Snickerdoodle Pumpkin Cream Cheese Blondies

Adapted from: www.CulinaryConcoctionsByPeabody.com

I found myself searching blogs for something different to make (don't I always?). Once I saw this combination of pumpkin and blondie, I had to try it. WOW. I've made snickerdoodle blondies before, but this recipe is much better than the other one. Also from now on, whenever I make something that is cinnamon/sugary, I'm going to sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the bottom of the pan, as called for in this recipe. It gave the bottom of the bars a crisp sweetness that just perfected the dessert.

INGREDIENTS

BLONDIE
8 ounces (two sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup loosely packed light brown sugar
3 ounces Mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
2 eggs1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
¾ tsp. cream of tarter
¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups all-purpose flour

Cinnamon Sugar for coating (about 1/3 cup)

PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE FILLING
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup solid packed pumpkin
½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
2 TBSP flour
½ cup granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9 by 13-inch pan. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar and move pan around to make sure that the bottom and sides are coated. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cream of tartar. Using a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars. Beat for three minutes. Scrape down the bowl.
Add the Mascarpone cheese and beat until fully incorporated. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat for another 30 seconds. On low speed add the sifted flour mixture. Mix until fully incorporated.
Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan. This will be hard as it is a thick batter. It may easiest to just wet your hands a little and press the batter into the pan. Then even it out afterwards with a spatula.
Using a clean bowl, cream together on medium high speed cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add the pumpkin and beat another minute until fully incorporated. Add vanilla and egg, and beat until incorporated. Add pumpkin pie spice and flour and beat until incorporated.
Pour on top of snickerdoodle batter. The best you can swirl it around, they are very different consistencies and so this will be hard to do. Don’t worry, you aren’t trying to show the swirl, just get it in there. You might have to move some snickerdoodle batter back into place. Just press down with a spatula.
Sprinkle more cinnamon sugar on top of the batter.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, check your oven starting at around 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie

Adapted from: http://www.annies-eats.com/

Ok, I'm going to start tagging certain posts as "Laura's Favorites" because lately I've come across some pretty awesome recipes, this being one of them. A perfect fall dessert! Everyone raved about this one. It had a perfect layer of cinnamon apples topped with a cheesecake layer and then finally a whipped topping. (I omitted the pecans as usual since I'm not a fan.) I made this for a family get together at my house for no reason other than my husband made his infamous "puerco pibil", a Mexican pork dish. I had to show off my baking skills as well ! I also made Snickerdoodle Pumpkin Cream Cheese Blondies, another one I'm adding to my Favorites. :)

INGREDIENTS

CRUST

1½ cups graham cracker crumbs

3 tbsp. sugar

½ tsp. cinnamon

5 1/3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

½-¾ cup caramel

1 cup chopped pecans

APPLE FILLING

5 tbsp. unsalted butter

½ cup light brown sugar, tightly packed

¼ tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

5-6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

CHEESECAKE

8 oz. cream cheese

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

TOPPING

¾ cup heavy cream

3-4 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar

¼-½ cup caramel

Chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS

To make the crust, preheat the oven to 375° F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round springform pan with parchment paper.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. Toss with a fork until all the crumbs are moistened and the ingredients are evenly mixed. Transfer the mixture to the prepared springform pan and press the crumbs in an even layer over the pan bottom and about half to two-thirds of the way up the sides of the pan. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until golden in color. Let cool for about 10 minutes.

Pour a layer of caramel into the bottom of the crust and sprinkle evenly with the chopped pecans. Refrigerate the crust while you prepare the filling.
To make the apple filling, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Mix in the brown sugar, salt and cinnamon and cook for 1 minute, until bubbling. Mix in the apple slices and toss well to coat. Cook over medium to medium-high heat until tender and most of the liquid has been reduced, about 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes and pour into the prepared pie shell. Set aside.
Reduce the heat of the oven to 350° F. To make the cheesecake layer, combine the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Mix in the vanilla, egg and lemon juice until fully incorporated and smooth, 1-2 minutes. Spread the cheesecake filling into an even layer over the top of the cooked apples in the crust. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
To serve, carefully remove the sides of the springform pan. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form (being careful not to overbeat.) Spread gently over the top of the chilled cheesecake layer. Top with dollops of caramel sauce and swirl with a knife to create a marbled effect. Sprinkle with a handful of chopped pecans if desired. Slice with a long, thin knife to serve.

Red Wine Chocolate Cake

Adapted from http://www.smittenkitchen.com/

I saw this recipe and swore I heard angels singing.... For those of you that don't know, I am a huge fan of both chocolate and red wine. Most of the time when you're cooking with alcohol you can't really taste it in the final product. This cake TASTED like wine! It was a very dense cake that was very easy to make, a one bowl recipe (that's always nice!). I will definitely be making this again, next time picking up mascarpone so that I can make the topping!

INGREDIENTS

CAKE
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
3/4 cup red wine, any kind you like
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

TOPPING (I did not make, but it sounds awesome!)
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup chilled heavy or whipping cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment, and either butter and lightly flour the parchment and exposed sides of the pan, or spray the interior with a nonstick spray. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth.
Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and yolk and beat well, then the red wine and vanilla. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together, right over your wet ingredients. Mix until 3/4 combined, then fold the rest together with a rubber spatula. Spread batter in prepared pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. The top of the cake should be shiny and smooth, like a puddle of chocolate. Cool in pan on a rack for about 10 minutes, then flip out of pan and cool the rest of the way on a cooling rack. This cake keeps well at room temperature or in the fridge. It looks pretty dusted with powdered sugar.
Make the topping: Whip mascarpone, cream, sugar and vanilla together until soft peaks form — don’t overwhip. Dollop generously on each slice of cake. It can also be covered and refrigerated for up to 4 hours.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies

I was hesitant to try this recipe - spicy chocolate? Sure, anything chocolate can't be BAD, but I'm not big on spicy. I don't like the aftertaste it leaves in my mouth that ruins the taste of other foods. However, I've seen many recipes for cayenne brownies or cayenne cookies so I figured I'd try it out. If I gave bacon cookies a shot, I might as well try this too! They were awesome! So fudgy with a nice kick at the end. I had tasted the batter for the spicyness after adding the minimum amount of cayenne (1/2 tsp) and it didn't taste much different than regular brownie batter, so I went ahead and added the extra 1/4 tsp. Honestly, I could've added a little more (that is, if you like spice)....and that's a lot coming from me!


Adapted from: www. jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride

INGREDIENTS
For the brownies
1 1/4 cup cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 – 3/4 tsp ground cayenne
1 tsp ground cinnamon
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
12 Tbsp butter, cubed
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla

GANACHE
6 oz semisweet chocolate
1/3 cup whole milk

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325. Grease the bottom and sides of a 13×9 pan. Whisk cake flour, salt, baking powder, cayenne, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside. Place chocolate and butter in a bowl. Microwave for 1 minute and in 30 second increments, stirring in between until chocolate has completely melted. Pour into the bowl of your stand mixer. Add sugar and mix on med-high until combined. Turn mixer to low and add 1 egg at a time and mix completely. Add vanilla. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for ~30 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool ~15 minutes. Heat semisweet chocolate and milk in the microwave for 30 seconds and then in 15 second increments, stirring in between until chocolate has completely melted. Pour over brownies. Let cool completely before cutting.

Flourless Espresso Chocolate Cake

This cake was intense! In a good way. (Can chocolate and intense ever be bad?) I made this around Christmas time when my nephew was in town from Minnesota. (I know, I've been really slacking on my blogging!) I think he liked it. :) The texture was almost like chocolate mousse, but dense enough to be called a cake. Fabulous. Definitely making this for something else....


Adapted from: Crave by Maureen McKeon


INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups chopped dark chocolate
3 Tbsp strong freshly brewed espresso coffee
3 Tbsp coffee liquor or brandy (I used Kahlua)
4 large eggs
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup superfine sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 inch cake pan, line with parchment paper, then butter the paper.
Melt the chocolate with coffee and liquor in a heatproof bowl over hot water. Stir until smooth.
Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and white sugar in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water for about 10 minutes, or until thickened and almost tripled in volume.
Whip the cream, superfine sugar and vanilla extract until soft peaks form.
Gently fold in the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, then fold in the whipped cream.
Pour the mixture into the prepared plan and immediately put the pan in a roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the side of the cake pan.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until skewer inserted into the center of the pan comes out almost clean (the skewer will be slightly moist, the cake will continue to cook as it cools).
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan in the water bath. When cool, do not remove from the pan; cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
To serve, immerse the cake pan in a little hot water to loosen. Invert into a wire rack, remove the paper, then invert again onto a serving plate. Optional: Serve with fresh raspberries and heavy cream.

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

Adapted from: http://www.crystalscozykitchen.blogspot.com/

This may take the cake (no pun intended!) for one of the best desserts I've ever made. If you're a chocoholic, this is the cheesecake you want to make. I used a lot of dark chocolate, where the recipe was pretty flexible in using dark, semi-sweet, bittersweet, etc. I'm a big fan of dark chocolate though. ;) I'm considering making a bar version of this for my parent's Christmas Party but already had another chocolate dessert in mind for that....decisions, decisions!

INGREDIENTS

CRUST

2 cups crushed cookies (I used Oreos with fillings removed)

2 Tbsp sugar

1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp melted butter

Oreos - about 8 for surrounding crust (taken apart and fillings removed)

FILLING

1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate chips)

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup sugar

3 bars of cream cheese (8 oz. each)

1/3 cup cocoa (I used dark chocolate cocoa by Hershey's)

1 tsp vanilla

TOPPING
1.5 cups chocolate chips (I used 3/4 cups dark chocolate chips & 3/4 cups semi-sweet chips)
1/4 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To make the crust, place the Oreos around the outside of a springform pan (separated with fillings removed). Mix the 2 cups of cookie crumbs with sugar and butter and then press into the pan covering the bottom and up the sides. The original recipe called for more Oreos lining the top of the crust, but since the crust is crushed Oreos, I really didn't notice these extra cookies. I would omit this next time...and there will be a next time! Bake the crust for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. A tip from the original recipe that I found helpful - put the pan on a cookie sheet (I lined this with foil) so that if butter oozes it, it won't create a mess.

To make the filling, first melt 1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate chips). You can melt in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, or on low heat on the stove. Add 1/4 cup of room temperature heavy cream to the melted chips. Mix until combined. Set aside. Next, beat the 3 (8 oz.) of softened cream cheese for about 1 minute. Add one cup of sugar and mix until combined. Add 1/3 cup of baking cocoa and mix until combined. I used Hershey's Dark Chocolate baking cocoa and highly recommend it! I've been using it in all of my chocolate recipes recently and think it makes everything just a bit richer (and better)! Add the eggs, one at at time and beat until smooth. Add 1 tsp vanilla, mix, then add the cream/chocolate chips mixture and mix on low speed. Pour the filling into the baked crust and bake at 325 for about 55-60 minutes. The original recipe called for 45-50 minutes and I baked it for 50. It was a little underdone in the center, which is always better than overdone, but if you want a fully baked cheesecake I'd suggest about 55 minutes or so. Check on it to make sure it looks okay! After baking, let the cheesecake cool for about an hour.

To make the topping, melt 1.5 cups of chocolate chips. I used 3/4 cup of semi-sweet and 3/4 cups of dark chocolate chips. Mix with 1/4 cup of room temperature heavy cream. Pour over the top of the cheesecake and smooth it out. Put cheesecake in the fridge for about 4 hours or so (I had it in overnight).

Baked Brie

So easy and so good! I'm not too happy with the presentation, but I was having difficulty getting the foil out from under the brie, so I just transferred the foil onto the plate and haphazardly put the crackers around the brie. I'll have to work on that....especially since I'm making this again for my parents' Christmas Party this weekend!

Adapted from: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/

INGREDIENTS
1 large sheet of puff pastry dough or 1 tube of refrigerated crescent dinner rolls (I used crescent rolls)
1 round or wedge of Brie cheese (do not remove rind)
Raspberry Jam, or other sweet jam
Brown sugar
1/4 cup of maple syrup

DIRECTIONS
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2 On a stick-free cookie sheet, lay out the puff pastry or the crescent rolls flat; put brie round or wedge on top.
2 Spread jam on brie, fold dough over top, cutting off excess dough. Drizzle maple syrup and place a handful of brown sugar on top.
3 Bake at 350º for 25-30 minutes, pastry should be golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve with crackers and apple slices.

S'mores Cookies

So good and perfect for a summer barbecue! (And housewarming - don't worry Mike, you didn't get the leftovers!) I tasted one of these minutes after they came out of the oven and they were delicious. Definitely on my list of cookies to make again! Next time I will cut back on the semi-sweet chocolate chips, only because at the end of the bowl of dough it seemed like there were so many chips and they had to go to waste.

Adapted from: http://www.cookiemadness.net/

INGREDIENTS
6 oz unsalted butter, cool room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate (I think this was too much, 1 cup would've been fine)
1 cup miniature marshmallows
2 Hershey Bars, broken into pieces (or other favorite milk chocolate)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C). Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Cream butter and both sugars with an electric mixer; beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in salt and baking soda making sure they are well distributed and free of lumps; stir in the flour, followed by graham cracker crumbs. Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets, spacing about 3 inches apart. Bake for 9 minutes. Remove and quickly press marshmallows and chocolate into cookies. Return to oven and cook until done (about 3 minutes)
Makes about 3 dozen

Graham Cracker Chewy Bars

These were outstanding and so easy to make! I wasn't expecting much, but saw this simple recipe on a new blog I found and was looking for one more dessert to make for my sister's graduation party. I actually made these again a week later for a barbecue. I cut the recipe in half and made it in an 8x8 pan and cut the cooking time down to 17 minutes. When I first cut into the bars, I thought I severely undercooked them since the middle bars were very gooey. However, when I made them a second time I increased the time to 20 minutes and thought they tasted better undercooked. 17 minutes it is! (If I ever make the full recipe in a 13x9 pan, I'm not sure what it will be!)

Adapted from: http://www.erinsfoodfiles.com/

INGREDIENTS
CRUST

3 cups graham cracker crumbs

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour
TOPPING

2 1/2 cups brown sugar

4 extra-large eggs (I just used large)

2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup pecans, chopped (I omitted)

Powdered sugar, if desired

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar and flour until moist and well-blended. Press the mixture firmly and evenly over the bottom of a 13-inch by 9-inch baking pan. Bake until the crust is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
While the crust is baking, in a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and eggs to blend. Whisk in the graham cracker crumbs, vanilla, salt and baking powder until well-blended. Stir in the pecans.
Spread the mixture over the baked crust and return to the 350-degree oven until the filling is dark-golden on top and jiggles slightly when tapped, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and cool completely.
Sprinkle a light coating of sifted powdered sugar over the pan if desired, and cut into 24 bars. The bars can be made 1 day in advance. Wrap in plastic and keep at room temperature.

Chocolate Whiskey & Beer Cupcakes

What could be more appropriate for a Kulisek birthday than cupcakes made with whiskey and Guinness? Okay, okay...if I had actually had the Bailey's for the frosting then it would've been perfect! They didn't have the shooters of Bailey's at the liquor store so I opted to make the frosting without it and added some caramel ice cream topping instead - still delicious! My decoration looks a little sad, but I attribute that to the heat in our house! It melted my frosting. :( The cupcakes themselves were very rich and you couldn't taste (or I couldn't taste) the alcohol in them at all. Not even the Glenlivet 18 that I had to use (a half of a teaspoon, that's all!) for the filling. Mike appreciates it, I'm sure. ;)

Adapted from: www.smittenkitchen.com

Makes 20 to 24 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
GUINNESS CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
1 cup stout (such as Guinness)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

2/3 cup sour cream

GANACHE FILLING

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate

2/3 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1 to 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (optional)

BAILEY'S FROSTING

3 to 4 cups confections sugar

1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperate

3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof)

DIRECTIONS

Make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.
Make the filling: Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined.
Fill the cupcakes: Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Those are your “tasters”. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.
Make the frosting: Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time. When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys (or milk) and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin (it shouldn’t, but just in case) beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.
Ice and decorate the cupcakes.
Do ahead: You can bake the cupcakes a week or two in advance and store them, well wrapped, in the freezer. You can also fill them before you freeze them. They also keep filled — or filled and frosted — in the fridge for a day. (Longer, they will start to get stale.)

Oatmeal Scotchies

Ah...an oldie but goodie! I made these butterscotch oatmeal cookies as a backup for the Chipster Brownies that I wasn't happy with. I was bringing the brownies to a party and hate serving something I'm not satisfied with! (However, I ended up bringing the brownies AND cookies because I didn't want them sitting in my house...it's bikini season.) I started making these cookies a few years ago and they always go over well. Plus, they're so easy to make! I must have whipped these up in about 10 minutes. I was debating about making the "Pan Cookie Variation" since I haven't done that yet, but figured that if I was making these as my backup dessert, I didn't want to mess up anything else! I know the regular cookie version is fantastic. :)

Adapted from: http://www.verybestbaking.com/

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or grated peel of 1 orange
3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
1 2/3 cups (11-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Butterscotch Flavored Morsels (I only used about 1 - 1.25 cups...it's a lot of butterscotch!)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375° F. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes for chewy cookies or 9 to 10 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

PAN COOKIE VARIATION: Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until light brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.

Peppermint Cookies n' Cream Brownies

You know a recipe is going to be good when there's 3 cups of sugar involved (and subsequently, me shaking after eating 2 of them...). These are the BEST brownies I've ever made. I'm actually a huge box-brownie fan - anything I've tried to make just doesn't measure up to the chewy, fudgy result of a 99 cent box of brownies. This recipe threw that out the window! You could use regular Oreos instead if you don't like mint.

Adapted from: http://www.bakingbites.com/

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter
6 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups roughly chopped peppermint oreo-type cookies (approx 18)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, and grease lightly.In a medium-large saucepan over low heat, melt together butter and chocolate, stirring occasionally. Whisk in sugar, salt and vanilla, then turn off heat. Whisk in eggs one at a time, waiting until each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Stir in flour and cocoa powder until mixture is uniform. Stir in peppermint oreo cookies and pour batter into prepared pan. Crush 3-4 additional cookies finely and sprinkle on top of batter, if desired.Bake for about 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, but not coated with batter.Cool brownies in pan for about 20 minutes, then lift brownies in the foil out of the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Makes 36 brownies (or 48 bite-sized brownies).

White Chocolate Gingerbread Blondies

Oh. My. God. Fabulous. These are the winner for the Christmas Party. They were so good and very holiday-esque. (Can you tell I'm obsessed with Gingerbread lately?) I even put the tree in the background of the picture for added effect ;) I almost didn't try them out, but as I was asking my husband's opinion on what to make he said "I love blondies!". Thank you, Dan. This recipe calls for a 17x12 pan, which I don't have and even if I did I didn't want 4 dozen bars if they were terrible. So, I made them in an 8x8 pan and made 1/3 of the recipe. I set the timer for 13 minutes (which wasn't enough) and kept checking every couple of minutes until they looked done. You don't want to overbake these - I think mine were slightly underbaked and they were very chewy! I will definitely be making these again (most likely in a 13x9 pan using half of the recipe).

Adapted from: http://www.marthastewart.com/

INGREDIENTS - Makes about 4 dozen 2-inch squares
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
2 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 1/2 sticks (20 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsulfured molasses (I used honey)
10 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 17-by-12-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Line bottom with parchment cut to fit, and coat parchment. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
2. Beat butter and brown and granulated sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs and yolk, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Stir in white chocolate.
3. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake until edges are golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 2-inch squares or desired shape. Blondies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Premier Cheesecake Cranberry Bars

Adapted from: http://www.verybestbaking.com/

This are the best bars (and while we're at it, dessert) I've ever made. I credit these bars to getting me into baking a few years ago. That says a lot being that I'm a chocoholic. They're a staple around the holidays. I will have to say that they are a bit messy and fall apart easily but the best way to avoid that is lining the pan with foil. Before cutting, place them in the fridge for at least a few hours. Then you can take the whole dessert out with the foil and cut them into bars. Otherwise, it can be a crumbly mess and you will end up eating half of them before you even get to serve them! Trust me!


INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) White chips
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz.) Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can (16 oz.) OCEAN SPRAY® Whole-Berry Cranberry Sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking pan. I find the way for these to be as neat as possible is to line the pan with foil and grease the foil. This way you can take the entire thing out of the pan and cut into bars when you're finished. Combine flour, oats and brown sugar in large bowl. Add butter; mix until crumbly. Stir in morsels. Reserve 2 1/2 cups morsel mixture for topping. With floured fingers, press remaining mixture into prepared pan. Beat cream cheese in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and vanilla extract; mix until smooth. Pour over crust. Combine cranberry sauce and cornstarch in medium bowl. Spoon over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle reserved morsel mixture over cranberry mixture. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cover; refrigerate until serving time (up to 1 day). Cut into bars.

Pineapple Casserole

I have been making this for years and it's super easy! It actually goes with dinner, though it tastes as sweet as a dessert. I also double the recipe and make it in a 13x9 pan and bake for 1 hour - 1 hour 15 minutes. Keep checking to make sure it's browned and not burning around an hour. This picture shows it is a LITTLE burnt, which is actually my husband's fault and not mine. ;) I asked him to check on it, he said it looked done and then left it in the oven until 15 minutes later I realized it was still in there. He almost ruined Thanksgiving ;)


Ingredients
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
3 eggs, beaten
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
3 slices white bread, cut into cubes
6 tablespoons butter (If you double the recipe, you probably won't need 12 tablespoons - more like 8 or 9 for pouring on top.)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 1 quart baking dish.
In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, flour and salt.
Add eggs, pineapple and juice. Mix well.
Pour into 8x8 baking dish, top with bread cubes and dot with butter. Bake for 45 minutes or until top is golden brown.