Make 'Em and Hide 'Em!: Peanut Butter Fingers

 

Before Christmas, I was lamenting the "death" of the snail mail Christmas card. Perhaps I should have taken a lesson from Mark Twain. You might recall his famous line: "Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

By the time Christmas arrived, we did get some cards. I appreciated every single one.

One card from a college friend offered an "assignment" of sorts. Along with a brief update of life, she included a recipe. Becky said this:

I'm pretty sure you have every recipe known, but I thought you might get a kick out of this one from my Mom's recipe box.

I've never been one to turn down a recipe - or a challenge. How could I resist the handwritten note by Becky's mom at the end of the recipe?

Cool; cut into bars and hide 'em!

That made me laugh. And surely it gave me a preview for the tastiness of the recipe. So I made Peanut Butter Fingers from Becky's mom and served them as one of the cookie selections for the Core meal I did this past week. 

I should have taken a photo earlier in the evening when I still had full containers, but it still shows the variety available.

 

I only had four of the bars left over at the end of the night.

 

In case you'd like to try them too, here's the recipe. 

Peanut Butter Fingers

From Becky Miller's mom 

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup peanut butter

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup flour

1 cup quick oatmeal

**

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

1/4 cup peanut butter

2-4 tbsp. evaporated milk 

 

Cream butter, 1/3 cup peanut butter and sugars. Add egg, vanilla and salt and blend until well incorporated. Add flour and oatmeal; mix. Spread in greased 13- by 9-inch pan. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes. (I baked it 20 minutes.)

 

Remove from oven and sprinkle with 1 cup chocolate chips. (I used mini chocolate chips.) Let stand for 5 minutes. 

 

In the meantime, combine sifted powdered sugar, 1/4 cup peanut butter and the evaporated milk. Mix well.

 

After the 5 minutes are up, spread the melted chocolate evenly over the cookie layer. Then drizzle peanut butter mixture over the chocolate. 

 

Cool; cut into bars and hide 'em!

 

Notes:

• I had chunky peanut butter in my cabinet. My attempts to use a decorator tube to actually drizzle the peanut butter mixture were not as attractive as I wanted for serving away from home. So after my drizzle, I lightly spread out the peanut butter drizzle on the bars. 
• While the topping was still wet, I also sprinkled with Peanut Butter Mini M&Ms - again, just making them pretty for serving. You can find the PB Mini M&Ms in the candy aisle at bigger grocery stores. 
• I only used 2 tablespoons of milk. This may depend on humidity, etc.  
• Becky's mom didn't indicate how many bars this recipe made. But, since she called them "fingers," I cut them into narrow bars.  

 

 

Lemon Bars and Other Tasty Treats

Randy says he doesn't like lemon.

I've never really understood it. If we go out to eat, he's the first one to say, "Water with lemon please." He likes lemonade. So why not lemons in baked goods?

Like I said: He says he doesn't like lemon. But when I had Lemon Bars left over from serving my PEO group refreshments, he didn't shy away from them.

Maybe it's more accurate to say that, given a choice between lemons and coconut, for example, he'd choose coconut.

This may sound sexist, but I think women are more likely to be lemon lovers. My very unscientific research among my PEO sisters would seem to support this hypothesis.   

I've made other lemon bar recipes. But I had never found one that I wanted to label "go-to." Until now! These are based on Food Network star Ina Garten's Lemon Bar recipe. And they are definitely "pucker worthy." Other lemon bars I've made have yielded a grainy lemon filling. But this one was smooth and velvety.

The bars use a whole cup of freshly-squeezed lemon juice, plus the zest from those lemons. Substituting bottled lemon juice just won't yield the same flavor and burst of freshness. I probably should invest in a newfangled lemon juicer. But every time I use the glass one, it reminds me of my mother-in-law, Marie. It's from her kitchen, and she used it to make a whole lot of cherry limeades in the summertime. Plus, since my husband prefers other flavors, I don't know that it's worth adding another kitchen gadget to my stash.

Besides the tart lemony filling, these bars also have a crisp, buttery crust.

They aren't the easiest bar cookies to cut and serve since the lemon filling is not overly firm. I found it beneficial to use a wet paper towel to clean off my knife after I made each slice. They will probably leave a sticky residue on your guests' fingertips, but I didn't hear anyone complain.

Lemon screams "spring" and "summer" to me. So this was the perfect addition to a cookie tray for my PEO friends.

I should have taken a photo of the whole tray, but I neglected to do that. The centerpiece of my cookie offerings was a tray of decorated sugar cookies made and frosted to honor our Stafford BK PEO chapter's 98th birthday.

I used the same sugar cookie recipe I'd used for Kinley's Kansas Day sunflowers. (Click here for the recipe. It has become my go-to sugar cookie recipe.)

Never one to underachieve, I also made these tried-and-true recipes from my files for my cookie platter. Since I'd spent so much time making and decorating the sugar cookies, I chose easy bar cookies and my go-to macaroon recipe to fill out the platter.

Caramel Bars

Macaroons

And you can't have a cookie platter without a little chocolate, right?

Brownies for a Crowd

This time, I used mini M & M candies on part of the batter for some color for the platter. I used mint M & Ms on the other half for their green color and spring-like flavor. However, you need to store the mint brownies separately until you are ready to serve (and if you have leftovers). If you don't, the mint will permeate all the cookies.

Click on the link for more variations. You can make one batter with multiple flavors - a bonus timesaver!

I recommend all these recipes if you're looking to add a cookie tray to your Easter table. They can all be frozen and then assembled for serving.

Enjoy!

Lemon Bars

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Parties by Ina Garten

Crust:
1 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 tsp. salt

Filling:
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tbsp. grated lemon zest
1 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice (no substitutes), about 6 medium-sized lemons
1 cup flour
Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the crust: Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light. Combine flour and salt, and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter mixture until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9- by 13-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/4-inch edge on all sides. (You can line the pan with parchment paper and lift the entire recipe out of the baking pan to cut.)

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes until very lightly browned. Let cool on wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling: Whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and flour. Pour over the crust, and bake 30 to 35 minutes until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature. Cut, cleaning the knife between each cut with a wet paper towel. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving. If you put the lemon bars in the freezer, you may want to use additional powdered sugar before you serve.

Cookie Butter Bars

Speculoos doesn't sound too appetizing, does it? But speculoos is actually a Dutch spiced shortbread cookie that's very thin, crispy and caramelized with an intricate design on the front. The cookies are traditionally baked on or just before St. Nicolas Day in the Netherlands and Belgium and around Christmastime in Germany.

Photo by By Zerohund

But some smart person didn't want to keep that goodness locked into a December time frame and  transformed the cookies into a peanut-butter-like spread.

It's a tasty alternative for those poor, misguided folks who don't like peanut butter. My husband is among those people. He will eat PB, but he much prefers other options. And thus, Cookie Butter Bars were born. I took a recipe that used peanut butter and peanut butter chips and substituted cookie butter and white chocolate chips.

They are among the treats that have found their way into suppers during wheat planting time. Bar cookies are a quick alternative to scooping individual cookies, an important factor when combining baking with parts runs and fertilizer deliveries.

They would also be a tasty addition to a Halloween party. Or, if you know your treat or treaters, they would be a tasty homemade treat to share!

  Cookie Butter Bars

1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup speculoos cookie butter (like Biscoff, found in peanut butter aisle)
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips (milk or semi-sweet - your preference)
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 3/4 cups miniature marshmallows

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10- by 15-inch pan with baking spray. Line with parchment paper. (This keeps the marshmallows from sticking to the pan, making for easier removal.)

In a large mixing bowl, mix together butter, cookie butter and sugars. Cream well. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well.

Add dry ingredients, just until blended. Fold in chocolate and white chocolate chips and marshmallows.

Spread batter into prepared pan and bake for 20-22 minutes or until light golden brown. (Ovens vary. so know your oven.) They will seem a little gooey, but they set up when cooled.

Dulce de Leche Bars: A Cinco de Mayo Treat

Here's a news flash: Cinco de Mayo is not a big deal in Mexico. It's likely a day like pretty much any other Friday (or whatever day the 5th of May happens to fall upon in any given year.) The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported five things we should know about Cinco de Mayo, among them, these:

• Cinco de Mayo isn’t all that popular in Mexico.
• May 5 is not Mexico’s independence day.
• Americans consume a crazy amount of avocados on Cinco de Mayo (81 million pounds).

Most of us in the good old U.S. of A. enjoy Tex-Mex fare on our dinner tables, so it's a good excuse to break out the tortilla chips and salsa and have Taco Tuesday on an alternative night. This Kansan of English and Scottish descent likes enchiladas and guacamole as much as the next person -- as long as they have been toned down in the spice department.

Here's another news flash: These Dulce de Leche Bars aren't Mexican either. But the caramel-y goodness between cookie layers has a Spanish name, so I guess that's as good a reason as any to share the recipe now.

The original recipe from Crazy for Crust was made in a 9- by 9-inch pan. It used only 1/2 cup of the Dulce de Leche, which is found in the same aisle as sweetened condensed milk. I decided to double the recipe, use a 10- by 15-inch pan and use the whole can of the dulce de leche. After cooling and cutting into bars, I put a bunch in the freezer, where they will likely make an appearance in suppers to the field. I needed to rebuild my freezer stash anyway.

If you're interested in trying these non-Mexican treats for Cinco de Mayo, you may also want to peruse other County Line tried-and-true non-authentic Mexican offerings. While this assortment of main dishes and desserts aren't authentic Mexican fare either, they are favorites here on our farm in the middle of Kansas. (See the links at the bottom of this post.)

Ole!

Dulce de Leche Bars

Adapted from Crazy for Crust

1 1/2 cups butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. salt
4 cups flour
1 can Dulce de Leche (found in the same aisle as sweetened condensed milk - Nestle makes one version)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 10- by 15-inch pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Cream butter and sugars together until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Combine dry ingredients. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture until just combined.

Press about 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread Dulce de Leche over the top, then sprinkle with remaining dough over the top, pressing down lightly. (It won't completely cover the caramel.)

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until the top looks done and is golden around the edges. It will be somewhat "jiggly" in the middle, but it will firm up. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

***

Here, as promised, are the links to some other Tex-Mex offerings, all of which are County Line approved!

Sopapilla Cheesecake 

Mexican Tortilla Casserole (great for potlucks)

Quick Crescent Taco Pie 

Chicken Enchiladas & Beef Enchiladas 

(These are two different links, but the photos are equally bad.)

 

Homemade Crunchy Taco Hamburger Helper

Taco Burgers

Building A Better Back to School

This year, the Stafford Elementary School is "Building a Future at Trojan Nation!" So the Stafford PTO/Homeroom Connect decided to follow the Lego theme with some special treats at last night's back-to-school bash.

Photo by Carrie Hildebrand

Though I "did my time" on the organizational level in PTO when my kids were in grade school, I'm always willing to help out with special projects.

Since the kids are returning to school, I have a couple of scientific hypotheses to offer about this recipe:

1)  It likely took more than one pass of the toothbrush to sweep away all the color from mouths after eating the vibrantly-colored icing. (I tested that hypothesis myself with my hands as I constructed my share of the treats)

2) The author of the recipe is either much quicker than I am in the kitchen or she fudged the completion time to make the recipe more attractive. (It said 30 minutes. I beg to differ. By the time I got all the components done and packaged, it was an  hour and a half later.) But I realize that I am a perfectionist. I had several gel and liquid colors in my decorating stash. I used three of them to try to achieve the correct green. I added a squeeze of brown to go along with several dashes of red to get the fire-engine red color. And I didn't realize that the recipe author had just covered the tops of the treats. I tried to cover the sides, too. And, you must admit, it does give them a more authentic Lego look! (For a YouTube tutorial from the original recipe author, go to the bottom of this blog post.)
 
Even though I didn't go the back-to-school party, my additional hypothesis is that these treats were a hit. (And if our granddaughters ever want a Lego party, do I have a deal for them!)

Lego Rice Krispie Treats

Adapted from The Stay At Home Chef

5 cups crisp rice cereal
1/4 cup butter
4 cups mini marshmallows
1 large bag M & M candies
Multiple colors cookie decorator icing - store-bought or homemade

Line a 13- by -9-inch baking pan with waxed paper or parchment paper. Set aside.

Melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Add marshmallows. Cook on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Pour in rice cereal. Stir well to coat.

Put cereal mixture in prepared pan. Spread out using another piece of waxed paper. Press evenly. Let cool completely. (You can refrigerate them for 5 minutes to speed the process.)

While the treats are cooling, separate the M & Ms into colors that match the icing you are using. You will need 6 of the same color per Lego Krispie.

Turn out Rice Krispie treats onto a wax-paper-covered cookie sheet. Cut into 18 rectangles (3 across and 6 down). Dip the top of the Rice Krispie treat into the icing and use a butter knife to smooth it out on top and down the sides (or just on top, if you prefer). Place M & Ms on top in parallel rows of 3 while icing is still wet. Repeat with remaining Rice Krispie treats in varying colors.

Once cookies are decorated, place on a flat, wax-paper-covered surface to allow frosting to dry. Store cookies in a covered container.

The original recipe used store-purchased Betty Crocker cookie decorator icing. I didn't have that available locally, so I made my own. I doubled this recipe to make enough to cover the 18 bars. If you don't frost the sides, you could probably get by with just one recipe.

Many of the icing recipes I found don't have butter in them but are mainly a combination of water and powdered sugar. But I figure if you're going to the trouble to frost something, it might as well taste good.

 Cookie Decorator Icing

Adapted from Food.com

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp. milk
1 tbsp. corn syrup
2 tbsp. softened butter
1/4 tsp. almond extract
Gel food coloring - variety of Lego colors

Place sugar in mixing bowl. Combine milk, corn syrup, softened butter and almond extract. Add to powdered sugar and mix thoroughly. If it seems too thick, add a little more milk. (I did add some more milk, which I didn't measure. Sorry!) If it seems too thin, add more powdered sugar.

When it is the right consistency, divide into separate bowls, equal to as many colors as you want to do. Add gel food coloring, trying to match the color of the M & Ms. I already had red, yellow and green colors, so that's what I used. (I used three different greens I had in my cabinet, trying to get the color to match. It's still not a perfect match to the green M & Ms.)

***

Today, I'm linked to Weekend Potluck, hosted by these bloggers. Check out the tried-and-true recipes from them and other foodies!

• Served Up With Love ~ Melissa
• The Country Cook~ Brandie
• The Better Baker ~ Marsha
• Sweet Little Bluebird~ Mary
• Mommy’s Kitchen~ Tina

Aloha Paradise Bars: A Vacation for Your Mouth

Summer is vacation time for many of the world's inhabitants.
Summer is not vacation time for most farmers - including us.

So, sometimes, you may need a little taste of the tropics without leaving home. That kind of taste vacation doesn't provide any stunning vacation photos. But, if you close your eyes, these Aloha Paradise Bars may work for taste. And with Kansas' humidity this summer, it could feel like the tropics - minus the ocean, the sand between your toes and the palm trees. OK, never mind!

I found the recipe in the Stafford County Hospital's Cookbook: Working Hands, Caring Hearts. The recipe was from my friend, Shari Chansler, who, with her husband, Jim, owns our awesome hometown grocery store. Don't you just love using tried-and-true recipes from friends via community cookbooks?

I first made these bars for Memorial Day weekend and shared them with my family. Then I made some and included them in my freezer stash for harvest. There were definitely days when we needed a vacation from harvest woes. To paraphrase an old bubble bath commercial: Oh, Aloha Paradise Bars, take me away! I'm not sure it worked for the guys, but it was worth a try.

The bars start with a sugar cookie mix. Yes, we can all make sugar cookie dough from scratch, but sometimes we need a vacation and shortcut in the kitchen, too. Then, macadamia nuts, flaked coconut and dried pineapple mingle on top with white chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk for a taste of the tropics - whether you're eating them in a beach chair or finishing up another meal to the field with the car trunk as the dining room table.

Aloha Paradise Bars

Recipe from Shari Chansler

from the Stafford County Hospital Cookbook: Working Hands, Caring Hearts

1 pouch (1 lb. 1.5 oz.) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 12-oz. bag white vanilla baking chips
1 cup coarsely chopped dried pineapple
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13- by 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. In bowl, combine cookie mix, butter and egg until soft dough forms. Press dough into the bottom of the baking pan. Bake 15 minutes.

Remove from oven. Sprinkle with white chocolate chips, pineapple, coconut and nuts. Drizzle evenly with condensed milk. Bake 30-35 minutes longer or until light golden brown. Cool completely in pan on cooling rack. Cut into bars.

***

Today, I'm linked to Weekend Potluck, hosted by these bloggers. Check out the tried-and-true recipes from them and other foodies!

• Served Up With Love ~ Melissa
• The Country Cook~ Brandie
• The Better Baker ~ Marsha
• Sweet Little Bluebird~ Mary
• Mommy’s Kitchen~ Tina

Star-Spangled White Chocolate Blondies

Hooray for the red, white and blue! And hooray for festive and easy bar cookies!

With the 4th of July weekend fast approaching, I decided to substitute patriotic sprinkles in a blondies recipe. The original recipe called for rainbow sprinkles. But this recipe can be adapted to any celebration by substituting seasonal sprinkles.

I first tried the recipe for Memorial Day. Since I was taking some for our annual "cemetery tour" afternoon, I dressed them up even more by zig-zagging candy coating on top of cut bars and then adding additional sprinkles. I left part of the bars plain and put them in the freezer for harvest.

The white chocolate chips inside the bars are tasty with - or without - the extra drizzle. They've been a hit either way. Want to add a little fireworks to your 4th of July party? Try these easy bars!

Star-Spangled White Chocolate Blondies

Adapted from the blog, Cookies and Cups

1 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 pkg. white chocolate chips
1/2 cup sprinkles (rainbow or holiday), plus 1/4 cup for garnish
Almond bark (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use cooking spray to coat a sheet cake pan, 10- by 15-inches.

Using a mixer, mix butter and sugars until well creamed. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Combine dry ingredients. Add to creamed mixture, scraping bowl to combine. Add white chocolate chips and 1/2 cup sprinkles until well incorporated.

Press dough into the prepared pan. Top with the additional sprinkles, pressing lightly into the dough. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown.

Allow to cool on wire rack. Cut into bars. You may serve them plain. If you'd like to "dress them up," melt almond bark in a glass measuring cup, using the microwave. Heat for 1 minute at 70 percent power. Continue until almond bark is melted. Use a decorator's tube to create zigzags on cut blondies. Sprinkle with additional sprinkles, if desired.

You could use rainbow sprinkles. Or use sprinkles to fit any holiday theme.

***

Today, I'm linked to Weekend Potluck, hosted by these bloggers. Check out the tried-and-true recipes from them and other foodies!

• Served Up With Love ~ Melissa
• The Country Cook~ Brandie
• The Better Baker ~ Marsha
• Sweet Little Bluebird~ Mary
• Mommy’s Kitchen~ Tina

Chocolate Cherry Bars

Pretty please with a cherry on top!

I remember saying it when I was a little girl when I really, really, really wanted something. I'm fairly confident it didn't work to sway my parents.

I thought of the phrase again when I added dried cherries to a chocolate chip bar cookie recipe. I'm not a huge fan of chocolate-covered cherries, but the tart dried cherries, teamed with both white and semi-sweet chocolate, were a tasty combination.

I left most of the bars plain, since I was just transporting them to the field for evening suppers. But I always like to figure out ways to make a Plain Jane bar fancy enough to put on a cookie tray or use for a women's luncheon. So I dressed up a few of the bars with some melted almond bark and used a decorator's tube to drizzle it in a zigzag pattern over cut bars. Then, I did put a cherry on top, using a little of the melted bark to make it stick.

If you had pink candy coating, that would add another pop of color. You could also make an icing with powdered sugar, maraschino cherry juice and a little butter and drizzle it on top for color. 

When I'm in a hurry, bar cookies are the answer, since you fix them, throw all the dough in a pan to bake at one time and then cut when cool. I especially like those recipes prepared in a jelly-roll pan because I can stretch them for even more meals to the field trips.

They would work well for a tailgate party, too. I'm hoping that my Wildcats can come back this week with a victory over UTEP.  Pretty please with a cherry on top?!

They'll have to do it without us, though, since we'll be staying home to plant wheat.

Chocolate Cherry Bars

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 5-oz. pkg. dried cherries
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, walnuts or macadamia nuts (opt.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 15- by 11-inch jellyroll pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugars until well blended. Add vanilla and eggs, mixing well. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips, dried cherries and nuts (opt.).

Spread evenly in the prepared baking pan, using a flat spatula. Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Don't overbake.

If you'd like to dress them up, you can melt 2 ounces of white candy coating in the microwave. Put in a decorator's tube and zig-zag over cut bars. Top with a dried cherry, using a little bit of melted candy to secure. 

May Day! May Day!

May Day! May Day!

It's not just an SOS sent out by a struggling aircraft or sinking ship. Tomorrow is May 1 or May Day.  When Jill and Brent were little, we enjoyed making and delivering May baskets. For those who don't know about the tradition, May baskets are delivered on May 1. They are traditionally filled with flowers and treats and left hanging on a friend or neighbor's front doorknob. Once the basket is in place, the deliverer rings the doorbell and runs off to hide and watch the recipient's reaction.

My husband's parents lived just two miles north of us when Jill & Brent were small. They were always recipients of a May Day basket. And their over-the-top reactions always thrilled my little cohorts. It wasn't long until Jill & Brent would burst out from the bushes and make their presence known. (I wish I could find photos, but I haven't run across them yet.)

Spring flowers are always a centerpiece of May baskets, but a homemade treat is another welcome addition to the surprise. 

If you don't have small baskets to use for your May surprises, you can make them from items found around your house.

Here are just a few examples:

• Use a cake mix box and cut it down to about 4 1/2 inches high. Wrap the box with flowered gift wrap, etc.

• Use a 12-inch doily or pastel construction paper and fold it into a cone

• Back when Jill & Brent were young, we used the green baskets that fruits and vegetables came in at the grocery store and wove ribbon through the holes. However, produce is now packed in clear plastic tubs instead. You may cut the top off the plastic tub and use the bottom for your flowers and cookies. If you wish, you can add leftover Easter grass or shredded paper to the bottom. You will have to put one cookie in the front and one in the back so that the tub doesn't tip!

• On each, just attach a ribbon with staples and use the ribbon to hang to the door knob! 

Here's an easy recipe to use to fill the baskets, if you choose to leave a treat along with the flowers. Do you have May Day memories?

Toll House Cookie Bars

2 1/4 cups unsifted flour
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup softened butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips (or mini M & Ms)
1 cup chopped nuts (opt.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, soda and salt; set aside. In large bowl, cream together butter, sugars and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips (or M & Ms) and nuts, if desired. Spread into greased 15- by 10- by 1-inch pan. bake 20 minutes. Cool and cut into squares or bars.

***

Today, I'm linked to Wake Up Wednesdays. Click on the link for more recipes from food bloggers across the nation. 

Lofthouse Sugar Cookie Bars

Admittedly, these Lofthouse Sugar Cookie Bars aren't on the same level as the frosted sugar cookies my sister, Lisa, rolls out and turns into Santas, ornaments, stars and stockings each year. There's just something about biting into one of those cookies - lightly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside with the sweetness of almond-flavored homemade icing on top.

Yeah, these aren't those. On the other hand, these sugar cookie bars take about a 10th of the investment of time. And they still:
1) Taste good.
2) Look pretty on a cookie tray.

Score and score!

Cream cheese gives good flavor and moistness to the bars. The original recipe called for vanilla. I am a sucker for almond flavoring. (See above!) So that's what I used. They do have a taste and texture similar to the Lofthouse brand cookies you buy at the store. But this homemade version is better, even if it's square rather than round.

Decorate them with cute holiday sugars and sprinkles and you have a tasty alternative to rolled sugar cookies.

I will, however, be looking forward to Lisa's cutout sugar cookies on Christmas Eve. I won't lie. (No pressure, Lisa.)

Lofthouse Sugar Cookie Bars

Adapted from Cookies and Cups blog

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg
2 tsp. almond extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Buttercream Frosting
1 cup butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp. milk
Food coloring (opt.)
Holiday sprinkles (opt.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a jelly roll pan (15- by 10- by 1-inch) with cooking spray.

In mixer, cream butter, cream cheese and sugar together. Add in egg and almond extract until incorporated. With mixer on low, add dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.

Press dough into prepared pan. (Dough is sticky. It may help to use an offset spatula to help spread the dough.) Bake for 20 minutes until edges begin to turn golden brown. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:  Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Blend in powdered sugar until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add almond extract and milk and mix well. Add a little more milk, if needed. Tint frosting as desired. Spread frosting over cooled bars. Decorate with sprinkles as desired. Cut into bars.

***

I will also be making these Caramel Chip Bars this week. Though they use a cake mix as a base, they are more candy than cake or cookie since they are packed with mini chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and caramel bits. Even though I'm trying to simplify and not make as many things this year, this recipe makes the cut. Yes, it's that good!

***

I'm linked today to Wake Up Wednesday through Wichita blogger Ashley's Kitchen Meets Girl. Need some other holiday cooking ideas? Click on the Wake Up Wednesday link. 

Frosted Shortbread Bars

We all know that there are people who are pretty on the outside and not so pretty on the inside. But isn't it a pleasure to find someone who is equally beautiful, inside and out?

Meet Frosted Shortbread Bars. They can be dressed up to "fancy up" any holiday cookie tray. But they aren't just a pretty face. They are as tasty as they are pretty.

The bottom is a buttery shortbread layer. It's topped with a thin layer of chocolate. Then, just like a girl getting ready for the prom and putting on some fancy jewelry, nuts and holiday sprinkles give them just the right adornment. I made these cookies for cookie trays for the UMW bazaar and will make them again this week for the Stafford Ministerial Alliance Thanksgiving service we're hosting at our church this Sunday.

Every cookie tray needs a little pizazz, don't you think? I'll either decorate the tops with this pumpkin mix or a sprinkle of tiny candy fall leaves. Switch up the holiday sprinkles, and these little treats will be the perfect accessory for Christmas, too. (In fact, now that I think about it, this makes a big pan, so I may top half the bars with Christmas sprinkles and stash them in the freezer for next month's festivities.)

The recipe came from the Stafford County Hospital Cookbook: Working Hands, Caring Hearts published last year. As I thumb through the pages, it's like a letter of endorsement to try recipes from my friends and community people I know are good cooks. Don't you love community-based cookbooks? Yep, me too!

Frosted Shortbread

Recipe from Jo Duvall

Stafford County Hospital Cookbook

Working Hands, Caring Hearts

1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
10 oz. chocolate chips or chocolate bars
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Holiday sprinkles (opt.)

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Add egg yolk and vanilla. Mix well. Combine flour and salt; add to creamed mixture. Press into a greased 15- by 10- by 1-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately place chocolate over crust. Let stand for 1 minute or until softened. Spread chocolate evenly with an offset spatula or knife. Sprinkle with walnuts and holiday sprinkles appropriate for the occasion, if desired. Cool. Cut into squares. Yield: 3 dozen.

Notes: 

• The original recipe called for 4 milk chocolate candy bars, broken into rectangles. I didn't have chocolate bars, so I substituted chocolate chips. You may use semi-sweet or milk chocolate, depending upon your preferences. I'm a semi-sweet chocolate kind of girl!
• If you like a different kind of nuts, substitute your preference.

Today, I'm linked to Wake Up Wednesdays, a recipe link-up. Click on the link for more recipes to try.