripe (aka rotten) bananas sitting on my counter, so I did what I always do. I turned those rotten bananas into a tasty treat! 

My mom would always take the overripe fruit and turn it into "Rotten Fruit Salad" when we were kids, and we absolutely loved it. Even if the fruit isn't "rotten," we still call it that to this day. 

But in this case, I took a different route and made a tasty treat that made my tastebuds explode.

The blondie is very moist with a subtle banana flavor, but the brown sugar frosting is where it's at. I love brown sugar and everything it touches. It's buttery, creamy and rich and makes a perfect topping for any not-too-sweet cake. 

I intended to give these to Chris to take to his office, but I think I ate the whole pan myself. Maybe next time...

Maybe.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Blondies:

• 1/2 cup butter, melted and if desired browned
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup flour
• 3/4 cup mashed banana (2 medium bananas)

Brown Sugar Frosting:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Blondies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8 baking dish with foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

Mix melted butter and sugar with a whisk until combined. Add in egg and vanilla and continue mixing until incorporated. Stir in salt, flour and banana until batter is smooth and even. Spread in prepared pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until center is set.

Transfer pan to wire rack to cool.

Meanwhile, make the frosting.

Brown Sugar Frosting: In a medium saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Add brown sugar and milk and stir until mixture comes to just a boil. Remove from heat, allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Stir in powdered sugar with a whisk.

Spread frosting on top of blondies and allow frosting to set and blondies to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Source: Adapted from Cookies and Cups

5-Minute Microwavable Fudge

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I know not everyone bakes, and I get it. There's such a science to it and everything needs to be so exact. For me baking is a stress reliever, but for some people baking is what causes them stress. And I don't blame you. It's tough! But with all the holiday parties coming up, this fudge will make anyone believe you spent hours in the kitchen baking up a storm. When all you really need is 5 minutes and a microwave.

As soon as Chris showed me a video he found for the "easiest homemade fudge ever," I was in the kitchen. It really did only take me 5 minutes to prepare. The hardest part was waiting for the chocolate to set in the refrigerator. Just make sure it has time to sit at room temperature a little before serving...otherwise it might be a little gummy. But this was some of the creamiest fudge I have ever had. No one will believe this was "baked" in a microwave. Be the star of your holiday parties and make this fudge. I promise everyone will devour it! Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Line an 8x8" pan (for thicker fudge) or a 9x9" pan (for thinner fudge) with aluminum foil. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large glass microwave safe bowl, add chocolate, sweetened condensed milk and butter. Microwave for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir until everything is melted and combined. 

Add vanilla and salt to the chocolate mixture and stir to combine. 

Pour chocolate mixture into prepared pan. Refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours.

Use aluminum foil to pick up fudge from pan. Flip over onto a plate or cutting board. Peel aluminum foil off of fudge and discard. Cut fudge into small pieces and keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Store in an airtight container and use wax paper to separate layers.

Source: My husband

Pumpkin Pie Crumb Bars

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'Tis the season for pumpkin EVERYTHING! Seriously. Everything. I've seen pumpkin English muffins, creamer, candles, peanut butter, ice cream, donuts, air fresheners. Where do they come up with this stuff?

There's one thing I haven't seen sold in a store that I highly suggest starting off your pumpkin baking with. It's part pumpkin pie, part oatmeal cookie, and totally amazing. These bars are decadent and delicious. I even think they're good enough to take over the traditional pumpkin pie on your Thanksgiving table. They're that good. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups quick oats (old fashioned works too)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Pumpkin Pie Filling:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed-light brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ginger
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 (15 oz.) can pureed pumpkin
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• Whipped cream and cinnamon, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8" baking dish and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, oats, salt and baking soda until well combined. Add in 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar an mix until no clumps remain. Combine melted butter and vanilla and add to mixture, then stir with a spoon until evenly moistened. 

Gently press half of the mixture into prepared baking dish and bake in preheated oven 15 minutes.

Meanwhile in a mixing bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and salt. Add in egg, egg yolk and vanilla and stir until blended. Mix in pumpkin then milk. 

Pour pumpkin mixture over baked cookie portion and return to oven to bake 15 minutes, then remove from oven and sprinkle remaining cookie crumb mixture over top while breaking the crumb into small bits. Transfer oven rack closer to the top-center (not directly beneath but a few levels below) and return to oven to bake about 20 - 25 minutes longer until golden on top and center only jiggles slightly. 

Remove from oven and allow to cool 1 hour at room temperature, then transfer to refrigerator to cool 1 hour longer (or serve warm from the oven like a crumble with ice cream). Cut into squares and serve with sweetened whipped cream and a light dusting of cinnamon if desired.

Source: Adapted from Cooking Classy

Walnut and Chocolate Chunk Blondies

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Blondies are a girl's best friend. Well, maybe just my best friend--I won't speak on behalf of all girls. But they are so dang good. Chocolate? And butter? And brown sugar? You need to make these. Like, yesterday.

They taste pretty similar to chocolate chip cookies, which is thanks to all that brown sugar. That delicious, glorious brown sugar. But they're not cookies; they're bars. And they are SO so moist. Just to add a little extra crunch and deliciousness, walnuts are also tossed into the mix. You can leave those out if you really want to, but I love 'em in there. Just in case you need to hear it again, these bad boys are SO stinkin' good. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 (11.5 oz.) bag semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9x13-inch baking pan and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on high speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. 

With the mixer on low, add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, and mix well, scraping down the bowl. 

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt and with the mixer still on low, slowly add flour mixture to the butter mixture. 

Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chunks with a rubber spatula.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 30 minutes exactly. Don't overbake! A toothpick may not come out clean. Cool completely in the pan and cut into bars.

Source: Adapted from Ina Garten

Gluten-Free Dream Bars

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I used to find it extremely difficult to find a good gluten-free dessert that didn't taste like cardboard. Now there are so many mixes and pre-packaged goodies that are actually edible, so it's impossible not to find a few sweet things to snack on while on a gluten-free diet.

My mom recently went gluten-free and it has been helping her out a lot, but I'm my mother's daughter and we both suffer from the same problem...an enormous sweet tooth. So it was super important that even though she's following certain diet restrictions, that she could still indulge in something sweet now and then. She made these bars one day when I had her and my brother over for lunch, and if we didn't know they were gluten-free we never would have known. They had chocolate and coconut and pecans. And were drizzled with sweetened condensed milk! My favorite. This is a sweet treat absolutely anyone will enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
Makes 24 bars

• 3/4 cup soft butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 bag King Arthur Gluten-Free Cookie Mix
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup (3 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup pecan pieces
• 1 cup sweetened coconut, shredded

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan.

Combine the butter, extract, and cookie mix; the dough will be crumbly. Remove 1 1/2 cups of crumbs and reserve for streusel topping.

Add the egg to the remaining mix and blend until smooth. Spread dough in an even layer on the bottom of your prepared pan.

Drizzle dough with sweetened condensed milk. Sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips and pecans. Lightly mix the coconut with the reserved crumbs and sprinkle evenly over the chips and pecans.

Bake the bars for 26 to 28 minutes, till they're golden brown. Remove from the oven, cool for 30 minutes, then cut into squares while still warm. Cool completely before serving.

Source: King Arthur Flour

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are a fun twist on everyone's favorite cookie. Simply mix the batter together, pour it into a pan and top it with tons of chocolate chips. The result is a sweet bar-shaped treat that tastes just like Chocolate Chip Cookies, but it much easier to dunk into a glass of milk! Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8x8-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together egg, brown sugar, oil, granulated sugar and vanilla.

Add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir until just combined; don't overmix.

Turn dough out into prepared pan, using a spatula or fingers to smash dough into corners. Smooth top lightly with a spatula.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the top. Gently press them into the dough.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes (for crispier sticks, add 2 to 5 minutes to baking time), or just until set in the center; don't overbake because sticks firm up as they cool. Allow to cool completely in pan completely.

Once cool, cut into sticks. Sticks will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Source: Adapted from Averie Cooks

Banana Bread Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

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First of all, Happy Fourth of July!! And thank you so much to our military men and women, plus their families!!

Every once in a while I like to do something nice for the guys and girls on Chris' team at work, and that pretty much always involves baking. Since Bradley is on a banana fix, we always have an abundance of them on hand. So it's no surprise that when I decided to make something last minute and noticed 20 ripe bananas in our fruit bowl, I knew bananas were going to be the base of the dish.

These bars are basically a super moist banana bread topped with a rich and decadent cream cheese frosting. In my opinion, cream cheese frosting makes anything taste better. This bread didn't need any help in the taste department, but the frosting just made them even better. Instead of using all eggs in the batter, I decided to use a mixture of eggs, oil and applesauce. I think that definitely contributed to making the bread so moist. Plus it made them a little bit healthier, too. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

For the bars:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 1/2 cups ripe bananas (about 5 small), mashed
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• Pinch of salt

For the frosting:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 oz. butter, at room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together. Beat in the egg, oil, applesauce, bananas and vanilla. 

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to the banana mixture. Mix until combined.

Pour into the prepared baking sheet and bake for  30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool. 

Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together. Add in the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until fully incorporated.

Once the bars are fully cooled, spread the cream cheese frosting over the top. Cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator.

Source: SK Original 

Glazed Strawberry Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars

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Nothing quite screams summer like fresh strawberries. Sure, you can usually find them year round. But in the summertime, they're perfectly juicy and sweet. Not like those off-season berries that are water-based. And packing them into a sweet treat makes them even more enjoyable!

The combination of strawberries and lemon in these bars makes an amazingly refreshing and light summer treat. The base of the bar is a sugar cookie, so it has a texture that just melts in your mouth. Then it's topped with a basic powdered sugar glaze that adds a special touch of extra sweetness. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Bars:

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup of room temperature butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup diced fresh strawberries (don't use frozen) 

Glaze:

• 1 cup of confectioners sugar
• 2-3 tbsp. water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8x8" pan with cooking spray and set aside.

For the bars: In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer cream sugar and butter together.

Mix in egg, lemon juice, zest and vanilla.

Mix in flour mixture.

Blot the diced strawberries with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Fold in diced strawberries by hand.

Press dough into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Bake for about 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.

Let the bars cool before cutting and glazing.

For the Glaze: Whisk together powdered sugar and water, or enough water to get to your desired consistency. Pour over cut and cooled bars.

Source: Adapted from Bakaholic Mama

Sweet and Salty Seven Layer Bars

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Traditional Seven Layer Bars include a graham cracker crust topped with chocolate, butterscotch, walnuts, sweetened condensed milk and coconut. I decided to put my own twist on them and cater them to what I love. Plus I wanted to clean out my pantry, and decided to use some of the half-empty (or half-full?) bags of goodies I had in there. Topping my list was Reese's pieces, salted peanuts and pecans. Yum.

Salty and sweet combinations are one of my favorite match-ups, so it's no surprise that I devoured these. The nuts add some crunch, while the coconut and chocolate add the sweetness that the saltiness craves. Plus the sweetened condensed milk just makes them creamy and decadent. These are incredibly easy to make and would be perfect for any gathering. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp. butter
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup Reese's pieces
• 1/4 cup salted peanuts
• 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1/2 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8x8" pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Mix the butter and graham cracker crumbs until evenly coated. Press onto the bottom of the prepared pan.

Spread the chocolate chips on top in an even layer. Do the same thing with the Reese's pieces, peanuts, pecans and coconut, in that order. Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top.

Bake for 23-25 minutes or until coconut is golden brown. 

Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack. Once cooled completely, cut into 9 bars. Store in an airtight container.

Source: SK Original

Christmas Cookie (and Dessert!) Round-Up

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Here is a list of my favorite Christmas cookies (and desserts!) of all time! Whether you're making them as gifts, for a cookie exchange, a potluck at work, or just to enjoy with your family, I promise all of these won't disappoint! Enjoy and get to baking!

Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons

Double-Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge

Chocolate-Covered Peanut Clusters

Buckeye Bites

Triple Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

Nutella Sandwich Cookies

Chocolate Chip Blondies

No-Bake Nutella and Peanut Butter Cookies

Nutella Peanut Butter Thumbprint Cookies (Gluten-Free)

Poppyseed Bread

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Brownies

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Nutella Oatmeal Thins

Raspberry Crumb Bars

Nutella Filled Sugar Cookies

Lofthouse Sugar Cookies

Funfetti Cake Balls

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookie Cups

Outrageous Chocolate Cookies

Struffoli (Italian Honey Balls)

Oreo Truffles

Iced Sugar Cookies

Cinnamon Sugar Pecans

Black and White Cookies