No Bake Chewy Chocolate Bars

These bars are wonderful to have around in the house and are a great alternative to the traditional granola bars that you buy from the store.  They are a cross between a no bake cookie and rice crispy treats.  If you plan on keeping these around for a few weeks (they never last that long at our house) you can cut into individual bars and wrap in wax paper and store in an air tight container.

2/3 C. light Corn Syrup

3/4 C. creamy Peanut Butter

1/4 C. light Brown Sugar

1/4 C. Cocoa Powder

1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract

1/2 tsp. Salt

2 C. quick cook Oats

2 C. rice Crispy cereal

Spray a 8 x 8 pan with non-stick spray.  Combine syrup, peanut butter cocoa and sugar in a medium saucepan over low medium heat.  Heat until sugar is dissolved and peanut butter is melted.  Stir frequently to combine.  Remove from heat and add vanilla and salt.  Stir.  Add oats and cereal.  Stir well until everything is evenly coated.  Spoon into the prepared pan.  Using the back of the spoon, (or greased hands J ) press firmly into the pan.  Cool completely before cutting.  

Raspberry Crumb Bars

Very quick and easy dessert.  Use a small baking dish to make these (a 9 x 13 will be too big) The one I use is a metal 7 x 11 and they turn out just the right thickness.  Heating the jam up briefly in the microwave will help in spreading it over the oat crust.  Change up the flavor of the jam depending on what you like best, (strawberry jam is delicious!).

Ingredients

1 C. all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

1 C. old fashioned oats

½ C. packed light-brown sugar

½ C. unsalted butter, softened

1 C. seedless raspberry jam

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Add oats and brown sugar and stir to incorporate.  Cut in butter until evenly moistened and clumps are no bigger than a pea.

Pour 2/3 cups of the oat mixture into a small baking dish and press onto the bottom to form the crust.

Spread the raspberry jam over oat layer. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over the jam. Press the crumb mixture lightly into jam layer.

Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 35 - 40 minutes.

Remove the pan from oven and cool completely on a rack before cutting into squares. 

Poppy seed honey Cookies (Pirishkes)

These cookies are very light and crumbly, reminds me of a traditional shortbread cookie.  The subtle taste of the poppy seed and honey make these an excellent pairing with coffee or tea. 

3 C. Flour
¼ C. Poppy Seeds
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 ½ tsp. Vanilla
2 Eggs
½ tsp. Salt
¾ C. Sugar
8 Tbsp. Butter, softened
1 C. Honey

Preheat oven to 350. In bowl, whisk flour, poppy seed, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Beat sugar, butter and vanilla in bowl until light in color. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in dry ingredients. Dough will be very dry and crumbly. Turn out on work surface. Roll out to ¼” thick. Cut dough into diamond shapes. Bake on ungreased baking sheet for 12 – 15 minutes or until golden brown. While cookies are baking, bring the honey and ½ C. water to boil. Remove from heat. Place cookies on a rack to cool. Brush cookies with the honey mixture several times. Cool completely on rack then store in an air tight container.



Banana Nut Blondies

Good way to use up those remaining bananas that are slightly past their prime.  Once you taste these little delicacies, you may end up buying more bananas than you need just as an excuse to make them. Use the type of nut that you like best.  I prefer the taste of black walnuts, but pecans work nicely too. 

3 C. All-purpose Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
½ tsp. Baking Soda
½ tsp. Salt
½ C. Butter, softened
3 ripe Bananas, mashed
1 ½ C. Brown Sugar
½ C. White Sugar
2 egg, lightly beaten
2 tsp. Vanilla
1 C. Nuts

Preheat oven to 325. Butter a 9 x 13 baking pan. Whisk dry ingredients together. Set aside. In separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until well combined. Add banana, eggs and vanilla. Beat until well incorporated. Add dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Stir in nuts. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the Blondies comes out dry. Cool completely in pan before cutting into squares.

Sticky Cranberry Sweet Rolls

A great recipe to use up the leftover cranberry sauce from the holidays.  Make sure the sauce is of good quality, since it is the foremost taste of these rolls.  The glaze makes these rolls super sticky.

2 ½ C. Flour
1 ½ tsp. Yeast
½ tsp. Salt
1/3 C. Sugar
2 Tbsp. Butter
1 Egg
½ C. Milk
1 C. Cranberry Sauce
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 Orange

In bowl combine flour, yeast, salt and sugar. In separate bowl, combine butter and egg. Beat until light in color. Add milk. Make a well in the flour mixture. Add the liquid. Stir until dough comes together, adding more milk if needed. Turn dough out on lightly floured surface. Knead the dough until elastic and smooth. Place in bowl and lightly coat all sides with oil. Cover and let rise until doubled. In bowl combine cranberry sauce and cinnamon. Set aside. On floured surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle about half an inch thick. Spread the sauce mixture evenly across the dough. Zest the orange over the sauce. Roll the dough into a log. Cut the log into 1 ½ inch slices. Spray a 9 x 13 glass pan with non-stick spray. Arrange rolls in pan, spacing evenly. Cover with a towel and let rise for about an hour. Pre heat oven to 375. Bake for about 20 minutes until lightly browned. Brush with glaze.

Glaze
½ C. fresh squeezed Orange Juice
½ C. Sugar
¼ tsp. Vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over low medium heat. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Bring to boil, then simmer until glaze is slightly thickened, about 7 – 10 minutes. Let cool.

Hickory Nut Cake

This recipe came from my grandmother Cozeta Webb and is one of my favorite cakes.  The hickory nuts were collected from our farm but just about any nut could be substituted.  My husband likes this made with black walnuts.  The icing is a bit touchy to make but is well worth the effort.  Follow the boil times exactly.  If you cook it too long then the icing will be crumbly, not long enough and it will not set up.  The taste however, is better than anything you could buy from the store.  If you find that you overcooked it slightly, then taking it off the heat and whisking in a little bit more milk might save it.  This will make one 9 x 13 sheet cake or 2 round 9 inch pans.  

2 C. Sugar
2/3 C. Butter, softened
3 Eggs
2 ½ C. Flour
1 C. Hickory nut pieces
1/8 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 C. Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla

In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with mixer until light in color. Add eggs one at a time. In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add to butter mixture alternating with the milk. Mix well after each addition. Stir in vanilla and nuts. Pour in greased and floured pans. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes or until done .

Frosting

½ C. Butter
1 C. packed Brown Sugar
2 C. Powdered Sugar
¼ C. Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla
½ C. Hickory nut pieces

Melt butter in saucepan. Add brown sugar. Boil 2 minutes. Add milk. Bring to boil, then remove from heat. Cool to lukewarm. Beat in sugar and vanilla. Add nuts.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

One of my favorite cakes.  It has carrots, so it has to be healthy right?  This can be made as an 9” x 13” pan or as a 2 round  9” layer cake.  This cake is very heavy and rich.  You won’t need a big piece. 

2 C. Flour
2 tsp. Cinnamon
2 tsp. Baking Powder
2 C. Carrots, shredded
2 C. Sugar
4 Eggs
1 tsp. Salt
1 C. Vegetable Oil
1 C. Pecans, chopped

In a bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.  In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar and oil for 2 minutes.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Add flour mixture , beating just until blended.  Mix in carrots and pecans.  Batter will be very thick.  Pour batter into greased cake pans.  Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 35 – 40 minutes until toothpick inserted in middle of cake comes out clean.  Cool completely on rack before icing. 

 Cream Cheese Icing

1 stick Butter, softened at room temp.
16 – 24 oz. Powdered Sugar
2 tsp. Vanilla
8oz. Cream Cheese, at room temp
1 C. Pecans, chopped

In large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients except pecans until well blended.  Stir in nuts.

Bailey’s Irish Cream Bundt Cake

This is a very moist, dense cake. It has a wonderful flavor. One of the most requested cakes in our household. Drizzle as much fudge sauce as you want over the cake. Everyone absolutely loves this!

 



2 Tbsp. Instant Coffee
¼ C. Bailey’s liqueur
1 pkg. Yellow Cake Mix
3.4 oz. Vanilla Pudding mix, instant
¾ C. Sour Cream
½ C. Vegetable Oil
4 Eggs, beaten
1/3 C. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, melted
1/3 C. Sugar
1 ½ tsp. Cinnamon
¾ C. Pecans, chopped
16 oz. Chocolate Frosting
Fudge Sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Combine coffee and liqueur. Add cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, vegetable oil, and eggs. Beat for a full 4 minutes. Batter will be very thick. Stir melted chocolate chips into 2/3 cup batter. Combine sugar, cinnamon and pecans in separate bowl. Pour ½ of batter into greased Bundt pan. Top with ½ of chocolate batter. Sprinkle with ½ of sugar mixture. Repeat layering. Use a butter knife to swirl batters. Bake 50 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in pan. Loosen sides by running a plastic knife around the edges. Turn out on a cooling rack. Cool completely. Heat frosting in the microwave (lid and foil removed) stirring every 20 seconds until smooth and pourable. Pour over cake. Let the icing set up. Drizzle the fudge sauce over cake.

White Chocolate Chip Black Walnut Cookies

Don’t get me wrong.  I love Nestle chocolate chip cookies.  Sometimes though, you want something different.  These are the cookies for those moments.  They remind me of Blondie Brownies.  Substitute English walnuts if the Black walnuts are too strong for you.  These cookies are also good with some chopped coconut added in the dough.  Make sure you have plenty of milk for the dunking!!

 



12 Tbsp. Butter, Melted

1 C. Brown Sugar

½ C. Granulated Sugar

1 Egg

1 Egg Yolk

2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

2 C.  All purpose Flour

½ tsp. Baking Soda

½ tsp. Salt

1 ½ C. White Chocolate Chips

1 C. Black Walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Set oven racks to top and middle position.  Whisk flour, salt and baking soda.  Set aside.  In large mixing bowl, mix butter and both sugars.  Beat until light in color.  Add egg, yolk and vanilla.  Beat until incorporated.  Add dry ingredients.  Mix until well combined.   Stir in chips and walnuts.  Measure out 1/8 C. portions.  Roll into balls and flatten slightly.  Place on ungreased baking sheet.  Bake 15 – 18 minutes, rotating pans halfway through.  Cookies should be lightly brown on the edges but still soft and slightly moist in the middle.  Remove from oven and let cool on pan for 10 minutes.  Transfer to rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Cookies with Coconut

These cookies make me think of devil’s food cake.  Has a nice, dense, moist flavor.  If you don’t care for the coconut, substitute orange extract in the icing and top with a light sprinkling of orange zest.

 



1 ¼ C. Flour

1/3 C. Cocoa Powder, unsweetened

½ tsp. Baking Powder

¼ tsp. Salt

1/3 C. Butter, softened

1/3 C. Granulated Sugar

1/3 C. Brown Sugar

1 Egg

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

2/3 C. Powdered Sugar

1 tsp. Coconut extract

1 – 2 tsp. Milk

½ C. Coconut, unsweetened, shredded

Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.  In separate bowl, beat butter until light in color.  Add granulated and brown sugars.  Beat until combined.  Add egg and vanilla.  Beat until combined.  Add flour mixture.  Beat until combined.  Divide dough in half and form into 6 inch rolls.  Wrap each roll tightly in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for 2 hours until firm.  Spread coconut on baking sheet.  Toast in 350 oven until lightly browned.  Remove to bowl.  Slice dough into 1/3 inch slices.  Place on baking sheets.  Bake 8 – 10 minutes or until set.  Transfer to rack to cool.  In small bowl, combine powdered sugar and coconut extract.  Add enough milk for a drizzle consistency.   Drizzle cookies with icing and sprinkle with shredded coconut. 

Chocolate Truffles

Wonderful chocolate flavor.   Roll in your favorite topping.  I love the bitterness of cocoa powder while my husband prefers the crunch of toasted coconut.  Chopped nuts are also a good choice.  This is a messy recipe and I can never achieve the perfect rolled ball, but worth the effort.

 

1 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 C. milk chocolate chips

1 Tbsp. Water

5 Tbsp. Butter, unsalted

1 tsp. Vanilla

3 Tbsp. Heavy Cream

1 1/8 C. Powdered Sugar

3 Tbsp. Concentrated Orange Juice

Cocoa Powder

Melt chocolate, butter and water in double boiler over low-medium heat.  While chocolate melts, in separate bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients.  Set aside.  Stir chocolate until melted and smooth.  Remove from heat.  Whisk sugar mixture into chocolate until smooth.  Pour into a shallow dish and refrigerate until firm.  Shape into balls and roll in cocoa powder.  Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.