Lovin' From the Oven

Day 5: Toffee Blondies

by 3 Comments

toffeeblondies

My 12 days of cookies remind me every year that it’s that time to watch Love Actually, The Holiday, and Elf. Those three movies are on my must list for every Christmas. Do you have any favorites that you love? I’m also looking forward to New Years Eve, which comes out December 9th. The whole month of December should be dedicated to Christmas movies, cuddling, and eating baked goods. Bears get to hibernate, why don’t we? 🙂

Day 5 of my 12 days of cookies: If you’ve been following my past 12 days of cookies, then you must know that it’s never 12 days of cookies; there’s always a bar or two thrown into the mix. Bars are just as good as cookies since they’re easy to eat, not a hassle to serve, and a cinch to whip up.

These toffee blondies disappeared the moment I took them out of the oven. I cut them into small pieces so that I could feed more people. It was fine since the bars were so dense to begin with. One small serving is enough to satisfy the average person’s sweet tooth. Note that I said average… for those like me who crave sweets 24 hours a day, you can handle more than a little sliver. Recipe is ever so slightly adapted from Just a Taste.

Print
Day 5: Toffee Blondies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1½ teaspoons salt
  • ¾ cup toffee bits, divided
  • 1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil.
  2. Whisk the melted butter and both sugars together until smooth. Add in the eggs and vanilla.
  3. Stir in the flour and salt just until moistened. Fold in a ½ cup of the toffee bits. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of toffee bits over the top of the batter.
  4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the pan cool completely before removing and cutting.
https://lovintheoven.com/day-5-toffee-blondies/

Day 3: S’mores Bar Cookies

by 30 Comments

smoresbars-5

smoresbars

smoresbars-2

smoresbars-3

smoresbars-4

smoresbars-2-2

smoresbars-3-2

smoresbars-4-2

I went out today and bought my Christmas cards to send out. That’s my favorite part of the holidays.. using a ton of stamps and putting old school envelopes in the mailbox! Do you send out Christmas/Hanukkah cards?

Day 3 of my 12 days of cookies: Since my last s’mores cookie bars was such a hit, here’s another variation that’s just as good. The only thing that I shouldn’t have done is use cinnamon graham crackers.. it really offsets the taste of the s’mores. Stick to the plain graham crackers no matter how much better the cinnamon one truly is.

What I loved the most is that the cookie baked perfectly into the shape of the graham cracker after cutting it. The graham cracker does soften while in the oven, but it still has a bit of a crispy bite. You can add more than one chocolate piece on top of each cookie if you like your s’more chocolate ratio to outweigh the marshmallow and graham cracker. Recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Print
Day 3: S’mores Bar Cookies

Ingredients

  • 11 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 ½ cups flour
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup mini marshmallows
  • 3 regular sized Hershey’s bars, broken into pieces
  • 1-2 packages graham crackers, broken into squares

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line baking pans with parchment paper. I used one 11x17 pan and one 9x13 pan but you can really use any sized pans you want.
  2. Lay out graham crackers side by side on the pans as close as possible (they should be touching).For thicker cookies, use less graham crackers and more dough.
  3. Cream together the butter and both sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla.
  4. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon.
  5. Fold in the chocolate chips and marshmallows. Chill dough in refrigerator for 1 hour.
  6. Place rounded tablespoons of dough on graham crackers about 1 – 1 ½ inches apart. Use your fingertips to slightly press down.
  7. Bake for 5 minutes then remove from oven to press Hershey’s bar pieces on to the top.
  8. Bake for and additional 5 – 7 more minutes or until dough is beginning to turn golden brown at the edges. Make sure cookies are completely cool before cutting, otherwise you'll end up with a doughy mess!
https://lovintheoven.com/day-3-smores-bar-cookies/

Peanut Butter Blondies with Chocolate Covered Sunflower Seeds

by 8 Comments

pbbars-6

pbbars

pbbars-2

pbbars-3

pbbars-4

pbbars-5

pbbars-7

We survived through the first food coma of the year and are quickly rolling around to the next (and my favorite!!). Christmas is especially my favorite holiday because that means I get to bake non-stop without looking like a crazy person. I’ll just look like I’m caught up in the holiday cheer!

What’s even better is that my friends over at Oh Nuts are on top of the upcoming season and sent me some goods to get my baking started. I love that you can choose your specific color of chocolate covered sunflower seeds or go for an assortment, like I chose to. Next time, I’ll go for the holiday assortment to really kick my Christmas baking up a notch. Not only do they taste good, they make desserts look extravagant!

As for these bars, I had to bake them twice in a week since my DB devoured the first batch. I left a good chunk of the pan at home for pictures and asked my DB if he wanted me to leave any to eat. He replied, “Nope! I don’t want any. I won’t eat anything.” When I came home from work, they were all gone and I was picture-less. The first thought that came through my mind was, “My blog! I have to blog about everything I make! How am I going to blog about these?!” So there I was, making them again, two nights in a row. Ohhhh the life of a food blogger.

It’s okay, though…. the both times that I made these bars, they disappeared within 24 hours. That’s gotta mean something, right? Recipe from Lindsey Yeo.

Print
Peanut Butter Blondies with Chocolate Covered Sunflower Seeds

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup peanut butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ cup toppings (I used semisweet chocolate chips and chocolate covered sunflower seeds from OhNuts!)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8″ square pan with foil.
  2. In a mixing bowl, mix the butter, sugar, and peanut butter. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Gradually incorporate the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
  3. Spread batter in the pan and sprinkle toppings evenly over the top and press down a bit. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
https://lovintheoven.com/peanut-butter-blondies-with-chocolate-covered-sunflower-seeds/

Categories