Reese's S'mores Bars

Last Friday, I tweeted this:

"I just made up a dessert so delicious that I wish I'd never made it up."

I'm serious.

I took one bite, immediately set it down and walked away so that I wouldn't devour the entire pan right then and there.

When you are wearing elastic waisted pants because you're pregnant, you have to be extra careful about decisions like eating an entire pan of Reese's S'mores Bars.

S'mores are one of my favorite desserts but I like to kick it up a notch by replacing the chocolate bar with a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. So when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make the same switch.



And I still can't decide if I'm glad that I did that or not. This could be detrimental to me getting back in shape post-baby.



Have you gotten the point yet that these are really, really, really delicious?!

Ok, good.



Reese's S'mores Bars

Recipe adapted from Lovin' From the Oven

Yield: 16 bars

Prep Time: 15 min. Total Time: 45 min.

 

Ingredients:

1/2 c.  (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/3 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 c. crushed graham crackers (I used my food processor)

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. marshmallow fluff/creme (not melted marshmallows!)

12 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, unwrapped (6 packages/2 in each)

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and thoroughly grease an 8 in. square pan.

 

With a mixer, cream the butter and both sugars together. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined.

 

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt.

 

Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar and mix until combined.

 

Divide the dough in half and press half into the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with 12 Reese's (3 rows of 4) and cover with the marshmallow creme/fluff.

 

Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff. (This is best done by pressing the dough into flat shingles with your hands and laying on top.)

 

Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Let it cool completely before cutting into bars.

 

Let me know if you make them and if you love them as much as I do!

 

Enjoy!

Laura

 



Grandma's Spot Remover

I really dislike it when I ruin a shirt because of a stain. Good intro, I know.

If I'm cooking and some oil, grease or anything lands on my clothes, I immediately regret it.

Well, the kind ladies at Hobby Lobby introduced me to Grandma's Spot Remover and it is my go-to stain remover! I've used it to get rid of oil splatters, blood, sweat marks and wine. This stuff is like liquid spot remover gold. I use it on our sheets and pillowcases, too (anyone else get mascara on their pillowcases sometimes?).





You can find this little gem at the checkout lane at Hobby Lobby!

Grandma knows what she's talking about!
Laura

Nanaimo Bars

Wait...what?

Yeah, I have no idea how to pronounce it either.

But that doesn't matter once you eat one.

You'll just call it that incredible, Canadian goodness bar thing.

Works for me.



Our good Canadian friend introduced me to Nanaimo Bars about a year ago when he brought some back from Canada, knowing my affinity for sweets. The three layers combine chocolate, coconut, nuts, powdered sugar, graham crackers...you know, all the good things in life.

It's a great no-bake recipe that is perfect for this still hot weather we've had lately!

He recently house sat for us while we were on vacation and I recreated these bars as a thank you for him. I must say, they turned out absolutely delicious!



Nanaimo Bars

Adapted slightly from Joy of Baking

Prep Time 30 min, overall Total Time: 2 hours, including cooling

Yield: 25 bars

 

Ingredients:

 

Bottom Layer:

1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 c. granulated white sugar

1/3 c. cocoa

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. crushed graham cracker crumbs (I used the food processor)

1 c. shredded coconut

1/2 c. coarsely chopped walnuts (food processor again)

 

Middle Layer:

1/4 c. unsalted butter, room temperature

3 tbsp. cream

2 tbsp. vanilla pudding powder

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. powdered sugar

 

Top Layer:

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature

 

Directions:

Spray an 8x8 pan with nonstick spray.

 

Bottom Layer:

In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and cocoa powder and then slowly whisk in the beaten egg. Return the pan to low heat and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring, until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla, graham cracker crumbs, coconut and chopped nuts. Firmly press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Cover with wrap and refrigerate until firm, about an hour.

 

Middle Layer:

Using your mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the remaining ingredients for the middle layer and beat until smooth. If the mixture is too thick to spread, add a little more cream. Spread over the bottom layer, cover and refrigerate about 30 minutes.

 

Top Layer:

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips and butter in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until melted. Spread the melted chocolate over the middle layer, cover and refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes. Cut into squares using a sharp knife.

 

Store in the refrigerator.

 

Enjoy!

Laura



Bundt Part 2

Y'all. This is so exciting. After writing yesterday's post on Nordic Ware Bundt Pans, I went downstairs to look at the bundt pan that was my grandma's and she brought it up here in May.

It's the classic bundt pan made by Nordic Ware!

So, I immediately had to find a delicious recipe to fulfill my bundt cake desire. Here are some contenders...

Pumpkin Spice with Creamy Pumpkin Glaze

 

Blueberry Bundt Cake

 

Root Beer Float Cake

 

 

Apple Bundt with Brown-Butter Vanilla Bean Glaze

 

There are way too many delicious looking options and the shape the gorgeous pans provides makes the decision even harder! Can't wait to try!

 

Bundt is a funny word.

Laura

 

 



Nordic Ware

A pro of pregnancy is that after you wake up in the morning, eat, maybe start some laundry or something, it is perfectly acceptable to lay back down on the couch for a little rest.

It's for the baby, of course.

During one of these couch recovery times, I caught the last half of the Martha Stewart show when she had the family that created the Nordic Ware bake ware line on to show their gorgeous pans and make some delicious bundt cakes!

I've always seen these pans, especially during the holiday season, at Williams-Sonoma and, although I've admired them, never realized what made them so special. Well, Martha changed my outlook on that.

Nordic Ware is a family company that has been around for over 65 years. Their pans are all made in the USA and create stunning cakes that are a piece of art in themselves. The bundt pans (they make cookware, etc. as well!) are made of non-stick, lightweight yet durable cast aluminum which creates immaculate detail as well as distributes heat evenly while baking.

What really won me over was seeing all the amazing designs lined up next to each other. Look at some of these beauties...

The Original Bundt Pan

 

Platinum Fleur De Lis

 

Pro Cast Bavaria

 

Platinum Rose

Heritage Bundt

And look how gorgeous the cakes turn out when baked in these pans!

 

 

 

 

This is just a small preview of their unique bundt pans and designs! Martha even made a suet bird food bundt pan for the birds in winter! She's so good.

 

They did mention that thicker, more dense batters work best in these pans to hold up to the details it makes.

 

Click here to watch the clip of Nordic Ware founder's granddaughter baking with Martha.

 

Now to pick just one...

Laura