Bake or Break

My grandmother’s kitchen always had a box of oatmeal cream pies. They were those store-bought kind with the thin, soft oatmeal cookies sandwiched around a sweet filling. I shudder to think how many of those I ate in my childhood.

I somehow never really thought about trying to make them myself. When I happened upon this recipe, I knew that I had to try my hand at these as soon as possible.
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Of all the many, many versions of brownies I’ve made in my baking life, I very rarely have used a chocolate-fruit combination. It’s not that I dislike the combination. Rather, the thought of nuts or caramel or peanut butter generally persuades me to go another route.

The addition of dried sour cherries to dark chocolate brownies makes for a chewy, slightly tart brownie. That tartness combines with dark chocolate to make an irresistible brownie.
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Bundt cake and I are great friends. The pure genius of them is that you can make a beautiful, delicious cake without all the layers and frosting.

I have had this recipe in my to-bake file for almost two years. I have no idea how I waited this long to make it. A Bundt cake with chocolate chips, brown sugar, and pecans??? Yes, please!
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Of all the things I’ve made with Nutella, I’ve somehow never combined it with another of my true loves – cheesecake. The fact that I have allowed that to happen is a terrible mistake on my part. However, I feel that I have properly atoned with these cheesecake bars.
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I have always adored traditional German chocolate cake. My mother used to bake one for me for special occasions and for some ordinary days, too. Of course, the very best part is the frosting. I’m not even sure I need the cake. Just give me a little bowl of frosting, and I could be happy as can be.

With these blondies, we have all the components of that fantastic frosting. Pecans, coconut, brown sugar, and butter come together to make a pan full of bars very reminiscent of my childhood love. Plus, I threw in some chocolate chips for good measure.
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Peanut butter cookies are one of my all-time favorite sweets. I’ve made many versions from unadorned to full of add-ins. As long as the flavor of the cookie is primarily peanut butter, I’ll take it.
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