Cookies and Cream Square

We're gonna make some magic with 3 simple ingredients.

Oreos, butter, marshmallows.

Oh yeah, you know what we're gonna do.

Marshmallow meet Oreo.
Oreo meet Marshmallow.
You two are going to make some beautiful babies.

If this marriage doesn't sound like heaven to you, you need to walk away, walk away right now and don't come back until you've thought long and hard about what's really important in this life.

I made up a batch of these babies for my lil' bro and my hubby.

Then all this chewy goodness went straight in my belly.

When you make something for someone you don't have to actually give it to them.

It's the thought that counts, right? 

That's a good rule. 

Feel free to use it. 

You can thank me while you're eating chunks of this scrumdillyumcious no-bake bar and thinking about who would love them.

Cookies and Cream Square

Makes about 15 bars

Source: Picky Palate

1 box (350g) Oreo Cookies

¼ cup Butter

5 cups Large Marshmallows

Directions:

1. Place Oreos in a food processor and pulse until ground. 

2.Melt together marshmallows and butter in the microwave until puffed and melty, about 1 ½ to 2 minutes. Add ground Oreos to the marshmallows and stir until combined. Pour into a greased 8'' x 8'' square baking dish and smooth out the top. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until firm. Cut into bars. 

Linked to: Sweets for a Saturday

Frosted B-raw-nies

I couldn't turn on my shower for 3 days. 

It was not a good situation.

I had to use dry shampoo (not dried out shampoo) and I didn't work very well.
I don't recommend it.
Just get your shower fixed if it's broken.
And use wet shampoo.
Always use wet shampoo.

In other news, I made these b-raw-nies. 

Do you get it?

Aren't I clever?

They're a raw brownie. Oh, and they're gluten free.

Don't worry though, they don't have raw eggs in them. 

They're really just ground up dates and stuff.

And they'll rock your world.

Believe me and trust me about the wet shampoo.

Frosted B-raw-nies

Makes: about 12 small pieces

Source: The Rawtarian

For the brownies:

1 cup walnuts

1 cup dates

5 tbsp raw cacao powder (or regular cocoa powder)

4 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

2 tbsp honey or agave nectar

¼ tsp sea salt

For the frosting:

1 cup dates

¼ cup coconut butter (or cold expelled coconut oil)

¼ cup raw cacao powder (or regular cocoa powder)

¾ cup water

Directions:

1. Process walnuts in the food processor until small and crumbly. Add dates and continue processing until finely ground and mixture sticks together. Add the remaining brownie ingredients and process again until chocolatey brown and only small bits remain. (Don't over process or it'll turn buttery.)

2. Dump mixture into a small cake pan or loaf pan. Smooth out with a spatula and place in the refrigerator. Meanwhile prepare the frosting. 

3. Place all the frosting ingredients in a blender a let sit for about 15 minutes to allow the dates to soften. Turn on the blender on low and gradually increase the speed until the frosting is smooth.

4. Spread over the brownies and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.

Linked to: April in the Raw

Chewy Walnut Trail Mix Bars

How are you doing with that new year's resolution to lose 10 pounds?

If you're winning, good for you.

If you're not, don't be too hard on yourself. I'm sure you look great.

I think the best way to stick to a weight goal is to be prepared. If you have an apple tucked away in your bag or desk drawer you'll be less likely to make a quick trip to the vending machine when that late afternoon wall starts to hit.
Of course, an apple is good in theory but it's doesn't amount to much when all you want is a big ol' chocolate bar.

These bars of grainy goodness studded with dark chocolate chips come a lot closer.

Full of nuts, seeds and dried fruits, they're a yummy sweet snack that fills your tummy without sending you on a sugar high (and then crashing to a sugar low).

Change up the nut/seed/fruit combo to whatever suits you best. They're incredibly portable and one of the few recipes I've seen that stick together without peanut butter. (If you want a bar with peanut butter try out vegan power bars.)

Tuck one of these bars in your bag or car to combat the afternoon growlies, they're darn good.

Chewy Walnut Trail Mix Bars

Makes: about 15 bars

Source: http://www.walnutinfo.com/

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup coarsley chopped walnuts

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cups sesame seeds

1/2 cup dried apricots or date

1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup honey

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together oats, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, baking soda and cinnamon. Stir in walnuts, cranberries, chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds, coconut and sesame seeds. Set aside.

2. In a food processor, process apricots until broken up, about 1 minute. Add butter and continue to process until a paste forms, about another minute. With motor running pour in honey until blended and smooth.

3. Fold honey mixture into oat mixture. Press evenly into a greased 9'' x 13'' pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Cool completely before cutting.

Tangy Lemon Bars

Is anyone else freakin' excited for Christmas?!?!

There's only 19 (!) more days to enjoy the anticipation of Christmas.

I don't even care that there's still so much to do: presents to be bought and wrapped, parcels to be sent, cookies to be baked, and did I mention presents to buy?

That's the most exciting part, all the festivities leading up to the Big Day.

You know, I really should've been one of Santa's elves.

I already prepare year round for Christmas.
I just wouldn't want to build toys.
Or live at the North Pole. I hate being cold.

But I would be a baker elf! Yes, that's it. A baker elf and I would bake Christmas goodies all year long, bringing joy and peace to all that partake.

(I just got all 3 of 'the Santa Clause' movies and I think I've watched them so many times they're starting to mess with my reality.)

I've really digressed from anything to do with lemon bars, haven't I?

Here's what a certain baker elf wanted to say about these lemon bars.

This tart lemon bar is a nice balance to the sweet stuff (eggnog fudge) I've been making lately.

Their one downfall is the crust to filling ratio is much too high for my liking. 

If there's a shortage of baker elves around and you want to try these out yourself, I recommend either cutting the recipe in half for the crust or making 50 percent more filling (multiply each ingredient by 1.5 -  I could be a math elf too.)

Tangy Lemon Bars

Makes: 36 bars

Adapted from: Land 'o Lakes 2008 'Holiday Cookies' Magazine

For the base:

2 cups all purpose flour

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup softened butter

For the filling:

2 cups sugar

¼ cup lemon juice

4 eggs 

2tsp finely grated lemon zest

⅛ tsp salt

¼ cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tbsp softened butter

½ tsp vanilla extract

1½ to 2 tbsps lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all base ingredients in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often until mixture resembles fine crumbs.

2. Press mixture into an ungreased (I greased mine anyways) 9'' x 13'' baking pan. Bake for 18 - 22 minutes or until very lightly browned.

3. Meanwhile, combine all filling ingredients except flour and baking powder. Beat at medium speed until well mixed. Reduce speed to low and add flour and baking powder. Beat until well mixed. Pour filling over hot, partially baked crust. Continue baking for 23 to 25 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cool completely.

4. Combine all glaze ingredients except lemon juice in a separate bowl. Beat at low speed, gradually adding lemon juice until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over cooled bar. Cut into pieces.

Apricot Coconut Bars

There's something I've never told you.
I have an illness when it comes to baking; a condition, really.

This condition makes me eat screaming hot baked goods right from the oven.

I just can't make myself wait until anything has cooled to a reasonable temperature before stuffing it in my face.

I'm forced to hear the sizzling of saliva as my tongue touches outrageously hot stuff.
I'm made to bounce hot bits around my mouth until my tongue is burnt and numb and I can finally swallow.
This is a serious thing I'm suffering with.

I can hear you.
You don't think this is serious.

Well. Ok then.

Maybe it's not really a condition.

Maybe it's just a lack of self control.

Maybe.

Regardless, my condition was at an all time high when I made this bar and now I can't really tell you how it tastes because all the taste buds have been burnt off my tongue.
It did have a nice texture though. 

Crunchy coconut, buttery soft crust, chewy apricots.

I'll let you know how it tastes once my taste buds grow back. Until then, you'll have to try it out and let me know if it's a keeper.

Apricot Coconut Bars

Makes: 36 bars

Source: 2007 Canadian Living 'Holiday Celebrations'  Magazine

For the base:

¾ cup softened butter

½ cup brown sugar

¼ tsp salt

2 cups all purpose flour

½ cup shredded sweetened coconut

For the filling:

2 cups apricots, minced (I put mine in the food processor)

¼ cup orange juice

2 eggs

½ cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp coconut extract

For the topping:

1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1 tbsp icing sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease a 9'' x 13'' cake pan. To prepare the base, beat together butter, sugar and salt until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour and coconut. Press into prepared baking pan.

2. Bake on centre rack until light golden, about 18 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, bring apricots, ½ cup of water and orange juice to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer until tender and no liquid remains, about 10 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes.

4. Stir in eggs, sugar, lemon juice and coconut extract; spread over base. Sprinkle with the coconut (1 cup).

5. Bake in centre of the oven (at 325°F) until light golden, about 30 minutes (I only cooked mine for 25 minutes.) Let cool completely and slice into bars. Dust with icing.

Oatmeal Bars

"Annie Jess, your cookies good!"

That's what my 3 (almost 4) year old niece thinks of these 'cookies'.

She's incredibly complimentary of cookies.... and cakes....... and rice krispie squares.
 Not so much when it comes to cooked vegetables......."Annie Jess, this yuck."

Oh well, I can't win them all.

I think the adults who tried these bars thought they were good too. My brother cut himself a huge slice before he'd even tasted it. 

(The things I make are usually pretty good but a recent experience with a certain gelatinous chai creation will probably make him think twice before cutting himself giant chunks of my desserts without first sampling ;)

The recipe for these bars calls for soft caramel cubes but since I didn't have them and the 5 min drive to the grocery store was much to far to go, I substituted butterscotch chips. They worked wonderfully. However, I'd definitely like to try them with the caramel next time. I think it would upgrade them from wonderful to spectacular. They have quite a bit of salt in them which gives them a great sweet/salty combo.

Make them today and then make them again tomorrow. 

It's the right thing to do.

Oatmeal Bars

Makes 12 squares

Barely Adapted from the wonderful Martha Stewart

48 soft cube caramels (or 1 ½ cups butterscotch chips)

½ cup heavy cream

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup brown sugar, packed

¾ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup butter 

1 cups chocolate chip

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13- inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line with a 9-by-21-inch sheet of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on each short side. Put caramels and cream in a small saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until caramels are melted, about 5 minutes. Let cool.
2. Stir together oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and the salt in a large bowl. Blend in butter with a fork or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal; press half of mixture onto bottom of lined pan. Bake until just set and starting to color around edges, about 20 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes.
3. Sprinkle crust with chocolate chips; drizzle with caramel mixture. Top with remaining crumb mixture. Bake until pale golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan before cutting into squares.

Raw Vegan Power Bars

I try to eat healthy.

 Or at least healthyish .

 I try to get in my 5 - 10 of fruits and veggies and my 30g of fiber.

And my 10g daily dosage of chocolate. 

What?

That's a real thing. I swear I've seen it in the Canadian Food Guide.

I'm sure most women have seen it too.

Or maybe that was just the food guide that I made up for myself.

It's called the Jesse Food Guide and the motto is, "Eat what you want when you want but don't be surprised when you feel like crap."

Tragedy, I know.
(The feeling like crap part, not the eating whatever you want part - that part is golden.)

Let me introduce you to something else that's golden:

"Power Bars meet my readers, made up primarily of my mom and anyone she's told about my blog."
"Readers meet these divine Power Bars."

Packed with fruit, protein, fibre and chocolate, they satisfy my 'food guide' requirements and some of the real food guide requirements. These bars are anything but tragic.

Make them today and let delicious meet nutritious.

Raw Vegan Power Bars

Makes 24

Adapted from: Poems About Food

1 ½ - 2 ripe sliced bananas

½ cup whole almonds

½ cup dried cherries (or any combination of dried fruits)

¼ cup dates

2 tbsp pure dairy free cocoa 

½ tsp cinnamon

½ cup natural peanut butter

¼ cup pumpkin seeds

1 ¼ cups spelt flakes (or rolled oats)

Directions:

1. Put bananas, almonds, cherries, date, cocoa and cinnamon in food processor and blend until fairly smooth.

2. Add peanut butter and mix until uniformly combined.

3. In a large bowl, add the seeds and flakes (or oats) to the peanut butter mixture and mix until oats and seeds are thoroughly coated. (I had to use my hands for this)

4. Press into an 8 x 8 square baking pan and refrigerate overnight. Cut into squares.