Blackberry Cobbler

This was not a pretty dessert, but it was so yummy. I didn't take any pictures but the results were so delicious I have to post!

Blackberry Cobbler

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups white sugar (set aside 1/4 cup)
2 cups milk
3 1/2 cups blackberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13" baking pan with nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl combine flours, baking powder, salt, 1 3/4 cup sugar, milk, and butter. Don't overmix, batter may be slightly lumpy. Pour batter into baking pan. Arrange blackberries on top of batter and sprinkle with reserved 1/4 cup sugar. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Lemon Bars

I've always loved Lemon Bars. My boys are not crazy about them, but every now and then it's worth making a batch and sharing with friends so that I can enjoy them myself. These are seriously lemony lemon bars, so if you don't love the taste of lemon, you probably won't be too crazy about them.

Lemon Bars
From Barefoot Contessa Parties

For the crust:
1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling:
6 extra large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (from 4-6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup all-purpose flour

Confectioners sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press into a 9x13" baking dish, building up a 1/2" edge on all sides. Chill.

Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over hte crust and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into triangles or squares and dust with confectioners sugar. Store in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap.

Yields 20 squares or 40 triangles.

Apple Pie Bars

If you like Apple Pie but don't feel like going to all the work to make one, try these bar cookies. They're amazing! I like to eat them fresh out of the oven, they'd be great with vanilla ice cream. The recipe says to make them in a springform pan and cut into wedges. My picture shows them cut into squares because I made a double batch and baked them in a rectangle pan. Either way works just fine. Enjoy!

Apple Pie Bars (adapted from Cuisine at Home)

Base and Streusel:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Apple Pie Filling:
3 1/2 cups tart apples (like granny smith) peeled, cored and diced
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream (use milk if you don't have it)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350°; coat a 10-inch springform pan with removable bottom with nonstick spray.

Combine 2 cups flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt for the base and streusel mixture in a bowl. Transfer 3/4 cup of the mixture to a second bowl; set aside for the streusel. Cut 6 tablespoons cold butter and milk into the remaining dry ingredients using a pastry blender or your fingers. Mix until clumps form.

Pat mixture evenly into prepared pan, using the bottom of a measuring cup to tamp down the dough. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until set and golden at the edges. Stir melted butter into the reserved streusel mixture until sandy; set aside.

Toss all ingredients for the apple filling together. Arrange over the hot base, pushing apple pieces to the edges of the pan to completely cover the crust.

Sprinkle apples with the streusel topping and bake until apples are soft and topping is golden, 30-40 minutes. Cool bars for at least 30 minutes before removing the side of the pan and cutting into wedges. Store bars at room temperature or chill.

SoNo Brownies

I love brownies! There are so many great ones, that's it's hard to decide which is my favorite. This one is my favorite if I need to whip up something yummy in very little time. It's so fast to throw together...I can't imagine ever using a mix again!

SoNo Brownies
adapted from the SoNo Baking Company Cookbook

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
pinch of baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 8" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a bowl, whisk flour with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, set aside.

Melt butter. Add sugar and corn syrup and whisk to combine. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, whisking until well blended after each addition. Whisk in the vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients and fold until the flour has been incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. (It can be tough to tell when these are done because the chocolate chips melt and may make your toothpick look like the brownies aren't done.)

Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, then cut into 2 inch squares.