Time to stock up on half-price Peeps!

Maybe you're coming down off of an Easter candy high. Raise your hand if you had a Reese's Peanut Butter Egg for Easter breakfast. #protein


At this very moment, I'm sitting next to kiddo's Easter basket, and it's taking quite a bit of willpower not to steal a few Whoppers Eggs. Here's what will help:

Peeps Show S'Mores Bars

That's right. Go grab all of the 50% off Peeps you can this week and make a batch or two of these babies.


These are like s'mores kicked up a few notches....graham cracker-y goodness with a brown sugar and oat crumble, gooey marshmallows, and melty chocolate. They're just the thing to keep you our of your kid's Easter basket.
Maybe.



Peeps Show S'mores Bars

ingredients:
6 TBSP salted butter
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
6 TBSP dark corn syrup
2 & 1/4 cups rolled oats (not instant, not steel cut)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 & 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
15 Peeps


Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Grease an 8x8 pan.  Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup over medium heat, until the butter is melted and sugar has dissolved.  Remove from heat and stir in the oats, flour, salt and graham cracker crumbs.

Press a little more than half of this mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.  Place on a wire rack and let cool completely.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the cooled crust.  Top with the Peeps, making 3 rows of 5 Peeps.

Cover with the remaining topping/crust mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes; the Peeps will looks slightly misshapen under the topping.

Place on a wire cooling rack and let cool for 20 minutes.  Serve warm.
{adapted from S'mores Granola Bars, King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion; recipe first appeared on the blog in 2012.}

Do it! Do it! Those half-price Peeps are waiting for you!!!

Real Sweet: Iced Muscovado Caramel-Nut Blondies

Oh, Sugar! You guys are going to love this recipe...and this book!

You might know Shauna Sever from her blog, or maybe from her first two books: Marshmallow Madness and Pure Vanilla.


Get ready to fall in love all over again with her latest book Real Sweet: More than 80 Crave-Worthy Treats Made with Natural Sugars. It's a keeper.

First, the book is written in Shauna's signature style...she's funny, down-to-earth, and relate-able. I really enjoy just reading every bit of her cookbooks, not just the recipes. Second, Shauna KNOWS HER STUFF. I have no doubt that every recipe in this book is a winner.


Real Sweet demystifies working with natural sugar. Whether it's coconut sugar, turbinado, honey, or muscocado sugar, the book walks you through exactly what you're dealing with and the best recipes for each type of sugar.


For my first recipe from the book, I chose the Iced Muscovado Caramel-Nut Blondies. Oh. My. Gosh. These guys are so good. Between the muscovado sugar, the brown butter, the toasted nuts, and the caramel icing...there is SO much flavor packed into these little squares. You hear the term "depth of flavor" on cooking shows a lot. Well, this has it.


The recipe actually calls for dark muscovado sugar, but I happened to have light on hand and used that. I can only imagine that the dark would add just another layer of flavor. I can't wait to make them again.


Iced Muscovado Caramel-Nut Blondies
{with permission from Real Sweet, makes 16 squares}

for the bars:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, spooned and leveled
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, browned* and slightly cooled
3/4 cup firmly packed dark muscovado sugar (I used light)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans

for the icing:
1/2 cup firmly packed dark muscovado sugar (I used light)
3 TBSP unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 TBSP milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup organic confectioner's sugar

*To brown butter: Place the butter in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Melt the butter. Once the butter is completely melted, it will bubble and sizzle. Keep swirling the pan occasionally, and listen and watch carefully–when the foam begins to subside and the sizzling suddenly, the butter will quickly turn brown and smell nutty, about 5 minutes total. Pour into a heatproof bowl and let cool.

Position rack in center of the oven and preheat to 350. Lightly grease an 8x8" pan and line with a strip of parchment, long enough to leave an overhang on 2 opposite sides of the pan.

Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, energetically whisk together the butter and sugar until the butter has begun to absorb the sugar and dissolve, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the egg and vanilla extract. Switch to a spatula and fold in the flour mixture until well blended. Fold in the pecans. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.


Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 22 minutes. Don't overbake, or they'll dry out. Let cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack.

Make the icing: Combine the sugar, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan. Melt together over medium heat, stirring often with a heatproof spatula. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir in the milk. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Dump in the confectioner's sugar and stir the icing energetically for about 3 minutes, or until the icing is thickened and smooth, is beginning to lose some gloss, and is a touch lighter in color - more of a thin icing than a pourable glaze.

Top the blondies with the icing and spread it evenly with a spatula. Let the icing set in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before cutting and serving the blondies. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Real Sweet by Shauna Sever: a must-have for your cookbook library!

Lightened-Up Slow-Cooker Chocolate Bread Pudding

You might have noticed something about me. I love dessert. There, I said it. At 45-years-old, I know this about myself...I'm not giving up dessert.

In honor of January, the month we "eat healthy"...until the Valentine candy hits the store shelves (pretend you didn't see the Ritz Cracker Toffee earlier this week), I bring you a lightened-up dessert.


This "light" version of chocolate bread pudding has a lot going for it.

1. It's made in a slow-cooker, so making it is a snap!
2. The bread is multi-grain baguette...but feel free to use a regular baguette if you can't find multi-grain.
3. Prune puree (!) replaces the fat from whole milk and butter typically found in bread puddings. 
4. CHOCOLATE!!! 

Once out of the slow-cooker, this bread pudding is warm and comforting with a hint of cinnamon and bursts of warm bittersweet chocolate. Top it with frozen yogurt, ice cream, or cinnamon Greek yogurt as shown here.

Lightened-up bread pudding makes a rustic and homey dessert, but is also delicious for breakfast!  Yay, chocolate for breakfast!!!

I'm sharing the recipe over on Imperial Sugar today! 

Bulk up for winter with the help of Ritz Cracker Toffee ;)

I know. I know. I know. I KNOW!!!

These are not the kinds of posts we write in January. In January, we post green smoothies, and quinoa cupcakes, and kale/chia seed ice cream. Well, I'm sorry. I made this over Christmas break and it was SO INCREDIBLE that I...
A. could not wait to make it again,
B. could not NOT share it with you on the blog.

So, You're probably familiar with Saltine Toffee...or Christmas Crackle. I hadn't ever tried it until last spring when Ree served it at the Lodge.
*don't you love a name drop?*

Ree's is called Cashew Crackle and you can find it over on the Land O' Lakes website.  It's fabulous.


Well, Christmas Eve rolled around and I felt like we just didn't have enough sweets in the house. Sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, cheesecake...eh, not enough. I remembered Ree's crackle and knew I could whip up a version in a jiffy.

Because my Dad was coming in and Ritz are his favorite crackers, because my boys will scarf a box of Ritz in 36 hours flat, because I had not one saltine cracker in the house, I made my toffee with Ritz crackers.

{Why does a family of 3 need a Family Size box of crackers???}

I also used bittersweet chocolate chips and replaced the cashews for pecans. Pecans are required in all desserts in Texas. True story.

Y'all. I can tell you right now. I will make this for every holiday (and non-holiday) from now on. For eternity. It was the hit of Christmas. When your teenage son brings the tin to you and says, "take these away from me" not because he's watching his calories, but because he's about to inhale the entire batch, you know you have a winner.


Not only do the Ritz crackers add salt and crunch to this sweet treat, they're flaky and buttery. These are good qualities.

Since Ritz crackers are round, they don't make that nice, flat surface that saltines do. THAT'S OK.  Do not panic. You'll be breaking these up haphazardly and the bumps and spaces don't matter.

Ritz Cracker Toffee

{serves 2, ha!}

Ritz crackers (about 3 sleeves)
1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place the Ritz crackers top-side-down on top of the parchment.

Fill in the gaps with cracker pieces, but don't worry if it's bumpy and not perfect.


In a small saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. Cook over medium-low heat until the butter is melted and the mixture comes to a boil. Boil for one minute, stirring, until slightly thickened.

Pour the butter mixture slowly over the crackers as evenly as possible. Use an offset spatula to smooth. Again, this will not be perfect, and there will be some areas of the crackers that are uncovered.

Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 3 minutes. Scatter the bittersweet chocolate chips over the top. Place back in the oven for 1 minute. Use the offset spatula to spread the melted chocolate chips evenly over the top. Sprinkle on the pecans.


Let the toffee cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until set. Slide the parchment off of the cookie sheet and break the toffee into pieces. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Wanna see the underneath? I knew you did.


Go ahead, bulk up for the rest of winter. You need the calories. ;)

Soft Baked Cherry Almond Granola Bars

I'm a bar girl.  Just ask any of my friends from college.  Wait.

I mean, I love to EAT a good bar.  Snack bar, protein bar, breakfast bar, energy bar, granola bar....you name it, I'll eat it.  A lot of days, they're breakfast.  When I'm traveling, I always have a stash of bars in my carry-on.


I've always wanted to make them at home, so I did (finally).  I predict this is the first recipe of many to come.  Soft baked with oats, oat flour, almond butter, and dried cherries...these homemade bars were a hit with the whole family.

Find the recipe for Soft Baked Cherry Almond Granola Bars on Imperial Sugar. 

They're perfect for breakfast or a quick snack...and if you're sensitive to gluten, no worries, they're gluten-free!

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Stone Fruit and Raspberry Cobbler

“Stone Fruit”…doesn’t that just sound so fancy?  Well, all it means is to run through the Farmer’s Market (ok…you don’t have to run) or your grocery store and pick what looks good that day.


For this cobbler, feel free to use any summer fruit with a pit inside.  Peaches, apriums, apricots, nectarines, plums…some of each!  You’ll toss them together with tart raspberries and sugar and add an orange biscuit topping.


(And, of course, once that bakes, you’ll top each serving with ice cream.  Cobbler just isn’t cobbler without ice cream.)

Who says that cobbler is only for dessert?  Here’s my thinking:  fruit, grains, dairy…it’s just like having yogurt with fruit and granola.  (I am not a licensed nutritionist, nor do I play one on TV.)


There’s something about the simple goodness of fresh, seasonal fruit paired with butter that just makes summer all the more sweet.  This recipe uses Land O Lakes® Salted Butter half sticks.  If you’ve never seen half sticks before, they are the cutest little things…and just the perfect amount of butter for so many recipes. 

Stone Fruit and Raspberry Cobbler

Ingredients:

For the filling:
4 cups peeled and chopped stone fruits (such as peaches, apricots, nectarines, etc.) mixed with raspberries
1 teaspoon orange juice
1 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon coarse salt

For the topping:
2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
Zest of one orange
1 Half stick (1/4 cup) Land O Lakes® salted butter, cubed
½ cup milk
¼ cup orange juice
½ tablespoon coarse sugar

Directions
Grease a 9” pie pan with tall sides.  (You’ll want a tall-sided one so the fruit juices don’t bubble over.) Preheat oven to 350°.


In a medium bowl, toss the fruit with the juice.  In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and salt. Toss with the fruit and set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.


Add in the zest and butter.  Use your fingers to work the butter and zest into the flour mixture until evenly distributed and the butter forms coarse “crumbs” throughout. Stir together the milk and orange juice, pour into the flour mixture, and stir just until combined.  Turn onto a floured surface and knead until it comes together.  Form into a ball.  Roll into a rough 9” circle.

Pour the fruit into the prepared pie plate.  Place the rolled dough over the top.  Sprinkle with the coarse sugar.  (This pie pan is from Red Envelope.)

Bake 45 minutes, or until bubbly.  Let cool for 15 minutes.  Spoon into bowls (the filling will be quite juicy) and top with vanilla ice cream. 


Last week, I had the pleasure to travel to Minnesota with Land O' Lakes and the other Kitchen Conversations bloggers.  We visited a dairy farm run by Sadie (pictured far left) and her sweet family.  To be around people who have a passion for what they do is always so inspiring.  I was so impressed with their entire operation.  Next time I buy Land O' Lakes butter, milk, and cheese, I know my mind will go back to this idyllic dairy farm, the beautiful pasture, and the dedicated family who owns it.
(Oh! Did I mention that I milked a cow named Penelope?  Yes...all of the {75} cows have names.  The most precious moment?  Watching Helen the cow zero in on Maria's baby bump and give it a kiss.  Seriously, check out the picture!)

The trip also included a visit to Land O' Lakes headquarters.  Speaking of people who are passionate about what they do...I wanted to pick up, move to Minnesota, and start a new career in butter.  I could spend the rest of my life happily playing in the test kitchens. (Wait, I guess I'm doing my fair share of butter consumption here in Texas.)
Side note: did you know that LOL makes the cheese powder that make Cheetos so tasty?  Yep.  They do.

If you're curious about butter and Land O' Lakes, check out this segment from the show Unwrapped.

One of the things I love about working with Land O' Lakes is that whenever they get the group of us together, we get the opportunity to try each others' recipes.  Let me tell you.  EACH and EVERY one is a winner.  Make them.  I'm totally going to make them all at home!

Here ya go:
Miso-Butter Grilled Vegetables with Basil-Mint Pesto, A Farmgirl’s Dabbles
Mediterranean Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas, Picky Palate
Summer Vegetable Pasta, The Little Kitchen
Cheese Ravioli with Lemon Basil Butter Sauce, Two Peas and Their Pod
Grilled Peaches with Bourbon Brown Butter Sauce, Fifteen Spatulas
Pink Lemonade Cupcakes, A Spicy Perspective
Pineapple Coconut Bundt Cake, The Novice Chef
Rhubarb Pie on a Stick, Becky
Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies, Sadie

Cheers to summer! 

Disclosure: Bake at 350 has (happily!) partnered with Land O'Lakes for an exclusive endorsement of
Land O Lakes® Butter for their Kitchen Conversations blogger program. This blog post is sponsored by Land O'Lakes.

You Say It's Your Birthday...popcorn.

If birthday cake-flavored everything is wrong, then I don't want to be right.


It all started with these.  Laurel posted a picture of a bag she'd picked up at the airport on Instagram.  Where to find birthday cake M&Ms...that was the question. The hunt for them commenced.  I am now known as the weird lady who walks past each and EVERY check-out aisle in the grocery store...all 20-something of them...scanning each and every candy display.

Luckily, there's this little thing called the Internet.  I found out that these Birthday Cake M&Ms aren't due in stores until May, but CVS stores ended up with them on the shelves early.  Bingo.

That same day, I was walking through Joann Fabrics and BOOM!  Hello, birthday cake-flavored candy melts...

...that's what we call fate. 


All I needed was popcorn and sprinkles, and I had the makings of Birthday Cake Popcorn. 

Crunchy, sweet, with a hint of salt...you'll think it's your birthday when you make it.

Birthday Cake Popcorn

1 batch stove-popped popcorn (from 1/2 cup unpopped)
2 TBSP salted butter, melted
pinch kosher salt
1 bag birthday cake-flavored candy melts
2 (8-oz) bags birthday cake M&Ms (you'll use 1.5 bags)
sprinkles

Start with your freshly-popped popcorn.  (If you need a refresher on how to do this on the stove, click here.)  Spread the popcorn out on a large rimmed baking sheet.


Pour the melted butter over the popcorn and toss.
{Can we talk for a minute about how much I love that little dot of melted butter?  Ok, thanks.}

Sprinkle on a big pinch of kosher salt.  Toss again. (During all this tossing, discard any unpopped kernels you might see.)


Melt the candy melts according to the package instructions.  I use the microwave option.  Pour the melted candy melts over the popcorn, then toss to coat all of the popcorn.

I love my "Salad Hands" for this job.  I actually use these things all the time.


While the candy melts are still melted, toss in the M&Ms and the sprinkles.


Now is the time to taste.  If you think it needs a bit more salt, add some more kosher or finely ground sea salt.

Spread the popcorn onto two cookie sheets and let the candy melts harden.  Break into clusters and serve or package.



I highly suggest bagging it up and getting it out of your house as soon as possible.  On the other hand, popcorn is a very good source of fiber and whole grains.  Hmmm...

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