Category: Bars

Bars, Desserts, Recipes

Cranberry Crumb Bars

Sarah

Tart, sweet cranberry crumb bars… they are amazingly delicious. What more can I say?

Tart, sweet cranberry crumb bars... they are amazingly delicious.

In the winter, my favorite flavor is cranberry. Between Halloween and Christmas, I buy up/hoard fresh cranberries in a ridiculous fashion–and then freeze a zillion bags for “emergencies.” Crazy, I know, but you DO NOT know when a cranberry craving will strike and have you ever had to look for cranberries in June? Impossible, I tell ya. And I’m sure I’ve told you that before. Ha! 🙂 I also like dried cranberries but fresh cranberries are much better for baking. And these Cranberry Crumb Bars are no exception!

These bar cookies are really really simple and definitely deserve a spot on your Christmas cookie tray this year. They’re rich, buttery little treats with a pop of fresh cranberry and orange in every single delicious bite.

Tart, sweet cranberry crumb bars... they are amazingly delicious.

Over the years I’ve seen lotsa recipes for cranberry cookie bars/crumbles of various sorts but so many of them require you to use “leftover cranberry sauce.” Who ever heard of such a thing? I inhale cranberry sauce so there’s never any left, much less enough for BAKING. And I’m the simple baker type, most of the time. I don’t want to take the time to dirty up the food processor or a saucepan to MAKE cranberry sauce before making dessert. Even though Ben does 90% of the dishes in our house [I’m a lucky girl!], I can’t justify that nonsense. But even so, I didn’t know if a recipe like this would work. Reading over it, I was a bit skeptical. A crust recipe that has you blend in an egg [even in the topping] and not pre-cook it? Sounds weird. A filling with, literally, just fresh cranberries and flavorings and a tiny bit of liquid? Was I going to be wasting a bunch of ingredients?

Tart, sweet cranberry crumb bars... they are amazingly delicious.

[Spoiler alert: NOPE!] These bars are absolutely magical, wonderful, and amazing. The winter dessert of my dreams… no lie. I am so happy I tried them and seriously wouldn’t change a thing about them. The original recipe suggests maybe a drizzle of white chocolate on top, and while that might make them prettier, I think–for me–that extra sweetness would take away from the perfect pairing of tart + sweet + butter. But you do you, and I’ll do me, and we’ll do these Cranberry Crumb Bars together, okay? Enjoy! 🙂

one year ago: Crockpot Minestrone Soup
two years ago: Baked Fish Tacos with Cranberry Salsa
three years ago: Cranberry Orange Pancakes with Cranberry Maple Syrup
four years ago: Baby Bella, Spinach, and Bacon Frittata
five years ago: Sweet Potato Soup

Cranberry Crumb Bars

  • Servings: 24
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from Bakerita

Ingredients:

for the crust:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup almond meal or whole wheat flour
  • zest of half an orange
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup cold, unsalted butter
  • 1 egg

for the filling

  • juice of 1/2 an orange [I just added a few tablespoons of orange juice]
  • zest of 1/2 an orange
  • 12 ounces fresh cranberries
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, stir together sugar, baking powder, flours, orange zest, and cinnamon. Use a pastry blender or two forks to cut in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly — you can also use a food processor for this step.

Press half of the dough into the prepared pan, then mix up the filling.

In another medium bowl, combine orange juice, orange zest, cranberries, sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch. Stir until combined, then spread over crust. Evenly distribute remaining crust over cranberry mixture.

Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely in the refrigerator before cutting into squares. Store in the refrigerator. Leftovers freeze well. Enjoy!

Bars, Desserts, Recipes

#10DaysofTailgate: Pumpkin Bars

Sarah

These frosted spiced pumpkin bars are always a hit!

Pumpkin Bars | thepajamachef.com #10DaysofTailgate

Welcome to Friday of #10DaysofTailgate! You made it! But wait–don’t go away after reading this. Be sure to enter our fabulous giveaway and learn more about our quest to share tons of tailgating recipes during the last ten days of September. We are more than halfway through, but we still have more yumminess headed your way. 🙂

#10DaysofTailgate Sponsors

The best recipes always come from moms and grandmas, right? Though this recipe for pumpkin bars isn’t my mom’s original recipe, she is the one who introduced me to them. These pumpkin bars are the pumpkin bars of your dreams, people! They are SO good and relatively easy. What makes these pumpkin bars utterly delicious is their texture, I think. I hate when recipes are called “bars” but they’re really a sheet cake. These bars aren’t cakey but they aren’t as fudgy as brownies either. They are moist, gooey, buttery, and oh so indulgent! Healthy they are not, so if you’re searching for that, sorry but you’re outta luck. 🙂 The creamy frosting on top is sweet but not over the top, and provides the perfect creamy topping to a sweet, pumpkin spiced bar.

Pumpkin Bars | thepajamachef.com #10DaysofTailgate

Though I’m sharing this recipe for a tailgating event, these bars would be equally at home at a bridal shower, potluck, or your Thanksgiving dinner table. Frosting always makes sweets look fancier, I think! They’re on the of the first pumpkin desserts I made in my Tennessee kitchen last fall and they’re one of my favorite fall desserts. I hope you like them as much as my family does!

three years ago: Honey Lime Fruit Salad
four years ago: Buttermilk Chocolate Bread

Pumpkin Bars

  • Servings: 24
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courtesy Patty Ronning as adapted by Paula Deen

Ingredients:

for bars

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 1 – 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

for icing

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 35o degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch pan with cooking spray.

With an electric mixer [stand or otherwise], beat together eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin until fluffy. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl: flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda. Gradually add dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture. Mix on low until batter is smooth.

Bake for 30 minutes, then cool completely before frosting.

When ready to make frosting, beat cream cheese and butter together with a mixer until smooth. Slowly add the sugar, mixing on low until combined. Stir in vanilla, frost, and cut into bars.

Here’s what the rest of the crew brought to the table…
Starters
Diablo’d Cheesy Bacon-Onion Pinwheel Rolls by Things I Make (for Dinner)
Spiced Kofta with Carrot Karma Yogurt Dip by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Dips
Baked Potato Beer Dip by Cheese Curd In Paradise
Hot Caramelized Onion Dip by Eliot’s Eats
Dunkin Duck, Cheesy Bacon and Ranch Dip by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Mains
Honey Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Kebabs by Debbi Does Dinner Healthy
Thai Chicken Skewers by Sew You Think You Can Cook
Bacon Cheeseburger Soup by From Gate to Plate
Sides
Grilled Parsley Potatoes by Curious Cuisiniere
Grilled Vegetables by Summer Scraps
Sweets
Pumpkin Bars by The Pajama Chef
Bars, Desserts, Recipes

Dark Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Blondies

Sarah

These blondies have all of your favorite flavors: chocolate, peanut butter, and honey… and are healthy too! They’re a great gluten free and/or vegan dessert. 🙂

Dark Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Blondies - Gluten Free, Vegan Option | thepajamachef

Growing up, my little sister Kathleen would always copy me. Drove me nuts! Whatever I had, she wanted. Clothes, friends, privileges, etc. Man. We’re five years apart, so in my world, this was totally awful. I considered her quite the little pest for many years… but she did too, so I guess we’re even. And let’s not even get into bathroom wars. Can any other sisters relate?! 🙂

Thankfully, today Kathleen and I aren’t antagonistic towards each other anymore, and Ben and I love to hang out with Kathleen and her husband Grant. Too bad we live five hours apart! Kathleen copied me a year or so ago and made her own food blog, Two Happy Bellies. For pretty much the first time ever [in older sister speak], this copying benefited me as I could finally see all her yummy recipes in one place! Before, she’d just email/Facebook/instagram/pin them to me. Now it’s my turn to copy her with these delicious blondies!

Dark Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Blondies - Gluten Free, Vegan Option | thepajamachef

These blondies are the closest thing to a healthy dessert  you can have without it being fruit or something else super natural [read: WEIRD]. There’s no flour, white sugar, oil, or butter in them… they’re gluten free, and can be made vegan in a snap. The chickpea base may weird some people out, but if you don’t tell ’em, they probably won’t even know. #totallyserious These blondies are completely delicious though, and are so simple to make that they’re sure to become part of your regular rotation. Enjoy y’all!

Dark Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Blondies - Gluten Free, Vegan Option | thepajamachef
P.S. I just realized that my sister is the ultimate copycat… she copies me, and her nickname is Kat. Get it?!?? CopyKat! Lol I crack myself up. I should go now. 🙂 Love ya booboo!

one year ago: Eggplant Potato Frittata 
two years ago: Baked Flounder
three years ago: Brown Sugar Fruit Dip

Dark Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Blondies - Gluten Free, Vegan Option

  • Servings: 16
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from Two Happy Bellies

Ingredients:
  • 1 can [15 oz] garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter [or other nut butter]
  • 1/3 cup honey [or pure maple syrup or agave nectar for vegan option]
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3.5 oz dark chocolate bar, chopped or broken into chunks OR 1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp chocolate chips [regular or vegan]
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease an 8×8 inch pan with cooking spray or shortening and line with parchment paper.
Using a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients except chocolate and blend until smooth. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan then top with chocolate, pressing in to incorporate.
Bake for 15-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean AND edges are just beginning to brown. My sister took hers out at 18 minutes and I did at about 20. They might look underdone but they will firm up as they cool.
Cool in pan for at least 20 minutes before slicing. Keep refrigerated.
Linked up with: Weekend Potluck.
Bars, Desserts, Recipes

SRC: Coffee Blondies

Sarah

If you like coffee, then you will love these rich and sophisticated glazed coffee blondies. They’re delicious!

Coffee Blondies via The Pajama Chef - If you like coffee, then you will love these rich and sophisticated glazed coffee blondies. They’re delicious!

I was really excited to see that I was given Kate’s blog, Kitchen Trial and Error, for this month’s Secret Recipe Club. Kate lives in New York with her family–including two adorable little boys–and she’s always cooking up something new in her kitchen. I’ve long admired Kate’s blog for her lovely photographs and creative, challenging recipes, and was thrilled to get to make something from it! She’s been blogging since 2010 so there were lots of recipes to choose from, and I was quickly overwhelmed [does that ever happen to other SRCers? There’s just so many options!]. So I turned to my Pinterest boards, and found four of her dishes that I wanted to make–Quinoa Cakes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwiches Cookies, Fish in Crazy Water, and what I ultimately chose… Coffee Blondies.

Coffee Blondies via The Pajama Chef - If you like coffee, then you will love these rich and sophisticated glazed coffee blondies. They’re delicious!

Kate first made them to fulfill a craving for a flavorful, non-chocolatey dessert. And seriously? These blondies are the perfect way to do so! They’re rich and chewy, and taste like something out of a fancy bakery. Since this recipe uses coffee grounds [and not just brewed coffee], the coffee flavor is very prominent but really isn’t too overwhelming–similar to coffee ice cream.

Coffee Blondies via The Pajama Chef - If you like coffee, then you will love these rich and sophisticated glazed coffee blondies. They’re delicious!

The topping of these blondies is my favorite part, I think! I hardly ever make glazes for things, and truthfully almost just sprinkled powdered sugar on top of the blondies. But then at the last second, I changed my mind. Before I put the blondies in the oven I threw a handful of sliced almonds on top, per the recipe, and then after the blondies were cool, glazed them with a simple powdered sugar glaze. After the glaze hardened, I took one bite and was just overwhelmed by how delicious these blondies are! The almonds and glaze give them a nice crunchy, sugary bite that pairs perfectly with coffee… almost like almond flavored coffee. These blondies are perfect with a refreshing glass of milk, and I bet they’d be awesome with a nice cup of coffee for a double caffeinated treat! Thanks, Kate, for a great recipe!

Coffee Blondies via The Pajama Chef - If you like coffee, then you will love these rich and sophisticated glazed coffee blondies. They’re delicious!

one year ago: Pineapple Cream Pie
two years ago: Grandma’s Blueberry Muffins 
three years ago: Linda’s Caramel Ritz Bits Crackers

Coffee Blondies via The Pajama Chef - If you like coffee, then you will love these rich and sophisticated glazed coffee blondies. They’re delicious!

Coffee Blondies

  • Servings: 16
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Coffee Blondies via The Pajama Chef - If you like coffee, then you will love these rich and sophisticated glazed coffee blondies. They’re delicious!from Kitchen Trial and Error

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground coffee
  • pinch salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2-4 tablespoons sliced almonds
  • 1/4-1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8×8 or 9×9 square baking pan with parchment paper. Spray any exposed sides with cooking spray if you don’t overlap.

In a large bowl, whisk melted butter, brown sugar, coffee, and salt. Add egg and vanilla; whisk to combine. Slowly stir in the flour and baking powder, then spoon evenly into prepared pan. Top with almonds–as few or as many as desired, then bake for 25-30 minutes until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan before icing.

To make icing, whisk together 1/4 cup powdered sugar with 1 teaspoon water. Add more powdered sugar to make it thicker or more water to make it thinner. I liked it with a generous 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Ice blondies, then put in the fridge for a bit to harden. Cut into bars when icing is dry.

Be sure to check out what else was whipped up for SRC this month below:

Bars, Desserts, Recipes

Fudgy Fresh Mint Brownies

Sarah

Every summer, I grow lots of herbs on my balcony. I can’t wait for the day I have a yard so I can have a garden! But until then, I’m content with my low-maintenance substitute. My choice of herbs varies from year to year, but this year I have Thai basil, Greek oregano, catnip, and peppermint growing happily on my balcony. I always grow mint but never really do much with it aside from making copious batches of mint water, mint iced tea, etc. Sometimes I make fruit salad with mint dressing or a vinaigrette with mint, but more often than not, my mint kind of goes to waste. Except for the smell. I just LOVE the smell of fresh mint. Don’t you?

Fudgy Fresh Mint Brownies | thepajamachef.com

One thing I’ve always wanted to do is make a chocolate dessert with fresh mint, and last weekend, I finally got around to it! These brownies are not overwhelmingly minty–nothing like those over the top, ooey gooey Andes Mint Brownies that are super popular. I’m sure you know the ones I’m talking about! Those are good, but these are something extra special. There’s nothing artificial tasting here! Just fudgy, frosted cocoa brownies with a hint of mint. They’re refreshing and super tasty!

Fudgy Fresh Mint Brownies | thepajamachef.com

But enough about the mint… the brownies deserve some love too, right? I’ve tried quite a few homemade brownie recipes. They’ve either been too cakey, too dry, too complicated, too expensive [as in: half a pound of butter, half a pound of chocolate, etc. etc. etc.]. I don’t mind spending money on a recipe if it’s going to be good, but if it’s gonna flop…? Ugh, I might as well buy a box! But these… these brownies are perfect every time! I’ve made these fudgy cocoa brownies with frosting several times and always have been impressed with their chewy texture and consistency. Most people are shocked to hear that they’re just made with cocoa and not chocolate chips or bars… or a box! For the brownie AND the frosting. They’re just the best–and I know I’m not eating a bunch of chemicals! Win win! No one will be able to resist them!

Fudgy Fresh Mint Brownies | thepajamachef.com

For this batch of Fudgy Fresh Mint Brownies, I changed Jen’s base recipe just a tad to use coffee instead of milk in the frosting. I also added some coffee to the brownie batter to add some extra moisture since I threw in a bunch of fresh mint leaves. Speaking of the mint leaves… I chopped them up veryyy finely and baked ’em right in. You can hardly tell, unless you cut into one on the edges. If the thought of that bothers you, you could a) blend the batter with a blender or b) let the mint steep in the melted butter for awhile to infuse it, then drain it out through a fine sieve. I actually tried to do that second option, but made the mistake of also adding the sugar and found it was too thick to efficiently strain out. No matter your method, the end result is fabulous. I think these would make some pretty terrific brownie sundaes! Oh, and btw… these brownies are so fudgy and moist that they aren’t dried out, even a week later, if they’re kept tightly covered. I mean, they probably won’t last that long, but for the record it’s good to know! Enjoy! 🙂

Fudgy Fresh Mint Brownies | thepajamachef.com

Fudgy Fresh Mint Brownies

  • Servings: 12
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adapted from Yummy Healthy Easy

Ingredients:

for the brownies

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup fresh mint, finely minced
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon strongly brewed coffee, optional
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

for the frosting

  • 3 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon strongly brewed coffee [or milk]
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×8 pan with cooking spray.

Melt butter in a saucepan set over low heat. Add sugar and mint and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes. Mix in eggs, vanilla, and coffee, then add in cocoa powder, flour, and baking powder. Spoon into prepared pan.

Bake for about 25 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to cool. Do not overbake!

Make frosting by stirring together butter, honey, coffee, and vanilla. Slowly whisk in cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Spread on brownies while they are still warm–I like to wait about 10 minutes so they aren’t super hot. Cool completely to set frosting, then cut into bars to serve.