Tag Archives: dessert bar

Chocolate Chunk Banana Bars

Once again, I found myself with over-ripe bananas and was looking for a way to use them up. With the craziness of spring sports starting, our work schedules, my school board campaign getting underway, I haven’t had much free time to spend in the kitchen. I knew I had to find a quick and easy recipe to use up these bananas. I stumbled on this recipe for banana bars and it was just what I was looking for!

They remind me of banana bread but more like a cake. My daughter loved them and they made for a great after-school snack. The banana makes these bars moist and the chocolate chunks were a nice added sweetness.

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Apple Crisp Bars

I was in the mood to do some baking and wanted to use up what I had in my house. I had bought some apples at the grocery store the other week and it was a mistake. They weren’t crisp and a little mealy….so not great for eating. I decided I would use them to bake instead and whipped up a batch of apple crisp bars.

These bars are three layers of goodness – a layer of shortbread, gooey cinnamon apples and a crisp, buttery top. They are easy to make and delicious.

Apple Crisp Bars | Join Us, Pull up a Chair

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Caramel Chocolate Shortbread

Last week, my company had their holiday luncheon and I always look for a new recipe to make and came across this recipe for caramel chocolate shortbread. I love Twix bars and this totally reminded me of them…though better since I accidentally browned the butter while making caramel. It really amp’d up the flavor and added more depth of flavor. I doubt I could do it again and I’m not even sure what I did, but I’m glad it happened. The shortbread layer is light and fluffy, the gooey caramel and a chocolate top – perfection!

Caramel Chocolate Shortbread | Join Us, Pull up a Chair

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Peanut Butter Banana Bars – #FilltheCookieJar

It’s time for September’s #FilltheCookieJar group and I’m filling the jar with these delicious peanut butter banana bars. The theme for this month was fall, and while these bars aren’t exactly fall themed, they are still delicious and you can’t go wrong with the combination of peanut butter and banana.

These bars are easy to make and the have a gooey layer of peanut butter on top. I had everything in my pantry and they were a great way to use up over-ripe bananas. Definitely  give these a try next time you have bananas to use.

Peanut Butter Banana Bars | Join Us, Pull up a Chair #FilltheCookieJar

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Cherry Almond Bars – #FilltheCookieJar

It’s time to Fill the Cookie Jar with these delicious cherry almond bars. I’m excited to see what all my fellow bloggers made this month too. I had bought a bag of cherries for a great price and found this recipe was scrolling through Pinterest. They’re really good and easy to make. I was a little short in the amount of cherries I needed for this recipe, but they still came out great.

Cherry Almond Bars | Join Us, Pull up a Chair

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Peanut Butter & Jelly Pretzel Bars – #FilltheCookieJar

If you’re watching what you’re eating…you may want to skip over this post. This recipe is definitely an indulgence, but so worth it! This month’s theme was Father’s Day. I decided to treat my husband to one of his favorite things – peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Throw in some pretzels and you’ve got these amazing bars. The bars were so rich, but tasted just like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a tiny hint of salt. So, so good!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Pretzel Bars | Join Us, Pull up a Chair
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Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

My daughter has been asking for me to make her bars and as I was looking through the fridge and pantry to see what I had on hand and saw two containers of strawberries that no one had touched. I found this recipe for strawberry oatmeal bars and it was so simple to make!

Both kids have gobbled them up and I love they’re prefect for an after school snack or a sweet treat after dinner. I switched out the butter for coconut oil, but I’m going to try making them with butter next time. The crust was not as solid as I wanted and broke apart easily. They tasted great otherwise! They’re not too sweet and I love the crumble on top.

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars | Join Us, Pull up a Chair

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Snickerdoodle Bars – Secret Recipe Club

It’s that time of the month – Secret Recipe Club time! While I was prepping for this post, I realized that I’ve been participating in this group since June 2011…crazy almost three years! What I love about this group is that I’m introduced to so many new blogs and I’m inspired every single month. This month was no exception when I look through my assignment – Little Bit of Everything. Julie and my blogging story started the same – a way to keep track of our recipes and go through all the cookbooks and magazine clippings.

I searched through all of Julie’s recipes and was going to make her French Lentil soup, but settled on her recipe for snickerdoodle bars. Snickerdoodles are one of my favorites cookies so I knew I’d love this recipe. I’m actually eating one as I’m typing up this post. 🙂 They taste just like a cookie but have the consistency and texture of a brownie. I’ll be sending in half the pan with my husband to work because if they stay here with me all day, I’ll eat the entire thing!

2 1/3 cup flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp sugar + 1 Tbsp cinnamon, mixed together in a small bowl
Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in both sugars until combined. Add in the eggs and vanilla until mixed thoroughly. Slowly add in the dry ingredients on low. Spread half of the batter into the bottom of prepared pan. 
 Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the batter. Dollop the remaining batter in teaspoons over the cinnamon sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center, comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for an hour. 
Once cooled, make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth and can be drizzled. Drizzle over the pan and then let set before cutting into bars.