Category: Desserts

Seven Layer Bars

Seven layer bars 2Happy New Year’s Eve! Today I have the perfect bar to ring in the new year. Most of you have already heard of seven layer bars, they are quite famous in their deliciousness. This desert has a wonderful candy bar consistency, with its rich chocolate, delectable butterscotch, toasted coconut, and crumbly graham cracker crust; no one can resist this bar. They are the perfect addition to your New Year’s Eve party and they are so simple to make. As their name suggests, you just layer the ingredients and that’s it and when they are done baking, you have a full pan of candy bar awesomeness!  So if you are looking for that last-minute treat for your New Year’s Eve guests, whip up a batch of seven layer bars.  If you have too many bars (like that’s even possible!) just freeze the extras.

Seven layer bars 1

 

Seven Layer Bars 5Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then pour 1/2 cup of melted butter into a 9×13 inch pan.

melted butterCrush 2 cups of graham crackers in a plastic bag.

crushing graham crackers 2Pour the 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs on the butter in the pan.

graham crackers in panLayer 1 cup of butterscotch chips on the graham cracker layer.

butterscotch chips in panThen add the 3/4 of a cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.

chocolate chipsThen sprinkle on the 1 cup of coconut.

coconutThen pour 1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk.

adding milk

adding milk 2Bake 25-30 minutes. Check the bars after 20 minutes to see if they are almost done. I baked mine 25 minutes and they were done just perfectly.

finished barsNow you can let them cool and then cut into squares.

seven layer bars 6  

Seven Layer Bars

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup of butter
  • 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 cup of butterscotch chips
  • 3/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup of coconut
  • 1 (14 oz.) can of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then pour 1/2 cup of melted butter into a 9x13 inch pan.
  2. Crush 2 cups of graham crackers in a plastic bag.
  3. Pour the 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs on the butter in the pan.
  4. Layer 1 cup of butterscotch chips on the graham cracker layer.
  5. Then add the 3/4 of a cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.
  6. Then sprinkle on the 1 cup of coconut.
  7. Then pour 1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk.
  8. Bake 25-30 minutes. Check the bars after 20 minutes to see if they are almost done. I baked mine 25 minutes and they were done just perfectly.
  9. Now you can let them cool and then cut into squares.
https://www.cookingupcottage.com/2015/12/31/seven-layer-bars/

 

Christmas Cookie Recipes

Christmas-Cookie-Baking-Day-Ideas-1Yay!  It’s Christmas cookie time again.  It’s the time of year when you make all of your favorite holiday treats.  Every year my family has a Christmas cookie baking day.  We makes six types of cookies each year: Colleen’s Candy, Almond Bark Pretzels, Star Cookies, Spritz Cookies, Cut-Out Sugar Cookies, and Carmel Chocolate Swirl Fudge.  We have varied the cookies some years by deleting some and adding others, but for the most part the list has stayed the same for about 15 years.  We have a master list of ingredients we use to buy the supplies for this cookie baking day, which is shown at the bottom of this post.  This list makes checking your pantry for ingredients or buying the supplies easier.  You can also divide the ingredient list among the people coming to the cookie baking day to make it less of a burden for any one person.  In this post I will have a link for each cookie and a printable master ingredient list at the end of the post.  On the cookie making day we make enough cookies for three families so you could adapt this for a cookie exchange party with three friends or you can just use the recipes that follow for your holiday baking.  Choose one or two this year and start your own tradition.

colleen's-candy

                                       Click here for Colleen’s Candy recipe.

Almond-Bark-Pretzels

                                 Click here for Almond Bark Pretzels recipe.

star-cookies

                                                Click here for Star Cookies recipe.

spritz cookies

                                                Click here for Spritz Cookie recipe.

Cut out sugar cookies

                                         Click here for Cut-Out Sugar Cookies recipe.

Caramel Chocolate Swirl Fudge

                                 Click here for Caramel Chocolate Swirl Fudge recipe.

Christmas-Cookie-Ingredient-List-1

 

                                                          Click here to print cookie ingredients list.

Oreo and Brownie Ice Cream Dessert

oreo and brownie ice cream dessert 4I certainly hope you like Oreo cookies, because this ice cream dessert has enough to satisfy even the biggest sweet tooth. And brownie lovers, meet your new best friend…this dessert has a brownie crust smothered in Hershey’s syrup and topped with vanilla ice cream.  This recipe was created by my sister who loves baking brownies.  She is always trying and comparing different recipes: boxed or homemade, double batch or single batch, frosted or unfrosted.  So when it was time for her oldest daughter’s birthday she got out her favorite boxed brownies and started layering on the chocolate syrup and ice cream until she had created this heavenly frozen dessert.  When I tasted it at that party, I knew I had to share it here on my blog.  So get out your Oreo cookies and let’s get cooking.

oreo and brownie 7oreo and brownie 8First bake one box of chocolate brownies according to the package directions in a 13″x9″ pan.  Cool completely on a wire rack.browniesWhen the brownies are cool, cut them out of the pan and fit them in the bottom of a 9″ springform pan lined with parchment paper.  I used the brownies from the middle of the 9″x13″ pan because they are the softest.  You can save the leftover brownies to crumble on the top of the dessert later. Then pour 1/4 of a cup of Hershey’s Chocolate syrup on top of the brownies.

parchment on the bottom 

brownie layerNow set this bottom layer in the freezer.  Then get out your ice cream to let it soften on the counter for 15-20 minutes or until it can be spread easily on your dessert.  When the ice cream is soft, get the brownie layer out of the freezer and spread 1/2 of the 1.75 quart container of ice cream on that layer.

spreading first layer of ice creamNow take 18 Oreo cookies (1/2 of a package) and crush them in a plastic bag or your food processor and layer them on top of the ice cream. Now top the Oreo layer with the remaining ice cream and then crush up the 18 remaining Oreo cookies in the package and top them on the ice cream layer.  (Tip: you can always place the dessert back in the freezer while you are crushing the Oreos so it doesn’t melt too much.)

oreo layerNow pour another 1/4 cup of Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup on that layer and add some crumbled up brownie pieces from your brownie pan.

pouring syrup on the top of dessertPut the dessert in the freezer and let it set up for at least 24 hours.  After 24 hours, you can open the springform pan and take the parchment paper off of the bottom.  Then let it sit out for a few minutes to soften a little to make it easier to cut.  After serving, store dessert in your freezer.

finished dessert

Oreo and Brownie Ice Cream Dessert

Ingredients

  • 1 (13x9") package of brownie mix
  • 1 (14.3 ounce package) of Oreo cookies crushed (you will use 1/2 of the package or 18 cookies for each layer)
  • 1/2 cup of Hershey's Chocolate Syrup (you will use 1/4 cup to top the bottom and top layers)
  • 1 (1.75 quart package) of vanilla ice cream

Instructions

  1. First bake one box of chocolate brownies according to the package directions in a 13"x9" pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.
  2. When the brownies are cool, cut them out of the pan and fit them in the bottom of a 9" springform pan lined with parchment paper. I used the brownies from the middle of the 9"x13" pan because they are the softest. You can save the leftover brownies to crumble on the top of the dessert later. Then pour 1/4 of a cup of Hershey's Chocolate syrup on top of the brownies.
  3. Now set this bottom layer in the freezer. Then get out your ice cream to let it soften on the counter for 15-20 minutes or until it can be spread easily on your dessert. When the ice cream is soft, get the brownie layer out of the freezer and spread 1/2 of the 1.75 quart container of ice cream on that layer.
  4. Now take 18 Oreo cookies (1/2 of a package) and crush them in a plastic bag or your food processor and layer them on top of the ice cream. Now top the Oreo layer with the remaining ice cream and then crush up the 18 remaining Oreo cookies in the package and top them on the ice cream layer. (Tip: you can always place the dessert back in the freezer while you are crushing the Oreos so it doesn't melt too much.)
  5. Now pour another 1/4 cup of Hershey's Chocolate Syrup on that layer and add some crumbled up brownie pieces from your brownie pan.
  6. Put the dessert in the freezer and let it set up for at least 24 hours. After 24 hours, you can open the springform pan and take the parchment paper off of the bottom. Then let it sit out for a few minutes to soften a little to make it easier to cut. After serving, store dessert in your freezer.
https://www.cookingupcottage.com/2015/09/21/oreo-and-brownie-ice-cream-dessert/

 

Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars1Today I’m featuring a delightful Lemon Bar recipe that my mom has made since I was a little girl. It’s one of the many classic bar recipes from my mom’s kitchen like her Chocolate Chip Bars, Banana Bars, Pumpkin Bars with Buttercream Frosting, and Cherry Bars. Like her other bars, this timeless treat is perfect for any occasion, and the lemon flavor is a nice change of pace.  I have always loved its oh-so-crumbly cookie crust and vibrant yellow custard-like topping that is bursting with fresh lemon juice. So if you’re ready to make this wonderful bar, grab your fresh lemons and start cooking.

lemon bars2

 

lemon bars7In a mixer blend together 1 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. And then cut in 1/2 cup of softened butter.

butter

cutting in butter

Press this mixture firmly in the bottom of a 8″x 8″ baking dish.

patting crust in panBake this crust 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven. While the crust is baking you can mix the lemon topping. Beat 2 eggs in a bowl.

beaten eggsThen mix in 2 tablespoons of flour and 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder.

lemon filling 2Then add 1 cup of sugar.

lemon fillingNow you can add the 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice.

lemons

lemon juiceNow pour this mixture over the baked crust. Bake 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  It will be golden brown when you take it out of the oven.

pouring filling over crust

cooked lemon fillingNow let the bars cool completely and then sprinkle them with powdered sugar.

sprinkling powdered sugar over lemon barsNow the bars are finished, but you will want to wait to cut then for a few hours to let them set up.

lemon bars 4And now you have another timeless recipe from my mom’s kitchen.

lemon bars 6

Lemon Bars

Ingredients

  • Crust Ingredients
  • --------------------
  • 1 cup of flour
  • 1/2 cup of softened butter
  • 1/4 cup of powdered sugar
  • --------------------------------------
  • Lemon Topping
  • ----------------------
  • 2 eggs (well beaten)
  • 2 tablespoons of flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1 cup of granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used the juice from 3 lemons)
  • ---------------------------------------------
  • 1/4 cup of powdered sugar (to sprinkle on the top of bars after they are cool)

Instructions

  1. In a mixer blend together 1 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. And then cut in 1/2 cup of softened butter.
  2. Press this mixture firmly in the bottom of a 8"x 8" baking dish.
  3. Bake this crust 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven. While the crust is baking you can mix the lemon topping. Beat 2 eggs in a bowl.
  4. Then mix in 2 tablespoons of flour and 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder.
  5. Then add 1 cup of sugar.
  6. Now you can add the 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
  7. Now pour this mixture over the baked crust. Bake 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven. It will be golden brown when you take it out of the oven.
  8. Now let the bars cool completely and then sprinkle them with powdered sugar.
  9. Now the bars are finished, but you will want to wait to cut then for a few hours to let them set up.
https://www.cookingupcottage.com/2015/09/07/lemon-bars/