Oh yeah. Sugar cookie meets tart, sweet, chewy dried cranberries. The ultimate Christmas rush, and as pretty as they are delicious. Got 10 minutes? Let’s make some!
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Cookies & Bars
Pumpkin Streusel Bars
Love Fall. Love pumpkin. Not that crazy about pumpkin pie. No matter how hard I try, my pumpkin pie is usually a disappointment. In fact, after nearly 35 years of fruitless attempts I have only received one compliment from Neeners. It was several years ago on Thanksgiving Day, and time for dessert. Neeners very reluctantly took a piece, tasted it, and said “Good pie this year…..Finally”. Since I didn’t bother to write down the recipe I made up that day, replicating it is an impossibility. So we will punt – how about some Pumpkin Streusel Bars? Gingersnap cookie crust, rich and creamy pumpkin pie filling, and a buttery streusel topping. This recipe makes nearly the equivalent of two pumpkin pies, so feeding a crowd is a cinch. Perfect for a tailgate, potluck, or Thanksgiving dinner.
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Macadamia Nut Cheesecake Bars
I would be lying if I said I did not stuff myself while putting this blog post together. It is imperative to do this to make sure one’s readers have the best possible recipe. That is my story and I’m sticking to it. These bars have it all and then some. Sweet, salty, creamy, and crunchy all rolled into one bite. I could not stop myself and hope you feel the same. The other plus is that they are a cinch to make. Come on along and I’ll prove it.
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Crispy Rice and Smores Squares
This new creation is a gooey, krispy, chocolatey, salty, sweet, and campfirey. Think Smores meets Rice Krispy Squares in a dark alley. The inspiration from this comes from my friend Rhonda, who took me to Portland for lunch one day. After a delightful lunch, she said ‘How about some coffee and dessert? I know just the place!” I will never turn down coffee, and Rhonda has excellent taste in both coffee and dessert, so off we went. She took me to a wonderful little place called Dragonfly, and while we were waiting for our coffees, she pointed out these huge puffed brown rice bars, filled with lots and lots of chocolate. We quickly devoured one and then tried to figure out the recipe. Dragonfly used brown rice syrup, which I promptly went out and bought. Unfortunately, when I started to make these I had misplaced the syrup so went back to my roots with marshmallows. Then I got in the mood for Smores. One thing led to another, and here we are.
Couldn’t be easier or quicker. Just make sure you don’t set them on fire like I did the first time I tried them out. As mentioned earlier, let’s use Brown Rice Puffs – they are a whole grain so we will feel quite proud of ourselves and very self righteous while eating them.
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Smores Bars
What is it about Smores that makes us all go a little bit wacko? The crispy Graham Crackers? Or the melted (OK, sometimes burned) marshmallows? How about the melting chocolate? Or maybe it’s the combination of all three. Don’t know. Don’t care. Just know that sometimes you’ve just got to have one… or four. If a campfire is not in your immediate future, this craving can be remedied by a big batch of Smores Bars. Quick, easy, and just as good as the real thing….