Caramel Brownies

I love brownies - thick and chewy ones. Add in caramel and chocolate chips and you've got major delicious. This recipe uses a cake mix, so they are quick and easy too! Ours took a long time to cool and even longer for the caramel to set. Make these several hours in advance to allow for cooling time.

-Yourhomebasedmom.com

14 oz package Kraft caramels (about 50) or 1 bag of Caramel Bits (found them at Walmart)
2/3 C evaporated milk, divided
1 box of German Chocolate cake mix (I used Triple Chocolate Fudge - yum)
3/4 C butter, melted
1 C semi sweet chocolate chips ( I used 3/4 cup)
1 C chopped nuts, optional

Over medium low heat, melt 1/3 C evaporated milk and caramels in a saucepan (or melt in microwave). Grease a 9 x 13 pan. Mix cake mix, butter, 1/3 C evaporated milk and nuts (optional). Mix together well. Press 1/2 of the dough into bottom of pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes.

Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top and spread caramel on top of that. Sprinkle remaining dough on top (will not completely cover) Bake 15-18 minutes. Can refrigerate to set caramel.

Three-chip Cookies

The real name for these cookies is 'Five-chip Cookies', but I usually only have three on hand and my family thought they were delicious with that combination! This recipe is a tasty blend of chocolate chip, peanut butter and oatmeal cookies.

-Adapted from Taste of Home, Sharon Hedstrom

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup each semisweet chocolate chips, vanilla chips and butterscotch chips

In a large bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, oats, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 1 minute before removing to wire racks. Yield: 4-1/2 dozen.

(3 1/2 dozen, 13 min at 325 on a dark pan+silpat)

Garlic Roast Chicken

I was really pleased with my first attempt at a roast chicken. I've roasted many turkeys, but for some silly reason I've always been intimidated by roast chicken. The garlic really gave a nice flavor to the chicken, but I can't say that I really noticed the lemon. Next time I'd add more potatoes and carrots.

-Ina Garten

1 (5 to 6-pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 heads garlic, cut in 1/2 crosswise
1 lemon, halved
1/2 large Spanish onion, thickly sliced
4 carrots cut diagonally into 2-inch chunks (+)
2 large Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 6 pieces (+)
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions
As soon as you get the chicken home, salt it inside and out, wrap it and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. (I didn't do this.)

When you are ready to cook the chicken, first preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Pat the outside of the chicken dry with paper towels. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken and stuff the cavity with the all the garlic and lemon. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place it in a roasting pan just large enough to hold it and the vegetables. Scatter the onion slices, carrots and potatoes around the chicken. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours (I covered the chicken with foil after 45 minutes), or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil. Place the vegetables back in the oven and continue cooking for an additional 15 minutes. (Only if needed)

When the vegetables are cooked, carve the chicken and place the slices on the platter surrounded by the vegetables. Drizzle some pan juices over the chicken and vegetables.

Pineapple Upside-down Cupcakes

The kids and I enjoyed making these cupcakes for our Family Home Evening treat. Larger tins would be best so you don't get a large peak on the cake. A yummy take on a classic dessert, with kid-friendly instructions.

-Family Fun, August 2009

FOR THE BATTER:
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR THE TOPPING:
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar, tightly packed
6 maraschino cherries
1 (20-ounce) can pineapple rings

Instructions
1. Heat the oven to 350º. Place the butter and milk for the batter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Warm the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the butter melts, then transfer the mixture to a small bowl to cool.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the pineapple topping. Into each cup of a 12-cup muffin pan, add 1/2 tablespoon of unmelted butter, then evenly sprinkle 1 tablespoon of brown sugar over the bottom. Place the pan in the oven until the butter melts, about 3 minutes.

3. Halve each maraschino cherry, then cut the pineapple rings into quarters. Place a cherry half, sliced side up, in the center of each cup and lay a pineapple quarter on each side. Press the fruit gently down into the butter-sugar mixture, then set the prepared pan aside.

4. Finish making the batter. In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, and stir the ingredients with a fork until they're evenly blended. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir until the flour is fully incorporated. Add the milk-butter mixture and stir well to combine the ingredients into a smooth batter.

5. Pour the batter into the muffin pan, dividing it evenly among all the cups. Bake the cupcakes until they're lightly browned, dry around the edges, and pulling away from the pan a little, about 25 minutes.

6. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 5 minutes. Use a butter knife to carefully loosen each cupcake from the edges and bottom of the pan, then place a cookie sheet over the top. Invert the pan, turning the cupcakes out onto the cookie sheet, then transfer them back to the rack to cool completely. Serve the cupcakes at room temperature. Makes 12 cupcakes.

Chewy Granola Bars

My aunt Beth was here last week and shared this recipe with us - thanks Beth! We made ours with blanched, slivered almonds and dried cherries - delicious and healthy! They remind me of the Nature Valley chewy granola bars.

-From Joyful Abode

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Gather your ingredients:
2 cups oats (we used old fashioned)
3/4 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup peanuts, crushed (blanched, slivered almonds)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
4 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp Kosher salt (1/4 tsp. table salt)
Approximately 8 oz. dried fruit (we used about 2 cups dried cherries)

Mix the peanuts, oats, wheat germ, and sunflower seeds in a baking dish with sides (9x13 cake pan). Toast them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes so that they don’t get burned.

Meanwhile, prepare a glass baking dish, about 11 x 13 inches, for your granola by lining it with waxed paper lightly sprayed with a nonstick spray. (We used a 9x13 pan lined with parchment)

Put the brown sugar, honey, butter, vanilla, and salt into a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.

By now, your grains and nuts should be toasted, so mix everything together in a large bowl. The grains, the liquid “glue,” and the dried fruit.

Mix everything really well because you want to make sure the “glue” gets all over everything. Now, dump your granola mixture into your prepared baking dish.

Spread out the mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula. Now fold over the sides of the waxed paper or add a sheet on top, and PRESS HARD all over the granola. You want to compact it together so that your bars won’t fall apart when you cut them.

Wait 2-3 hours or until the granola has totally cooled. Then, open the waxed paper and carefully turn the granola onto a large cutting board, peeling away the rest of the paper. Now, firmly pressing down with a big knife (not sawing), cut your granola into whatever size bars you’d like.

I wrapped ours individually in plastic wrap, so that we could just throw one into our bag or lunch box in the morning. If you’d like to save on packaging though, you can store yours in an airtight container, between sheets of waxed paper so they don’t stick together.

(We put ours in snack-sized baggies.)

Butterfinger Cookies

A chewy peanut butter cookie studded with chunks of Butterfinger - yummy!

-Taste of Home, Carol Kitchens

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 egg whites
1-1/4 cups chunky peanut butter (we used creamy)
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 Butterfinger candy bars (2.1 oz each), chopped (we used 4)

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg whites. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in candy bars.

Shape into 1-1/2 in. balls and place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. removed to wire racks to cool.

(I made larger cookies and got 2 1/2 dozen, baked on silpat on dark pan (325) for 14 minutes.)

Neapolitan Krispie Treats

These are yummy and fun twist on the original Krispie Treats. I made a few changes to the recipe I found in the Taste of Home magazine -they were a big hit!

Vanilla Layer
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package (10 oz.) mini marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Chocolate Layer

3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package (10 oz.) mini marshmallows
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
6 cups Cocoa Krispies cereal

For the Strawberry Layer  

3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package (10 oz.) strawberry flavored marshmallows*
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
*if you can't find strawberry marshmallows, use a package of regular marshmallows, ½ tsp. imitation strawberry flavoring and 2-3 drops of red food coloring

Spray a straight-sided 9x13 pan with non-stick spray and line with parchment  (or use Demarle Flexiflat with steel frame).

Vanilla Layer: microwave the butter in a large bowl (or Demarle large round mold) for 30 seconds. Add the marshmallows and stir. Return to microwave for 1 minute. Stir to combine marshmallows and butter and then stir in Rice Krispies. Pour into prepared pan and press firmly with rubber spatula. Wash out your bowl (or mold) and proceed to the Chocolate Layer.

Chocolate Layer: microwave the butter in a large bowl (or Demarle large round mold) for 30 seconds. Add the marshmallows and chocolate chips and stir. Return to microwave for 1 minute. Stir to combine marshmallows, chocolate chips and butter and then stir in Cocoa Krispies. Pour on top of vanilla layer and press firmly with rubber spatula. Wash out your bowl (or mold) and proceed to the Strawberry Layer.

Strawberry Layer: microwave the butter in a large bowl (or Demarle large round mold) for 30 seconds. Add the marshmallows and stir. Return to microwave for 1 minute. (If using extract and food coloring, add this now). Stir to combine marshmallows and butter and then stir in Rice Krispies. Pour on top of chocolate layer and press firmly with rubber spatula. Place in refrigerator to firm up.

When the treats have cooled completely, remove them from the pan. Place them on a cutting board. Discard the parchment and cut the large rectangle into slices. Then cut each large slice into smaller squares. Enjoy!