November 2012 - Alida's Kitchen

Grandma’s Caramel Bars

November 29, 2012 ·

My grandma was always impressive in the kitchen, especially with her holiday treats. This recipe she created for Caramel Bars is no exception! Most caramel bars I’ve had have been underwhelming and have had a relatively stiff caramel layer in the center. So is not the case with these Caramel Bars. The caramel layer is gooey, melty and wonderful. The oat crust and crumbly topping are simple and delicious, and the chocolate chips add some chocolate and texture. Her recipe also includes 1 cup walnuts, which I do not use. No holiday treat platter is complete without caramel bars!

Speaking of holiday treats, we are in Week 10 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats! This recipe makes a generous amount, so is definitely a good treat to have on hand for your holiday celebrations.

Grandma’s Caramel Bars

Yields: 3 to 4 dozen bars, depending on size

Ingredients

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups rolled oats (old-fashioned or quick oats work fine)
1 cup butter, softened (I use light butter)
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 14-ounce package caramels
⅓ cup evaporated skim milk
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts (optional)
Cooking spray

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9 inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, put the flour, oats, butter, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Using an electric mixer on low (I use a hand mixer), slowly beat in the butter until combined, moist, and pea-sized crumbs form. Press ½ of mixture into prepared baking dish and bake for 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, slowly melt caramels and evaporated milk over a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water), stirring frequently.
Once crust is done, pour caramel mixture over crust. Sprinkle chocolate chips (and walnuts, if using) over caramel. Crumble remaining oat mixture over caramel and chocolate chips. Bake for 12 minutes and move to a wire rack to cool completely.

We are already to week #10 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats hosted by Meal Planning Magic. Be sure to check out all the other bloggers who are participating this week in the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats blog hop. And if you’re a blogger and want to join in on the fun, check out this post for the form to fill out to start baking along with us.

Filed Under: dessert, Recipes Tagged With: 12 weeks of Christmas Treats, bars, caramel, chocolate, christmas, easy, entertaining, holiday, oats, snack

Pumpkin Surprise Cupcakes

November 21, 2012 ·

So I couldn’t help myself…I had to share one last pumpkin recipe with you. It’s a good one. Pumpkin Surprise Cupcakes are a moist, delicious pumpkin cake with a cream cheese surprise in the middle. A little sprinkling of powdered sugar on top is all these cupcakes need before presenting, which makes them ideal for travel or eating at a gathering since they won’t get all messy. While these cupcakes can hold their own without any frosting, they would also be really good with a little Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting if you want to get fancy. Pumpkin Surprise Cupcakes are an easy, portable and fun little pumpkin alternative to tomorrow’s traditional pie.

By the way, can you believe we’re already in Week #9 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats! Due to the Thanksgiving holiday this Thursday, many of us are posting starting today through the rest of the week, so be sure to check out all of the yummy treats by clicking on the thumbnails at the bottom of this post.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Pumpkin Surprise Cupcakes

Yields: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces light cream cheese, softened
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
Powdered sugar, for topping (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat pumpkin, sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until combined. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, gently folding until well-blended.
FILLING: In a separate small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add egg and beat on low until just combined.
Fill muffin cups approximately one-third full. Distribute evenly among cupcakes, dropping a generous tablespoonful in the enter of each cupcake. Cover with remaining batter.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the pumpkin cake portion comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving (or frost as desired).

Source: Taste of Home

Be sure to check out all the other bloggers who are participating this week in the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats blog hop. And if you’re a blogger and want to join in on the fun, check out this post for the form to fill out to start baking along with us.

Filed Under: dessert, Recipes Tagged With: 12 weeks of Christmas Treats, christmas, cinnamon, cream cheese, cupcakes, easy, entertaining, frosting, make ahead, pumpkin, quick, thanksgiving

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

November 15, 2012 ·

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars combine pumpkin and cheesecake into a beautiful layered bar that are as delicious as they are simple to make. First you make a graham cracker crust. While that cools completely, you make the cheesecake filling, reserving a portion to add in some pumpkin. Pour the plain cheesecake layer over the crust. Dollop the pumpkin layer over the cheesecake layer and try for a swirl effect, if you desire, by running a knife through the batter. I was liking the simple layered look, so left it as is. Either way, they taste like a decadent cheesecake with a pumpkin twist.

With the holidays coming up, these Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars are a light alternative to those heavier desserts (or in addition to…I don’t judge!!) You would never guess it, but they are made on the lighter side, coming in around 115 calories per bar.

If you’re looking for other lighter dessert options, this Crustless Pumpkin Pie is my favorite pie of all time!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Yields: 16 bars

Ingredients

1 cup graham cracker crumbs (approx 9 sheets)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light butter, melted (regular butter would work too)
Cooking spray
11 ounces light cream cheese (Neufchatel, ⅓ less fat)
⅓ cup light sour cream
⅓ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup canned pumpkin
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9" square baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
CRUST: In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs and sugar; add butter and stir until moistened. Press mixture into prepared baking pan. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until set. Move to a wire rack to cool completely.
FILLING: In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, flour and vanilla until smooth. Add egg, and beat on low until just combined.
Pour ¾ cup batter into a small bowl. Add pumpkin, brown sugar and cinnamon, stirring until well blended.
Pour plain batter over cooled crust. Drop dollops of pumpkin batter over the plain batter. Cut through batter with knife to swirl.
Bake at 325 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours to overnight.

Source: Taste of Home

Filed Under: dessert, Featured, Recipes Tagged With: 12 weeks of Christmas Treats, bars, cheesecake, christmas, cream cheese, graham cracker, holiday, light, pumpkin, thanksgiving

Cranberry Cornbread

November 13, 2012 ·

Cranberry Cornbread puts a fun, fall/wintery twist on traditional cornbread. We have been making chili almost weekly these days, and of course what goes better with chili than cornbread. I used a cornbread muffin recipe from Cooking Light for the base, making a few adjustments to accommodate the cranberries. Fresh cranberries add just the right amount of tartness which is balanced nicely with brown sugar. Buttermilk lends a moist crumb, and the result is a delicious tart-sweet cornbread. Cranberry Cornbread would make a nice side dish for Thanksgiving, or any holiday, and of course pairs very well with a spicy chili!

Speaking of chili, I am working on a fabulous new chili recipe to share with you soon. In the meantime, this Three Bean Vegetarian Chili can be made in less than 30 minutes and is our current chili of choice.

Cranberry Cornbread

Yields: 16 servings

Ingredients

1¼ cups buttermilk
¼ cup canola oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh cranberries, halved
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 8" square baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a small bowl (or in a liquid measuring cup) combine buttermilk, oil and egg.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add milk mixture to flour mixture, folding until just combined. Gently fold in cranberries.
Pour mixture in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the top with sugar. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Adapted from Cooking Light, September, 2012

Filed Under: bread, Recipes, sides Tagged With: buttermilk, christmas, cooking light, cornbread, cranberry, easy, holiday, quick, snack, thanksgiving

Sunny Blossoms

November 8, 2012 ·

Sunny Blossoms are a peanut-free twist on the classic cookie. While Peanut Blossoms are always a favorite, the need for peanut-free treats are becoming more common. So in an effort to make a peanut-free alternative, enter Sunny Blossoms, made with sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter. I used my grandma’s recipe as a base and went from there. Being the peanut butter diehard that I am, I wasn’t sure what to expect. While it is obviously not peanut butter, they still taste really good! Mike loved them as well and noted the next day they tasted almost peanut-y. Sunflower seed butter is mild enough to not overpower the cookie. Frankly if you put chocolate with anything, it’s going to be good! 🙂

Time sure flies! We are to Week 7 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats! We all know that no holiday cookie platter is complete without some form of a ‘blossom’ cookie. Not only are they tasty, but they are so darn cute with the Hershey’s Kiss in the middle! Sunny Blossoms offer a delicious, peanut-free alternative.

Sunny Blossoms

Yields: approximately 36 cookies

Ingredients

1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) butter (I used light butter)
⅓ cup sunflower seed butter
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
granulated sugar, for rolling
36 chocolate Hershey's Kisses, unwrapped

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sunflower butter until blended.
Gradually add granulated sugar and brown sugar to sunflower butter mixture - cream well. Add egg and vanilla - beat well.
Blend in dry ingredients gradually (Note: I do this step by hand using a wooden spoon) and mix thoroughly. Chill dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (Note: I typically chill overnight).
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Shape dough into balls using a rounded teaspoonful for each. Roll balls in granulated sugar and place on baking sheet.
Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven. Top each cookie with a Hershey's Kiss candy, pressing down firmly so cookie cracks around edge. Return to oven and bake 2 to 5 minutes longer until golden brown. Move cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

Filed Under: dessert, Recipes Tagged With: 12 weeks of Christmas Treats, candy, chocolate, christmas, cookies, entertaining, holiday, nut free, sunflower butter

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

November 1, 2012 ·

This easy Pumpkin Bundt Cake recipe takes less than 10 minutes to make using simple pantry ingredients!

Pumpkin Bundt Cake is a simple and delicious pumpkin pound cake, with warm spices and pumpkin-y goodness throughout. What attracted me to this recipe, aside from a slight pumpkin obsession, is that the ingredients are simple pantry items that I have on hand at all times. What made me fall in love with the recipe, aside from it being delicious, was how easy it was to make. The batter took me less than 10 minutes to whip together. Then bake for about an hour, let it cool, and voila! You have an elegant and versatile dessert that will happily feed a crowd or, in our case, treat a small family for a week. 🙂

Not only will this Pumpkin Bundt Cake be excellent served alongside your holiday cookie platter, but it would also be a tasty alternative at Thanksgiving dinner or even served at a brunch.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Yields: 24 servings

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon salt (optional)
2½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup canola oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 10-inch bundt pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, spices and salt.
In a large bowl, beat sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and add vanilla with the last egg.
To the egg mixture, alternate adding flour mixture and pumpkin, beating well on medium-low after each addition.
Pour into prepared bundt pan. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until a tootpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. Let cool completely and then dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Slightly adapted from Taste of Home