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Chewy Granola Bars

I found this recipe on a calender and thought it would be fun to try. We enjoy granola bars around here, so this one would be fun to mix and match ingredients. I will have to try out different dried fruits, cereals and nuts. And perhaps a drizzle of chocolate...

Chewy Granola Bars
2 C crushed Chex cereal (I used cinnamon flavored Chex)
2 C dry oats
1/2 C raisins
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C light corn syrup
1/2 C peanut butter (have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE peanut butter?)
1 tsp vanilla
Cooking spray

In a large bowl mix the cereal, oats and raisins. In a small sauce pan, mix brown sugar and corn syrup. Heat until boiling. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Pour over cereal mixture and mix well. Press firmly into 9x13 pan that has been sprayed well with cooking spray. Cook and cut into 16 bars.

St. Patrick's Day-Sugar Cookie Sandwiches

I made sugar cookies this afternoon for Travis' potluck tomorrow. Since it is so close to St. Patrick's day, I decided to go festive. I hope people can tell they are little green clovers on them and not just some random green flower!

Of course I didn't throw out the centers, they are still yummy too!

They're magically delicious!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Yummy! I ripped this recipe out of a magazine recently and made it this weekend. I didn't know what to expect because the process is different than other cakes I've made, but I knew it would be rich and moist and it was. I especially loved the crispy top and I actually dusted it with powdered sugar before I served it, but it didn't cut out very pretty so I didn't bother taking pictures of that.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
7 oz semisweet chocolate
3/4 C butter
1 C sugar
4 eggs, with yolks and whites separated

1. Preheat over to 300. Melt chocolate and butter in medium saucepan (doubler broiler would work best but I don't have one). Stir together half the sugar and the egg yolks, then add to melted chocolate and butter.

2. Beat egg whites and slowly add the other half of the sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold into chocolate mixture. Pour into greased 9 inch cake pan.

3. Bake 40 minutes (mine needed a bit longer), or until toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs on it. Cool 30 minutes at least, and dust with powdered sugar.

Valentine Cake Pops

I made Valentine cake pops for Travis' potluck this month. I love the way they taste, but they are a whole lotta work and and very time consuming! I did however learn a lesson about them; Next time I make them, I need to use a deeper container for the melting chocolate so that I can dip them all the way, which will make them look nicer and stay on the stick without sliding off. See, I need more opportunities to bake so I can figure these things out!

Valentine Cherry Chip Cookies

This weekend we had some friends over and I made some more cake mix cookies. They were rich, soft, chewy, and ridiculously easy...everything a cookie should be! And festive too of course!
Cherry Chip Cookies
1 box cherry chip cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 C oil
1 can cherry frosting
sprinkles

Mix ingredients and bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes. Cool, frost, and sprinkle.

Pretzels

A few months ago a friend suggested I make homemade pretzels, since they follow a similar process to the bagels I like to make. So I found this recipe online, from food network. The verdict? Super yummy! We are keeping this recipe! I didn't have any pretzel salt but we didn't mind a bit. Later I discovered reheating them with a little melted butter and honey was delicious too!

Soft Homemade Pretzels

1 1/2 C warm water
1 T sugar
2 tsp salt
1 package yeast
4 1/2 C flour
4 T butter, melted
veggie oil
10 C water
2/3 C baking soda
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 T water
pretzel salt

Combine water, sugar and salt in a stand mixer and sprinkle yeast on top. Allow to sit 5 minutes until it begins to foam. Add a cup of the flour and butter. Using the hook attachment, mix on low speed, adding the rest of the flour until well combined. Change to medium speed and leave it for 4-5 minutes, when the dough is smooth and pulls away from edges. Place dough in a bowl that has been well oiled with your veggie oil. Cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for 50-55 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450. Brush oil on large cookie sheet.

Bring the 10 C water and baking soda to a rolling boil in a large pot.

Turn the dough on a lightly oiled surface and divide into 8 pieces. Roll out each piece into a long rope. Shape them into pretzel shapes. (I actually found that when you boil them they come undone and were difficult to shape, so next time I'll be doing balls or sticks).

Place the pretzels in the boiling water one at a time for 30 seconds each. Remove and place on baking sheets. Brush each one with the egg mixture and sprinkle pretzel salt on top (I skipped this step altogether).

Bake until golden in color, about 12-14 minutes. Cool for a few minutes and enjoy!