The "C" Bar

The "C" Bar is a yummy delicious blend of chocolate, cherries, and cinnamon.  I came up with recipe using several random ingredients found in the pantry tonight.  Originally I planned on using some fresh cherries from the farmers market that I had de-pitted and diced up over the weekend, but I waited a little too long and had to toss them.  Thank goodness for the jar of maraschino cherries! 

Ingredients:

• 1-3/4 c. Flour
• 3/4 tsp. Backing Soda
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 1/4 c. Coco Powder
• 1 tbs. Cinnamon
• 1/2 c. Butter
• 1/2 c. Sugar
• 1/2 c. Brown Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 tbs. Corn Syrup
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 2 tbs. Coffee
• 1/2 c. Maraschino Cherries (halved)
• 1 c. Chocolate Chunks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and grease a 9 x 13 backing dish or bar pan.  Blend flour, baking soda, salt, coco powder, and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.  In mix master combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, egg, corn syrup, vanilla, and coffee.  Once wet ingredients are combine, slowly mix in dry mixture.  Once all is well mixed, fold in cherries and chocolate chunks.  Pour dough into greased pan and spread out evenly.  Bake for 17 minutes, let cool, and enjoy!!!  These are chocolaty cherry cinnamon chewy perfection! 

   

Today in my kitchen I decided to whip up some cupcakes using fresh blueberries and lots of fresh lemon! Here's the recipe! They turned out super yummy!!!! Enjoy :-)

Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup self-rising flour
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 large eggs
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

FILLING

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
• 2 pints fresh blueberries
• 1 1/2 teaspoons flour
  

FROSTING

• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lime peel
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• remaining blueberry filling

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard muffin pan with 12 liners. Whisk both flours in medium bowl. Beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar; beat to blend. Beat in eggs, then next 3 ingredients. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions. Spoon 2 very full mini ice cream scoops into each liner.
• Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool.
• For filing heat lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat until bubbling. Stir constantly to keep mixture from burning. Add blueberries & lemon zest and stir to coat with sugar mixture. Continue to heat over low for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in flour to help thicken mixture. Cook for about 5 more minutes and then transfer to a glass bowl to cool.
• For frosting blend all ingredients (except filling) together in electric mixer.
  
• To assemble take cooled filling and put into a pastry bag with a round tip. Pipe filling into center of cupcake. Take remaining filling and fold carefully into frosting. Top each cupcake with scoop of frosting and viola!
  

Raspberry White Chocolate Almond Bars

Girls I am so excited we've got this blog up and running!!! Last week we celebrated Father's Day at the Allen household with a good old fashion BBQ! For my contribution to the festivities, I offered to bring dessert. I created some really fabulous Raspberry White Chocolate Almond Bars and they received rave reviews! Quit a delicious treat! Here's the recipe. This would also be good with other types of jam as well! Enjoy :-)

Raspberry White Chocolate Almond Bars
1 stick unsalted butter
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) white morsels
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 325° F. Line a 9 inch square metal pan with foil and spray foil with cooking spray.

Melt butter in medium, microwave-safe bowl on high (1 min). Add 1 cup morsels; let stand. Do not stir.

Beat eggs in a mixing bowl until foamy. Add sugar; beat until light lemon colored, about 5 minutes. Stir in morsel-butter mixture, lemon zest and extract. Add flour and salt; mix until combined. Spread about 2/3 of batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until light golden brown around edges. Remove from oven to wire rack.

Heat jam in microwave for 30 seconds; stir. Spread jam over warm crust. Stir remaining morsels into remaining batter. Drop spoonfuls of batter over jam. Sprinkle with almonds.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until edges are browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

(Note: I doubled this recipe for the large crowd we had at our celebration)

Happy Birthday Meredith!

For my wonderful baby sister Meredith's 24th birthday last September, I created this masterpiece. Ok...so I really can't take too much credit for the flavors considering I used a box cake mix and canned frosting, but it sure was tasty. Two layers of yellow cake with a raspberry jelly center all enrobed in rich milk chocolate frosting. What a great cake to celebrate such a great gal turning another year older!