Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Caramel Club Bars

I came across these interesting little treats and was a little skeptical...you see, they acutally use Club crackers. Yep, plain crackers...weird, right? But believe me, these are really, really good! I also brought these to a party, cut into pretty small squares, and they were the perfect after dinner bite of sweet and salty

One tip to remember: You must use unsalted butter for this recipe, if you don’t they will be too salty



Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Caramel Club Bars

45 Club Crackers
2 sticks butter
1 Cup packed light brown sugar
1 Cup peanut butter chips
1 1/2 Cups chocolate chips, melted either on double broiler or in microwave

Place 15 club crackers in the bottom of an 8×8 inch square baking pan that’s been lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1/2 Cup peanut butter chips on crackers.



Melt butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium high heat stirring constantly for 4 minutes, until bubbly, smooth and creamy caramel forms. Pour 1/2 Cup or so of caramel over peanut butter chips then add another layer of crackers, peanut butter chips and caramel. Top with one final layer of crackers then spread with melted chocolate.








Cut into 15 bars (or more. I cut them into smaller, bite-sized bars and got about 25 bars)

Jalapeno Popper Dip

For a Halloween party, I decided to bring a really easy appetizer. That way, I could enjoy the party without having to worry too much about what I brought. This dip turned out to be really popular at the party and it's amazing how simple it is. Just mix everything a bowl, sprinkle the bread crumb topping, and bake.

The dip would also be a really great addition to any Sunday Football party or another crowded get-together. I served it with slices baguette (my favorite) and also a carrot, snap pea, and broccoli medley to give it some color and make me feel slightly less guilty about all the creamy goodness!

Oh, and please forgive the photo. I'm not kidding when I say that people plowed into this so fast that it was hard to get a good picture. I even heard that whatever was leftover after I'd left was eaten by the spoonful by a few of the guys! Plus, I was ready to get partying, so you'll have to trust me on this one. It not only tastes amazing, but looks really pretty in person too. Oh, and you can always check out Annie's Eats (where I got the recipe) for a beautiful picture of the dip.



Jalapeno Popper Dip
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayo
1 (4 oz.) can chopped mild green chiles
1 (4 oz.) can diced hot jalapeño peppers
1/2 cup shredded Mexican style cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, green chiles, jalapeños, and shredded cheeses. Mix thoroughly with a spoon or spatula until smooth and evenly combined. Spread the mixture into a baking dish (approximately 9 x 9-inches).

In a second bowl, combine the Panko and Parmesan and stir with a fork until combined. Sprinkle over the cream cheese mixture in the baking dish. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is hot and the topping is golden. Serve warm with baguette slices, vegetables, etc. as desired.

Halloween Sugar Cookies

Decorating sugar cookies is one of my favorite ways to celebrate the holidays. For a long time I was on the search for a good icing that would dry hard, but also taste good. What I love about these cookies is they are cute but, more importantly, they taste amazing and are easy to transport. I included that recipe below, but the real fun of these cookies is how festive they are!!


For the pumpkins, a little orange cake sparkle on the wet icing really made them POP! They went from ok to fantastic in one simple step!


These spider webs were really fun because I was trying out a new flooding technique. My husband even asked if it was a sticker that I bought and put on the cookies - silly man! They are really much easier than they look. Next time, I think I will add a little green spider.


These were the first Halloween cookies that I made and I still love them. I think that next time I will make some "girl" skeletons by adding a bow - how cute would that be?!


Finally, these were the "leftover" cookies. I was really just using them to practice writing with icing and I wanted to use the orange sparkle again!



So....what fun things are you making for Halloween??

Royal Icing
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp. meringue powder
5 tbsp. water
1/4 tsp. flavored extract (I used Almond this time but lemon, orange, almond, etc. would be great to use!)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the sheen has disappeared and the icing has a matte appearance (about 7-10 minutes). Transfer the contents of the mixing bowl to an air-tight container. This will be the stiffest consistency of the icing, and at this point it is still too stiff to use for decorating. Add water a very small amount at a time and stir by hand until fully incorporated. Continue until the icing has reached a consistency appropriate for piping. (Remember, if you are having any difficulty piping, it is still too thick. Add a little more liquid and try again.) Using a pastry bag, pipe around the edges of each cookie. Let stand so the icing will set. Make sure to keep the leftover icing covered at all times when not in use so that it does not begin to harden.

Once all the cookies have been edged, transfer some of the remaining icing to a separate air-tight container. Thin out by incorporating a small amount of water at a time, until the icing drips off the spoon easily when lifted and then smooths in with that still in the bowl. If you go too far and the icing is too thin, add more sifted powdered sugar to thicken it again. Once the icing has reached the desired consistency, transfer it to a squeeze bottle (or a plastic bag with a hole in one corner), and flood the area surrounded by the piping on each cookie. If it does not completely spread to the edges, use a toothpick to help it along. Allow to set.

Use the remaining thicker icing for piping decoration as desired. Gel icing color is best as it does not add a significant amount of liquid. Liquid food coloring can be used as well – add powdered sugar as needed to compensate for any thinning that occurs.

Recipe from Annie's Eats - originally from Good Things Catered

Pumpkin Blondies with a Candied Ginger Topping

These little squares are like a mouthful of Fall!! But in a good way...not a mouthful of leaves kind of way. In other words, I loooove them. I came across them the other day and they immediately jumped to the top of my "Desserts To Try" list (by the way, that list is never-ending...)

I am so glad that I made it because I will now be making it all Fall. These blondies are sweet and chewy with just the right amount of pumpkin. Also, the candied ginger is a MUST! I'd never cooked with it, but here is makes a chewy/sugary topping that is amazing with the pumpkin and spices. Make these for your next Halloween party or keep them all to yourself!!



Pumpkin Blondies with a Candied Ginger Topping

1/4 Cup butter
1 3/4 Cup white chocolate chips, divided (this was one bag for me)
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1 Cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons sour cream
1/2 Cup pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
pinch of kosher salt
1/4 Cup chopped crystallized/candied ginger

For the glaze:
1/2 Cup powdered sugar
4-5 Tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a double boiler (small pot over another small pot with simmering water), melt butter and 3/4 C white chocolate chips. Stir until melted. Set aside.

In a large bowl add sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and 1 C white chocolate chips (this should be about the rest of the bag). Stir in melted chocolate/butter mixture. In a small bowl, beat eggs and sour cream. Add to the large bowl. Stir in pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until just combined.

Pour into a foil lined 8×8 inch baking pan that’s been sprayed with cooking spray. Top with 1/4 Cup chopped candied ginger. Bake for 28-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from center. Let cool completely, cut into squares then chill in the refrigerator (it makes them dense and chewy!)

Meanwhile, mix heavy cream and powdered sugar in small bowl until smooth, drizzle over blondies just before serving.

Makes 9 blondies
adapted slightly from Picky Palate

(Accidental) Chicken Chili

Yesterday I had decided that it's getting cool enough and "Fall" enough to have some chili. I LOVE my dad's chili recipe and was really excited to have some chili and cornbread. Let's fast-forward to my poorly planned attempt at dinner...

The baby's asleep so I think "Perfect! I'll whip up some chili and let it cook while we play a little bit." Problem #1....no ground beef, no turkey. This isn't too much of a problem because I had some ground chicken. I've never had chicken chili but have at least heard it's good, so let's give that a try.

Starting to get things rolling, everything's smelling great then - BAM! It hits me....I have no beans. Normally in dad's chili there's red kidney beans and some Brooks' Chili Hot Beans. I have neither...this is where the poorly-planned part becomes clear. I have dinner started and almost none of the main ingredients. Ooops....

But, rest assured, I got creative, found some great things that were hiding in the pantry and made an incredible dinner. No one was the wiser. Except my husband, who when I told the story to, laughed and said "Yeah, I'm not surprised..." Thanks a lot buddy! :) But my poor planning was everyone's reward because this chicken chili is a new family favorite. It's full of flavor, easy to pull together, and a uniquely different take on traditional chili.

So, as the weather's getting cooler, think about making this one-pot-wonder, cozy up on the sofa, and enjoy!



(Accidental) Chicken Chili

1 lb. ground chicken (I'm sure shredded chicken would be good too, so use that if you have it left over!)
1 sweet onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 package Chili-O seasoning mix
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can garbanzo beans
1 chipotle in adobo, diced
1/4 C. brown sugar
garlic salt
pepper

Brown the meat with onion and peppers. Add remaining ingredients and enough water to desired thickness (be careful not to make it too soupy. I usually only add about 1/2 - 1 can if it seems really thick or if it will be on the stove a long time). Simmer for at least 30 minutes so all flavors can come together. Serve with corn bread or over elbow noodles for chili-mac!