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Monday, December 19, 2016

Blackberry Oatmeal Bars

Yay! Two dessert posts in a row! Okay, so I must admit that this baking thing is pretty satisfying. Throwing butter and sugar together in all it's wonderful combinations is something to behold...and EAT!  
If you haven't noticed, I'm not a big dessert gal. I usually eat desserts on two occasions. During the holidays and during that time of the month...wink! So this is rare to have two dessert posts.   
With the holidays quickly approaching, I was compelled to bake! I've made these a few times and each time I've made them with a different homemade jam so feel free to use whatever you have on hand. These nuggets of buttery jammy goodness are crowd pleasers! Everyone will rave about them and think you spent all day in the kitchen, but the best part about these Blackberry Oatmeal Bars is that they are super simple to make. Throw the dry ingredients together with melted butter, use half to make the crust. Layer on your favorite jam. Top with crumbs and bake for 35-40 minutes.  Just the kind of easy throw together cookie to make your holidays merry. 
 Merry Christmas!

Blackberry Oatmeal Bars

(Slightly adapted recipe by Averie Cooks)
Makes 32 cookie triangles

1/2 cup butter, unsalted, melted
1 cup flour
1 cup old fashioned whole rolled oats
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup of blackberry jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Line 8x8 pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine melted butter, flour, oats, sugars and salt. Set one cup of mixture aside for the crumb topping. Pour remaining crust mixture into prepared pan and use the back of a spoon to smooth out mixture to form a smooth, even crust. 

Add blackberry jam in an even layer. 

Sprinkle top with remaining crumb topping. 

Bake for about 35-40 minutes, until set and the crust is light brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares or triangles. 


More easy dessert recipes to try:                                               
  
Easy Fudge
Heath Bar Cookies

Friday, December 9, 2016

Lemon Butter Cookies

It's been forever since I've made cookies, but this time of year it's hard to get into the spirit of Christmas without baking some sort of yummy treat. And the day I made these, I went into an all-out baking extravaganza and made some Blackberry Oatmeal Bars and a Pumpkin Crumb Cake too! It was awesome as I listened to Christmas music and baked my heart out. I didn't foresee the future of all this sweetness. I wasn't making them for gifts...it's too early. I was happily making them for me. 
So... guess what's happening now? The things I don't normally eat, ie: desserthas become it's own food group. I have been eating cake and cookies for breakfast everyday! I even have dessert after my salad at lunch. And at night while watching TV...Jeez...the cookies call out to me and I don't ignore them. I pause my binge watching of Scandal on Netflix and go get cookies! These in particular...Buttery and not too sweet!

Lemon Butter Cookies 

Makes ~30 cookies
Slightly adapted recipe by Simply Whisked


1 cup butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 1/2- 3 cups all purpose flour
sugar crystals or powdered sugar topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer until fluffy. Beat in the egg. Add lemon juice and zest. Gradually add flour until incorporated. (note: I added a total of 3 cups flour so that the dough could be rolled into balls. It was a bit sticky with only 2 1/2 cups flour.) Using a 1 inch cookie scoop, roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. 
Use the back of a fork to imprint the cookies and sprinkle with sugar crystals before baking. If using powdered sugar, dust cookies after baking. 

Bake for 15 minutes until set but not brown.  Cool on a wire rack and serve! Store in an airtight container.




Other Christmas cookie recipes to try:                             

Red Velvet Brownies
Gingerbread Biscotti
Cinnamon Cheesecake Cookies