Pumpkin Bars

Have you ever tried the Pumpkin Bars from Great Harvest?  They are oh so good.  We used to buy them buy the sheet until a family friend shared this recipe with us.  It's just as good, if not better, because when you make them from home, you can lick the bowl.

Beat:

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 c sugar
• 1 c oil
• 16 oz pumpkin (If you have a big can use 2 cups, if you only have a 15 oz can, they'll still turn out fabulous)

Add

• 2 c flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

Beat together until well combined.

Bake at 350 for 25 min in a sprayed cookie sheet


Frosting (the best part)

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 stick butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 c powdered sugar

Combine and beat until fluffy.  This is the same frosting I use for many of my cupcakes.

Chocolate Trifle

This dessert has become a staple with our family.  It's easy, quick, cheap, and versatile.  Sometimes we throw in some raspberries, top it with toffee chips, this time I had lots of cadbury eggs, so I threw them in the brownie batter.  It's always a hit!

1 (19.8 oz) brownie mix.  (make sure it makes a 9x13 pan of brownies)

1 (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix

1/2 cup water

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

16 oz cool whip

chocolate candy for garnishing

Prepare brownies according to package directions and let cool completely.  Sometimes I start the process too late to let them cool on their own.  So I line the pan with foil, pour in the batter, bake, then remove from the pan and put it in the freezer for a little bit.  Cut into 1 inch squares.  When preparing brownies I like to use 3 eggs instead of two and add chocolate chips to the batter.  In a large bowl combine pudding mix, water, and sweetened condensed milk.  Mix until smooth.  Fold in half of the thawed cool whip and mix until there are no streaks.  In a trifle bowl or glass serving dish layer half of the brownies, half the pudding mix, and half of the remaining cool whip.  Repeat layers.  Shave chocolate onto the top layer for garnishing.  Refrigerate 8 hours before serving.

Enjoy!

Adapted from all recipes

Samoas

It's girl scout cookie time!!  I knew as soon as I saw this recipe, I was going to have to give it a try.  We blessed our little boy yesterday and I made these to eat after.  Note to self, don't try to take a picture of your dessert when everyone is standing around waiting to eat.  Result, not a good picture of a very yummy treat.

Samoa Bars
from Baking Bites

Cookie Base:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

First, make the crust. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. (try not to do this with your 2 year old helping you, who also loves to count, making me forget how much flour I had put in)  The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepapred pan and press into an even layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. (mine needed the full 25 minutes)  Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Topping:
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels (I used 2 packages of Werthers chewy caramels)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (I ended up using 10 oz for just the bottom, then melting more the drizzle on top)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (I just sprayed the sheet) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden (mine took about 25 minutes). Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on 50% power for 1-2 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. (Next time I think I'll do this part on the stove, maybe it's my microwave, but it took a lot longer than 1-2 minutes to get my caramels to melt)  When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula. Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer (I kind of had to run my spatula under hot water to get some parts to spread). Let topping set until cooled. When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping).

Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish.  Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 30 bar cookies.

Cupcakes

I make a lot of cupcakes these days...in the past week I've made around 300 of these mini cucpakes; I might get rheumatoid arthritis from piping, but they've been for church activities, so I figure I'm ok right?  Sometimes, I don't have time to make batter from scratch, and sometimes the recipes from scratch don't turn out as well as the ones from the mix.  There is nothing more frustrating to me than trying a new recipe, only to look in the oven to see that the cupcakes have sunk.  Therefore, I often use a cake mix....shh don't tell.

When using a cake mix I do change a few things.

Add:

1 cup buttermilk in place of water

Vegetable Oil (the amount called for on box)

4 large eggs (in place of the number of eggs the box calls for)

It always has fabulous results, and no surprises.

Today I just made chocolate with cream cheese frosting and yellow with chocolate frosting (my husbands favorite).  Mmm both of these frostings I could, and do, eat straight from the bowl.  They are my favorite.  I wonder how long I can use the excuse "I just had a baby" for my 'pouch' that is more so a result of my love for sweets than from birthing my little guy.  

Chocolate Frosting

1/2 c. butter, at room temperature
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
4 1/2 c. confectioners’ sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract
milk

Using your mixer, cream the butter.  In a separate bowl whisk together cocoa and powdered sugar until well combined.  Slowly add to butter.  Add vanilla.  Add milk a dash at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 stick of butter (room temp)

8 oz cream cheese (room temp)

1 tsp vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar

Cream butter and cream cheese.  Add powdered sugar then vanilla.  Beat until fluffy.

Enjoy!