One of the desserts I made at Christmas was a copy of Starbucks’ cranberry bliss bars. I’ve never actually had one of these bars, but I’ve always stared at them when I’ve seen them in the dessert case, and I don’t think you can go wrong when it comes to a dessert that has cranberries, white chocolate and cream cheese frosting.

While I’ve never had the original, I’m pretty sure this recipe must be almost spot-on. They are extremely sweet, so a tiny sliver is really all one needs (or wants). In fact, I found these two sweet, and would cut back on the sweetness by removing the white chocolate topping at the end and maybe mixing fresh cranberries and dried cranberries in the bars themselves.

The base is like a blondie – chewy and dense and sweet, with dried cranberries and white chocolate chips throughout. The frosting in an orange cream cheese one – goes well with the base. Top this with more cranberries, and we have a really beautiful dessert that will leave you diabetic. These are definitely not your everyday kinda dessert bars, but a good addition to a birthday or Christmas sweet table.

Cranberry Bliss Bars
from Recipe Girl

BLONDIES

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter, cubed
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces white baking chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used white chocolate chips)

FROSTING
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
6 ounces white baking chocolate, melted, divided
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped

BLONDIES
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13×9-inch baking dish with nonstick
spray.

2. In a medium bowl, melt butter for one minute in the microwave; stir in brown sugar.

3. Scrape the butter & sugar into a large bowl and let cool to room temperature.

4. Use an electric mixer to beat in the eggs and vanilla.

5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; gradually add the dry mixture to the butter mixture.

6. Stir in the cranberries and chopped chocolate (the batter will be thick).

7. Spread the blondie batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 18-21 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (do not overbake). Cool completely on a wire rack.

FROSTING
1. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until well-blended. Add orange zest.

2. Gradually add half of the melted white chocolate; beat until blended.

3. Frost brownies. Sprinkle with cranberries.

(4. Drizzle with remaining melted white chocolate.) Next time, I would skip this step. Just too sweet and totally unnecessary.

Cut into bars- square or triangle-shaped. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. (I actually preferred them cold – straight out of the freezer even!)

Looking for a 10,000,000 calorie dessert that’s bound to please pretty much anyone with a sweet tooth? No need to look any further!

I stocked up on cans of condensed milk last time I traveled over the border; $1.97/can vs $4.50/can? Sounds like a deal to me! I thought this would be a fun Thanksgiving dessert, and a great way to use up some of my stockpiled cans of condensed milk. They are decadently sweet, rich and perfect. The shortbread crust is so buttery, it’s great all on its own. The caramel layer, made from heating and stirring the condensed milk over low heat it extremely boring and time-consuming, but the end result is worth it. Eventually, the condensed milk thickens, then thickens more, and turns an amber colour and becomes so sticky, sweet, and heavenly! The chocolate layer (you can use any chocolate you like, but I prefer bittersweet to milk, as that caramel is sweet enough as it is, and needs something like bittersweet chocolate to cut the sweetness down) has a nice “snap” to it.

All together, every layer is gorgeous and each one plays into the other. It’s like a gigantic Twix bar, only better.

SHORTBREAD
2 sticks butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for preparing pans
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for preparing pans
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

CARAMEL
2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons butter

CHOCOLATE
3/4 pound good-quality bittersweet chocolate
2 tablespoons butter

SHORTBREAD
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Butter 2 (8-inch) square nonstick pans and coat with flour, tapping off excess.
3. Place the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse once. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles peas. Press the shortbread mixture into prepared pans and bake until golden brown around the edges, about 20 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

CARAMEL
1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the condensed milk and 2 tablespoons of butter. Slowly bring the mixture to a boil, stirring continuously. Continue stirring over the heat until mixture becomes thick and amber in color, about 15 minutes.

2. Pour the caramel over the cooked shortbread and spread evenly using an offset spatula.

3. Cool to room temperature.

CHOCOLATE
1. In a glass bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter.

2. Once chocolate has melted, pour it over the cooled caramel layer. Cool at room temperature for about 10 minutes, and then place in the refrigerator to cool completely, allowing chocolate to slightly harden but not get hard.

3. Cut into 2-inch squares and enjoy, or store in an airtight container, at room temperature.

I know I haven’t been posting much about food or recipes much in the last few months. It’s not because I haven’t been cooking or eating – exactly the opposite! We’ve devoured a blueberry buckle, a coconut-pineapple crisp, pasta with roasted butternut squash and goat cheese, a hearty, creamy chicken noodle soup…the list goes on and on. Truth be told, I think I’m tired of writing like this. I no longer feel the urge to take photos of the food, to write about the food…Does anyone else ever feel this way? Does it pass? Is there anything I can do about it?

Here’s a recipe from a long time ago: Martha Stewart’s Black Bottom Coconut Bars. I wasn’t a big fan. Both layers, the brownie and the coconut, were a little too dry, a little too bland. Maybe it’s my fault, maybe not…but I like my brownies gooey and chewy, so this just didn’t work for me. Some people may like it, so if you’re thinking this sounds up your alley, then check them out here. I won’t bother posting the recipe here though.

I am definitely going to finish my Hawaii series on here. Hopefully, I feel a bit more inspired to keep documenting cooking and baking endeavors by then.

These bars (found on Ezra Pound Cake) are something special. I can’t think of a more decadent dessert – chocolate, sweet butter filling, pecans, coconut, and a crust that rivals the best shortbread, and not to mention a healthy shot of alcohol – talk about perfection!

These are pretty rich, so I recommend cutting them in little pieces. They’re also quite gooey, even after being chilled overnight, so be prepared to get sticky. It’s so worth it though. I think the recipe speaks for itself. If you like pecan pie, you’re going to adore these bars.

Chocolate-Bourbon Pecan Pie Bars
adapted from Ezra Pound Cake
Printable Recipe

CRUST
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks; 12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

FILLING
2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 large eggs
3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1/8 cup bourbon (optional) (I used some scotch whiskey)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup pecan halves

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch square baking pan with butter or cooking spray, and line it with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang. Spray or butter the parchment.

CRUST
2. Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium for about 1 minute. Add the sugar, and beat until fluffy. Add the flour and salt; mix on low speed until evenly incorporated but still crumbly. Press the mixture evenly over the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake the crust for about 20 minutes, until it has darkened to a deep golden brown.

FILLING
3. For the Filling: Place the chocolate and 1 tablespoon butter in a bowl or glass measuring cup, and melt it in the microwave. Let it cool.

4. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and brown sugar until blended.

5. Stir in the cooled chocolate, bourbon, butter, vanilla, flour and salt.

6. Stir in the coconut and pecans.

7. Pour the filling over the cooled crust, spreading evenly. Bake until set, 25 to 30 minutes.

8. Cool thoroughly, at least 30 minutes, in the pan. Then chill the bars in the refrigerator before cutting into 3-inch squares. Store bars in the refrigerator.

Here’s a quick post about a quick and simple dessert: Pecan Butter Tart Bars. Butter tarts have to be among one of my favourite desserts, but I have a strong dislike for pastry-making and pastry-rolling. That’s what makes these perfect for me – just mix together a quick, buttery base, sprinkle with chopped pecans, and pour a sweet, gooey butter tart filling over everything.

I found these to be delicious. The crust was great – very butter-cookie like, and everything tastes better with pecans. The middle was the ideal gooeyness, but perhaps just a bit too sweet. I might be inclined to spike the filling with a little bourbon next time to even it out (or maybe that’s just an excuse to crack open the bourbon next time I’m baking these).

Pecan Butter Tart Bars
Adapted from La Cuisine d’Helene

BASE
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
3/4 cup chopped pecans

FILLING
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
Pinch salt

Line 9-inch square metal cake pan with parchment paper; set aside.

BASE
In large bowl, mix flour with brown sugar. With pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture is moist and crumbly. Press firmly over prepared pan. Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with pecans and press lightly; bake for 5 minutes.

FILLING
Meanwhile, in bowl, beat butter, sugar and corn syrup until smooth; beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour and pour over base. Bake until darkened and slightly jiggly when shaken, about 20 minutes. Let cool on rack.

Cut into bars.

I’m not a big fan of date squares. I find them sticky, thick, and just not…vibrant…enough. However, I know that there are some people out there who just love them (hence the reason I made them to begin with), and I think this recipe yields some of the best date squares I’ve had.

They’re not overly sweet thanks to the lemon (some recipes ask for orange zest and juice, which I think just makes them too sweet), and I like the cinnamon and pecans in the oatmeal base and topping.

If you do enjoy date squares, then I think you’ll love these. They’re even better if you serve warm (cut them into pieces, then warm each piece up…trying to cut them into squares while they’re warm will just be messy) with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Oatmeal Date Squares
adapted from Robin Hood: Home Baking

FILLING
3 cups chopped pitted dates
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar

BASE & TOPPING
1 3/4 cups oats
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup butter

Grease a 13″ x 9″ pan. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

FILLING
1. Combine dates, lemon zest, lemon juice and water, and sugar in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat , stirring often, until thick and smooth, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

BASE & TOPPING
2. Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, chopped pecans, baking soda and cinnamon in a large bowl. Using two knives, a pastry blender or your fingers, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3. Press half of the mixture (2 1/2 cups) into prepared pan. Spread filling over base. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture on top. Pat down lightly.

4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until light golden. Cool completely in pan on rack, then cut into squares.

I made these blueberry-lemon crumb bars a few weeks back for snack at work. As I’ve repeated over and over, I cannot get enough of citrusy desserts, so this recipe, originally found on Recipe Girl, went right to the top of must-bake desserts.

I’m not disappointed in the dessert – I love the sweet yet still tart lemon cream. It’s great on its own, and it stands well with all the blueberries. The crust is thick and buttery…this dessert has all the elements to be great.

However, I think the amounts of these elements have to be balanced a bit better. I found there was too much topping – combined with the crust, there was just too much flour and not enough lemon and blueberry. I had upped the amount of condensed milk and lemon juice, but next time, I’ll probably double the amount of lemon filling. Same thing with the blueberries! I found that the blueberry flavour was dominated by both the lemon and the sweet crumble topping.

People did like this dessert (myself included). It just needs some fine tuning for the next time, and these bars will earn themselves top dessert status.

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick oats)
1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 large egg, separated
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 1/2 cups room-temperature blueberries (about 13 oz.), washed and drained on paper towels

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 9×13-inch metal baking pan with foil, leaving a 1-inch overhang on the ends. Spray foil with cooking spray- bottom and sides of the pan.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, oats, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Using a pastry cutter (or your fingers), blend the butter completely into the flour mixture. Transfer 2 cups of the crumb mixture to another bowl and reserve for the topping.

3. Blend the egg white into the remaining crumbs and then press the mixture into the bottom of the pan to form a level crust. Use the bottom of a flat, wide glass to tap the mixture and even it out.

4. Bake the crust 10-12 minutes, or until it starts to form a dry top.

5. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk condensed milk, lemon juice & zest, and egg yolk. Let mixture stand for 5 minutes (it will begin to thicken).

6. Sprinkle blueberries evenly over hot crust and then drop spoonfuls of the lemon mixture over the blueberries. Spread gently with a spatula to distribute as evenly as you can. Bake until lemon mixture begins to form a shiny skin- 7 to 8 minutes.

7. Sprinkle reserved crumble topping over the lemon-blueberry layer, pressing the streusel between your fingers into small lumps as you sprinkle. Bake until filling is bubbly at the edges and the topping is brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

8. Let bars cool in the pan on a rack until just warm, about an hour. Carefully lift them out of the pan using the foil overhang and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Remove foil and cut into 24 bars when cool. (If you have time to chill the bars, they’re easier to cut cleanly when chilled).

*The bars may be stored at room temperature for a few hours, but otherwise should be stored in the refrigerator.

If you like this, you might also like:

Blueberry Lemon Loaf with Lemon Glaze
Lemon Pie with Coconut Crust
Cinnamon Streusel Blueberry Muffins

This is my go-to recipe. Need some fantastically sweet, rich blondies? These will do the job. Need a fast dessert, whipped up at the last minute with just a few ingredients? These will do the job. Need a sweet baked good that Soli will devour in just a few hours? These will do the job.

Blondies (or at least, these blondies) are not a gourmet dessert, but they are a great one. They will satisfy the greatest sweet-tooth, and will please anyone who loves dessert, especially when topped with ice cream. And blondies are always a nice variation from brownies…and just as versatile.

This recipe always turns out. The edges are crunchy and crispy, the middle chewy and most – you’ll please the entire table! Any nuts you have on hand can get tossed in. And if you don’t like nuts, leave them out! Wanna add some semi-sweet chocolate chips? Go ahead? How about some dried cranberries, or coconut, or dried apricots? Go crazy! That’s what I love about this recipe…you can toss in anything you like, and they are insanely sweet, and crispy, and dense, and moist, and sweet….well, you get the point.

Oh, and how can you go wrong with white chocolate? Mmmmm.

Blondies with White Chocolate & Hazelnuts
adapted from Robin Hood: Home Baking

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped hazelnuts (I’ve used pecans and walnuts as well)

1. Cream butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy. Add egg and vanilla, beating until smooth.

2. Combine flour and baking powder. Add to creamed mixture. Mix well. Stir in chips and nuts. Spread in a 8″ square, greased pan.

3. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until just set and golden. Cool completely in pan on rack, then cut into squares.

My mom brought me some mini M&Ms baking bits from the US after her last visit, so I decided to go straight to the source when it came time to bake with them. I’ve had fairly good experiences baking things that come on the back of product packages (like condensed milk recipes, for example) – I figure the makers of the product have to know how best to use the item they’re selling, right?

Well, it seems M&Ms took the easy way out, and used a fairly standard, and mostly unimpressive blondie recipe on the back of the baking bits package. Not to say it was a bad recipe – oh no! They were very sweet, heavy and rich, just like a blondie should be. However, there was nothing interesting about the recipe, and the flavour was just kind of…flat.

However, the M&Ms made for a very pretty blondie, all studded with rainbows and chocolate. The addition of a dark chocolate, while unorthodox in the world of blondies, was fun. I’m not opposed to using them again in such an application. However, next time, I believe I will use a different blondie recipe – perhaps one with some white chocolate and a bit more saltiness.

Anyhow, for everyone who might like to try their hand at the recipe M&Ms uses, here it is:

M&Ms Rainbow Blondies
adapted from M&Ms

1 cup (2 sticks or 240mL) butter or margarine
1-1/2 cups (360mL) firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (480mL) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 12-ounce package (1 3/4 cups or 340g) “M&M’s”® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Baking Bits
1 cup (240mL) chopped walnuts or pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C or 325°F/165°C for glass pan).

2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add egg and vanilla extract.

3. Combine flour and baking soda; add to creamed mixture just until combined. DOUGH WILL BE STIFF.

4. Stir in M&M’s® Chocolate Mini Baking Bits and nuts. Spread dough into a greased 13 x 9-inch (330mm x 230mm) baking pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out slightly moist with crumbs. Cool completely before cutting. Store in tightly covered container.

With autumn now officially here, I thought I would greet the season with some appropriate baked goods. When I found this recipe for pumpkin bars, I thought they would be perfect.

However, I was mostly disappointed with them. I was expecting more flavour – something more interesting. I mean, these were good and there was nothing wrong with them, but there was nothing spectacularly right about them either. They are amazingly moist and have a perfect texture, and the pumpkin flavour really does stand out and goes well with the light orange flavour. They definitely have potential!

I wasn’t fond of the browned butter frosting – all in all, it was pretty much just an icing sugar-and-butter frosting, with no real taste other than sweetness. A cream cheese frosting would’ve made these bars 10x better – perhaps with some cinnamon. A chocolate ganache (either on top of cream cheese frosting, or as the only frosting) would’ve been fantastic. And finally, I would increase the amounts of spices in the recipe. Simply doing that would have really improved the bars.

So all is not lost! Even as they were, they went great as a simple breakfast treat or evening snack, and paired excellently with a cup of coffee. This is the recipe I used, but keep in mind that you may want to up the spice amounts and perhaps change the frosting.

Orange-Spice Pumpkin Bars with Browned Butter Frosting

BARS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

FROSTING
1/3 cup butter (do not use margarine, as it won’t brown)
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 to 4 tablespoons milk

BARS
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of a 15x10x1-inch pan (I used a 9x14x1 successfully) with shortening; lightly flour (or spray with a baking spray with flour).

2. In a large bowl, beat bar ingredients with electric mixer on low speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until moistened. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.

3. Bake 25 – 27 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely, about one hour.

FROSTING
1. in 2-quart saucepan, heat butter over medium heat, stirring constantly, until light golden brown. Remove from heat.

2. Stir in powdered sugar, vanilla, and enough milk until smooth and spreadable.

3. Immediately spread frosting over cooled bars. Refrigerate about 15 minutes or until set. If desired, garnish each bar with orange strip peel.