s'mores bars.

i wrote this post a LONG time ago but never got around to baking/taking pictures of them. i finally got a chance to bake tonight :) 

as you may have noticed, i like to bake. a lot. and i like to bring whatever i bake for others to enjoy. because i'm nice like that. so whenever my family gets together, everyone knows i'll be bringing a dessert. and i'm okay with that. and it all started with these sinfully delicious bars. ok, so i realize i make a lot of bars. i'm ok with that as well. i honestly don't remember where i found this recipe. i obviously didn't make it up...it was probably from all recipes. the original recipe is for an 8x8 pan which in my opinion is not enough. especially if you plan on taking the bars any where. plus, if you are going to go through all the effort, you might as well make a 9x13 pan.

so on a side note -- my cousin (whom i love dearly) asked for this recipe so she could make it on her own. i asked her how it went and this was her response: ummmm.... i'm going to need an inside tip or something. can you buy graham cracker crumbs? do you use all that butter? mine just weren't as good as yours...

i love her.

on a second side note -- these were also a huge hit at cookie club. so you know you can't go wrong.

graham cracker layer: 

½ cup butter

¾ cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/3 cup flour

¾ cup graham cracker crumbs

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

chocolate layer:

3-4 hershey's chocolate bars

marshmallow layer:

1 cup marshmallow crème/fluff

preheat the oven to 350 degrees. beat butter & sugar together until light and fluffy. add egg and vanilla. mix well. in another bowl, stir in flour, crumbs, baking powder, and salt. add flour mixture to butter mixture. beat until blended.

Press half of the dough into a lightly greased 8x8 pan. arrange chocolate pieces over dough. spread crème on top (this part is a pain – it is sooo sticky! i don't really have a tip so good luck!). 

layer the second half of the dough on the top of the marshmallow layer.

bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

cinnamon roll sugar cookies.

cinnamon roll sugar cookies, um...yes please?!

i love, love, love cinnamon rolls. they are definitely one of my favorite things to eat. but to be completely honest, i don't really love making cinnamon rolls. i hate waiting for the dough to rise and then rise again. usually when i want something sweet...i want it right now...not two hours from now.

so when i saw this recipe on the picky palate i thought the idea was fabulous. and don't get me wrong, IT IS. it just isn't as easy as i originally thought it would be. however, they are still delicious and totally worth making.

i decided to make these for cookie club this time and i thought i would cheat a little bit by using pre-made sugar cookie dough. um...yeah, that didn't work out so much. i'm not sure if i could have fixed the issue but the cookie dough seemed to "dry" to roll and kept cracking so i could never get it to roll up into the cinnamon roll log. luckily, i had all the ingredients for the sugar cookie dough recipe posted on the original recipe so i scraped my first attempt and moved onto the next. the dough is great...soft and fluffy BUT you have to let it chill for at least two hours...SO you might as well be making actual CINNAMON ROLLS. so, like i said earlier...these are worth making if you have the patience and the time...

cinnamon roll sugar cookies + printable version

--recipe found on picky palate 

sugar cookie dough**: 
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
6 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

cinnamon roll filling: 
12 tablespoons softened butter, (slice 2 Tablespoons 6 times totaling 12 tablespoons)
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar, divided into 1/4 cups
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon, divided

in a large mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter. add eggs, vanilla and sour cream until well combined. slowly add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt until well combined.

in two batches, place in plastic wrap in a disc shape and chill for at least 2 hours for best results.

once chilled, cut each disc into thirds and roll into a 1/8 inch thick oval, about 12 inches X 5 inches.

spread each rolled pieces of dough with 2 Tablespoons softened butter, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.

start rolling from the long end closest to you, rolling into a log shape.  using a sharp knife (or dental floss), cut 1/2 inch pieces of dough then placing onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.

bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes. remove and let cool for five minutes before removing from baking sheet.


cream cheese frosting:
8 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2-4 Tablespoons milk, to thin

beat the cream cheese until softened and smooth, slowly add powdered sugar and milk until desired consistency.  frost cookies then place in refrigerator until ready to serve.  

**according to jenny over at the picky palate...these are 100% times better after they have chilled in the fridge for at least thirty minutes...i honestly enjoyed them fresh out of the oven and chilled...so just do whatever you want!

**makes at least six dozen - so i made the entire sugar cookie dough recipe (it makes a ton) and after i divided it into two batches to chill, i only used one half for my cinnamon roll sugar cookies. i divided it into thirds, like the recipe says and ended up with three dozen cookies. for the filling that means i used half of what the recipe states...and for the frosting i ended up using a half batch of the cream cheese frosting i posted here.

salted caramel cupcakes.

so i have been wanting to make these forever. literally. i first saw these on my favorite blog, our best bites whenever i first started obsessing over food blogs. i thought they sounded absolutely amazing. so yesterday, when i was racking my brain for something to bring to cookie club, i suddenly remembered i had always wanted to try these! by the way, i totally realize that i am bringing cupcakes to a "cookie" club. this isn't the first time and i know it won't be the last. i haven't heard anyone complain. anyway, i am so glad i did. i found a couple different websites with salted caramel cupcakes recipes. the recipe for the cupcake was generally the same. what differed was the frosting. some made their own caramel. fancy, huh? others used buttercream icing. in the end, i decided to go with the original recipe i found on our best bites. i had made sarah's perfect frosting before and loved it - so i knew it would be yummy. so if you can't decide between something salty and sweet...this just might be the answer!

salted caramel cupcakes + printable version

cupcakes:

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar (make sure you use DARK brown!)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup milk (i used whole milk)

frosting:
3 Tbsp flour 1/2 cup milk (try to use whole milk, if you can)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 t vanilla extract, or whatever other flavor you want

caramel sauce: whatever kind you want- i used smucker's, you could even make your own

kosher salt

preheat oven to 350 degrees. prepare muffin tins with cupcake liners, if using. i was able to make between 14 and 16 but the original recipes says 18. so who knows.

in an medium to large size bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. umm, so the first time i made these i definitely put in baking soda and didn't realize it until i went to make the second batch and re-read the directions. yeah, dumb. moving on.

p.s. the first batch was already in the oven when i caught my mistake. i ended up baking them all the way because my boyfriend was dying to try them and didn't want any to go to "waste." he's sweet like that. he loved them. and i loved that it kept him from eating the "real" cupcakes.

in another bowl, like your kitchen aid mixer, cream butter and sugars together until nice and fluffy. add eggs and vanilla until combined.

add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three additions. alternating with the milk. beat low until just combined.

divide cupcake batter among muffin tins, 2/3 full. like i said earlier, i only ended up with between 14 and 16 cupcakes and i generally always have more than what the recipe says. whatever.

bake the cupcakes for between 20 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. cool cupcakes in pan for about 5 minutes. transfer cupcakes to wire rack and let cool completely.

while the cupcakes are cooling, start on the caramel swirled frosting. like i said earlier, i used the frosting found on our best bites. they have an awesome post with pictures to explain how to make this frosting, in case you need help.

in a small sauce pan, whisk flour and milk together. heat over medium high heat. continue to whisk until the mixture starts to thicken. it is okay if there are lumps but it still needs to be a little liquid-ish.

next, you will need to pour the flour mixture into a mesh strainer and push the mixture through into a bowl. this will remove the lumps. pop the bowl into the fridge to make sure it is completely cool before you add it to the next step.

in your kitchen aid bowl (that you have had to wash for the third time now!) or whatever bowl you are using, cream the butter and sugar together until nice & fluffy using the whisk attachment. when the flour mixture is completely cool, add it to the butter mixture. also add in the vanilla or whatever flavoring you are using. beat on medium to high speed for 7 to 8 minutes. and that's it! so easy! and so good! i promise! sorry about the !...i can't help it! oh, and when the frosting is nice and fluffy, gently stir in caramel sauce. i just used the smucker's brand caramel syrup that you get for ice cream. i definitely didn't measure this but just use whatever you feel like. i wasn't happy with how much caramel flavor there was...so i decided to drizzle the caramel over the icing.

finally, sprinkle a tiny bit of kosher salt over the frosting. this is where the salted part comes in. in case you were wondering.

also, if you take a look at the post on our best bites, you will see that they did a super cute thing with soft caramel dipped in chocolate for a garnish. so cute. i did it too. on some of them. but of course, i didn't get any pictures of those. maybe next time.

snickerdoodle blondies.

at my work, we have cookie club. every friday, someone in the group brings in homemade (at least, they are supposed to be!) "cookies." cookie club is not just limited to cookies. members have brought in different types of brownies, bars, cupcakes, breads, and truffles. i am always excited for my week to come so i can bring something yummy. earlier this year, i found a recipe for snickerdoodle blondies over at one of my favorite blogs, your homebased mom. i figured they would be good but oh-my-gosh, these bars are AH-mazing. i had no idea when i first made these how much i would love them. these bars definitely make my top 3 desserts. well, maybe top 5.

snickerdoodle blondies + printable version

cookies:

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

½ tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. salt

2 cups brown sugar, packed

1 cup butter, at room temperature

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1 cup cinnamon chips, optional: in my opinion, you have to use these!

topping:

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

glaze (optional): again, in my opinion, it is necessary!

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ cup heavy whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

preheat oven to 350 degrees. spray 9×13-inch pan with nonstick spray. layer a sheet of parchment paper in pan and spray another layer of nonstick spray.

whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cream of tartar and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

using a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer for 3-5 minutes (i use my kitchen aid). add in eggs, one at a time. add vanilla. keep beating until mixture is smooth.

add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until well blended. add cinnamon chips.

the batter should be pretty thick & kind of sticky. spread it evenly into pan. the trick is to spray your hands with cooking spray before patting the mixture down so the dough doesn't stick to your hands! so clever!

in a small bowl, combine topping ingredients; sprinkle evenly on top of batter.

bake about 25 to 30 minutes. let pan cool

completely.

when cool, use ends of parchment paper to lift out baked bars (smart, huh?). place on a cutting board. use a sharp knife to cut into squares.

whisk glaze ingredients together. drizzle over each bar. let glaze set. (if you are impatient like me, you can speed the process up in the fridge!)

enjoy!!