Blackberry Crumble Bars

These bars are quick and pretty simple to make. Kind of a funny story involved with this recipe...I found it flipping through one of my baking cookbooks and it sounded delicious! They actually were supposed to be Raspberry-Cherry Crumble Bars, and I was sure that I had all of the ingredients for them, except the dried cherries which I was going to substitute with cranberries. However, when I looked through my baking shelf, I could only find blackberry preserves. Oh no! I didn't know what to do and I had already began making the dough at this point. I didn't think that the dried cranberries would taste good with the blackberry, and the only other dried fruits I had were mango and raisins. Definitely didn't think that they would taste good in the recipe either! So, I went ahead and decided to just skip the dried fruit and have just Blackberry Crumble Bars :)

I actually just tasted one and they are pretty good. They have a chew almost like a cookie and the crust resembles something like a lemon bar. The blackberry has a sweet, mild flavor. The great thing about this recipe is that you can use any type of filling that you want! I'm looking forward to trying raspberry! What do you think would taste good?

Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 c. old fashioned or quick oats
- 1 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-in. pieces
- 1 jar blackberry preserves
- Confectioner's sugar for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and position an oven rack in the center. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil across the bottom and up the two long sides, then lightly coat with melted butter.
2. Place the flour, brown sugar, salt and oats in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on low speed until evenly mixed. Add the cold butter and mix on low speed until the mixture looks like wet sand and starts to form clumps, 5-6 minutes.
3. Divide the dough in half. Pat one half into an even layer in the prepared pan. Set the other half aside. Bake for 20 minutes, until gold and crisp. Transfer to a rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Leave the oven on.
4. Empty the preserves into a medium bowl and stir well to break up any clumps. Spread evenly over the cooled crust, all the way to the edges. Sprinkle the remaining dough evenly over the filling.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Transfer to a rack and cool completely, 1 1/2-2 hours.
6. To serve, run a thin knife, or spatula around the edges of the pan to loosen any dough or filling. Lift the cookies out using the foil as handles and place on a cutting surface. Cut into 3 by 1-inch bars. Just before serving, use a fine-mesh strainer to lightly dust with confectioner's sugar.

Raspberry Cupcakes with Champagne Frosting...

...aka my take on Sift's Pink Champagne cupcake! This is easily my favorite cupcake and I was inspired to recreate Sift's famous flavor.

My sister-in-law, Kelli, and I have tried making this cupcake before and we were really impressed with how it turned out! This recipe is slightly different and will be featured this weekend on my friend Savannah's blog, Savannah Smiles! She is featuring a different cupcake each week and asked if I would post a guest blog for this upcoming weekend. I chose to make raspberry cupcakes because they are something that you don't see everyday! They are paired with a delicious champagne buttercream frosting that add a little sparkle to the flavor ;)

I topped these already cute cupcakes with crystal sugar and a light sprinkle of edible pink glitter. When I look at them, they remind me so much of Sift's Pink Champagne, and they honestly taste just as good!! I was so happy with the way they turned out!

More pictures and the recipe for these cupcakes will be posted on my friend Savannah's blog, Savannah Smiles, this weekend so be sure to check it out!

Blueberry-Brown Sugar Cake...and the process!

This is a favorite of mine that I have made on several occasions. Another blueberry recipe...yes, but so tasty! I love the simplicity of this cake. It can be served for breakfast, after lunch, after dinner or as a midnight snack! It is so light with such good flavor that you will want to eat it all the time--and keep eating it! It can be described almost as a simple coffee cake, but I think the blueberries obviously give it something extra.

Hope that you enjoy this one as much as I do :)

Ingredients:

-1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
-2 tsp. baking powder
-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional, but excellent)
-1/8 tsp. plus a pinch of salt
-2 large eggs, separated
-1 stick unsalted butter, at room temp.
-1 c. (packed) light brown sugar
-1/2 c. milk
-1 pint blueberries (fresh or frozen--not thawed)

-Confectioner's sugar, for dusting

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the over to 375 degrees. Generously butter an 11x7-inch baking pan and place it on a baking sheet.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and the 1/8 tsp. salt.
3. Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with the pinch of salt until they form firm, glossy peaks. Gently scrape the whites into a clean bowl. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment (no need to clean the bowl!). Put the butter and sugar in the mixer bowl and beat on medium speed until creamy. Add the egg yolks and beat 2 mins. more. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add half the dry ingredients, then all of the milk and then the remainder of the dry ingredients, adding each new batch as soon as the previous batch has been incorporated.
4. Switch to a large rubber spatula and lighten the batter by stirring in about one quarter of the stiffly beaten egg whites. Fold in the rest of the whites, working as gently as you can. Since the cake batter is heavy, the whites will deflate a little, but it's ok. Still working with as light a hand as possible, fold in the blueberries, and scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
5. Bake the cake for 35-40 mins, or until it is golden and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and cool in the pan about 30 mins. before dusting the top with confectioner's sugar.
This cake can be served warm or cool.

*For something different, try another type of berry, such as a blackberry or raspberry. I'm sure both would taste great! Enjoy!

Homemade Harvest Apple Crisp

I know, I know...it's not fall, but can't I pretend? I miss the fall season a lot and making this delicious dessert made me realize just how much. Don't get me wrong...I am looking forward to spring coming (hopefully soon!) but there is something about fall that just makes me smile inside. Maybe it's the thought of the holidays approaching and how special it is to be around family at that time. Maybe because the leaves are changing colors and there is a new crispness in the air. Maybe it's just because I LOVE to bake in the fall with the apples that are in season and all the different things you can make with the oh so miraculous pumpkin :) I think it is probably a combination of all of those...

But anyway, here I am...in the month of March, sharing a recipe for a homemade Harvest Apple Crisp. I've made this dessert a few times, and I honestly don't think the month matters...it tastes good all the time. Whenever you have a craving for an apple-cinnamon combo, I suggest you make this. It is very quick and simple and will always come out tasting perfect. Everyone I have made this for has tried it and loved it. I hope you do as well :)

Filling:
-5 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces
-1/2 cup granulated sugar
-2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
-Contents of 1 vanilla bean, or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
-1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
-1/2 tsp. nutmeg
-1/4 tsp. salt

Streusel Topping:
-1/2 cup unsalted butter
-1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
-1/4 tsp. salt
-1 cup all-purpose flour
-1/3 cup rolled-oats or quick-cooking oats

~ Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

To Make the Filling:
Combine the apples, granulated sugar, lemon juice, contents of 1 vanilla bean, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in an 8-inch square glass baking dish and mix well. Set aside.

To Make the Streusel Topping:
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, and stir in the brown sugar and salt. Add the flour and oatmeal and stir until just incorporated. Do not overwork. Crumble the mixture evenly over the apple filling. (If your kitchen is warm and humid, the mixture may resemble cookie dough. That is OK. Simply crumble the pieces over the apples.) Put the baking dish on a baking sheet and bake until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, 40-50 minutes.

*Serve yourself a scoopful (with or without some tasty vanilla ice cream), eat, and enjoy!

Streusel Topped Blueberry Muffins!

I really enjoy a good blueberry muffin. I've made a few different recipes in the past, but nothing has ever stuck. Honestly, one of my favorite things about blueberry muffins is the streusel topping! I think it makes the muffin tastier :) When I was young my family used to buy this box muffin mix and it was so tasty because it actually came with a streusel topping that you added on to the muffins before you baked them. They came out tasting so delicious! I haven't had a blueberry muffin I've enjoyed that much...until now! I tried to recreate this muffin and it was DELICIOUS. Thought I'd share:

Ingredients:
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-2 tsp. baking powder
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1 1/2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
-1 1/2 c. fresh blueberries (I used frozen and they were amazing!)
-1/2 c. butter
-3/4 c. white sugar
-2 eggs
-1 tsp. vanilla
-1/4 tsp. lemon zest
-1/2 c. milk
-2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
-5 Tbsp. white sugar
-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
-2 Tbsp. butter, diced

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
2. Combine 2 cups flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, and 1/2 tsp. salt in medium bowl. In a small bowl, sprinkle 1-2 Tbsp. flour over blueberries, and set aside. (This will keep you from having purple batter!)
3. In a large bowl, beat 1/2 c. butter with 3/4 c. sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, and stir in vanilla and lemon zest. Fold in dry ingredients alternately with milk. Fold in blueberries. Spoon batter into prepared cups.
4. Combine 2 Tbsp. flour, 5 Tbsp. sugar and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in 2 Tbsp. butter with fork or pastry blender until mixture resembles course crumbs. Sprinkle over batter in muffin cups.
5. Bake for 20-25 mins, or until a toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. These muffins do freeze well and can be reheated in the microwave!

Hope you all enjoy!

Happy Valentine's!

Monday I made these tasty mini-heart cheesecakes for my husband and I to enjoy. They are the same recipe for cheesecake that I've used before, I just cut it in half to make 3 mini sized ones. I topped them with a raspberry coulis this time instead of strawberry like I've done before. They were delicious! The graham cracker crust is still my favorite part :)

Scrumptious Chocolatey Brownies!

Homemade brownies are delicious! I never would have said that before I made these. I am not a big brownie person, but homemade brownies, and specifically these homemade brownies were amazing! I have to share the recipe because they are outstanding and so you can enjoy them as well :)

The recipe comes from a modern cookbook called: Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Their cookbook takes traditional baked goods and add something modern or different to make it stand out. This brownie recipe has been awarded as the Best Brownie by America's Test Kitchen on The Today Show. I was very impressed!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. dark unsweetened cocoa powder
11 ounces dark chocolate (60-72% cacao), coarsely chopped
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-in. pieces
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly backed light brown sugar
5 large eggs, at room temp.
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9-by13-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. 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.
4. Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining 2 eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not over beat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
5. 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.
6. 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, then cut them into squares and serve.

I hope you think they are as delicious as I did! I think that the brown sugar adds A LOT of flavor. I also sprinkled the top of the batter in the pan with semisweet chocolate chips to make them a little more chocolatey :)