no holds bar

I know there are so many gift-giving baking idea's floating around on other blogs, Pinterest, the Food Network... but these Chunky Raspberry Bars have to be one of the easiest to put together. There's no intricate decorating of cookies or cupcakes, instead you're just basically smashing the dough into a pan and going for that "rustic" look. It works here, trust me.

The dough is really more of a shortbread packed with oats, coconut and almonds... oh and some raspberry jam to give it a festive flair. But of course you could swap out the raspberry jam for your favorite flavor, say peach or strawberry. Once the bars are cooled, they're dense and hold up wonderfully in a (gift) box. 

Monster cookies

Could there ever be a more appropriate name for a cookie the week of Halloween? I think not. If you like the following variety of cookies: chocolate chip, oatmeal, peanut butter, m&m, then you'll love Monster Cookies because they contain all of the aforementioned flavors.

In the many years that I've been baking, I can't believe I've actually never made these before. They're easy to make, have chocolate and peanut butter (one of the best flavor combo's) with candy pieces thrown in... why didn't I think of this? It's basically Halloween candy stuffed into a peanut butter cookie. Can't go wrong here.

creamy crisp

Apple crisp happens to be one of my husband's favorite desserts, although he likes it cold and I like it piping hot so that vanilla ice cream melts and cools the crisp, making every bite creamy and crunchy. 

When I took these photo's, the apple crisp had just come out of the oven, so the ice cream was nice and melty. Right after I finished the photo's, I put the whole pan in the fridge so my husband could enjoy it later. Luckily, it's easy to heat up a bowl in the microwave so that I can still enjoy the leftovers warmed up.  

How do you like your apple crisp? Hot and a la mode, or cold?

Salted Caramel Bars

Salted caramel sauce... bittersweet chocolate chips... pecans…all housed in an buttery oat crust. Are you drooling yet? There's no way you can you go wrong here.

Since these are bars, it goes without saying that they travel well. These also make a wonderful gift- just put them in a pretty box with a small jar of the salted caramel sauce and a note about how you should win “Gift Giver of the Year” for giving this away.

Maybe you’re in a time-crunch and don’t have time to make the homemade Salted Caramel Sauce. You could technically cheat and use a good-quality store bought sauce, but then you miss out on licking the spoon as the caramel is cooling. Or having some leftover sauce stashed away for a midnight spoon dip. 

reserve 1 1/2 cups of dough for topping

the toppings for the cooled crust

hot & bubbly, fresh out of the oven

The first time I made this recipe I thought it was just ok. The caramel, which should be the star ingredient, seemed like it absorbed into the crust. This time I used a different recipe for a Salted Caramel Sauce (rather than the one recommended with the original recipe) and adjusted the crust proportions. I also added more Salted Caramel Sauce to make it really stand out. I don't think you'll be disappointed. (recipe to follow)

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars

Yes it’s fall and pumpkin recipes are out in full force. I’m really sorry if you are one of those people who don’t like pumpkin flavored food. What a shame. So sad. Well I may not change your mind (or your taste buds) with this recipe, but these are pretty tasty.

If you like cheesecake and pumpkin, these are the bars for you. There is a fantastic shortbread crust, with an oat and nut topping, that adds a much-needed crunch to combat the richness of the filling.

This really is an easy recipe to make. No fancy mixing equipment involved here, just a couple of dirty spoons and bowls.