I love bars. They’re so much quicker than cookies to make; no need to scoop out individual balls of dough. Most bars freeze well, so they’re easy to have on hand even if you don’t have time to make a fresh batch. And usually once they’re baked, you’re done, unlike with cakes that so often must be frosted.

These bars were initially a disappointment. Tasted soon after they came out of the oven the shortbread base separates from the top and the flavor is bland.

Tasted the next day, after the bars have chilled overnight in the refrigerator, and the bars hold together well, and the flavor is fantastic. Slightly chewy thanks to the condensed milk, but with nice crunch from the nuts, and the shortbread turns into a delightfully crumbly base.

So, don’t make these expecting an immediate treat, but if you can plan ahead and let them thoroughly chill, they are delectable.

Ingredients
2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup toffee baking chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 13×9″ baking pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine flour, powdered sugar, and butter. Mix until thoroughly combined, then firmly press into prepared pan to form a crust. Bake 12 – 14 minutes or until golden brown.

While crust is baking, in a medium bowl, combine condensed milk, egg, and vanilla. Pour over baked crust. Sprinkle evenly with the nuts, chips, and toffee chips.

Return to oven and bake until set and golden brown, around 25 minutes. Cool at room temperature, then cool completely in refrigerator.

Variations, Modifications, and Other Comments
I didn’t measure any of the nuts, chips, or toffee pieces that carefully, but I probably used less toffee chips and more chocolate.

Use whatever sorts of nuts you prefer. I adore pecans so that’s almost always my choice.

These bars freeze beautifully, so don’t hesitate to make the entire batch, even if you don’t need many. I almost never halve a recipe that calls for a can of condensed milk because I hate trying to measure out a half can.

I’d give credit to the original recipe source, but I don’t know it. It’s one that’s been in my recipes-to-try binder for years before I finally made it, and any original attributions were lost.

ShareBuffer

I’ve never liked pound cake. Not homemade, not from a box, not the frozen kind that my mom always bought. To me, pound cake was a waste of calories; boring and blah.

That is, until I made Cream Cheese Pound Cake. Suddenly the pound cake had a luscious texture and a subtle tang that made it irresistible to me. And my son. And husband. And I’m sure my daughter would agree, if only I’d ever shared it with her.

The recipe is originally from Southern Cakes: Sweet and Irresistible Recipes for Everyday Celebrations, but this is how I make it:

Ingredients
3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
3 cups (600 grams) sugar
6 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325. Spray two 9×5″ loaf pans with baking spray*

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt together and whisk to evenly mix.

Combine the softened butter and cream cheese in large bowl, and beat well with a mixer until soft and fluffy. Add the sugar and mix 3 more minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing for 1 minute after each egg is added, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in the vanilla.

Add the flour mixture in two batches, mixing on low speed just until the flour is incorporated.

Spread the batter into the prepared pans, and bake for 55 – 65 minutes, until the cake pulls away from the sides, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool completely on a wire rack before turning out of pan.

Variations, Modifications, and Other Comments

Please don’t substitute margarine for the butter. There aren’t enough other ingredients to mask the flavor that would be missing.

I always weigh my ingredients, so the volume measurements for the flour and sugar aren’t what I use.

If the cake is underbaked, the center remains ridiculously gooey, which I find delicious, so I tend to err on the side of underbaking.

The cakes freeze beautifully, either as a whole cake, or, what I do is cut it into individual slices, then flash freeze them on a baking sheet. Once they’re frozen solid, I put them into a freezer container and can then pull out slices as I want them. They take very little time to defrost enough to eat, and I like them when they’re still very cold.

You could substitute other flavored extracts for the vanilla, but you run the risk of masking the lovely cream cheese flavor.

*Baking spray is the spray that includes flour. Alternatively, you can grease and flour the pans, but I am lazy and like the spray that does both in one shot.

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. Thank you for supporting my blog!

ShareBuffer

I mentioned it in my Thanksgiving Recap post, but the peanut butter fudge pie I made was FANTASTIC. So good I can’t wait to make it again. So good I’m scared to make it again because I ate the entire thing myself (ok, it took a week, but still.)

The pie is by Carolyn B. Weil, and is from The Baker’s Dozen Cookbook)

Here’s the recipe, with my modifications.

I made an Oreo-cookie crust, and don’t remember exactly the proportions I used of Oreo to butter. I baked it for 15 minutes and should have only done 10.

Chocolate Fudge Filling
2 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup

Peanut Butter Filling
1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

To Make the Pie:
1. Prepare the crumb crust & refrigerate.

2. Make the chocolate filling by placing chocolate in a small heat-proof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream and corn syrup to a boil over medium heat. Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and allow to stand until softened. Stir until smooth & cool until tepid.

3. Transfer 1/4 cup of the chocolate filling to a small plastic bag and set aside. Pour the remainder of the chocolate filling over the crumb crust and spread until even. Freeze or refrigerate until firm.

4. Make the peanut butter filling by mixing together all ingredients in a medium bowl on low speed until smooth. Increase the speed to high and beat until fluffy. Spread over the chilled chocolate layer and smooth the top.

5. Snip the corner of the plastic bag with the reserved chocolate filling and spread the chocolate over the top of the pie.

6. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours. Serve chilled but not cold.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

ShareBuffer

So Sherry from Young House Love hosts a quarterly Pinterest Challenge, where you stop just pinning things and actually follow through on the inspiration. (ok, it’s not just YHL, but that’s the blog I read where I found out about it, so they get all the credit).

I wanted to make a cinnamon stick wreath like this but I haven’t yet found a cheap-enough source of cinnamon sticks to attempt it.:

Source: thefrugalhomemaker.com via sheilac31 on Pinterest

I also wanted to make paint-swatch artwork for my room, but sick kids have kept me from getting out to pick up an assortment of paint swatches (I seriously JUST pitched the pile I had, because we were moving and I was sick of them constantly falling out of the container where I kept them, and darn it I would just start over with collecting them as we picked colors for the new house.)

Source: younghouselove.com via sheilac31 on Pinterest

So, no artwork.

Instead I went to my “Baking Dreams” and “Cooking Dreams” pinboards since I knew I’d be able to find something doable there. That is, until I stumbled across a picture of some delectable-sounding bar cookies and they vaulted themselves to the top of the MAKE THIS NOW list.

I give you, Dorie’s Chewy Chunky Blondies.

Source: browneyedbaker.com via sheilac31 on Pinterest

Like most bars, these are super easy to make. Maybe too easy, because oh-my-word they are delicious. They’ve got a fantastic crispy cruncy top, and a lusciously gooey center (might have underbaked them a tad, but I prefer my bars to be on the gooey side of things so when in doubt, I err on the underbaking side of things).

The picture I have does not begin to do justice to these treats. Love love love them.

Changes I made? Used a half cup of toffee pieces and a half cup of milk chocolate-covered toffee pieces in place of the butterscotch chips. Used pecans instead of walnuts. Used a mix of semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolate chips. Baked it at 350. I can’t say that I did much to make them my own or anything, but they were so fantastic.

See what others have done for the Pinterest Challenge!

ShareBuffer

I started working on this list last month. Then Cookie Baker Lynn started her ungroup I Did It!. Perfect timing!

I’ve got more recipes to try than I’ll probably ever get to in my life, but I still have some general ones that I’m pretty determined to get to.

Truffles
Nut Brittle
Cheesecake
English muffins
Bagels (maybe even some Asiago Bagels?)
Cinnamon rolls
Soft pretzels
Sourdough bread
Yeasted waffles
Yeasted coffee cake
Crackers (maybe graham crackers, maybe something else)
Gnocchi
Braided loaf of bread
Multi-layer cake (as in, where I have to split the layers)
Lattice-topped pie
Cut-out cookies
Biscuits
Scones
Panna Cotta
Creme Brulee
Doughnuts
Coconut Cake made with fresh coconut a la Alton Brown’s Good Eats episode.
Lemon Curd
Pita Bread
Carrot Cake

Ok, so there are more than 10. It gives me plenty to work with! And I’m set for next year too apparently if it continues for another year.

ShareBuffer