Day 14: Squares Link-Up

Day 9 Caramel Chocolate Shortbread // Day 10 Peanut Butter Incredibles // 

Day 11 Raspberry Jam Bars with a Twist // 

Day 12 Chocolate Mint Brownies // Day 13 White Chocolate Chai Fudge

Day 12: Chocolate Mint Brownies with Crème de Menthe Frosting

 

From: Turnips 2 Tangerines

Prep:15 mins                Cook: 35-45 mins                Serves: 8-10

Ingredients
¾ cup Hershey’s Cocoa
⅔ cup butter, melted and divided
2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup boiling water
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup mini chocolate chips
½ cup coarsely chopped mint m&m’s, plus extra for garnish
⅓ cup chopped pecans
2 Tablespoons chocolate fudge ice cream topping

 

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350º. Grease 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish
2. Stir together cocoa and baking soda in a large bowl; Stir in ⅓ cup butter.
3. Add water; stir until mixture thickens.
4. Stir in sugar, eggs, and remaining ⅓ c butter. Stir until smooth.
5. Add flour, vanilla extract and salt; Stir until well blended.
6. Stir in  mini chips, mint m&m’s, pecans and fudge topping. 
7. Spread in prepared pan.
8. Bake at 350º for 35-45 mins or until toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean.
9. Remove from oven, cool on wire rack. Cool completely.
10. Frost with Créme dé Ménthe Frosting and  Garnish with  Chopped M&M’s

Créme dé Ménthe Frosting:

1. ¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
2. 3-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3. ¼ cup green créme dé ménthe liqueur
4. ¼ cup milk, or as needed

Cream all ingredients together until creamy.

Spread on cooled brownies

Sprinkle reserved chopped mint m&m’s over  frosted brownies

Note: for a nonalcoholic version, omit liqueur and use peppermint extract

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Do those ever look tasty! I might have to give them a try, but with everything going on they might have to wait until after Christmas, when things settle down a little. There is another square recipe coming at ya tomorrow, and then another link-up on Friday. And you still have time to link-up your cookie recipes here.

xox 

Day 11: Raspberry Jam Bars with a Twist

A while back I made some chocolate peanut butter cookies, without a recipe. Now I don't usually use a recipe for a standard cookie like that, and I they always turn out great. With this time being the exception. For some reason they were a little dry, and lacking in the chocolate department. So after a few days when there were still quite a few left, I knew they needed a new purpose, and these bars were born!

 

Ingredients

Base
1 cup crumbled, no-good chocolate peanut butter cookies (lol, or chocolate wafers)
1/4 cup butter, melted
Filling
Raspberry Jam, or any flavour of your liking
Topping
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
2-3 shakes of cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease at 9x9 baking pan, set aside.

2. Mash your no-good cookies into crumbs (it's rather satisfying when you can destroy a baked good gone wrong), and combine with melted butter until moist.
3. Press into the bottom of greased pan, and bake on centre rack for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
4. Meanwhile, combine oats, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Using pastry blender cut in butter a little at a time until coarse crumbs form (you might need a little more or less than called for).
5. Once cooled spread jam over base, and cover completely with oat topping.
6. Bake for 25-30mins until topping is golden brown, and jam is bubbling. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut into squares and finally enjoy those no-good cookies! :)

And there you have it! Day 11, a simple yet delicious recipe, and a perfect way to use up one of your other baking adventures gone wrong. I can't believe it is already December 11th, it's going to be the 25th before we know it. I better get to work on the Christmas presents I am making for everyone :)

xox

Day 10: Peanut Butter Incredibles with Sara

Greetings from Creating Purple Fire! I'm Sara Carbaugh and I am super thrilled to be sharing one of my favorite Christmas treats with you today, Peanut Butter Incredibles! My mom used to make these every year along with all of our other Christmas goodies and they were definitely something I looked forward to each year! I remember as a kid sneaking into the kitchen after my mom had made these and trying to rearrange all the bars in the Tupperware box so it didn't look like I had taken one or two... possibly three as a snack! Now that I have my own little family I was excited to make these for the first time this year and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy they were to make!  

Ingredients:
1/3 lb Graham cracker crumbs, finely ground
1/3 lb (about 1 stick and 2 3/4 T) Butter or margerine, melted
1 lb (about 3 1/2 cups) Confectioners sugar sifted
1 1/2 cups Peanut butter
2 Cups (12 oz package) Semi-sweet chocolate chips    

Directions:
Combine crumbs, butter, sugar and peanut butter and cut with a pastry blender to bring it all together. Then when it gets too thick to blend, use your clean hands to really pull the rest of it together. You should end up with a thick ball of peanut buttery goodness. Press the mixture into a 8x12" pan.

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second bursts (stirring in between bursts) until the chocolate is smooth. Spread the chocolate over the peanut butter mixture to make an even coating.

Refrigerate the bars until they are firm (30 minutes to an hour). Take the pan out and let it warm up a bit before cutting them into little square bars.

That's it! Super easy and ridiculously good! I hope you try these and I hope you love them as much as my family does!

Day 9: Caramel Chocolate Shortbread with Helen

Hi Newfoundlander at Heart readers, I'm Helen from Eat.Enjoy.Live. When Margot asked for suggestions for her Christmas cookie countdown I just knew this one would be a winner. OK technically its a bar, but we love them just as much as cookies, right? These are sticky  gooey and oh so sweet; kind perfect in my book. Cut them up into small squares, place on a gorgeous plate, and invite people round for a festival dessert cocktail party.

Just a warning: The original recipe serves 12, but the portions were far to big, eventually I managed to make it serve 40 (they turn out like Petit-fours). They take like 3 hours to make, but are well worth it!

Caramel Chocolate Shortbread
Recipe passed down from my Grandmother


Serves - 40


Ingredients:
For Shortbread:
115g unsalted butter
175g plain flour
55g golden caster sugar

Filling and topping:
200g butter
115g golden caster sugar
3 tablespoons golden syrup
400g condensed milk
200g plain chocolate, broken into pieces


Method:
Preheat the oven to gas mark 4. Grease and line the base of a 9-inch square shallow cake tin.
Place the butter, flour and sugar in a food processor and process until they begin to bind together. Press the mixture over the base of the prepared tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Place the butter, sugar, golden syrup and condensed milk in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar had dissolved. Bring to the boil and simmer for 6-8 minutes, stirring consistently, until the mixture becomes very thick. Pour the filling over the base and chill in the fridge until firm.

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, set the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water and heat until melted. Spread the melted chocolate over the filling. Leave to set, then cut into slices.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year!