elevated s'mores

These are AH-MAY-ZING!! First of all, it has all my favorite components: a shortbread crust, Nutella, marshmallow's annnnd it's easy to make.

I was lucky enough to receive this cookbook for Christmas, from my husband, and this was the first recipe I made from it. I mean, I hope I've established my love of anything with marshmallow's by now, so it should come as no surprise that this was the first recipe I tested.

I've made these twice now and every time I serve them they are met with applause, adoration and then promptly devoured. Just as they should be!

simply marbleous

Well I hope you all have been having a nice holiday season so far. I know I have enjoyed taking time to celebrate the birth of a new nephew (!), spend time with my family and loved watching Ruby get excited about Christmas. This was the first year she really "got" it and the magic and wonderment of Christmas has been brought back into mine and my husband's lives... we love it!

These chocolate peanut butter marbleous bars will really help you in the home stretch for finishing the year off strong. First of all, it's like eating a peanut butter Rice Krispy treat, but even better because there's chocolate and peanut butter swirled on top. They're a durable bar, holding their own against a bumpy car ride to their next destination (that's assuming you take these somewhere to share...).

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. 

glamping at its finest....

Since it's a well known fact that I'm crazy about marshmallows, these s'more bars have been a summer baking tradition for a few years now. I mean really, who wants to take the time to build a fire, get eaten by mosquitos, and then eat a s'more that is melty on the inside, but the crispness of the graham cracker pushes all the gooeyness out of the center, making it one big mess?

Well if your answer is no, than these are the bars for you, my friend. These can be made any time of the year and in the comfort of your modern kitchen. No scouting skills required. 

more peaches!

With so much fresh fruit available in the summer I can't help but use them in my baking. Especially when I buy a bunch of peaches, with the expectation that a certain two-and-three-quarters-year-old little girl and I will devour them, only to find out that this little girl wants nothing to do with them.

And not wanting to risk fresh peaches going bad, I sought an alternate route and was directed (by my sister) to this recipe. Thankfully I was attending a birthday party that night so I was able to share in the wealth of this dessert because it makes a ton. 

Cherry Almond Brown Butter Bars

I've done so much baking this summer and am so behind on posting some of these perfect-for-summer-recipes that I'm sort of in a panic to get it all on here. SO, this week will be mostly about baking, and I'll get to the beauty stuff next week- sorry! 

I've been wanting to make these bars for over a year, but had missed cherry season by thismuch so I knew I'd have to be patient until those little red fruits came back around.

Then there's the problem of not having enough cherries for the recipe because 1. cherries are meant to be eaten the moment you buy them, so it's a tough task in saving them and 2. I wanted to ensure there was a burst of sweet cherry popping in each bite, so you need quite a few cherries (36 to be exact).  

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.