Bake or Break

Salted Caramel Cookie Bites

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.

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Salted Caramel Pecan Bars

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.

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Pecan and Salted Caramel Cheesecake

View a printable recipe or more photos Recently, I read somewhere that 2008 was a big year for salted caramel. I don't think I'm in any position to agree or disagree with that, but I will say that I had a little love affair with it myself. (Hello, salted caramel hot chocolate!) This cheesecake is a prime example of salted caramel at its finest. I actually found the recipe while looking for something else. Of course, once I found this I was immediately so smitten that whatever I was looking for was quickly forgotten.

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Sweet and Salty Cake

View a printable recipe or more photos After only a few seconds perusing its pages at the bookstore several weeks ago, I fell in baking love with Baked, which is brought to us by the bakery of the same name in Brooklyn. I brought it home, poured over its recipes, and marked more than a few as "must-bake." Fast forward to a few days before Thanksgiving, when I was having a very hard time decided what to make in the chocolate category for our dinner. Suddenly, I remembered this cake and became very excited about making it.

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