Nov 30

Apple and Cranberry Crisp

This past Thursday was Thanksgiving, and I can’t even begin to describe the scene in our kitchen during the hours leading up to the big event. Let’s just say that my wonderful husband cooked up a storm while I baked my tail off to ensure that there’d be enough sweet stuff to go around. Naturally, I overdid it. We both did, to a certain extent – though on the plus side, having a ton of leftovers means I don’t have to cook for the rest of the week. Plus, as nice as it is to have our family over, there’s just something to be said about curling up on your couch in your pajamas and eating leftovers without having to worry about being the host. Yeah, that was us last night.

Anyway, needless to say I’ve got lots of catch-up to do on here, but I’ll start with one of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes: apple and cranberry crisp. I’m a big fan of fruit crisps in general, and the apple-cranberry combination is no exception. I love the contrast of the tart cranberries and sweet apples. And when you help yourself to a generous plate of warm, fresh-from-the-oven apple and cranberry crisp and top it with a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream, it just doesn’t get better than that.

cranapplecrisp

Apple and Cranberry Crisp

Ingredients:

For the fruit layer:

3 large apples, peeled, cored, and cut into small chunks
12 ounces cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons AP four
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp orange juice

For the topping:

6 tbsp cold butter, diced
2/3 cup AP flour
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup light brownsugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking pan and set aside.
  2. To make the fruit layer, simply combine all of the ingredients listed above, mix well, and let sit while you make the topping.
  3. To make the topping, whisk together the flour, oats, sugars, salt, and spices. Use a fork to cut in the butter so that thick crumbs form.
  4. Transfer the fruit layer into the prepared and pan and use your fingers to sprinkle the crumb topping over it. (To make this easier, try spraying your fingers with cooking spray.)
  5. Bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until the top is browned and the edges are bubbling.
  6. Let cool slightly before serving. Topping this dessert with vanilla ice cream is optional, but highly recommended.
Nov 25

Peanut Butter Blondies

Sometimes I just really find myself in the mood for peanut butter. Does that ever happen to you? And when I find myself craving peanut butter, it’s like there’s nothing else in the world that could possibly take its place.

I had one of these cravings sneak up on me the other day, and so I decided to whip up some easy peanut butter blondies. This recipe can be thrown together really quickly, and it’s one of those that you can seamlessly double to feed a larger crowd. I love the contrast of the crunchy peanuts and chocolate chips against the perfectly soft blondie base. And while milk chocolate chips worked great in the batch I made, next time I may go for dark chocolate for a slightly different taste. And yes, there will have to be a next time. These blondies are just that good.

pbblondies

Peanut Butter Blondies

Ingredients:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted and cooled to room temp
1/4 cup peanut butter (I used smooth but chunky will work as well)
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup peanuts (I used roasted), chopped
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter chips

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×8 baking pan and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar until well-combined.
  3. Beat in the egg (you can use a whisk or a fork for this) and vanilla; mix until well-incorporated.
  4. Stir in the flour and salt, mixing well.
  5. Stir in the peanuts, milk chocolate chips, and peanut butter chips.
  6. Pour your batter into the prepared pan and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Try to be careful not to overbake these – you want them nice and soft.
  7. Let the blondies cool in the pan (at least one hour) before slicing and serving.
Nov 24

Pumpkin Butterscotch Blondies

Okay folks, we’re just about reaching that point where even I’m ready to give the pumpkin thing a rest. This year I think I made almost every pumpkin treat imaginable, not to mention the many savory pumpkin dishes I’ve whipped up but haven’t written about.

Now when I say I’ll be taking a break from pumpkin, in reality we may be talking a week or two, tops. But still, to avoid separation anxiety, I decided to make one more batch of pumpkin deliciousness, this time in the form of butterscotch blondies.

As is the case with most blondie recipes, this one is really easy to put together, and it’s also a great way to use up any leftover canned pumpkin you might have. Unlike the pumpkin pecan bars I made a little while back, these blondies are much sweeter and definitely less suitable for breakfast (though I of course wouldn’t judge you if you were to have them with your morning coffee). And if you’re not a fan of butterscotch, you could easily substitute chocolate chips or even cinnamon chips, which are a little harder to find but work really well with the pumpkin base.

pumpbscotch

Pumpkin Butterscotch Blondies

Ingredients:

1 and 1/4 cups AP flour
1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temp
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

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, spices, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugars until well-combined. Beat in the egg.
  4. Whisk in the vanilla and pumpkin until well-incorporated.
  5. Stir in the flour mixture until well-combined. Then, stir in the butterscotch and white chocolate chips, reserving a few to sprinkle on top.
  6. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Let the bars cool in the pan for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving.