Uncategorized

the eleventh day of christmas

By December 12, 2011 One Comment

we baked.

sarah came to visit so we did some cooking. we made peanut krackle, chocolate peanut butter balls, caramel cookies, fudge and cranberry bliss bars. it wasn’t all perfect but is mostly tasted good. the fudge flopped…for the record, if you get to walmart and have forgotten your tried and tested fudge recipe, don’t google and pick a random yet similar recipe. stick with tried and true. the caramel cookies were a success, in both the gluten-filled and gluten-free version. the chocolate peanut butter balls were delish. the peanut krackle was of course a little bite of heaven. but the cranberry bliss bars…well, my husband asked me to marry him all over again. whew, i was worried.

this is a recipe for them. they are supposed to mimic starbucks cranberry bliss bars. christian thinks they are better.

preheat over to 350 degrees. use a kitchen aid or something similar, because this is thick dough! mix 1 c. butter, 1 1/2 c. brown sugar, 2 eggs and 2 t. vanilla until smooth and creamy. add 2 1/2 c. flour, 1 1/2 t. baking powder and 1 t. salt and keep mixing until it is thick and sticky. if you use gluten free all-purpose flour (red mill) like i did, you might want to get a little nervous and add an extra egg to make sure everything sticks together. lastly mix in one bag of white chocolate chips, 1 1/2 c. dried cranberries, the zest of one orange and 1 c. chopped pecans. whew. butter a 9×13 really, really well and spread your cookie mix into it. bake. i wish i could tell you how long. i think i set the timer for 20 minutes + 5 minutes + 2 minutes, but i could be wrong. yep, this is how i bake.

keep using your kitchen aid (but do wash it first). mix 1/2 c. butter with 1 8oz. cream cheese, 1 c. powdered sugar, 2 t. vanilla and the zest of one more orange (but save a pinch for garnish). oh yeah, the butter and cream cheese should be softened some. mix into a creamy, smooth frosting.

after your cookie has lightly browned (clean toothpick test) and thoroughly cooled, spread the frosting on top. on top of that sprinkle your saved orange zest, 1/3 c dried cranberries and if you want, drizzle a little melted chocolate. it really turns out beautiful. i’m not really sure who to credit. i need to look into it more.

i would like to say i took a picture. but around this time, i realized i had about two minutes to get the kids dressed, ready and out the door to meet cacey in colfax for santa pictures with cousins. sad to say, by the time i thought about taking a picture, it was already over half gone. i do plan on making it one more time and hopefully with take a picture this time.

here is a good picture. my little helped who really didn’t help much. she did taste everything in sight and currently has scarily strong cravings for sugar right now.

oh holidays.

Marie Klein Burtt

About Marie Klein Burtt

One Comment