TWD: Chewy, Chunky Blondies....and a little catch-up!

Ok...a day late...but I was camping until yesterday so I'm just going to say "Better late than never."

I make blondies a lot because my oldest son does not like brownies (whose kid is he????). So I'm always willing to try a new recipe. I like that you can mix just about anything in and they will still be wonderful.

This recipe was super easy to put together...even easier after drinking a couple, ok 3, beers...at 10:00pm on a Tuesday. Which is exactly what I did.

I did decrease the amount of brown sugar to 1 cup instead of the 1.5 cups called for in the recipe.

The mix-ins were chocolate chips and butterscotch chips...no nuts or coconut. I was afraid the kids wouldn't eat them with the coconut and then I would of course, eat the whole pan.

I sprinkled some pink Himalayan Sea Salt over the top to cut the sweetness.....mmmm.

I baked them for 47 minutes and they came out perfect. I don't mind a gooey brownie but prefer blondies to be firm...go figure.

Thanks to Cookies on Friday for the great choice.

And on to last week's TWD selection...which I made in time to post but worked all day Tuesday and left for camping Wednesday. Luckily I have a few pictures.

Kimberly of Only Creative Opportunites chose the always wonderful Lots-of-Ways Banana Cake.

I made this cake last year. I made it in a bundt pan and topped with powdered sugar. It was really, really good.

Freshly grated nutmeg!!!

This time I made cupcakes and topped them with a cream cheese frosting. A few chocolate shavings on top made this version absolutely great.

I served them at a work meeting and they went fast.

Stop by here to see the other creations.

TWD: Brrrr-ownies

This week's TWD is perfect for a summer day. Cool, chocolatey, minty....brownies with peppermint patties chopped up and mixed in.

This recipe was easy and all made in one bowl! I love that.

Melt butter and chocolate. Add sugar, eggs, vanilla and a pinch of salt with the flour.

Mix in the chopped up peppermint patties and you're good to go.

No problems with sticking (buttered foil lined pan) or glue like texture.

I'm taking these babies camping.

Thanks to Karen over at Welcome to our Crazy Blessed Life for picking this week's yum recipe.

Stop by here to see what the others have come up with. I can't wait to try these with peanut butter cups!

Thanks for stopping by.

TWD: Rum-Drenched Vanilla Cakes

(Yeah, that's a big clump of the seeds from a vanilla bean...didn't quite get rubbed into the sugar all the way.)

Thank you to Wendy from the very super cute blog Pink Stripes for choosing this week's recipe.
Straight forward and to the point...the title says it all.

Lots of eggs, heavy cream and melted butter and the seeds from 2 whole vanilla beans...not to mention the rum. :)

I made 1 regular sized loaf and 3 mini loaves in disposable aluminum pans. I used most of the rum syrup on the regular sized loaf cake so that my kids could eat the mini loaves.

Very nice with a cup of coffee or tea....and tomorrow for breakfast. Toasted with a little jam???

YUM!

Stop by the TWD site to see what the others baked up.

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TWD: Tender Shortcakes

This week's TWD was chosen by Cathy at The Tortefeasor. Thanks Cathy!

I can remember, as a kid, eating strawberry shortcake made with those spongey cakes that were shaped like a hockey puck with a little indention in the top. I guess this was to hold the strawberries and Cool Whip and keep them from falling off the top. I think then we moved onto Angel Food Cake in place of the spongey cakes. I remember a couple of times my mom actually made biscuits from Bisquick and we might have even had real whipped cream with those.

I don't think I'll be having any of those things again. These little shortcakes came together so easily and they are so good I think I will always keep some on hand.

I made a full batch and froze half of the cakes unbaked. To the other half I sprinkled the tops with a little raw sugar and baked them for 18 minutes.

The only other change I made was to use half and half in place of the heavy cream....because that's what I had in the fridge.

Simple, simple and simple.

I ate one sliced in half with some chopped strawberries...naked. (Not me, the cakes!)

Simple and sweet.

Stop by the site to see what the others have baked up.

Thanks for stopping by.

TWD: White Chocolate Brownies (Fail)

Ok...this will be short and sweet. I'm sick in bed.

I grind the almonds...it's all good.

I have no oranges...leave it out..still good.

I melt the white chocolate and butter...starting to go bad. Separation, big time.

Added it into the batter anyway. Fresh raspberries I found on sale plopped on top.
Leaving the meringue off as I'm planning to freeze the brownies.

35 minutes later...bad.

40 minutes later...bad.

45 minutes later...pulled from the oven and definitely not good.

Let me re-phrase. The edges were good. Very, very sweet. The middle? Very, very undercooked. Oh well. Into the freezer they go to be enjoyed at a later date.

Thanks to Marthe from Culinary Delights for choosing this weeks controversial recipe. :) Lots of people had problems with the baking time. But that's why we are here...to try new things and see how they turn out.

Click on over here to see what the others have baked up.

TWD: Cherry-Cherry Bread Pudding

Here's what's different:

Cherry jam (from Trader Joe's....the kind with the whole cherries in it) replaced the apple butter.
Pitted and halved fresh cherries replaced the apples.
Half and Half replaced the cream.
1% milk replaced the whole milk. (The pudding was still very rich.)

I used Challah bread from Trader Joe's.

I didn't let the bread pudding sit for the required 30 minutes after pouring on the custard. I added the custard mixture and popped it straight into the oven. I also didn't have a roasting pan big enough for my 9x13 Pyrex. I baked it on a jelly roll pan and added enough boiling water so that it didn't overflow onto the bottom of the oven.

I baked it for an hour at 325....let it sit for 10 minutes and dug in. (Hey...we were in a hurry)

The final result was delicious...not too sweet...just tart enough with the cherries and the cherry jam. The halved cherries held their shape and did not turn to mush. I think this is the perfect breakfast dish. Eggs, milk, fruit and bread...that's breakfast!

Next time I might add some chocolate!!!

I'll post the pictures tomorrow...it's too late (and dark) tonight.

Thank you to Elizabeth at Cake or Death for this week's pick for Tuesdays With Dorie. Check out her blog for the recipe...or better yet, buy THE BOOK!

Check out the other bakers here.

Thanks for stopping by.

TWD: Burnt Sugar Ice Cream

Here it is...or what's left of it.

I took this to a birthday party along with this huge Hot Chocolate cake. (Post on this baby coming up.)

We ate it all with the cake...I had to save this little bit for TWD.

Thanks to Becky from Project Domestication for picking this gem to kick off summer!

I don't think I cooked my custard long enough...it was still a little, no a lot, soft. Even after the ice cream maker had it's way.

No worries...I just put it into the freezer and stirred every 45 minutes for about 3 hours. It turned out just fine. Better than fine...smooth, creamy, caramel-y.

As you can see...better than fine.

Don't forget to check out the other versions of this summer kick-off.

Thanks for stopping by.