Bready or Not Original: Honey Nut Apple Bars
Most apple bars have, well, apples in them, the fresh sort. This Honey Nut Apple Bar recipe is different. It uses a small amount of apple butter or applesauce, and that little but goes a long way.
These bars are imbued with apple flavor, spice, and honey sweetness, all of which perfectly complement the crunchy walnuts throughout.
This is a bar that’d be great for breakfast, brunch, or dessert!
Bready or Not Original: Honey Nut Apple Bars
Equipment
- 13×9 pan
- aluminum foil
- nonstick spray
Ingredients
Bars
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1/4 cup apple butter or applesauce
- 1/4 cup runny honey
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Icing
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 2 Tablespoons runny honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line a 13×9 pan with foil. Add nonstick spray or grease with butter.
- In a bowl, combine both flours, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat together the oil, egg, apple butter, and honey. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, scraping the bottom of the bowl. Fold in the walnuts.
- Spread batter in pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Immediately make the icing. Spread over the bars; it may look lumpy at first, but the heat will smooth it out as it is evened.
- Cool bars completely, speeding the process in the fridge if desired. Use foil to lift bars onto cutting board to slice up; place waxed paper between stacked layers. Store in a sealed container in the fridge.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies
Let’s start off the new year with a new, original cookie recipe: Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies! This is a riff on my old favorite Soft Batch-style Chocolate Chip Cookies.
These cookies feature chocolate melted into the dough. Of course, they still feature chocolate chips as well. That said, the chocolate flavor here is quite gentle, a contrast to heavily chocolaty things like brownies.
Note that the brown tint of the dough can make it trickier to visually gauge doneness in the oven. Look for the cookies to be set, not gooey.
Bready or Not Original: Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups flour
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 3/4 cups chocolate chips a mix is great
Instructions
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 1/3 cup chocolate chips in a few short bursts, taking care not to overcook. Stir until smooth. Set aside to cool a smidge.
- Cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix in the melted chocolate chips, blending until it forms a consistent brown color. Slowly mix in flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Chill dough for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Place parchment on baking sheet.
- Scoop the dough using a teaspoon or small scoop, spacing apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until set in middle. Let cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to rack.
- Store in a sealed container. Keeps well for at least 3 days.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Brown Sugar Bundt Cake
It’s New Year’s Eve. This year was… something, wasn’t it? Yeah. Something. But now it is almost over, and let’s celebrate with some cake! How about this Brown Sugar Bundt Cake?
The high amount of brown sugar creates magic. The bake results in a crisp, caramelized exterior, while the crumb is soft and sweet and moist.
This cake is fantastic all by itself, but you could also add whipped cream, ice cream, fruit, all kinds of things. It’ll serve as a breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
Modified from the King Arthur Flour Catalog, May 2017.
Bready or Not: Brown Sugar Bundt Cake
Equipment
- bundt pan
- nonstick spray
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- confectioners sugar to dust
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Fully grease a large bundt pan with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time.
- In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
- Gradually mix in about half of the dry ingredients into the wet. Add the sour cream and vanilla, scraping the bottom of the bowl to incorporate. Mix in the rest of the dry ingredients.
- Pour batter into the bundt pan and level out. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes; the middle should pass the toothpick test. Let cool for about 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to completely cool.
- Before slicing and serving, dust with confectioners’ sugar. Store covered at room temperature. Slices can also be individually wrapped and frozen for later.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
To those who celebrate: Merry Christmas! To others: hey, have an awesome day. For everyone: let’s enjoy some Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies!
This recipe is actually somewhat close to the wonderful Toll House recipe. I grew up on that one, of course, as it was famously on the back of every bag of Toll House Chocolate Chips. The recipe I’m sharing adjusts the amounts, though, but still uses a full bag of chocolate chips.
These cookies are chewy, crisp, sweet, and laden with chocolate. As you may note in my pictures, I used a mix of chocolate, white, and caramel chips. If you want to add nuts, then reduce the number of chips so the add-ins still equal 2 cups.
Bready or Not: Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- parchment paper
- large cookie scoop or tablespoon
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) softened
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter to soften. Add both sugars and beat until fluffy. Add vanilla followed by the eggs one by one.
- In another bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet, scraping the bottom of the bowl to incorporate everything. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Use a scoop or tablespoon to space out dough on parchment. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes, until they look set and light gold. Let them remain on the pan a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
- Store cookies at room temperature in a sealed container.
OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Mocha Almond Bars
If you enjoy soft, chewy, crunchy blondies, this Mocha Almond Bars recipe is for you! It looks pretty, too, thanks to glaze on top.
I hate coffee as a drink, but I love the flavor in baked goods. That’s very true here. There is something magical about the combination of vanilla, sugar, and almond with espresso powder.
This recipe makes a 9×13 pan, so perfect to feed a small crowd!
Bready or Not Original: Mocha Almond Bars
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
- aluminum foil
- nonstick spray
Ingredients
Bars
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 cup sliced almonds divided
Glaze
- 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1-2 Tablespoons half & half
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line a 9×13 pan with aluminum foil. Spray nonstick spray or coat with butter.
- Beat butter in a large bowl. Add vanilla and egg. Add flour, sugar, and espresso powder. Scrape bottom to make sure dough incorporates everything. Fold in 3/4 cup sliced almonds.
- Press dough evenly into the pan. Sprinkle remaining almonds over the top. Gently press in.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned and the middle passes the toothpick test. Cool completely, speeding the process in the fridge, if desired.
- Combine the glaze ingredients, adding more confectioners’ sugar or half & half to reach a thick consistency. Drizzle glaze over the pan. Cool completely, until glaze solidifies.
- Use foil to lift onto a cutting board to slice into bars. Store in a sealed container, using waxed paper between stacked layers.
