Coconut Chocolate Chip Blondies

 
While I enjoy making cookies, sometimes I am too lazy to shape the cookies. That's why bar cookies are a great option on a lazy baking day. There are various types of bar cookies and one of my favorites are blondies, which is essentially a brownie without the cocoa. Blondies tend to a have a higher content of brown sugar to create a rich toffee flavor. Although a standard blondie recipe taste great on it's own, it is even better with mix-ins. This version incorporates coconut and chocolate chips. The final product was reminiscent of a seven layer bar. I found this recipe on Brown Eye Baker, which described these cookies to be similar to a Girl Scout Samoas cookie. As I sunk my teeth into these blondies, I could taste the flavors of a Samoas cookie. The blondies were chewy like the samoas cookie and the brown sugar helped to give the cookies an almost caramel flavor like the famous Girl Scout cookies. The coconut gives the blondies a greater than average chewiness which makes the blondies that more delicious. I have a weakness for anything with a chewy texture and this definitely satisfies my chewy obsession!

Recipes with Oreos: Classy, Versatile, and Y-U-M-M-Y!

I have been thinking about something lately that I want to share so indulge me a little. Let's talk about ice cream for a second. Blue Bell Ice Cream makes the greatest cookies n' cream ice cream ever. All of their flavors are amazing but nothing compares to the cookies n' cream flavor. While the concept of this flavor is so simple, the idea is an amazing one...at least in my opinion. Now, I must admit that I am not a huge fan of packaged cookies which is one reason why I created this blog. Having said that, if there is one packaged cookie I have always loved, love, and will always love, is the infamous Oreo. While the chocolate wafer and cream filling is a ingenious combination, Oreos are also a fun cookie to eat. My favorite way to eat an Oreo? I separate the cookie so all the filling is on one side. I take the non-filling cookie and scrap part of the filling onto the cookie, take a nib, and scrap a little more off. Then I just eat the other half. I know, it sounds absolutely ridiculous but everyone has their one way of eating an Oreo.

Another great thing about Oreos is what you can do with them. There are so many creative and inventive ideas on how to use Oreos. Now tell me, how can Oreos not be the greatest cookies ever? I am going to share some of the most intriguing recipes I have come across. I have made some but there are some that are on my baking to-do list. Whether you eat an Oreo by itself, with a glass of milk, crushed into a ball with cream cheese, or in or with anything else, I don't think any other packaged cookie can compare. The next time you have one of those Oreo cravings, which I happen to have every minute of every day, give one of these recipes a try.


No Bake Chewy Cookies and Cream Bars
compliments of Picky Palate

 
Oreo Truffles
 compliments of Bakerella

Oreo Pumpkin Cheesecake
compliments of Inside BruCrew Life

Cookies n' Cream Cupcakes
compliments of Bakerella 

Oreo on a Stick
compliments of MaryJanes and Galoshes

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies
compliments of Brown Eyed Baker

Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins

I know I just posted Healthy Blueberry Muffins but I have another recipe to share! While those muffins are great, I understand sometimes we all just want a muffin that does not "taste" or look healthy. Here is a version that is fairly healthy but does not look or taste like a "healthy" muffin. This recipe uses buttermilk and oil to keep the muffins moist. To make it healthier, I substituted half of the amount of oil with applesauce so the muffin does not lose any moisture. For another kick of flavor, I added orange zest. This made the muffins brighter in flavor and gives the blueberry muffin a minor makeover. Feel free to leave the zest out but I would give it a try first. If you want the fuller fat version of this muffin, use 1/2 cup of vegetable oil as opposed to 1/4 cup vegetable oil and 1/4 cup applesauce. That's the great thing about baking, I can make anything the way I want it to be. What's great about recipes, especially muffin recipes, are their versatility. Depending on what kind of blueberry muffin I want, I can make it!

Pumpkin Oreo Cheesecake

I came across this recipe the other day and it just had a great appeal to it. While Oreos + cheesecake + pumpkin is a heavenly combination, the recipe also seemed simple to make. The original recipe used two Oreos per individual cheesecake but I did not have that many Oreos left at home…and I was too lazy to go to the store and pick some up. That would just leave more Oreos laying around for me to consume. I’m glad I had just enough Oreos because not only would the leftovers be stored in my pants, I think two Oreos would have overwhelmed the dessert. I wanted the pumpkin cheesecake to the be the focus of the dessert and to have the Oreo as a “crust” and an added layer of flavor that complemented the rest of the dessert. Additionally, the Oreos I had on hand were the holiday version, hence the red cream filling. I understand while these mini cheesecakes did not turn out to be cutest things ever, it sure tasted like the best things!

For those non-pumpkin eaters, this recipe has a pumpkin appeal. Even though you may not like pumpkin, it sounds more appealing in combination with cream cheese and Oreos. Since there are many other ingredients, the pumpkin flavor is not too overwhelming so it is a great introduction to the pumpkin flavor. The reason why I say this is because I use to be a non-pumpkin fan. I started being more receptive to the idea after I tried pumpkin cheesecake and I have not turned my back since! The recipe is rich, decadent, and more than sufficed my ever-persisting desire for cheesecake.

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Good Ole Classic Apple Pie

For those of you who frequent my blog, I know what you're thinking. Is this post about pie? You made a pie? The answer is yes! Being in 2012, I thought it was only appropriate to expand my horizons and to make things I've always thought about making but end up making excuses instead. I've never been a huge fan of pie, let alone apple pie because often times the filling is congealed, too sweet, and consist of too many spices. That's the beauty of baking, I can make apple pie the way I like it!

Many people stray away from pies and pastries because of the pastry crust. It is definitely something not to be intimidated by. Pastry crust is simple to make; however, I used pre-made crust for this recipe. The reasoning is because I had never bought pre-made crust before and I wanted to try it. I love it because it is super easy to use. For those of you that haven't used it before, simply roll out the dough and it is ready to use. So if you want to make pie but is scared to make your own crust, opt for a store bought crust.

A good apple pie depends on the apples. For me, I like tart apples because apple pies tend to be very sweet in general so using a tart apple cuts down on the sweetness. For this recipe, I used granny smith apples which is probably the most tart apple you can get at the store. Also, I used lemon juice, which gave a brightness and extra tang in the pie. So while I wouldn't call this a traditional apple pie, it has all the flavors of one. It just has a little extra zing to it!

Healthy Blueberry Muffins

 

During my recent trip to the grocery store, I saw blueberries on sale. I grabbed two pints without hesitation, one for munching and one for baking. I didn't know what I wanted to do with the blueberries but I was certain I could find something! I opted to make blueberry muffins because it is one of my sister's favorite things to eat. While I've made Blueberry Crumb Cake before, I wanted to make a yes, healthy recipe. Instead of using my oat bran muffin recipe and incorporating blueberries, I decided to research a different recipe. It's good to change things up every once in awhile, right? I proceeded to Google 'healthy blueberry muffins' in the search engine and clicked on the first recipe that came up. Thank goodness I did because it turned out to be an excellent recipe. The main ingredient in the recipe was wheat bran so the muffins provide a great deal of nutrients and fiber. One of the first steps was to soak the wheat bran in milk to give the muffins bulk and it helped release the nutrients in the wheat bran.

The muffins turned out great! The muffins had the taste and texture of a muffin, crisp on the top but moist on the inside. Honestly, I wouldn't notice this was a healthy muffin. What I enjoyed most about the muffin was the taste. The muffins had just enough sweetness from the brown sugar. Also, the brown sugar brought out the molasses flavor, which gave the muffins a distinctive and addictive taste. I contemplated the familiarity of the taste for hours. I've eaten a muffin with this taste but I couldn't think of when and where I had the muffin. Finally, I remembered a few months back, my dad bought a muffin from a local bakery and told me to try it to see if I could recreate it. I believe this recipe is very close to what my dad wanted. I guess I should save him one for when I see him this weekend...if I don't eat them all beforehand! This muffin gives my oat bran muffin some competition. I'm already thinking of the variations I can make with this recipe. But bringing it back to this recipe, give it a try. While it is a healthy muffin, you won't notice a difference. I promise!