Caramel Apple Toffee Bars

I just love caramel apples. I don’t have them often, but they’re definitely one of my all-time favorites fall treats. The problem with caramel apples, however, is that every time I eat one, I spend way too much worrying that I’m about to lose a tooth or three just by biting in. That’s why I think these caramel apple toffee bars are such a wonderful idea. They basically offer the same delicious taste of caramel apples without the potential dental repercussions. And while they do lack the crunch and texture that only an actual apple could offer, the toffee bits help make up for that slightly, especially when sprinkled generously on top.

Best of all, these bars are really easy to make, and they taste even better when warmed up and served with a bit of vanilla ice cream. If you’re a fan of caramel apples, be sure to add these to your to-do list.

Ingredients:

2 cups AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temp
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
2 cups diced and peeled apples
1 cup toffee bits, divided into 3/4 cup and 1/4 cup
1 cup caramel sauce (store-bought is fine, or you can make your own by combining about 15 Kraft caramels with two tablespoons of milk and melting in the microwave)

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking pan and set aside.
2. In medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
3. In a large bowl, combine the sugars and butter. Whisk thoroughly until well-combined.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating or whisking well to combine. Add vanilla extract and mix thoroughly.
5. Fold in the flour mixture a little bit at a time until just combined. Stir in apples, caramel sauce, and 3/4 cup toffee bits.
6. Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup of toffee bits on top.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. The bars will/should be soft.
8. Remove the bars from the oven and let them cool completely (at least two hours) before slicing and serving.

Sep 30

Pear Bread

As excited as I am about the abundance of apples this time of year, there’s another fruit that I’ve also gotten pretty stoked about lately: the pear. I wasn’t always a huge fan of pears, but over the past year I’ve grown to really like them. And now that pears are in season, I’ve been trying to take advantage by incorporating them into my fall baking routine. To that end, I recently whipped up this wonderfully delicious pear bread.

If you enjoy pears, I highly recommend making this pear bread, which, really, might as well be called pear cake. The recipe couldn’t be easier to follow and the end result is a moist, light bread (er, cake) that’s perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack. Actually, you could eat this anytime of the day. Have it for dinner, in fact. I won’t judge you…especially since that’s what I did a few nights ago.

Pear Bread
Recipe from Bake or Break

Ingredients:

3 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups peeled and finely grated ripe, firm pears
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a two 9×5 loaf pans.
Mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Scoop out about 1/4 cup of this mixture and combine it with the pecans to coat, and then stir back into the flour mixture.
In a separate bowl, combine the oil, eggs, sugar, pears, and vanilla. Add the pear mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just until the flour disappears and the batter is evenly moistened.
Pour the batter into your prepared pans and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the bread is browned and firm on top and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cool completely before cutting and serving.

Sep 25

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bread

I’ll admit it: Sometimes I like eating sweets for breakfast. I think that’s called being human. At the same time, I don’t like my breakfast sweets to be too sweet (in other words, you usually won’t find me chowing down on a heavily iced chocolate fudge cupcake along with my morning coffee). So when I found myself craving a breakfast treat the other day, I decided to try a recipe that I’d recently seen on one of my favorite baking blogs.

Although you could serve this oatmeal chocolate chip bread after dinner or as an afternoon snack, to me, it’s just perfect for breakfast. The chocolate chips add just the right amount of sweetness, and the dense yet moist nature of the bread makes it perfect for dipping in coffee (confession: I’m a bit of a serial dunker). Best of all, it’s really a cinch to make, and if you have any left over, it’ll probably keep for the better part of a week as long as you keep it tightly wrapped.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bread
Recipe from Bake or Break

Ingredients:

2 cups AP flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 and 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temp

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 9×5 loaf pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, oats, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and butter. Stir into dry ingredients just until-combined. Your batter may be a little lumpy, and that’s fine.
Pour your batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Let the bread cool in its pan for at least an hour before slicing and serving.