A Cook & Garden, Together In The Pacific Northwest
Here we have the ultimate pumpkin experience, a creamy filling with lots of pumpkin, given that extra kick of richness by adding cream cheese. The crust and top are full of fall flavors and crunch, thanks to gingersnap cookie crumbs and chopped pretzels. This is just right for sitting in front of a roaring fire, watching the rain come down, and sipping your favorite hot beverage, which may or may not include caffeine and/or alcohol.
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I made up this recipe in my head for the most part, and knew that it would have to pass muster with Tricia, my blogger partner, before we would publish. I was nervous….cut her a bar…and waited…. Finally she pronounced “These bars are so good I would eat them until I threw up”. High praise, so that tale regarding bodily functions you probably could have lived without hearing leads us to where we find ourselves today: sharing this recipe with you. These bars are tart, sweet, and addictive. Add a crispy shortbread crust with tons of toasted coconut and they are irresistible. To top that all off, they are super easy to make. The crust and filling can both be put together in your food processor if you happen to have one laying around. The Candied Limes are just something fun to horse around with, and are certainly optional for this recipe. Sprinkle these guys with powdered sugar right before serving and you’re home free….unless you are like me and then you will grab the whipped cream and smother the top of the bar with it. The creamy sweetness of it just kind of makes the world a better place, if you know what I mean. …
Could anything be more Irish than shortbread and Irish Whiskey? Don’t think so. Here we put them both together in Tricia’s new creation: butter shortbread filled with sweet & tart skillet roasted apples, then more shortbread dots the top. Not done yet. Grab that bottle of Irish Whiskey and make a glaze in about two minutes. Holy shamrocks!!
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I’m still thinking about Valentines Day, which is fast approaching. ..and still thinking about chocolate of course. Here we have a treat that the whole family can get in on making, and there are plenty of opportunities to steal a sample and cover yourself and everybody in arms reach with ice cream as you move along. Keeping with the red hearts theme, we are making a chocolaty Red Velvet Cookie and cutting it into heart shapes, then grabbing our favorite ice cream from the supermarket and dressing it up with big chunks of chocolate and big cherries halves. All in all, we’re pretty happy with ourselves for this one. I will say that photographing melting ice cream definitely inspires non-valentines thoughts, and more yelling was involved than usual. “OK, once we get that ice cream out of the freezer, we will have twenty seconds to try and take a decent photo…ready…set…GO!! (insert yelling and other words here). Let me show you how easy and fun it is!
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I am torn. Is this a cookie? Is it candy? Is it both? I think so. Rich and decadent and the perfect accompaniemnt to a hot cup of coffee on a cold winter’s day. I am saying this at the moment because we are snowed in and I am doing just that. This recipe comes to us from my blogging partner, Tricia (insert big smily happy face). There’s a lot going on here, but the good news for all of us is that this wonder can be assembled in less than 15 minutes. You will be rewarded with a buttery gingersnap crust, followed by a filling of toffee, salty peanuts, and coconut. Top the whole thing off with a caramel glaze after cooling, and you’re off to the races. Let me show you how easy this is….
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Christmas Candy and Cookie Week Rocks On!! We would never forget our gluten-free friends and family members this holiday season, and that’s a promise. Here’s a treat that is as comfortable on a cookie platter as it is on a fancy dessert tray – and best of all, your gluten loving guests won’t even know the difference. The filling is rich, creamy, tart and sweet, and the crust is a buttery shortbread kind of thing with some lemon zest thrown in just for fun.
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Here’s an idea for a cookie that is crisp and refreshing, and just right when you’ve had enough chocolate if that is possible. A whisper of spring in the middle of winter, guaranteed to bring a smile to anyone who takes a bite. We present to you this Lemon Shortbread Cookie with a Lemon Glaze, chock full of lemon juice and zest.
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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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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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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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