Fruity Blondies

It's been a busy week as my boyfriend's nephew and his girlfriend were visiting us from Chicago. It was lots of fun showing them around the city especially because they had never been to California before. Since they were in town, I did a little baking and decided to bake up a batch of cranberry and raisin blondies, a recipe I've had my eye on for some time now. If you are a blondie fan (and I’m not talking about the 70’s rock band here), I think you will find many things to like about this bar cookie which is filled with not only luscious cranberries, but rum-soaked golden raisins too. You could probably make them even more decadent by adding some butterscotch chips or chocolate chunks, but I decided not to this time. I also left out the nuts because I wanted the focus to be more on the juicy cranberries and raisins. Coming out of the oven, I was worried that the blondies were going to be a little on the dry side. The baking time said anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes but you know how ovens can vary, so I opted for the 35 minute baking time. Still though, I prefer a chewy, gooey blondie and these were just a tad drier than I liked, almost with a tea cake-like texture. So, my recommendation is to keep an eye out on the baking time and check how they’re coming along perhaps at the 28-30 minutes mark. I enjoyed the butterscotch flavor of these blondies very much, and found the cranberries and raisins added quite a tasty and pretty touch.

Fruity Blondies (adapted from Gourmet's Best Desserts)

ingredients--

1 C cranberries, rinsed, picked over and chopped

1 and 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/3 cup raisins

1/4 cup rum (light or dark will work)

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 and 3/4 cups AP flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

directions--

1. Butter/grease an 8X8-inch pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Toss the cranberries with 2 tablespoons brown sugar in a small bowl and let the mixture stand for 15 minutes.

3. Combine the raisins and rum in a small saucepan; bring the liquid to a boil and simmer the raisins, covered, for 5 minutes or until they have absorbed the rum. Let cool.

4. Melt the butter in a saucepan over moderately low heat; add the remaining 1 and 3/4 cups brown sugar, cook the mixture, stirring, until it is just bubbly. Transfer the mixture to a heat-proof bowl and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla, add the flour, baking powder and salt and stir the batter until it is combined well. Fold in the cranberry mixture and raisins, and turn the batter into the baking pan, spreading it evenly (batter will be very thick).

5. Bake it in the middle of the oven for 35-45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. (Check at 30 minute mark so you do not over bake).

6. Allow the pan to cool on a rack and cut into bars.

Yields about 30 small bars

So Berry Delicious!

Last week, Deborah from Taste and Tell posted a recipe for Blackberry Pie Bars that looked so mouth-watering good, I knew I could not pass it up. I used strawberries in place of the blackberries which resulted in a dessert that tasted like “a strawberry pie on steroids” (this is a direct quote from a friend who took a bite)! I think his words described this dessert perfectly. Not shy in the butter department, the “pie” crust was melt-in-your-mouth delectable, and the strawberry-sour cream filling was rich, sweet, and tangy. These bars are perfect for sharing with others or for bringing to your next potluck. In addition to being so darn good, the recipe yields a pretty large batch and keeps well in the fridge (that is, if they even last that long)! I’m definitely going to make these again and will probably experiment with different berries next time. By the way, don't worry if you don't have a food processor large enough to mix the crust ingredients in. I mixed everything by hand and with my pastry cutter and the results were just fine! Thanks Deborah, for sharing this great recipe (click HERE for the bars).

An Apple Treat

In our house, we love eating apples so there's almost always an abundance of them in our kitchen. Whether eaten raw, or cooked in a savory or sweet dish, apples are probably one of the most versatile fruits out there. So, when I came across this recipe that incorporated apples with other wonderful things like nuts and spices, I was eager to give it a shot. These Apple Squares were posted on one of my favorite food websites, http://www.allrecipes.com/. With its almost pie-like, gooey texture, they are a more delicate version of the "bar cookie". Eat them plain or topped with some whipped cream because either way, they are delicious! I hope you enjoy! (click here for the recipe)

Something Peanutty

I celebrated my blog's 1 year anniversary this week! April first, to be exact. It's been an awesome year of cooking, experimenting, trying, failing, succeeding, and best of all, getting to know some of my fellow foodies and food bloggers from all over the world. Thank-you so much for visiting my little site, and giving me your feedback and encouragement. I've appreciated all your comments and support! Tonight I really felt like making something yummy and comforting with one of my favorite food groups: peanut butter! I came across this recipe for Crunchy Peanut Butter Brownies on the Slashfood website. It had everything I was looking for and seemed like a fairly simple recipe to throw together. The topping is actually a combination of cream cheese, peanut butter, eggs and sugar that is baked with the brownie base. Hmmm...the topping was okay but I was wanting something a bit more decadent and rich. I think next time I will substitute this part with a simple cream cheese and peanut butter frosting instead, and slather this onto the brownies after baking and cooling them. Still though, the brownie had a nice chewiness which I loved and the combination of chocolate and peanut butter is always a treat. I think I'll pour me some milk to go with this one.

More Orange Treats

Maybe it’s because of my fondness for the color orange, but I’ve been baking a string of orange-oriented things lately. First there was the orange chiffon cake in October’s Daring Bakers challenge, then there were the chocolate orange cupcakes I baked for Halloween, and this time around, it’s orange brownies a la Food TV's Paula Deen. I first stumbled across this recipe on Deborah’s site, Taste and Tell. She made the brownies look and sound so delectable that I knew I wanted to make these for a dessert party I was having on Friday night. Of course with Paula Deen's recipes, there’s hardly ever any skimping on the butter, and these orange brownies were no exception. They were a big hit with my guests too--so moist, rich, gooey, sweet, and you guessed it, orangey! The flavor is intense but not overwhelming, and the cream cheese frosting, though not really necessary, makes these little goodies even more decadent. I thought the orange brownies make a wonderful dessert alternative to the traditional chocolate brownies or butterscotch blondies. Happy baking!

My Improvised Blondies

I was inspired to bake some blondies recently after practically drooling over Joe's Maple Butterscotch Macadamia Nut Blondies which he posted on his website, Culinary in the Desert, last week. I loved how he used toasted macadamia nuts (one of my boyfriend's favorites), and maple extract in the recipe to create a blondie with a little kick in it. Well, I was determined to follow the recipe to a tee so on Sunday, I set out in search of the ingredients. I went to my local Trader Joe's where I picked up the macadamia nuts but could not find any maple extract. Still determined, I headed over to Pavillion's where once again, I struck out in finding this apparently elusive item. They carried the ubiquitous vanilla extract of course, I spotted a few bottles of almond extract, and heck, even rum extract was on the shelf, but no maple was to be found. I asked the friendly store clerk who politely asked me if I tried Trader Joe's yet? I smiled and nodded. Feeling let down, I drove home. It was a hot day and I really didn't feel like driving to a third store so I decided to make the blondies anyway using...maple syrup! I know what you're thinking. It's not the same. It's definitely not as potent as the extract. But you know what? The blondies were a hit nonetheless. First of all, they smell delicious. I wish this could be a scratch and sniff entry because then you'd know what I'm talking about. The taste of the blondie is rich and chewy with hints of maple and butterscotch. Sure I'm still on the lookout for some maple extract, but in the meantime, I think I'll have another blondie.

Lemons for LiveSTRONG Day

I'm somewhat of a new kid on the block (or should I say, blog), when it comes to participating in food blogging events. My site is only a little over 3 weeks old and I've yet to participate in one. Until now, that is. I was excited when I stumbled across the event called, A Taste of Yellow-For LiveSTRONG Day, to support cancer awareness, organized by Barbara of winosandfoodies.com. Like so many others out there, I too have known and loved people who have struggled with cancer. Some are still fighting the illness, others are in remission, and still others have passed away as a result, including my grandparents. I knew this was one food blogging event I wanted to become involved in. Tonight I baked lemon bars. So simple and yet they always put a smile on my face. These lemon bars were inspired by my younger brother, a wonderful cook in his own right, who suggested I create something with lemons when I told him about the Taste of Yellow event. The recipe is an old favorite of mine, found in my Cooking Light cookbook and one that I've enjoyed for many years.

Lemon Bars (from Cooking Light): yields 16 bars
Crust:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
Topping:
3 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare the crust:
Beat 1/4 cup granulated sugar and the butter at medium speed of a mixer until creamy. Lightly spoon 1 cup flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Gradually add 1 cup flour to sugar mixture, beating at low speed until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Gently press mixture into bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes; cool on a wire rack.
To prepare topping:
Beat eggs at medium speed until foamy. Add 3/4 cup granulated sugar and next 5 ingredients (3/4 cup granulated sugar through salt), and beat until well-blended. Pour mixture over partially baked crust.
Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until set. Cool on wire rack. Sift powdered sugar evenly over top.

OOEY-MY-GOODNESS! MINTY BLONDIES

Maybe it was because of the cold, windy weather but tonight I felt like making something rich, sweet, ooey and gooey. Before I go on though, did you know that the word "gooey" is found in the dictionary meaning "covered with goo" and "sticky", but yet "ooey" is not? What's up with that? I mean, don't these two words go together, like, say, peanut butter and jelly? Anyways, I thought that was an interesting tidbit since the recipe I'm about to share certainly is just that...ooey and gooey. So in all fairness, I'll make up my own definition of "ooey"--how about decadently delicious? That's how I would describe these Blondies that I baked. Blondies are way up there on my list of a fun and easy dessert to whip up. This version, adapted from Cooks Illustrated, was especially cinchy to prepare because I didn't need to use my electric mixer AND, I only dirtied up two mixing bowls.

Now that's my kind of recipe! I decided to fancy them up a bit by chopping some of the pastel Fannie May meltaways I got for Easter along with white chocolate. I was hoping the pretty pastel colors of the mints would come through in the finished product but that didn't happen as they pretty much melted. The end result however were a batch of Blondies that definitely was not lacking in either the ooey or gooey factor. Blondies happen to be one of my boyfriend's favorite treats which is always a good reason to make them.
Minty Blondies (adapted from Cooks Illustrated):

1 and 1/2 cup AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
12 tbsp unsalted butter (1 and 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled
1 and 1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs lightly beaten
4 tsp vanilla
4 oz bittersweet chocolate (I used about 1 cup of Fannie May meltaways, coarsely chopped)
4 oz white chocolate chopped
1 cup pecans (or walnuts)--optional
1 cup shredded coconut--optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease an 8X8 baking pan
Mix the flour, baking pwdr, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
Mix the melted butter and brown sugar together until combined in a large bowl. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
Fold in the dry ingredients with a spatula until just combined. Fold in the chocolate, pecans, and coconut and pour into the prepared pan, smoothing top with a spatula.
Bake approx. 25minuts until the top is shiny, cracked and golden in color.
DO NOT OVERBAKE.
Cool to room temperature on wire rack before cutting and eating!
Makes about 28 bars.