TWD: Chewy, Chunky Blondies

It's been, oh, I don't know... 6 months since my last TWD post! I'm shocked if I'm still on the blogroll for being such a lazy member. Anyway, I thought I'd make my return with blondies.

I used to be a coconut hater, but ever since I made the samoas bars, I've been finding excuses to bake with coconut. Instead of adding the coconut into the batter, I toasted it and sprinkled it on top for a nice textural contrast. I don't like putting coconut into the dough because it makes them gritty. For the coconut haters, I sprinkled the nuts on the other half. I also don't like putting nuts in the dough because I find that they get soggy. I omitted the white sugar completely to cut down on the sweetness. These were good, but I wasn't crazy about them. I would rather have a chocolate chip cookie so I can enjoy the crispy edges rather than a uniformly soft and chewy square. I may try these again with white rather than butterscotch chips.


Thanks to Nicole of Cookies on Friday for choosing this week's recipe

Chocolate Oatmeal Almost Candy Bars

What's not to love about oatmeal cookies sandwiched with a fudgey chocolate centre?! My expectations for these bars were pretty high, especially since they were very rich so it was a little bit of a disappointment when they weren't amazing. They were still good, but if I'm eating something this fattening, it better be crazy delicious.

I meant to blog about this for TWD when it was chosen by Lillian of Confectiona's Realm back in January!

TWD: Applesauce Spice Bars

This week's recipe was a simple one bowl recipe.. the kind that always gives me the most stress because I can't just dump ingredients in a bowl. Unlike the creaming recipes where there is always a set sequence of cream the butter with sugar, adding the eggs one at a time... there are just so many ways to mix a one bowler. Should the sugar be whisked with the wet or the dry? Should the egg be whisked with the sugar first? Or could all the wet ingredients be whisked together at the same time? What really produces the best texture? That is why I tend to avoid one bowlers because as much as I would love to try all the different techniques, I'm not really up for trying 5 different versions of the same recipe.

Anyway...I made half the recipe, baked in a loaf pan to get more height and used brown sugar (2/3 cup instead of 1 to cut down on sweetness) instead of white. Since I don't usually like sugar glazes, I added the apples on top for a little decoration and to make it a little easier to photograph (because I can't make brown bars look pretty). These were more cake-like that bar-like and because of the medley of spices, no one would eat more than a piece. I thought it was ok, but needed more apple flavour. I don't know if adding more apple sauce would work though because that might just make things too gummy.

Thanks to Karen of Something Sweet by Karen for choosing this week's recipe! You can find the recipe on her blog or in Dorie's book. Don't forget to check out the TWD blogroll!

TWD: Caramel Crunch Bars

Finally, these were baked and posted! I was going to skip this, but then when I was swamped with tests to study for, I decided that making cookie dough was more fun. I put the dough in the freezer and it sort of just stayed there until now..haha. I halved the recipe, but I think I really should have made 2/3rds of it because as the dough was coming together I was starting to realize that there was no way it could fit in my 9 inch pan without being paper thin. I considered turning them into cookies, but then I decided to use a 9x5 loaf pan. I only used 1/2 the cinnamon (1/8th since I halved) because I was afraid it would mask the coffee flavour. I chopped up some Lacey's we still had leftover from Christmas and reduced the butter to 3/4 cup (1/4 cup + 2 tbsp since I halved) because 1 cup of butter to 1.5 cups of flour seemed like a lot! Plus, the bubbly percolating and puckering Dorie mentioned made me feel like this cookie was swimming in butter. Overall, the texture of these bars were perfect. Crunchy, crumbly with the slightest chew. I'm not a crazy cinnamon fan so I'll omit it next time, but will double up on instant coffee for extra coffee flavour!

Thanks to Whitney of What's left on the table for choosing this recipe, which can be found on her blog and here. Don't forget to check out the TWD blogroll!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Marshmallow Bars

Happy New Year! I say that, but I wish time could just freeze. So let's backtrack to Christmas, when things were much simpler..haha..no need to think about new years resolutions or the constant reminder that time just passes by way too quickly. I had the hardest time trying to decide what to bake for Christmas. Chocolate chip cookies would be safe, but I wanted to try something new and easy. I like challenges, but I needed to make something I could do beforehand without worrying about staling. I don't mean actual staling, but it kills me when I bake something that is perfect texturally the first day and then have it turn into something remotely different the next. If I could, I would probably bake all my Christmas day cookies, the day of, but seriously, getting out of the door to my Grandparents' is hectic enough without the baking! I wanted something that was also basically foolproof because it's nice to know a dessert you try for the first time will actually turn out, especially when it's for a huge group or people. I finally decided to make bars, but with the million of recipes out there, which one? A long time ago, I starred the Deluxe Chocolate Marshmallow Bars from Jaime at Good Eats 'n Sweets in my google reader. To make them even more foolproof, I replaced the chocolate cake layer with a graham cracker crust so I wouldn't even have to worry about a dry cake layer. Plus, everyone likes graham crackers and now I've turned these bars into sort of smores. It's a little easier to say smores than chocolate peanut butter and marshmallow bars anyway.


I can't believe I've never tried mixing peanut butter together with chocolate before because it was so unbelieveably delicious and addicting! Chipits are usually pretty grainy, but the addition of peanut butter gives the mixture a nice and creamy texture. The crunch from the rice krispies also gives it a nice contrast. You would think that something with chocolate and peanut butter would be popular, but it took a while before somebody except me was eating them. My family tends to think everything is too sweet or rich so I've been working hard to bake a chiffon cake. So far, they've all been flops, but I'm going to try Alton Brown's version next. Anyway, other than replacing the cake layer, I made a few changes to fit a 9x9 square pan.

Deluxe Chocolate Marshmallow Bars
Esther Shank, Taste of Home's Holiday Get-Together 2006
Original Recipe found here from Good Eats 'n Sweets

Recipe adapted by me

1 package of graham crackers (9 crackers)
6 tablespoons of butter melted
4 cups miniature marshmallows

Topping:
3/4 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 tbsp butter
1.5 cups crisp rice cereal

1. In a food processor, process graham crackers into crumbs and add melted butter until well combined. Press mixture evenly into a 9x9 square pan lined with aluminum foil and bake at 325 for 10 minutes until it has set. Remove from oven

2. Turn the oven to broil. Sprinkle marshmallows evenly over graham cracker layer; return to oven until marshmallows have melted (this happens really quickly so don't take your eyes off the oven). If necessary, using a knife dipped in water, spread the melted marshmallows evenly over cake. Cool.

3. For topping, combine chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted and well blended. Remove from heat; stir in cereal. Immediately spread over bars. Chill.

I tried cutting these bars before they were actually chilled and that did not work. It is important to ensure that they are properly chilled or else it will be very messy.


This is just some of the baking stuff I got this year. A large cookie scoop, the Williams Sonoma Goldtouch muffin tin, a Nordicware petit fours pan and some Chicago Metallic mini loaf pans!

Granola Bars

Is it possible to not like a granola bar? Granola or granola bars are definitely some of the most addicting snacks! I mean, it's practically 'healthy' right.. so it doesn't matter when you've eaten so much you can't believe you've consumed 2 cups or cereal, 2.5 cups of oatmeal, 1/2 cup of peanut butter, 1/2 cup of sugar...and the list goes on! I hope no one does the calorie count because I don't want to know. After searching for what feels like forever to find the perfect granola recipe (I know there isn't a perfect recipe, but CI convinces me otherwise), I finally decided to try the chewy peanut butter granola bars from the savory notebook.

Now before any of you freak when you see the amount of corn syrup, I don't think there can be substitutions for it this time. I've made granola with maple syrup and honey before and even though it was really good, the 'freshness' factor just wasn't there.. I'm not talking about staleness, but I was missing the perfect balance of crisp, crunch yet chewy. I do feel a tad guilty about using so much corn syrup so if anyone knows a good substitution, please let me know!


I made a few modifications..suprisingly..considering I'm usually one of those 'must follow the recipe to the word' people. Since we had lots of Kashi cereal that no one was eating, I substituted that for the puffed brown rice which I didn't have anyway. It added a really nice crunch and was a great way to get rid of it. I also added extra oats because I like my bars really oaty. I reduced the raisins because 1 cup was just way too raisiny, but I would definitely not omit all of it because they just add amazing texture and chewiness. Next time I'm definitely throwing in 1/4 cup of sesame seeds that I forgot this time. Although, I really don't think there should be a next time because this stuff is just way too addicting unless if I have a good excuse.. like getting rid of cereal!

Granola Bars
Adapted from The Savory Notebook

3/4 cup roasted salted peanuts
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2.5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (toasted in a 350º oven for 5-8 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant - 350 tends to burn for me so I reduced to 200)
2 cups puffed brown rice cereal/(I used Kashi)
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (I just used regular PB)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

Toast peanuts, pumpkin seeds, oats, cereal in oven at 200F for 15 min then pour in a large bowl with dried fruit

Whisk the peanut butter, brown sugar, light corn syrup and salt in a medium microwavable bowl and heat on high until mixture is bubbling, about 1 to 2 minutes. (I actually did this over the stove top over medium heat because the microwave tends to dry things out)

Pour peanut butter/sugar mixture into the large bowl and mix thoroughly

Press the mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. (If mixture is sticky, use a bit of cooking spray on your hands or coat a piece of wax paper with cooking spray and use the paper to help you press the mixture into the pan.) I don't use cooking spray because that stuff freaks me out for some reason, but I found that lining the pan with aluminum was the best because parchment moves around too much)

Let bars cool for 1 hour before cutting into bars.

Makes about 16 bars.

Marshmallowy Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars

I've probably baked a million chocolate chip cookies, going through bags of brown sugar and chocolate chips on the way, but never a cookie bar recipe. The reason? No recipe or should I say, no set recipe because you can pretty much throw in whatever you want. I know.. it's sad I actually need someone to tell me what flavour of chips, types of nuts and if shredded coconut belongs. Ever since seeing Erin of Prudence Pennywise's version of Dorie's Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters in a bar form, I just couldn't resist taking out a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough from the freezer to make some. I pressed as much dough to fill a 4x7 pan up to 1/2 an inch high and baked at 350 for 20 minutes. I was a little afraid that the bars would overbake and I think they did, but I followed Erin's instructions to spread peanut butter over the bars after they came out of the oven and I think that must have remoistened them. Since I didn't have mini marshmallows, I just piled a couple of large ones and set it back into the oven to broil. In a matter of seconds, they browned up really nicely and then came the hard part... waiting for them to cool.


Slicing without ripping the entire layer of marshmallows off was really difficult, but it was nothing a pair of scissors couldn't handle. As the hugest peanut butter lover, I actually had to give this away so I wouldn't finish the entire pan. The bars were really thick and chewy without being underdone even though they look a little wet from the peanut butter. The overall flavour combination was delicious and the gooey marshmallows on top made it extra special. Thanks Erin for such a great bar idea! I will definitely have to make these again and try it out with another cookie recipe!

Marshmallowy Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars
Adapted from Erin of Prudence Pennywise

Cook`s Illustrated thick and chewy chocolate chip cookie dough recipe (I used about 1/3rd of the dough)
peanut butter
7 large marshmallows cut in pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 8.5x4.5 loaf pan with parchment
2. Press cookie dough with fingers until 1/2 inch thick
3. Bake 20 minutes or until the center looks just set. An inserted toothpick should have a few crumbs attached.
4. Immediately spread peanut butter over the bars
5. Layer with marshmallows
6. Return to oven and broil until marshmallows are nicely browned (it literally takes seconds so don't look away or it may burn)
7. Cool completely in pan