Cranberry Bliss Bars

Having worked at Starbucks years ago, I fell in love with their seasonal offering of Cranberry Bliss Bars.  These are the right amount of spicy ginger, tart cranberries and sweet white chocolate chips.  There are many copycat recipes online and this is the first I've ever tried.  Hope you enjoy it!

Cranberry Bliss Bars

adapted from Lovin' from the Oven

• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1–1/4 cups brown sugar, packed
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1–1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Dried Cranberries
• 1/4 cup plus 1/4–1/3 cup White Chocolate Chips
• 1/4 cup Crystallized Ginger Slices, minced - plus a little additional for the top if you really like ginger (optional)
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1–1/2 cups powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a 9×13 pan
2. Beat together the butter and sugar. Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
3. Add the flour, ginger, and salt into the batter. Beat well. Lightly stir in the 1/4 cup cranberries, 1/4 cup chocolate chips and minced ginger.
4. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes
5. Make the frosting by beating the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until you reach the desired consistency.
6. Spread the frosting onto the cooled cake.
7. Sprinkle the remaining cranberries and chocolate chips (and ginger, if desired) on the top.  Cut and serve!

Salted Caramel Butter Bars

I've always loved sweet and salty combinations.  Chocolate covered pretzels have always been a favorite.  These days it seems you can find sweet and salty combinations everywhere you look.  Caramel and salt seem to be uber popular these days.  As does salt and chocolate.  I never knew I was ahead of the times.   If you have a Trader Joe's near you, you must try their Dark Chocolate Bar with Caramel and Black Sea Salt.    By far one of the tastiest chocolate bars I've ever eaten.

My latest obsession has been the website Pinterest.  It's sort of like a visual Google search.  You can find and "pin" pictures you find on the web.  I use it to save all sorts of recipes I'd like to try.  Through Pinterest, I found a recipe for Salted Caramel Butter Bars.

Let me say, these are amazing.  They are, of course, buttery;  like a rich shortbread cookie.  And yes, they're sweet and a bit salty.  These won't do anything for your waistline, but I swear, they're worth every bite.  They also freeze really well, so feel free to make a batch and keep it in your freezer for unexpected company....or for whenever the mood strikes you.

Salted Caramel Butter Bars (adapted from Cookies and Cups)

For the crust:

1 lb. salted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons vanilla
4 cups all-purpose flour

For the filling:

1 (14 oz) bag caramel candies, unwrapped.  I used Kraft
1/3 cup light cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon coarse sea salt

For the crust:

Preheat oven 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugars.  Mix on medium speed until creamy.  Add the vanilla and mix to combine.  With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour and beat until a well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.

Use one-third of the dough and press it evenly into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan.  Place the remaining dough in the refrigerator to keep cool.

Bake until the edges are pale golden brow and the middle is firm, approximately 20 minutes.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool 15 minutes.

Place the unwrapped caramels in a microwave-safe bowl.  Add the cream and vanilla and microwave on high for one minute.  Remove from microwave and stir.  If the caramels aren't melted, microwave again in 30-second increments, stirring after each interval, until smooth.  Once well mixed, pour the mixture over the crust.  Sprinkle with the sea salt.

Remove the remaining dough from the fridge and crumble it over the top of the caramel.

Return the pan to the oven and cook until lightly golden brown, 25-35 minutes.  Cool completely before cutting.

Easy Spice Cake Cookies

Fall foods are always warm and comforting.  These easy Spice Cake Cookies are delicious and definitely fit the bill for a delicious fall food. 

These cookies are ridiculously easy.  They're soft and pillowy with a sweet spice.

Jenny's Spice Cake Cookies

18.25 oz. pkg. Spice cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. Penzey's Cake Spice (optional, but I think it gives the cookies nice depth)

1/3 cup confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Pour cake mix into large bowl.

Stir in eggs, oil, and lemon extract until well blended.   

Drop teaspoonfuls of dough into a bowl of confectioners sugar.

Roll them around until lightly covered.

Once sugared, put them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 minutes and no longer!!

Bottoms will be light brown, and insides will be chewy.

You can also top these with some cream cheese frosting.