Coconut Blondies

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Casey

Life is good.

I finished all my AP tests last Friday. We are a few breaths away from summer. Charles Ramsey’s heroic actions and great humor got me through AP testing week last week. And I have some delicious coconut blondies to share with you all.

Maybe I am getting a little coconut-happy lately, but I kind of like it. Coconut signifies summer and tropical things to me, so being land-locked, coconut is one of those ingredients that has grown on me.

I hope you all have a great day full of smiles, sunshine, and most of all, some coconut blondies.

Coconut Blondies

1/2 cup coconut oil (room temperature)

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons whole wheat flour (all-purpose is fine, too!)

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup chopped walnuts (or desired nuts)

1/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Spray an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together coconut oil and brown sugar unti completely combined. Mix in eggs until incorporated. Add in extracts. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt. Finally fold in coconut.
Spread dough into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top and slightly press into the top of the spread dough. Bake in preheated oven for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Let cool and cut into bars. Store leftovers in sealed container or cover with plastic wrap.

Random Fact of the Day: The blesbok, a South African antelope, is almost the same color as grapejuice.

Fudgy White Chocolate Blondies (hungrylittlegirl.com)
Fix it Friday: A Sweet Defeat, The Blondie vs. The Brownie (everythinggirlslove.com)
White Chocolate Cranberry Macadamia Blondies (cantstayoutofthekitchen.com)

Peanut Butter Nanaimo Bars

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Casey

Eeeek! Prom is tomorrow. I feel like I was seriously just writing the overview of prom weekend from last year, weird how the time flies!!

I’ve been my uber busy self this week. It is like everything that I need to do for senior year has been piled into one week. We have AP tests starting this Monday after prom weekend (yeah, our school is that cruel) and then I had senior night for soccer last night, the soccer program pasta dinner Wednesday night, a game Tuesday night, and several tests and practice AP tests throughout the week that the teachers have been throwing at us to be prepared for next week.

Thankfully, my dress was bought and altered with plenty of time before this week and my appointments were scheduled for hair and such pretty far out to be sure I got the time I wanted. Oh and another nice little twist to throw in for my prom weekend?…we have a soccer game. Yep, same thing as last year.

My coach insists EVERY year to schedule a game on the day of prom, so then we all get to sprint from the game to our appointments with hardly a shower. I guess he likes to keep us busy.

Enough with the prom talk, I’m sure I will have plenty to say after the weekend. Let’s talk about these bars! I have never had a nanaimo bar, but had heard about them and have been intrigued for a while now. This is a peanut butter version, and guys…you NEED these in your life! They are super decadent little bites of a chocolate-coconut graham cracker crust, with a smooth peanut butter filling, topped with a thin shell of chocolate. Yum!

Peanut Butter Nanaimo Bars

(Makes 36 small bars)

FOR CRUST:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder (I used dark)

1 egg, beaten

1 1/4 cups (1 sleeve/9 crackers) graham cracker crumbs

1 cup shredded coconut

FOR MIDDLE LAYER:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

2 Tablespoons peanut butter

2 Tablespoons vanilla pudding powder

2 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

FOR TOP LAYER:

4 oz. semisweet chocolate

Melt the butter, sugar, and cocoa powder in a double boiler until fully incorporated (don’t let it come to a boil). Add the beaten egg and stir constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in the graham cracker crumbs and coconut. Press down firmly into an ungreased 8 x8-inch or 9 x9-inch pan. Let sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile prepare the filling. Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, peanut butter, vanilla extract, instant pudding powder, and powdered sugar, until light and fluffy. Spread filing over crust layer in an even layer. Pop pan in fridge for about 30 minutes to let it firm up a bit.
Melt the chocolate for the top layer, spread over the filling and spread out evenly with a knife or spatula. Let sit in fridge for about 1 hour, then slice into bars and keep in sealed container. I keep them in the fridge to stay firm.

Random Fact of the Day: Only 1 out of 700 identity thieves gets caught

Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Mousse Frosting (whatchamakinnow.blogspot.com)
The Great Nanaimo Bar Search (1000wonderfulthings.com)
The Best Nanaimo Bar in Nanaimo – Contestant Number 6 (girlwithadogandgoodshoes.wordpress.com)

Choco-Mint [Cake Mix] Bars

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Casey

Weeeirdest thing ever has been happening to me quite frequently lately…

Ever since I have stopped eating meat (about 3 months ago), I have been having the craziest dreams(/nightmares).

It’s usually pretty short, but basically the way it goes is this: I eat meat without thinking about it or remembering that I gave up meat, I FREAK out, start crying, ask about surgery to remove the meat, cry some more and just freak out in general.

Then I wake up, and it always feels like the dream was so real. I’ll be like “Did that really just happen? Did I really do that? WHY would I freak out about eating a little meat?” especially because I really don’t care that much if I eat a little meat, especially when I don’t want to be an inconvenience to others during meals that are outside of my control.

At a pasta dinner for soccer, the sauce was of course a meat sauce, so I pretty much tried to make the best of it and just avoid the sauce as much as I could but those little things certainly aren’t worth creating a fuss over. Thankfully all my little meat-eating tantrums have been dreams.

On a totally unrelated note..You may have noticed these pictures of these delicious bars. Oh yeashhh they are delish. One of my favorite flavor combos (chocolate and mint) and then the cake mix I used already have marshmallow bits in it, so I was just like SCOREEE. This recipe is super versatile, so feel free to use whatever cake mix you want and what add-ins you like!

Choco-Mint [Cake Mix] Bars

1 (13.75 oz.) Chocolate* Cake Mix (This size is usually labeled as “Cupcake Mix”)**See note at bottom!***

2 eggs

5 Tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup Mint Andes baking bits (Or chopped up Andes candies)

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Spray a 8″x8″ or 9″x9″ baking pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix dry cake mix, eggs, and melted butter together until combined. Add in the mint Andes bits until evenly distributed. Pour batter into prepared baking pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 16-18 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for about 5-10 minutes, then slice and enjoy! Cover bars with plastic wrap or store in sealed container when not eating.

*You may notice the white little specks in my bars, the cake mix I used had marshmallow bits already included in it, so that is what those are!

***Note: If you can only find a regular sized 18.25 oz. cake mix, that is fine, just prepare the batter the same. You may need to add a few more Tablespoons of water or milk to make the batter a spreadable consistency. Pour the batter into a 13″ x 9″ baking pan and bake at 350˚F for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Random Fact of the Day: 40% of women have hurled footwear at a man. Any readers out there guilty of this??

Pinterest Roundup: Delicious No-Bake Dessert Recipes (dailysavings.allyou.com)
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (mycrazysuburbanlife.wordpress.com)
White Chocolate Biscoff Cookie Bars (asweetbaker.com)

Gram’s Toffee Bars

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Casey

I like to give the people what they ask for, and this…well, I could not just let it slip by without mentioning.

The other day one of the top searches on the blog was, I kid you not, “mom in underwear”. It was followed by “Santa Claus physics”, but that one make a little bit more sense, because of this post. But let us get back to mom in underwear.

Proof:

So I thought, what the heck? Why not show you all what a mom in underwear looks like. Here you go

Well now that I am sure I have made my mom feel totally violated with the whole internet world seeing her in underwear, I think we can move on to these fabulous toffee bars.

These cookies are a recipe that came from Gram, so you can bet your booty that they’re gonna be good.

These are definitely one of my favorites. And a for sure family favorite.

Gram’s toffee bars consist of a pretty basic cookie base that is brown sugary and toffee-like, then a thin layer of chocolate, and a sprinkling a chopped nuts if you feel like it.

This is a super basic and easy recipe that you just have to give a try, because I am sure that you will all fall in love.

Gram’s Toffee Cookie Bars

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in egg yolk. Add in vanilla extract. Lastly, mix in the flour. Spread dough into an even layer in a jelly roll pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle chocolate chips in an even layer over the baked cookie bars and place back in oven for 1-2 minutes. Using a knife or spatula, spread chocolate into an even layer and, if using, sprinkle chopped nuts over top. Let bars set in fridge for about an hour, or until chocolate sets up. When bars are cut up, cut into individual bars and enjoy! Store bars in tupperware container at room temp, or in fridge if you prefer them cold.

Random Fact of the Day: Only female mosquitoes bite and drink blood.

P.S. I hope you all got a chance to check out my post of the “Best of 2012″, there were some good ones! Have a happy New Year, everyone!!

Fudge Mocha-Toffee Brownies (llblog2010.wordpress.com)
Toffee Ritz Bars | Bakerita (delicaciesbydan.com)
chocolate-toffee surprise cupcakes + oxo giveaway (tutti-dolci.com)

The Best of Beautiful Disasters [and the World] in 2012

Posted on December 29, 2012 by Casey

2012 was quite a year. We survived the feared 12/21/12 Apocalypse. Congratulations, everyone.

There were some pretty big accomplishments throughout the world in 2012. Shout-out to North Korea for the rocket nobody thought they would ever actually get up.

Suu Kyi from Burma was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal, which is, along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour in the United States.

And for some things we may be able to relate with more…

Twitter caused an increase in voting participation in this year’s election.

The iPhone 5 came out. Well done, Apple.

Honey Boo Boo had one heck of a year.

Hunger Games took over the world by storm.

Fifty Shades of Grey kept those soccer moms on their toes.

“One Direction” stole the hearts of all those 14 year old girls.

“Gangam Style” sure gave those people who lack rhythm something to do on the dance floor.

Turned out that despite my confusion, “Call Me Maybe”, was a serious hit and not a joke. People like that song, apparently!

A purple squirrel was found in a backyard in Pennsylvania.

And of course, the olympics in the U.K. were awesome!

But let’s talk about me! Or the blog.. Anyways, this year I will share with you the top 12 posts readers read. The top 12 posts, I loved. And then 12 goals I have for 2013 in terms of cooking and the blog.