Best Recipe 2011: S'Mores Cookie Bars.

Recently, my Dad got a fire pit from Costco, so at least once a week, it has been party at his house with of course...alcohol and s'mores. As of late, the weekly get-togethers have increased my love for 1. S'mores 2. My family 3. Alcohol....not necessarily in that order. So, summer life has been great this year and I will shortly be starting my first real nursing job (Yay!). In other news, Tim and I FINALLY bought a new camera so I no longer have to use my iPhone to take pictures of my wonderful baked goods. Anyway, I found this s'mores cookie bar recipe on the Hershey website. They have not just this amazing recipe, but so many others that I want to try out as well. I'm glad I tried this one though because it could be one of my favorite desserts ever. It tastes amazing right out of the oven and in my opinion even better once they are cool, but if you like them warm, you can always toss them in the microwave for a few seconds.

hershey's s'mores cookie bars.

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 egg

1 1/3 cup flour *I put a little less flour and a little bit more graham cracker crumbs)

1 tsp baking powder

4 hershey's milk chocolate bars (or miniature, doesn't matter as long as they cover the pan)

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract *(I used 2)

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs *(I used about a cup and a little less flour)

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup marshmallow cream (aka marshmallow fluff)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

2. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy.

3. Add egg and vanilla. Beat well.

4. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter/sugar mixture.

5. Press half of dough into prepared pan.

6. Arrange chocolate bars over dough.

7. Spread with marshmallow cream.

8. Scatter bits of remaining dough over marshmallow and press to spread. I flattened the dough in my hands first and then put in the pan and pieced the dough together. Its not really as hard as it seems.

9. Bake 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned.

10. Cut into bars.

Apple Streusel Bars

I've been on hiatus for quite some time now, I know, but nursing school has been consuming my life. Also, my apartment sucks and I have little to no kitchen. But what doesn't suck is shortbread crust, apples and cinnamon, streusal topping and sugary glaze. Hence: Apple Streusel Bars. I gave a batch to my boyfriend and his family and the other half to my classmate and her husband and got 0 back. I borrowed this recipe from Our Best Bites , however modified it just a bit (mostly because I didn't have what I was supposed to in my kitchen). Anyway, hope you like it!



apple streusel bars: crust.

2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. real butter, softened (I used 1/2 c. margarine and 1/2 c. butter because I actually ran out of butter...I wouldn't recommend this but...you gotta do what you gotta do)
1 egg, beaten

apple filling.
1/2 c. white sugar
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon (I used 1 TBSP...mmm cinnamon)
4 c. (about 3 medium) sliced, peeled baking apples (I used fiji)

glaze.
2 c. powdered sugar
About 3 Tbsp. milk (whole milk is best)
1 tsp. almond extract

1. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Prepare crust: mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl.
4. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until you have pea-sized crumbles. Gently mix in beaten egg.
5. Gently pat about 2/3 of the crumb mixture onto the bottom of the dish and set aside.

6. Prepare apple filling: combine flour, sugar, and cin namon and toss with apples.
7. Spread apples out on prepared crust.
8. Sprinkle reserved crust mixture over apples evenly and bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. When finished, allow to cool completely.

9. Prepare glaze: whisk together powdered sugar, almond extract, and enough milk to achieve desired consistency.
10. Place glaze in a Ziploc bag and cut off a very small portion of one of the corners.
11. Drizzle glaze over cooled pastry and allow to harden (you can place it in the freezer to hurry things along). Cut into bars and serve.

Honey Pecan Bars

My mom and I drove down to Alabama for a long weekend to visit my Grandmother for memorial day weekend.  I wanted to bake my Grandmother something but I had no idea what.  The only thing I had to go on is that she loves pecans and butter.  Initially I was going to make a pecan pie but I only had a deep dish plus I haven't mastered crust too well yet.  I searched and searched and finally found this recipe for Honey Pecan Triangles at Cookie Madness.  Honey, pecans, caramel on shortbread (of course made with LOTS of butter) were the main ingredients...perfect. 

My mom warned me that my grandmother doesn't like sweets so she told me not to get offended if she doesn't eat them...she could not have been more wrong.  Her and my Uncle were hoarding them on their plates! It was hilarious.  My mom ate 2 of them and then sneaked one for the car ride home!  Needless to say, these will be made time and time again.  My mom already decided they are going to be the new family tradition Christmas dessert. 

crust.
6 tablespoons softened butter
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour (I cut down on the flour a little bit, I only used 1 cup) 

filling.
14 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 ¾ cups toasted pecans and chopped (To toast pecans, just lay them out on a cookie sheet and bake for about 6 or 7 minutes at 375 degrees F)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line an 8 inch square metal pan with non-stick foil or line with regular foil and spray with cooking spray.*
2. Beat the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl.
3. Beat in the egg, then add the flour and stir until mixed.
4. Press into bottom of baking pan and prick crust several times with a fork. Bake crust on center rack for 15 minutes, then let it cool for 20 minutes.
5. To make the filling. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the brown sugar and honey and gently boil for 2 minutes to dissolve the sugar, stirring once or twice.
6. Add the cream and boil for about 30 seconds.
7. Remove from heat and stir in the pecans. Pour over crust and bake at 375 F for 20 minutes.
8. Let bars sit at room temperature for at least an hour before cutting.
9. Lift from pan, set on a cutting board, cut into 9 squares, then cut the squares diagonally into triangles. Makes 18

*I had a really hard time with the foil.  After it was done cooling I had to peel it off and it only came off in scrappings and took forever! I buttered the pan with butter instead of cooking spray so that may have been the problem although I don't see why.  I also cooled them in the fridge which maybe I shouldn't have done.  I feel like maybe parchment paper would work better, however; I'm not really sure that would lay in the pan nicely. The sides definitely need to be covered. 

The Award Winning Baked Brownie

So yet an another amazing recipe I run into out of my 'Baked' cookbook.  I have heard rumors of this particular brownie winning awards on Oprah among other shows I can't remember.  I am quite the brownie fanatic and when it comes to brownies...I don't mess around.  All I have to say now is that the 'Baked' boys were definitely not messing around when they created this brownie.

the baked brownie.
1 1/4 Cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder
11 ounces dark chocolate (60-72% cacao), coarsely chopped (I used chips..don't have to chop them)
1 Cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 1/2   Cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 large eggs (room temp)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter the sides and bottom of a 9 by 13 inch glass or light colored metal baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cocoa powder together.
3. Put the chocolate, butter, and instant espresso powder in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth.
4. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars.  Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan.  The mixture should be room temperature.
5. Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined.  
6. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined.  
7. Add the vanilla and stir until combined.  Do not overbeat the batter here, unless you want cakey brownies...and who wants cakey brownies? Ew.
8. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture.  Using a spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.
9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it.  Let the brownies cool completely. **
10. Cut them into squares and serve. 
11. Tightly covered with plastic wrap, the brownies keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.

**  I didn't do this.  I was so stoked to try them that I had them warm.  They weren't very good, I don't know why, but they seemed cakey and I was super disappointed. Then I let them cool like I was supposed to and tried them again...a world of difference.  I just ate 3 of them before writing this post.  I probably just gained at least 4 pounds. 

Like this 'Baked' recipe? Try Brewer's Blondies (with Whoppers!)