Coconut Chocolate Chip Blondies

When it comes to fall (or early/pre-fall) baking, I’m usually all about the apples. But at the same time, I also like to mix it up a little. Since I hadn’t done anything with coconut for awhile, I decided to whip up a batch of coconut chocolate chip blondies.

This recipe is incredibly tasty and incredibly easy. You don’t need to bust out any fancy tools or spend more than 10-15 minutes putting these blondies together. Just have a couple of mixing bowls and spoons on hand, and you’ll be all set.

Coconut Chocolate Chip Blondies
Recipe from Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients:

1 cup AP flour
1/8 tsp salt
4 ounces unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup chocolate chips

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour an 8×8 baking pan.
2. Combine the flour and salt; set aside.
3. Stir together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth; beat in the egg and vanilla extract until well-blended.
4. Slowly beat in the flour mixture until blended; then stir in the coconut and chocolate chips.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan; use a rubber spatula (or the back of a spoon you’re already using if you’re feeling lazy, which is perfectly okay) to smooth the top.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until set in the center but still soft. Cool completely (at least one hour, but two would be better) before cutting and serving.

Sep 9

Apple Pie Cookies

To me, Labor Day marks the official end of summer and beginning of fall. I know the calendar might say otherwise, but there’s just something about the start of September that puts me into a fall state of mind. And the string of cooler weather in New Jersey this past week definitely contributed to that effect. We had several days of what I’d describe as perfect weather—low 70s and sunny during the day, cooler and breezy at night without actually being cold.

Being a lover of all things fall-related, I decided to bake up a batch of one of my favorite cookie recipes. I found this recipe online a long time ago and at this point, I honestly don’t remember where it came from. What I do know, however, is that it works really well with all types of apples. This year, I used a combination of Gala and Granny Smith apples to make my cookies, but in previous years, I’ve used McIntosh, Delicious, and Braeburn apples as well. The key, I think, is to include at least one tart apple (like the Granny Smith) to balance out the sweetness a little.

While these cookies do take a little time to put together, they aren’t overly complicated and are well worth the effort. I love the fact that they come out soft, cakey, and incredibly moist. If you’re a fan of apples, pecans, and fall flavors, you should definitely give this recipe a try.

Apple Pie Cookies

Ingredients:

3 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp nutmeg
1 cup butter, at room temp
1 and ½ cups brown sugar (I like to use half dark brown and half light brown)
2 large eggs
4 tbsp maple syrup (though I prefer to stick to the quality stuff, you could use your basic pancake syrup in a pinch)
2 and ½ cups fresh apples, peeled and diced
1 and ½ cup toasted pecans, chopped

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper (this recipe yields anywhere from four to six dozen cookies depending on how big you make them, so plan accordingly).
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
In a large bowl (I use a stand mixer), cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then blend in the maple syrup.
3. Gradually blend in the flour mixture at a low speed. Once incorporated, stir in the apples and toasted pecans by hand.
4. Drop by ¼ spoonfuls (or your desired size) onto your prepared baking sheets.
5. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

When stored in an airtight container at room temperature, these can last up to a week.

Sep 8

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies

Wowsa. It’s been over a month since I’ve posted on here, so now that the weather is cooling down, I’ll have to get myself back into the swing of baking. I know I’ve mentioned before that I tend to bake less frequently during the summer, and I basically spent most of August avoiding the oven and indulging in frozen desserts instead. But just this past week, the weather suddenly turned cooler, and in a really nice way. And it was just enough motivation to get myself back into the kitchen and do a nice amount of baking.

While I tackled several different recipes over the past week, the first one I’d like to share is something simple yet tasty. These brownies are really a cinch to whip up. As is the case with most of the brownie recipes I like to make, this batch requires nothing more than a couple of mixing bowls and some basic ingredients. There’s no need to bust out the fancy tools or spend more than 15-20 minutes putting everything together. Plus, these brownies are really adaptable to a variety of mix-ins, so if peanuts and pretzels aren’t your thing, feel free to substitute something else.

Here’s to what will hopefully be a busy month of baking and a glorious start to fall.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies

Ingredients:
1 cup AP flour
1 stick of butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
½ cup light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 egg
¼ cup peanut butter, plus more for topping
½ cup crushed pretzels
½ cup chopped peanuts

Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×8 baking pan and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the cooled melted butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in egg.
4. Mix in ¼ cup peanut butter, then slowly incorporate the flour and cocoa mixture, mixing well until fully blended into the wet ingredients.
5. Stir in the pretzels and peanuts.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan (it will be thick). Using the back of a spoon, swirl additional peanut butter on top of the brownie batter as desired.
7. Bake for 27-32 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the brownies cool completely in their pan (at least 60 minutes but better to wait two hours to be safe) before cutting into them.

Aug 5

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Delicious things don’t have to be complicated. Case in point: these moist, yummy chocolate chip muffins. I was given about an hour’s notice that we were having company this past weekend (that’s what happens when you let your husband make the plans), so I needed something quick and insanely easy to offer up to our guests. This recipe totally did the trick, and by the time our company arrived, I had these wonderful little muffins all nice and ready to serve.

Chocolate Chip Muffins
Recipe from Bakerella

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk (whole is best, but others work)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup melted butter, cooled slightly
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a muffin tray with 12 regular baking cups.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
4. In another bowl, stir together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter.
5. Incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing well.
6. Stir the in chocolate chips and divide the batter evenly into your baking cups.
7. Bake for about 22 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. (If you want your muffins to get a little crispier on top, leave them in the oven for an extra couple of minutes.)
8. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 1-2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Aug 1

White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies

I have something shocking to admit: I haven’t been in much of a baking mood lately. I know—blasphemy, but this tends to happen to me during the summer. Still, I did decide this week to whip up a batch of blondies, and I’m glad I did, because they were the perfect accompaniment to the raspberry swirl ice cream I’ve been devouring like a madwoman.

These blondies are basically your classic Cranberry Bliss Bar without the frosting. If you want to add frosting, you can find the recipe here. But I felt that these were more than sweet enough without it (thank you, white chocolate).

These blondies strike that perfect balance of being chewy yet light; and the cranberries add a nice touch of tartness to a sweet white chocolate-infused batter. Best of all, they’re really easy to throw together. My batch took less than 15 minutes from start to finish, including cleanup. And aside from tasting great, they’re also pretty to look at. If you’re in the mood for a quick summertime treat, these blondies will be sure to hit the spot.

White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies
Recipe from RecipeGirl

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter
1 and 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 and 1/4 cups AP flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (the original recipe said 1/8 of a teaspoon, but I like a slightly stronger cinnamon essence; you can also add a pinch of nutmeg if you enjoy that flavor profile)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped (or you can use white chocolate chips)

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13×9-inch baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
2. Melt the butter for one minute in the microwave; stir in brown sugar and then cool to room temperature.
3. Beat or whisk in the eggs and vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
5. Gradually add the dry mixture to the butter mixture.
6. Stir in the cranberries and chopped chocolate. Note that your batter will be thick.
7. Spread your batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
8. Let the blondies cool in their pan completely before cutting and serving.

Jul 16

White Chocolate Strawberry Blondies

I’m clearly on a blueberry, strawberry, and white chocolate kick. Summertime just does that to me I guess. I used my go-to white chocolate blondie recipe as a base for these bars and added in the strawberries because, well, I’m in the midst of a love affair with strawberries and I might as well celebrate it.

I love the contrast of the slightly tart and tangy strawberries with the sweetness of the white chocolate. Even though I’m not one of those people who shuns white chocolate ’cause it’s too sweet, I definitely appreciate the balance of flavor the strawberries bring to the mix. Incidentally, you could substitute strawberries for another tart fruit, like raspberries, and get similarly delicious results.

White Chocolate Strawberry Blondies

Ingredients:
1 cup AP flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate
1 cup strawberries, chopped

Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease an 8×8 baking pan.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Using either your stovetop or microwave, combine the butter and white chocolate to melt. If using your stovetop, put butter and white chocolate in either a double boiler or heavy duty saucepan and melt on low heat while stirring frequently. If using the microwave, put butter and white chocolate in a small bowl and melt on 50% power for 30-second increments until butter is melted and white chocolate is mostly melted. Use a fork or whisk to get the chocolate nice and smooth.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together your eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Add in the white chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth and well-combined.
5. Whisk or stir in the flour mixture until incorporated.
6. Stir in strawberries. (Quick note: If you’re washing your berries on the spot, make sure to pat them dry before adding to batter. You’ll want to eliminate as much moisture as possible before baking.)
7. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the blondies cool completely (at least 90 minutes) in the pan before cutting into bars.

Jul 8

Strawberry Crumb Bars

Remember those awesome blueberry crumb bars I made a few days ago? They were so delicious I just had to try a strawberry version. The great thing about this recipe is that it’s fairly easy and pretty adaptable to your favorite fruit. You could try it with raspberries, peaches…the list goes on and on.

Strawberry Crumb Bars
Recipe slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 and ½ cups granulated sugar, divided into 1 cup and ½ cup
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups AP flour
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons orange juice (I used fresh-squeezed from an orange, but any type of OJ will work just fine; you could also use lemon juice if you prefer that flavor profile)
4 cups fresh strawberries, chopped into small pieces
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, optional
4 teaspoons cornstarch

Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch pan and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup of the sugar with the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. (Note: This might take awhile, but keep working at it—you want to make sure the butter gets nice and blended.) Your dough will be crumbly.
4. Pat half of the dough into your prepared pan.
5. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and orange juice. Gently mix in the chopped strawberries and chocolate chips, if you’re using them. Sprinkle the strawberry mixture evenly over the crust, and then crumble the remaining dough over the berry layer.
6. Bake for about 45-55 minutes, or until the top gets slightly brown and an inserted toothpick comes out relatively clean.
7. Let the bars cool completely in the pan before cutting in. Two hours should do it.

Jul 4

Blueberry Crumb Bars

One of my favorite things about summer is the abundance of fresh blueberries available to big time fans like me. I’m happy to throw blueberries in just about anything – yogurt, ice cream, muffins, cake…So when I stumbled upon this easy recipe for blueberry crumb bars, I knew I had to give it a shot.

These bars are awesome—moist, crumbly, and just the right of gooey in the middle. They’re the perfect summertime treat, and I have a feeling I just might have to make them again before moving on to all things apple in the fall.

Blueberry Crumb Bars
Recipe slightly (barely) adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch pan and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup of the sugar with the flour and baking powder.
3. Mix in salt and lemon zest (if you’re using it).
4. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. (Note: This might take awhile, but keep working at it—you want to make sure the butter gets nice and blended.) Your dough will be crumbly.
5. Pat half of the dough into your prepared pan.
6. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust, and then crumble the remaining dough over the berry layer.
7. Bake for about 45-55 minutes, or until the top gets slightly brown and an inserted toothpick comes out relatively clean (you’ll get blue streaks from the blueberries even if the bars are done).
8. Let the bars cool completely in the pan before cutting. I’d say wait a good two hours since the blueberry filling makes them gooey to begin with.

Busy Baking Mama

Author Archives: Maurie Backman

Coconut Chocolate Chip Blondies

Apple Pie Cookies

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Brownies

Chocolate Chip Muffins

White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies

White Chocolate Strawberry Blondies

Strawberry Crumb Bars

Blueberry Crumb Bars