Cranberry Bliss Bars (Starbucks Copy)

Christmas Eve!  I have been counting down the days like a little kid!  Don't you just love the red and white holiday colors of these Cranberry Bliss Bars!?!  They look so fancy but are actually simple to make!  You've got to love that!  I first saw the recipe for these over a year ago but already had too many things on my baking list.  I saw them again recently at What's Megan Making and just knew they had to make it on the baking list this year! I can't believe I let a whole year go by without making these!!  Don't make the same mistake I did!  In fact making them right now would be a fabulous idea!  They are stunning!

Cranberry Bliss Bars were originally made at Starbucks.  I have never had them from Starbucks to personally compare but from what I hear this recipe is a spot on copy.  Two of my sisters love Starbucks and I made these specifically while thinking of them.  I can't wait to hear what they have to say when I serve these Cranberry Bliss Bars on Christmas!

Cranberry Bliss Bars  Source: What's Megan Making



Ingredients:

Bars:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/4 C brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp powdered ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 C flour
3/4 C dried cranberries, chopped
3/4 C white chocolate chips

Frosting:

4 oz cream cheese, softened
3 C powdered sugar
4 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 C dried cranberries, chopped


Drizzling Icing:
1/2 C powdered sugar
2 Tbsp vegetable shortening
1-2 Tbsp milk


Directions:

Bars:

1.Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Grease a 9x13 pan and set aside.

3. Using a mixer cream the butter and brown sugar until smooth.

4. Add eggs, vanilla, ginger, and salt and mix well.

5. Gradually add flour and mix until smooth.

6. Stir in cranberries and white chocolate.

7. Pour the batter into the greased pan, using a spatula to evenly spread the batter in the pan.

8. Bake 30-40 minutes, until edges are light brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

9. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:
1. Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and lemon juice until completely smooth.

2. Spread on the completely cool cake.

3. Sprinkle the top with chopped cranberries.

Drizzling Icing:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 Tbsp of milk, powdered sugar, and vegetable shortening.

2. Gradually add more milk until the icing has a thick but drizzly consistency. It may need closer to 2 Tbsp.

3. Put the icing into a ziploc bag and snip off a tiny bit of the corner. Drizzle the icing on top in zig-zags.

Cut into squares or triangles and enjoy!

Mexican Corn and Black Bean Salsa

Are you ready for Christmas?!?  I am getting so excited to be with my family, make memories and enjoy some of the awesome food family gatherings are known for!  If you suddenly realized you need another side dish or appetizer can I suggest this incredible Mexican Corn and Black Bean Salsa?  Whenever I take this to a girl's night or party I always get lots of requests for the recipe.  Flavorful, quick and without a doubt an awesome party food!  Did I also mention it's exceptionally healthy?  Dig in and don't feel guilty! :)

At a party I typically serve this with tortilla chips.  I also love to make burritos for dinner using this salsa, rice, seasoned chicken. 

Mexican Corn and Black Bean Salsa  Source: The Mettler Center

Ingredients:

1 jar salsa
1 bag frozen corn
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 C shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:

1.  Mix all the ingredients together in a medium-large bowl.   
2. Serve chilled.

Easy Pull Apart Dinner Rolls

I love to make homemade bread, not only does it taste fantastic, but it makes your whole house smell all warm and comfy!  Unfortunately baking bread is not a snap your fingers type deal.  So when I can set aside the time to bake bread I usually make enough to save some for later in our freezer.  Last year as my Valentine's gift Matt bought me a freezer.  Amazing, right?!? Of course for some this may sound terrible but for me it was PERFECT!  Gotta love it when your man knows what you like :) 

Anyway, back to these amazing rolls!  I've always loved the pretty appearance of pull-apart rolls and so decided that is exactly what I would make :)  These can be made with all-purpose flour or a combination of whole wheat and all-purpose, like mine.  Slightly sweet, soft and yummy with the goodness of whole wheat.  Your family will love you!  Thanks to Rapid-Rise yeast you can have these on the table in as little as 90 minutes!

Easy Pull Apart Dinner Rolls  Source:  The Mother Huddle

 

Ingredients:

3 3/4 C flour – For wheat use: 2½ C all-purpose and 1¼ C whole wheat (if to sticky to work with you can add a little more)
1 tsp salt
1/3 C sugar
1 1/2 T fast acting yeast
1 C milk
3/4 C water
1/4 C butter or margarine

Directions:

1. In a large bowl mix 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar and yeast.
2. Melt butter in a microwaveable bowl.  Add the milk and water then slowly heat until the temperature reaches 120-130 F. 
3. Add the warm liquid to dry ingredients and mix with a whisk for 2 minutes or on medium speed for 2 minutes in a mixer.
4. Add 1/4 C flour and 1 tsp salt. Mix until well combined.  Continue to add remaining 2 cups flour, one cup at a time, mixing until a soft sticky dough forms.  The dough will seem a little wet.  If it is too sticky to work with, add a little flour.  You can mix it by hand or in your mixer. 
5. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface or in your mixer using a dough hook, knead the dough for a couple minutes.  Form into a ball and place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise for 15 to 30 minutes until it doubles in size.
6. Heat oven to 350 F. 
7. Punch down dough.  Pinch off dough to form about one inch balls, rolling between the palms of your hands.  Place 3 balls to a muffin cup, it might be a tight fit.  If not using a non-stick pan be sure to lightly grease or use cooking spray.
8. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place for about 25-30 minutes.
9. Cook for 10-13 minutes or until lightly golden on top in a 350 F oven.  Brush with butter.


View of rolls once formed before they rise the second time



Rolls after they have risen the second time and are ready for the oven!



Loaded Baked Potato Soup

I love soup in the winter!  I think I may slowly be winning Matt over as a soup fan :)  A few weeks ago I fed  him Buffalo Chicken Soup and now this yummy yummy Loaded Baked Potato Soup.  Maybe eventually I'll have him eating my homemade Minestrone!  At first I thought about looking for a copycat recipe for O'Charley's but then decided to go for a 'healthier' version and found this recipe in Cooking Light. 

This is a creamy, thick, filling soup with all the flavors we love on our baked potatoes!  The bacon, cheese and green onion on top is just wonderful! The original recipe calls for baking the potatoes and then removing the skins before mashing them for the soup.  I took a short cut and cubed my potatoes, boiled them until they were tender, then coarsely mashed them up skins and all.  This was much easier for me and the nutrients found in the potato skin are in the soup.

We loved this so much, I am planning on making it again for my family on Christmas!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup  Source: Cooking Light

Ingredients:

4  baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2/3 C flour
6 C milk
1 C extra-sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 tsp  salt
1/2 tsp  black pepper
1 C sour cream
3/4 C chopped green onions, divided
6  bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

1. Prepare potatoes.  If baking potatoes: Preheat oven to 400 F.  Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes; coarsely mash. Discard skins.
If boiling potatoes: Cube potatoes, boil until tender and coarsely mash.
2. Place flour in a large pot; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended.
3.Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes).
4. Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and pepper, stirring until cheese melts.
5. Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil).
6. Before serving, sprinkle with cheese, onions, and bacon.

Cupcake Snowman Cookies

Lincoln gets really excited whenever we see a snowman in someone's yard and was thrilled when we built our own a couple of weeks ago.  I was planning on making some sort of cookie for our church's food distribution and wanted something festive.   I decided to combine Lincoln's snowman love with my desire for a whimsical cookie and made these cupcake cookies with Snowman faces!

My husband was actually the one to find this super fun and easy recipe on a box of Pillsbury Funfetti cake mix and try it out a couple of years ago.  I love the taste of these cookies, it really is like a cupcake, with sprinkles inside and everything!  Mmmm!  Definitely a great cookie for anytime of the year and so cute with decorations on top :)

Cupcake Cookies  Source: Pillsbury Funfetti cake mix box 

Ingredients:

1 (18.9 oz) box of Funfetti cake mix
1/3 C oil
2 eggs
Frosting

*If making into snowmen you will also need:
Red hots
Chocolate chips
Candy corn

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. In a large bowl, combine Funfetti cake mix, oil and eggs until thoroughly moistened.
3. Roll dough  into 1" balls and place on cookie sheets.  With the bottom of a glass, slightly flatten each ball.
4. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
5. Once cool, frost cookies and decorate with sprinkles or make snowmen faces.  Allow frosting to set before storing.