June 27: Orange Blossom Bars

Orange Blossom Bars

Ingredients:
Base:
1 (18.25 oz) box orange cake mix
8 tablespoons (4 oz) unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg

Filling:
1 (15-16 oz) can vanilla frosting
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 large egg

Topping:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons (2 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed orange juice

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and place a rack in the center. Line a 9x13-inch metal pan with nonstick foil.
2. Make the base: In a mixing bowl, stir together the cake mix, melted butter, and egg. Press firmly into the prepared pan.
3. Make the filling: In a mixing bowl, stir together the frosting and softened cream cheese. Add the egg and stir, but do not beat, until smooth. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the cake mixture and spread to the edges.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the edges are slightly browned and set. The middle should still be jiggly. Don't overbake. The filling will set as it cools and after it chills. Let the pan cool to room temperature.
5. Make the topping: Beat together the cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and orange juice in a bowl. Carefully spread the topping over the cream cheese layer. Chill for about 2 hours. Grasp the edges of the foil and lift from the pan. Set on a cutting board and cut into 32 squares.

Base ingredients

Base

Filling ingredients

Addition of the egg

Before the oven...

And after

Topping ingredients

Thoughts: This was easy until I stopped following the directions. I should've let the pan cool after baking it. Because I was running out of time, I just let it cool for like 15 minutes (the pan was still hot) and tried to spread the topping on it. First, there was not enough topping to cover the pan (so I would double it in the future). Second, it was extremely difficult to spread because the filling hadn't cooled so it was still jiggly. I'm not crazy about orange flavored things so this was not my favorite.

This Week's Concoctions Ending 6/24

I made nothing other than the "Weekly Cookie" this week...

June 20: Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookie Bars

Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookie Bars

Ingredients:
Base:
8 tablespoons (4 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups (11.3 oz) all-purpose flour

Frosting:
8 tablespoons (4 oz) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and place a rack in the center. Rub a 9 by 13-inch metal pan with butter or line the inside with nonstick foil.
2. Make the base: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar gradually going from medium to high speed for about 3 minutes, or until light or creamy. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl often. Continue beating on medium-low speed. Add the vanilla bean paste, salt, and baking soda. Reduce the mixer speed to low or, stirring by hand, gradually add the flour, stirring until incorporated.
3. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 10-15 minutes, until light golden brown or a toothpick comes out clean. If you've lined the pan with foil, you may lift the baked base out of the pan and transfer it to a flat surface before frosting. Let cool completely before frosting.
4. Make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter, vanilla bean paste, and salt together at low speed. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and beat until combined. Add 1 tablespoon of the milk. Increase the mixer speed and continue adding the milk 1 tablespoon at a time, until the frosting is the consistency for spreading. Frost the cookie and cut into 32 bars.

Base ingredients

Addition of the egg(s)

Addition of the vanilla bean paste, salt and baking soda

Addition of the flour

Before the oven

And after

Frosting ingredients

Addition of the confectioners' sugar

Addition of the milk

Thoughts: The batter is very sticky and hard to spread in the pan. I would even consider using a 9 inch square pan instead. I ended up baking the bars for 17 minutes because after 12 minutes, they weren't a "light golden brown". The bar is kind of bland but the frosting came out very vanilla tasting and was very good!

This Week's Concoctions Ending 6/17

Here are some highlights of items that I made this week other than the "Weekly Cookie"

All I can say is that I had a lot of time off this week...

Butterscotch Rice Krispies

Crab Dip

Creamsicle Cheesecake

Dog Treats

Chili (from a Hungry Girl recipe)

Minestrone Soup

Turkey Sloppy Joes

June 12: Not-So-Classic Peanut Butter Crisscross Cookies

Not-So-Classic Peanut Butter Crisscross Cookies

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (4 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups natural, freshly ground, no-salt-added peanut butter
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Mexican or regular vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (6.8 oz) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup peanut butter chips, such as Reese's
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and place a rack in the center. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick foil.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Gradually add the brown sugar and 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar and continue beating on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture is light and creamy. Beat in the peanut butter and egg. Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat in the chipotle powder, salt, baking soda, and vanilla. When well blended, add the flour and stir until incorporated. Stir in the chips.
3. Stir the remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar with the cinnamon. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar and arrange about 2 1/2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten the balls with a fork dipped in water, making crisscross patterns.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until ever-so-slightly browned around the edges -- do not overbake. Let cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Addition of sugars

Addition of peanut butter and egg

Addition of salt, baking soda, chipotle powder and vanilla

Addition of flour

Addition of peanut butter chips

Rolled balls in cinnamon sugar

Before the oven

Thoughts: I used regular peanut butter and regular vanilla extract. I'm sure I could've tried harder to find freshly ground peanut butter but I already had a half jar. This was a pretty easy recipe. I just wish the crisscross pattern had more pronounced. I probably should've pressed down harder. They were good -- a little kick to them....very peanut buttery!

This Week's Concoctions Ending 6/10

I made nothing other than the "Weekly Cookie" this week...

June 6: Applesauce Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Applesauce Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
Base:
1 1/4 cups (5.6 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 cup shortening or vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons lightly beaten egg
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/3 cup raisins (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting:
3 tablespoons (1.5 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and place a rack in the center. Line a 9-inch square metal pan with nonstick foil, or line it with regular foil and spray the foil with flour-added baking spray.
2. Make the base: Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice together in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the shortening and mash it around so that it coats the flour. Add the water, applesauce, and egg and beat until well mixed. Stir in the walnuts and raisins, if using.
3. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan.
4. Make the frosting: Beat the butter and cream cheese together in a medium bowl until creamy. Beat in the vanilla and confectioners' sugar until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Spread over the cooled bars. When ready to serve, lift from the pan, set on a cutting board, and cut into 16 bars.

Base ingredients

Addition of the vegetable oil

Addition of the egg, water, and applesauce

Addition of the walnuts

Before the oven

After the oven

Frosting ingredients

Addition of the vanilla and confectioners' sugar

Look how nice that covered the cake!

Thoughts: I decided not to use raisins just because I didn't have any and was too lazy to go to the store. To avoid some of the issues that I have been having in past weeks, I decided to double the frosting part. This worked out wonderfully because I had enough to cover the cake adequately and there weren't that much leftover. The cake turned out very moist and the frosting was a success! It had a taste most similar to a spice cake or carrot cake.