Applesauce Energy Bars

I couldn't resist making another recipe using applesauce this week.  K-man loves oatmeal stuff and I am on a "healthy' bender with my 7th grade classes.
I kept getting compliments all day when I baked these in school twice today.  So the 'smells' I was putting out in the halls was driving kids and teachers insane.
It was driving me insane.
Look to my notes after the recipe for my slight tweak that I did after making this two times in a row.  You know, I had to make a batch before class to ensure that "TV magic" of pulling out the ready bars after I slipped the ones I demonstrated into the oven!!! LOL
  
Applesauce Energy Bars
Allrecipes.com sponsored by Mott's®

1 cup Mott's Natural Applesauce

3 cups quick oats

1 c. all purpose flour

1 c. sweetened coconut flakes

1 c. dried fruit bits

2/3 c. brown sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c (1 stick) melted butter, cooled

1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine oats, flour, coconut, fruit bits, cinnamon and baking soda in large mixing bowl.

 

2. In separate bowl, mix together, melted butter, brown sugar, applesauce, and egg. Stir applesauce mixture into dry ingredients until just combined. Spread mixture into lightly greased 9X13 pan.

 

3. Bake 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned.  Remove from oven and cool before cutting into squares or bars.

#AllstarsMotts

Baker's Notes:
1.  When I did the first batch, the cookie baker in me did not like how the brown sugar was NOT incorporated with the butter.  I mashed and mashed and stirred the flour mixture and those brown sugar lumps were impossible to break up.  I think those unincorporated sugar blobs encouraged the bars to break apart easier because they were not able to melt and 'glue' itself to the grains in the bar.
2.  I happened to have some pumpkin spice caramel dip left over and did a little drizzle on them to 'jazz' them up.  The kids love any additional sugar!  HA!  I didn't do it for that!  lol
3.  Compared to the tasty Apple Squares I did last time, these were not overly moist or "wet" as the squares were. The whole grain oats really helped absorb the 1 c. applesauce. 
4.  Next time I would add some nuts (almonds are my fave).  The coconut was not overwhelming however I wanted some crunchy bit like from a whole almond.

What? No egg?

Habits are funny. Do you do this? You are making cookies....set out the butter to soften, take out the eggs to come to room temperature and all the other ingredients on the counter to make in about 2 hours or so.....SCREECH!!!!....What? Where are the eggs in the recipe here? Is this an error? I know recipes online aren't perfect (I just got wind of Rob's Radical CCC HUGE sugar error a few days ago). I had to stop everything and read over the recipe to see what exactly was the deal. When I saw the sugar, syrup, corn syrup; I knew we were in for a chewy cookie....

It was odd to me ALSO that the sugar and butter were not creamed into together first as a common cookie recipe does. This was going to be a different cookie...very skeptical I was...

Maple Walnut Oatmeal Cookie
from Martha Stewart.com

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded desiccated coconut
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 cup packed light-brown sugar (I used dark brown)
1/4 pound (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons golden syrup (regular Karo worked just fine)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 teaspoon pure maple extract
2 3/4 ounces (1 cup) walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Have ready 2 baking sheets lined with parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk the oatmeal, coconut, flour, salt, and sugar. Set aside.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, maple syrup, and golden syrup. Heat until the butter is melted. Remove from heat, and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the baking soda with the boiling water. Immediately stir this mixture into the melted butter until combined. Add the maple extract; stir into the oat mixture. Fold in walnuts.
3. Form balls, using 3 tablespoons of dough, and place about 3 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets, 6 to a sheet. Flatten each of the balls slightly.
4. Bake until golden brown and set, about 20 minutes, rotating halfway through. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

WOW! These cookies were awesome. Crispy at the edges, chewy everywhere else, not overly coconutty. The maple and walnut totally compliment each other. DELICIOUS! The recipe says it makes 12 but I got 16 and they were pretty large cookies. Please try these cookies they won't disappoint! K-man said these were like a really good granola bar.

Enjoy!

I heart you

My sweetheart loves chocolate, he loves chocolate chip cookies and he loves oatmeal raisin cookies too. He especially loves it when I make him fun stuff.

I got this idea shortly after I saw Lisa's recipe on Cutting Edge of Ordinary. She made an Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Pizza that she found a recipe in a old Good Housekeeping Magazine. Since this recipe didn't involve plopping 5 dozen cookies down on a cookie sheet and the ingredient amounts indicated that we weren't going to be eating this for weeks....so I printed it out.

Then I got a delivery of a warehouse sized package of Raisinets I got for K-man. Then it hit me....Oatmeal Chocolate Chip.....Oatmeal Raisin....Oatmeal Raisinets instead of Chocolate Chips.....and not Pizza shaped but a heart!
Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!

Oatmeal Raisinet Chip Pizza or Heart
adapted from Cutting Edge of Ordinary/Good Housekeeping

¾ cup all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup old fashioned oats
¾ cup raisinets
½ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

Oven to 375. Line large cookie sheet with parchment. Form heavy duty foil strips into heart shaped form, spray lightly with cooking spray. Toast walnuts on small cookie sheet while you prep the cookie dough. Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt until well blended.

In a medium bowl, melt the butter in microwave for 30 seconds. Add both sugars and mix with a wire whisk, until blended. Whisk in the egg and vanilla. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture, then oats, then raisinets and walnuts till combined.

Spoon the batter into the center of the prepared foil heart on the parchment lined cookie sheet. With a spatula spread the batter. Decorate with extra raisinets if desired. Bake 18 minutes or until cookie is golden brown. Let cool on a cookie sheet on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board lined with waxed paper. Cut the cookie into wedges and serve warm.

TADA!

My heart cookie turned out much thicker than Lisa's but I only added 3 extra minutes for I knew that it cooling on the cookie sheet it would still do some 'carry over' cooking. Nothing worse than a dried out cookie. I like the outside crunchy and the inside gooey and chewy.

Thanks Lisa, the recipe was awesome and K-man loved it with raisinets!

Peanut Butter cookies with Goobers next?

Enjoy!

Do certain foods evoke memories for you?

This recipe has a funny story. I helped my step mom Pam make these no bake cookies for us to snack on for a week-long trip we were taking. They were easy to make and very yummy. We did long legs of driving every few days, so yes; we all were snacking on these all the time during the trip. Pam thought it was a good thing DOUBLE the recipe to ensure we had enough of the treats to eat that week. Not only were they snacks or dessert but we were eating them as breakfast to save time in the morning. By the end of the trip we were renaming them cow pies (while making a face) and just not eating them with any zeal anymore because we had become just sick of them.

My advice is to NOT double the recipe BUT DO make them for a special event where many people will be eating them, so you will enjoy them and not get sick of them like we did. This trip was over 20 years ago (I wasn't even teaching yet!) and I still have not made them since until today.

Why? It's been that long that I have forgotten how they taste....so it's time for....

Pam's Raggedy Robins

2 cups white sugar
5 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup butter or margarine, unsalted
1/2-cup chunky peanut butter
1-teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2-cup milk


Directions:

1. Cover baking sheets with wax paper and set aside.

2. Combine sugar and cocoa in a large saucepan. Stir in milk, butter and peanut butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until butter melts and mixture is combined, about 5-20 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Stir in the vanilla, oats and nuts, and mix thoroughly. Take a teaspoon and scoop out a spoonful of the mixture; drop the spoonful onto the waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the mixture. Place in the refrigerator until the cookies are cooled and set. Store the cookies in an airtight container.

But they were really good but I recommend NOT eating them all day long for several days in a row....LOL

As I remember these....they were on the flat side like cow pies. I am not sure why mine stayed firm after I put them down with a mini ice cream disher. I also don't remember ours having any nuts in them back them. So perhaps the addition of nuts here made them keep their shape after they were scooped.

To ensure no replay of raggedy robin revulsion I've been bagging up these yummies for my 'snow bound' neighbors. Afterall, they aren't teachers with days off from work like me....so they don't have all this time to cook as I do.

Chewy, nutty and chocolatey. Who doesn't love a no bake treat?

Enjoy!

I would have never THUNK it.

Both K-man and my dad ADORE those orange slice candies. It's not a birthday or Christmas without each of them getting a bag of them for the holidays. I can eat probably like three and then I am over it. I usually just suck off the sugar and let the jell melt in my mouth for a bit until I chew it up. That is probably why only 3 do it for me. In my travels I found a cookie recipe using orange slices and I found it very hard to believe for I would think they would just melt into oblivion all over the cookie sheet....Heading off that mess....I decided to tweak the recipe...


Notice the gram weights on the side. I used my digital scale and weighed those things that said grams instead of cups only for I am beginning to be a believer is weighing is better that using measuring cups when it comes to baking....

Orange Slice Cookies

1 cup butter flavored shortening (192 grams)

1/2 cup Splenda brown sugar blend (105 grams)

1 cup white sugar (192 grams)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour – (260 grams)

1 teaspoon baking powder – 5ml

1 teaspoon baking soda – 5ml

2 large eggs

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup orange slices, chopped

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degree F.

1. Cream shortening and both sugars with an electric mixer. Beat in vanilla. Add eggs and beat just until mixed (about 30 seconds).

2. Thoroughly stir flour, baking powder and baking soda together and add to sugar mixture. Stir until incorporated, then stir in chips, orange slices, oats and nuts.

3. Line a 10X17 cookie sheet (the smaller one) with non stick foil. Press down mixture onto sheet. Making sure you don't see 'pockets' of too much orange slices clustered.

4. Bake for 20 minutes or until they appear set. Cool in pan until warm and cut into desired bar sizes.

We loved the fact that these were like oatmeal bars, very hearty with the rolled oats and toasted nuts but not overly sweet from the candy and mini chips. And guess what? The orange slice chunks stayed intact and did not melt as I thought!

You could definitely drizzle more chocolate on these or a powdered sugar with orange juice glaze if you like. But we thought they were great the way just they way the came out of the oven!

For a fun alternative to your standard oatmeal bar...give these a try!

Enjoy!

More Berryliciousness!

I tell ya....I am really enjoying having a garden with my own veggies but more importantly; taking advantage of all those fresh seasonal fruits as much as possible!


One of our favorite fruits is the blueberry. I swear it get two pints each time I go to the store. I've also been putting them in the freezer as well.


Berry Oatmeal Bars
adapted from allrecipes.com

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix (I had some Naturally Nora's Yellow cake mix, hers was a bit larger in size)
2 1/2 cups quick cooking oats (I used rolled oats, I like the chewiness)
3/4 cup margarine, melted
1 cup jam (I used strawberry preserves)
1 tablespoon water
1-2 cups fresh/frozen blueberries
1 cup finely chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan. I lined it with nonstick release foil!

2. In a large bowl, mix together oats, cake mix, and melted margarine so that it makes nice clumps and there is no dry mix left. Press 1/2 of the oats mixture evenly into the bottom the prepared pan.

3. In a separate bowl, mix jam/preserves with water, and spread over the crust. Sprinkle the blueberries over the preserves.

4. Mix the nuts with the remaining oat mixture and sprinkle evenly over the top.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 23 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned. Cool before cutting into bars.


These were SUPER yummy! I am glad I added the nuts on top. Perfect dessert or snack! K-man eats two in one sitting! I like the compromise of the cake mix and adding some other fresh ingredients!

Enjoy!

Biscuit Overload!!

Bacon and Egg Cups

Don't you just love breakfast all in one bite? These type of meals are fun once in awhile.

Here's the recipe that I've been making for many years....K-man loved it!!

Bacon and Egg Cups

1 can jumbo flaky biscuits (5 or 8 count)

5-8 strips of cooked bacon

5-8 eggs

cheese cubes (if desired)

Preheat oven 375F.

Press each biscuit firmly in the bottom and sides of a lightly greased Texas sized muffin cup pan. Crumble bacon strip. Place half of crumble in dough cup, place few cheese cubes, crack egg into cup, salt and pepper and sprinkle on other half of bacon crumbles. Repeat for remaining cups.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until eggs are set the way you like them (runny or hard).

This was NOT from the 101 things cookbook. Their version was called a quiche or tart where you scrambled up the egg....I wanted my egg runny.

Now the next recipe is from the 101 Things to do with Canned Biscuits.

Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

Of course, I've added some "tweaks"....

1 can flaky biscuits (this took the remaining 4 biscuits from the recipe above and another can of 10 to cover a 13X9)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
(I also added from the freezer 1/2 c. toffee bits)
1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups oatmeal
1/3 c. brown sugar (I used only 1/2c.)
1/2 c. butter, melted
(I also added 3/4 c. sliced almonds from the freezer)
2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 400F.

Cut each biscuit in half horizontally. Place biscuits in ungreased 13x9 pan. Press over bottom and up one inch on sides to form a crust. Sprinkle chocolate chips over dough. Pour condensed milk over chips. Combine remaining ingredients and spread evenly over top. Bake 15-20 or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes and cut into bars. Makes 3 dozen.

K-man said "AWESOME".

These kinda reminded me of those Magic 7 layer bars BUT these don't fall apart. I like the chocolatey taste with caramel overtones (perhaps the toffee with the sweetened condensed milk?) and the crunch of the oatmeal with the almonds. I also enjoyed how the biscuit crust wasn't sweet from graham crackers and it helped support the soft middle by being firm.