S'mores Cookies

So much time to be baking and I haven't been taking advantage of it... Maybe it's time to change that :). I've made these in the past and absolutely love them. The one downside is you have to eat them within 24 hours or your lovely marshmallow filling dissolves. The good news is that they are so delicious, you won't have any problem scarfing them down in one day!

S'mores Cookies

Ingredients
2 ½ cups flour
Generous pinch salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
8 sheets honey graham crackers
1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup butter
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅔ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Hershey bar, roughly chopped
Mini marshmallows

Directions
1. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder
2. Break up the graham crackers into small pieces
3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar together
4. Beat in one egg at a time
5. Beat in the vanilla
6. Fold in the graham crackers, chocolate chips, and Hershey bar pieces
7. Take roughly one tablespoon of the cookie dough flatten and create a small indention. Place 5 mini marshmallows in the indentation. Top the cookies with another tablespoon or so of dough, covering the marshmallows completely
8. Place the cookies on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight
9. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
10. Uncover the cookies and bake for 8-9 minutes, or until lightly golden brown
11. Immediately remove the cookies from the sheet to cool on a wire rack

Rugelach

Like a good Jewish girl, I was forced to make my own Rugelach for Rosh Hashanah because apparently they don't sell it anywhere in the south.  Shockingly, they weren't hard to make and actually turned out to be pretty delicious!

Rugelach (adapted from epicurious)

Ingredients

2 sticks butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 cups flour
Generous pinch salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 heaping cup raspberry jam, divided
1 cup golden raisins, chopped
1 1/4 cups walnuts, finely chopped
Milk for brushing cookies

Directions

1. Beat together the butter and cream cheese until well combined

2. Stir in flour and salt with a wooden spoon until dough comes together

3. Gather the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap.  Flatten into a 7x5 rectangle and chill until firm (at least 8 hours)

4. Preheat the oven to 350.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

5. Cut the dough into 4 pieces.  Working with one piece at a time (keep others refrigerated), roll out dough to a 12x8 rectangle on a well-floured surface with well-floured rolling pin

6. Place dough on parchment on cookie sheet and place in fridge while working with the other dough sections

7. Combine sugar and cinnamon

8. Working one piece at a time, spread 1/4 cup jam evenly over dough

9. Sprinkle 1/4 cup raisins and heaping 1/4 cup walnuts walnuts evenly over jam.  Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar mixture

10. Roll up dough into tight log, using parchment as an aid.  Place seam side down on lined baking sheet.  Pinch ends closed and tuck underneath

11. Repeat steps 8-10 with each piece of dough

12. Place all 4 logs in freezer for 20-30 minutes until firm

13. Remove from freezer and arrange 1 inch apart on baking sheet 

14. Brush logs with milk and sprinkle each with heaping 1 teaspoon cinnamon sugar

15. Slice logs at 1 inch intervals, slicing only 3/4 of the way through the dough

16. Cook on middle oven rack for 45-50 minutes or until golden

17. Cool in pan on rack for about 30 minutes, then transfer to cutting board and cut all the way through

Blackberry Pie Bars

Blackberry Pie Bars
Ingredients
Cake
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups flour
21 oz can blackberry pie filling

Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 pan with baking spray and line with parchment paper
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until combined
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating until fully incorporated after each addition
4. Beat in vanilla and almond extract
5. Beat in flour until fully incorporated.  Your mixture should be creamy
6. Spread 3/4 of the batter into your prepared pan.  Spread the top with the blackberry pie filling
7. Dollop the remaining batter randomly over pie filling
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until tester inserted into the middle comes out clean
9. Cool completely on wire rack in pan before slicing
10. Combine the glaze ingredients and drizzle over bars as they cool

Funfetti Cupcakes

Funfetti Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
5 large egg whites
3/4 cup whole milk, divided
2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup rainbow sprinkles

Frosting
2 sticks butter
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake tins with paper liners
2. In a small bowl, whisk egg whites, 1/4 cup of the milk, and vanilla
3. Combine the cake flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl
4. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of milk.  The mixture will become sticky.  Add the butter and mix with an electric mixer until combined
5. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the egg mixture in 3 separate batches.  After each addition, beat until fully combined 

6. Fold in the sprinkles

7. Spoon batter into cupcake tins.  Fill liners 3/4 of the way
8. Bake 15-18 minutes, rotating tins half way through baking.  Cupcakes are done when tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out with few crumbs attached and tops are lightly golden

9. Cool cupcakes in tins on wire rack

Frosting

10. Beat butter with an electric mixer until pale and creamy

11. Add powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.  Continue to beat until frosting is light and fluffy

12. Frost cupcakes after they have cooled completely

Cranberry Vodka Cheesecake Brownies

I'm at it again with more vodka infused treats.  Some things I would change for next time:

• Use more Deep Eddy Cranberry Vodka in the cheesecake batter.  Like WAY more
• Increase flour to 1 cup for a more cake-y consistency for the brownie base
• Add dried cranberries to the brownie batter for an extra hit of cran

Cranberry Vodka Cheesecake Brownies

Ingredients

Brownies

1 stick unsalted butter

3 ounces dark chocolate (I used 70% cacao)

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup flour

Cheesecake

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 egg yolk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons Deep Eddy Cranberry Vodka

Red food coloring (optional)

Directions

Brownies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray

2. Melt the butter and chocolate over low heat.  Once melted and smooth, pour over granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl

3. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla

4. Fold in the flour

5. Spread in your prepared baking dish

Cheesecake

6. Using a hand mixer, blend the first 4 ingredients together until creamy and smooth

7. Add the Deep Eddy Cranberry Vodka to taste, mixing until well incorporated

8. Add food coloring, mixing after each additional drop, until desired color is achieved

9. Dollop cheesecake mixture over brownie batter and swirl with a knife

10. Bake 35-40 minutes or until edges are slightly puffed and center is just set

11. Cool on rack overnight

 

Lemon Zucchini Bread

This somewhat savory bread works just fine on its own without the icing.  If you're looking for a sweet touch, definitely don't sleep on the lemon icing.  A thin layer is plenty to give it that sugary sweetness.

Lemon Zucchini Bread

Ingredients
Bread
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Generous pinch of salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
Juice from 1 lemon
Zest from 1 lemon
1 cup grated zucchini (~1 medium zucchini)

Icing (optional)
1 cup powdered sugar
Juice from 1 lemon

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 10" loaf pan and line with parchment paper
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl
3. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the oil, sugar, yogurt, juice, and zest.  Fold in the zucchini
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined
5. Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes until tester inserted into middle of bread comes out clean
6. Cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Remove to rack to cool completely
7. Make the icing by mixing together the powdered sugar and lemon juice
8. When the bread has cooled completely, spread the icing on top of the loaf

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

The secret to keeping these guys chewy is both the melted butter and cooling the cookies on the pan.  Store them in an airtight container immediately after they cool to maintain the chewy consistency.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Grease cookie sheets
2. Melt butter over moderately low heat
3. While butter is melting, sift flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl
4. In a separate bowl, combine the brown and white sugar.  Pour the melted butter over the sugar and beat until well combined
5. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and yolk until combined
6. Mix in the dry ingredients until just combined
7. Fold in chocolate chips
8. Roll ping pong sized balls of dough and place on cookie sheet.  Bake for ~20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through, until edges are just golden brown
9. Cool completely on sheet

Vodka Cupcakes with Vanilla Honey Buttercream Frosting

Inspired by my summer internship at Deep Eddy Vodka, I decided to make some baked goods with their delicious Ruby Red vodka.  Some things I would change for next time:

• Use more food coloring to get a richer pink color
• Add either more vodka or 1/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice to bring out the flavor
• Brush the tops of each cupcake LIBERALLY with at least 1 teaspoon vodka each

Vodka Cupcakes with Vanilla Honey Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
Cupcakes
2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
4 eggs
1/2 cup Deep Eddy Ruby Red Vodka, plus additional for brushing cupcakes
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 drops red food coloring (optional)
2 cups flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3.5 teaspoons baking powder

Icing
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup vanilla Greek yogurt

Directions
Cupcakes
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line 15 cupcake tins with liners
2. Beat the butter and eggs.  The mixture will be clumpy.  Stir in the vodka and vanilla.  Mix in the food coloring
3. Whisk the flour, sugar, and baking powder together
4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet batter, mixing until just combined
5. Fill liners about 2/3 full.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until tester comes out clean and cupcakes are slightly golden on top
6. Immediately after removing the cupcakes from the oven, brush the tops with additional vodka
7. Move to a rack to cool completely

Icing
8. Beat butter until creamy
9. Beat in powder sugar until combined
10. Beat in honey and yogurt (add more sugar if icing becomes too runny)

11. After cupcakes have cooled, frost tops and decorate with sprinkles or sea salt

Key Lime Pie Bars

I actually omitted the flour from the filling which made their texture a lot creamier.  Flour will fluff it up a little but either way works.  I would also potentially make twice the amount of filling next time as the buttery crust overpowers the lime taste a little bit

Key Lime Pie Bars
Ingredients
Crust
2 sticks of butter, unsalted
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups flour

Filling
4 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup key lime juice
1 tablespoon key lime zest

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a 9x13 pan with cooking spray
2. Make the crust: cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the flour and mix until incorporated
3. Press the dough into the bottom of your greased baking dish.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.  Cool for ~20 minutes
4. Make the filling: whisk all five ingredients together
5. Pour over cooled crust and bake for 20-25 minutes until just set
6. Cool and dust with powdered sugar

Bacon Bourbon Brownies - Round 2

Bacon Bourbon Brownies (Reprise)

If I were to make these again, I would cut the bourbon in half.  The bourbon flavor was a bit strong for my taste, but it was definitely still delicious and complemented the dark chocolate flavor well.  I think the bacon flavor was a bit lost though.  I would recommend making twice as much bacon (1 lb) and mix half of the chopped bacon (1/2 lb) into the batter.  I would also maybe try a smoked bacon to bring out the flavor in the brownies a bit more.

Ingredients
1/2 lb center cut bacon
1 stick + 2 tablespoons butter
8 oz bittersweet chocolate
2 oz unsweetened chocolate

3 tablespoons bacon grease, reserved
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 eggs

Generous pinch of salt
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup flour

1/2 cup bourbon

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 9x13 pan with tinfoil, allowing the paper to overhang on two opposite sides. This will make the brownies easier to remove. Spray with cooking spray
2. Cook the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels and let cool. Remember to reserve 3 tablespoons of grease. Finely chop the bacon. 

3. Try not to eat all of the bacon; save some for the brownies
4. In a saucepan, over low heat, combine the butter and both chocolates. Heat until melted and smooth. Transfer to a large bowl
5. Stir in both sugars and reserved bacon grease. Add the eggs and salt and whisk until smooth
6. Mix the cocoa powder and flour into the wet ingredients. Do not over mix
7. Scrap the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the bacon on top. Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes or until tester inserted has some batter clinging to it and edges are set
8. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool completely. Lift the brownies out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut, serve, and enjoy :)

Chocolate Chip, Walnut, Caramel Banana Bread

Chocolate Chip, Walnut, Caramel Banana Bread

Ingredients
1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Generous pinch of salt
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 very ripe bananas
1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup caramel bits

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a loaf pan with butter or cooking spray
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt
3. In a small bowl, mash the banana, yogurt, and vanilla together
4. In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter until incorporated
5. Add the eggs to the sugar and butter mixture one at a time, beating until fully incorporated
6. Mix the banana mixture into the sugar/butter mixture
7. Add the dry ingredients into the wet.  Fold with a rubber spatula until combined
8. Fold in chocolate chips, walnuts, and caramel buts
9. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 1hr 15min or until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean
10. Cool on rack in pan for 5 minutes.  Remove from pan and place on rack to cool completely

Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup cocoa powder
Red food coloring
1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper
2. Cream the butter and sugars until combined.  The batter will be a little crumbly
3. Add in the eggs and vanilla, mixing until combined
4. Mix in the flour, baking soda, and cocoa powder on low speed.  Batter will become sticky
5. Add in the food coloring until you reach your desired color
6. Fold in the chocolate chips
7. Drop 1 inch balls onto your cookie sheet.  I used my hands to shape the dough, but you can use a tablespoon or cookie dough scoop
8. Bake cookies until crisp around the edges, about 8-12 minutes
9. Cool on sheet for 10 minutes.  Remove to rack to cool completely

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake with Candied Pecans

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake with Candied Pecans

Ingredients
For the candied pecans:
1 lb pecans (I used .75lb/12 oz)
1 egg white
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the cheesecake:
1 9 inch prepared graham cracker crust (or you can make your own, I'm just lazy)
16 oz cream cheese
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Generous pinch cloves
Generous pinch ginger
Generous pinch nutmeg

Directions
Make the pecans
1. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Beat the egg white until frothy
3. Stir in sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon
4. Fold in pecans until completely coated
5. Spread pecans onto prepared baking sheet.  Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes
6. Cool completely on rack.  Can be stored in a ziplock bag for 1-2 weeks

Make the cheesecake
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
2. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer on high speed until smooth
3. Blend in eggs, one at a time
4. Spread about 1 cup of batter into the bottom of the crust
5. Sprinkle pecans on top of batter (~1 cup of pecans)
6. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg to remaining batter.  Stir until well combined
7. Pour batter on top of pecan layer
8. Bake for ~40 minutes until top is lightly browned and center is just set
9. Allow to cool, then cover and refrigerate overnight

Cheddar Beer Bread

A perfect easy and delicious snack for March Madness!

Cheddar Beer Bread

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
Generous pinch of salt
1 cup of beer
1/4 cup (scant) honey
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
Melted butter for brushing

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a loaf pan
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt
3. Stir in the beer, honey, and 1 cup of the cheese
4. Pour the sticky batter into the greased pan
5. Top with the remaining cheese and lightly brush with melted butter
6. Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove bread and lightly brush top again with butter
7. Continue to bake for 10 more minutes or until tester comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the loaf and cheese on top has browned
8. Cool in pan for 15 minutes.  Remove to rack to cool for 10 minutes before serving

Update: I used whole wheat flour the second time around - made all the difference.  Also used enough beer to just make the bread wet enough and used blue moon - much more delicious than bud light

Cheddar Gougéres

Cheddar Gougéres (or as I like to call them, Cheddar Googies)
makes about 12 googies

Ingredients
1/2 cup water

1 1/2 tablespoons butter, diced

3/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, chilled
1/2 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese (you can also use the traditional gruyere)

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a large cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper
2. Simmer the water, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk until the butter has melted
3. Add the flour and stir quickly with a wooden spoon until all the liquid is absorbed and the dough forms a ball, pulling away from the sides of the pan.  Keep stirring until a film forms on the bottom of the pan and the dough is no longer sticky
4. Remove the pan from heat and let the dough cool for 1-2 minutes
5. Beat in the eggs one at a time.  Make sure the first egg is incorporated before adding the second one; the dough will come back together after mixing in each egg
6. Fold in the grated cheese and black pepper 
7. Drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto the prepared baking sheet.  Space puffs about 3 inches apart
8. Using damp fingers, press down any peaks on the batter (this step isn't really necessary, it just makes a prettier puff)
9. Bake puffs for 30 minutes, rotating the pan once after 15 minutes
10. Eat puffs warm or let cool completely on a rack before storing in an airtight container at room temp

Caramelized Banana Brownies

Caramelized Banana Brownies

Ingredients 
4 large bananas
1 stick unsalted butter 
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 oz semisweet chocolate
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons honey
Cinnamon for dusting

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9x13 inch pan with tin foil
2. Melt the butter and both kinds of chocolate over low heat stirring frequently until smooth
3. While heating the button and chocolate, mash 2 bananas in a medium bowl
4. Pour the melted chocolate over the banana mash. Add the sugar and vanilla and whisk until combined
5. Whisk in the eggs and salt.  Stir in the flour
6. Spread the batter into the prepared pan
7. Slice the remaining two bananas thinly (about 1/8 inch thick slices).  Arrange the banana slices on top of the batter
8. Warm the honey in the microwave until runny (about 15-20 seconds)
9. Spoon honey over banana slices.  Sprinkle with cinnamon 
10. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached
11. Cool in pan.  Chill in the fridge overnight
12. Using the foil as aid, remove the brownies from the pan and slice into bars

Bacon Cheddar Corn Muffins

Yes, I've been on a bit of a bacon binge lately (don't judge), but I promise some veg-head friendly baked goods are in the works.  Regardless, this recipe can easily be made sans bacon and should still taste pretty decent.  I only had to buy a couple of the items in the ingredient list (cornmeal and canned corn), so these delicious little muffins ended up being quite budget friendly.

A few notes:

• I thought the muffins could have used a bit more cornmeal for that real cornbread flavor.  I'd probably add another 1/2 cup or so (and reduce the flour by 1/2 cup) to get a richer taste.
• I went heavy on the corn in my batch, mostly because I used canned corn.  Feel free to only add about 1 1/2 cups of canned corn, or use fresh corn.  You will definitely get a sweeter muffin with fresher ingredients
• As I mentioned before, you can easily omit the bacon for your pig-loving friends

Bacon Cheddar Corn Muffins (adapted from dianeabroad.com)

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup nonfat greek yogurt
6 tablespoons butter, melted
3 eggs
1 ~15 oz can corn kernels, drained
5 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled (the recipe called for 6, I only had 5)
1/2 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. Line a muffin tin with liners
3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, melted butter, and eggs
5. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry
6. Fold in the corn, bacon, and cheese
7. Bake for ~18 minutes or until the tops are golden and tester inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean
8. Cool briefly in the pan, remove to rack and continue to cool

Bacon Bourbon Banana Bread

While my extended bout of unemployment should have inspired me to bake more, I quickly realized that there is one ingredient necessary for EVERY recipe: money.  Without that seemingly unimportant element, your baking options become freakishly limited.  Luckily I've found a couple of recipes that you can make mostly with things you (hopefully) already have in your house.  And so my baking adventures as an unemployed girl begin...

A couple of notes on this recipe:

• If you like a stronger bacon flavor: reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon grease to add directly to the batter in step 4
• If you like a stronger bourbon flavor: add no more than a total of 2 tablespoons of bourbon to the batter, otherwise you'll end up with straight Jim Beam bread
• If you'd like a richer/heavier/more complex flavor for the bread: use dark brown instead of light brown sugar.  I don't like the molasses flavor of dark brown sugar, so I stuck to light
• If you like a less sweet bread, use 3/4 cup brown sugar instead of the brown/granulated mix

Enjoy :)

Bacon Bourbon Banana Bread (adapted from iluvpork.com - yes... seriously)

Ingredients
5 strips of bacon, roughly chopped
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 ripe bananas, smashed
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon bourbon (I used Jim Beam)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 scant cups flour

Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 4x8 inch loaf pan
2. Cook your bacon until crisp.  Drain on paper towels and set aside
3. In a large bowl, mix your melted butter and mashed bananas
4. Add the sugars, egg, vanilla, and bourbon.  Mix to combine
5. Add the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir to combine
6. Stir in the flour and then fold in your bacon
7. Pour the batter into your greased pan and bake 40-50 minutes or until tester inserted comes out clean
8. Cool in pan on rack for 15 min.  Remove the loaf, cool completely on rack

Fruit Salsa

After a big heavy Sunday dinner of brisket (thanks to Grandma's recipe), I figured something light for dessert would be ideal.  I came across a few recipes for fruit salsa, but decided to adapt one of my own.  This dessert is great in the summer, especially if you can get super fresh fruit.  Enjoy!

Fruit Salsa

Ingredients
2 fuji apples
2 kiwi
1/2 - 3/4 lb. strawberries
2 scant tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons preserves of your choosing (I used raspberry)
Cinnamon graham crackers for serving

Directions
1. Chop your fruit into bite size pieces
2. Toss in a bowl with brown sugar and preserves
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving
4. Serve cold with graham crackers

Apple Pie

In preparation for last minute dinner plans with mom and dad, I wanted to make something quick and easy that I knew they'd love.  My dad has always been big on pie and I'm a huge apple fan, so why not throw the two together?  With less cinnamon and sugar, this recipe is different from what you would call a "traditional" apple pie but has a good mixture of other spices to give it a good kick.

Apple Pie

Ingredients
2 frozen pie crusts
4 apples (I used Fuji)
1 very scant tablespoon of lemon juice
3/4 cups water, divided
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 scant teaspoon cloves
1/8 scant teaspoon nutmeg

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Peel, core, and thinly slice your apples
3. Place the apple slices in a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice.  Set aside
4. In a large dutch oven, heat 1/2 cup of the water over medium heat.  Add the sugar, flour, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.  Stir well and bring to a boil
5. Boil for 2 or so minutes, stirring constantly to break up any clumps.  The mixture will get sticky
6. Add the apple slices to the pan.  Pour the remaining 1/4 cup of water over the apple slices.  Stir to coat apples in caramel mixture.  Cover and simmer until apples are tender - 7 or 8 minutes
7. Place one of the pie crusts (still frozen) on a cookie sheet.  Pour the filling into the pie crust.  Cover tightly with foil
8. Bake for 30 minutes. When you have about 10 minutes left on the time, remove the second pie crust from the freezer and allow to thaw.
9. After your 30 minutes, remove the pie from oven.  Remove foil.  Place the second pie crust on top. Cut 3 slits in the top
10. Bake the pie for another 15 - 20 minutes or until top crust is cooked through
11. Remove the pie from the baking sheet and cool completely on a rack