Bake or Break

Salted Nut Squares

This is one of those recipes that I’m almost embarrassed to share. Don’t get me wrong. These little squares are quite tasty. It’s just that they’re so easy to make that it seems almost wrong.

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Blueberry Jam Bars

My first baking love will probably always be chocolate. I’m sure I am not alone in that sentiment. However, I do try to vary things a bit around the BoB kitchen. These bars are a nice deviation from the norm.

I’m pretty much a fool for the crust and crumb of these bars. Butter, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans…. Yes, please! There’s just something so warm and comforting about that combination. It’s hard to resist.

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Chocolate Chunk Pecan Cookies

Not only am I posting two cookie recipes in a row, but they both also feature pecans. That probably doesn’t surprise many of you, as I am a proud pecan fan.

One of the beauties of these cookies is how easy they are to make. They are one of those elusive one-bowl recipes for when you want to bake but you don’t want to clean up endless bowls, beaters, etc. Honestly, that’s most of the time for me these days.

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Blueberry Croissant Bread Pudding

Sometimes fate has a hand in the kitchen. I had a lovely bread pudding recipe picked out for the holidays. It was simple and sounded delicious. All I needed was a package of Hawaiian bread. That seemed like a simple enough task until I realized that there is none to be found on the isle of Manhattan.

Moments after that realization, I found this recipe in an ad for Smucker’s in a food magazine. I had bread pudding on the brain, so I was immediately drawn to it. When I realized that it was made with croissants, I remembered the French bakery we had recently stumbled upon in our neighborhood. All signs pointed to making this.

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Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes

I’m not a huge fan of Oreos or, really, any kind of store-bought cookie. I have spoiled myself with the homemade variety. That being said, I am not the least bit hesitant to use store-bought cookies as an ingredient, like with these cheesecakes.

The crust of these little treats is actually a whole Oreo, not crumbs. Leaving the cookie intact makes for a thick crust that gets nice and soft after they’ve baked and chilled. Topping off those Oreos is one of my favorite things – cheesecake. Of course, it wouldn’t meet the legal definition of a cookies and cream cheesecake without even more Oreos mixed into the cheesecake. I especially like the addition of sour cream to the cheesecake filling. It offsets all that sweet with just a little bit of tartness.

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Dark Victory Brownies

For my recent birthday, I received Tish Boyle’s The Good Cookie. This book is packed with a good variety of cookies in all shapes and sizes. It seems not quite right that the first recipe I made from this book is not a cookie at all, but these wonderfully rich brownies. However, having sampled these brownies, I stand by that decision.

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