Salted Caramel Cookie Bites

31. January 2012

Sweet and salty has become a bit of a theme this month in my kitchen. Just last week, there were those Salted Caramel Pecan Bars. And, the week before that, I shared these lovely Fleur de Sel Chocolate Chip Blondies. Hopefully, no one minds the repetition. I, for one, adore the sweet and salty combo.

Chocolate Macadamia Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

30. January 2012

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I wouldn’t try to guess how many kinds of chocolate chip cookies I’ve made over the years. It’s hard to grow tired of them, especially with all the different ways you can keep them interesting. Nuts, dried fruits, more nuts, maybe some oats. Or, in the case of this version, macadamia nuts and peanut butter chips.

Butter Pecan Shortbread

27. January 2012

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Shortbread is one of the simple joys of the baking world. Usually, there are just a handful of ingredients. The effort is minimal. And, the simple flavors are just right.

Of course, throw some pecans into something, and I’m definitely on board. So, with those few ingredients and very little time, I had this shortbread in the oven. My kitchen was filled with the delightful aroma of buttery cookies and toasted pecans.

Salted Caramel Pecan Bars

23. January 2012

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I generally have some hesitation in sharing super-easy recipes like this one. Then, I have an internal discussion with myself about how we all need to have a collection of embarrassingly easy sweets to make when we are lacking in time and/or inclination. After that, I end up sharing them with you with some near-apology about how easy they are.

While there is baking involved with these, it’s not in the traditional sense. No flour, just a few ingredients, and very little mixing. Store-bought graham crackers get things started by providing a crust. Add to that a sweet mixture of buttery pecans, and that’s all that’s required to get these ready for baking.

Peanut Butter Mud Bars

19. January 2012

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I’ve been re-visiting some of my favorite cookbooks lately. I don’t have a vast collection, but it’s large enough that some get a little lost occasionally. The positive side to that is that when you find a formerly lost one, it’s a bit like getting a new cookbook… for free!

I happened upon this recipe while re-discovering The Buttercup Bakeshop Cookbook. Of course, it had me at peanut butter. Then, I read the description that stated that these are a favorite at the bakery. With that kind of endorsement, I started rounding up ingredients. Luckily, these are all ingredients that most of us probably have in our pantries all the time.

Fleur de Sel Chocolate Chip Blondies

16. January 2012

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If the baking lords ever decide the whole sweet and salty thing is played out, please don’t tell me. I’d rather live in oblivion, happily eating salty, sweet treats.

These blondies are a very fine example of how sweet and salty play well together. First of all, you have brown sugar blondies that can barely contain all the chocolate chips in them. Then, that’s topped off with lots of beautiful sea salt.

Bake or Break

Archive | January, 2012