re. CAP: CHRISTMAStime

RER 12.24.14

Christmas has come and gone, but the flavors still hang heavy in the air as our perfect little tree stands tall, Christmas dinner leftovers morph into delicious sandwiches, and cookie crumbs continuously dust our lips. It has been a super tasty holiday with new cookie recipes (1, 2, and 3) to add to our list and batches of sugar cookies for my Food Fun kiddies, family holiday gatherings and butter bake-a-thons, and a smattering of sprinkles.

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RER 12.24.14

I love Christmas like any 5-year-old princess would and the countdown until next year’s festivities has already begun. We want to hear about your Christmas traditions and additions! Don’t forget to follow facebook, instagram, twitter, and yelp!

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12.29.14

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MangiaMore: MILLIONAIRE bars

RER 12.24.14

It may be too late to whip these up for jolly old Saint Nick, but these Millionaire Bars will hit the jackpot all year round.

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We have had this recipe for Millionaire Bars printed out for a while now, probably even months, but I was not crazy about all the steps. Patience is not one of my strong points, but my sister took one for the team and put in the work.

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RER 12.22.14

The recipe may be a little time consuming—make shortbread, cook, and cool; make caramel, layer, and cool; make chocolate, pour, sprinkle sea salt, and cool. “Cool” is code for wait for what seems like forever, meaning eating these cookies feels like it will never, ever happen.

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But it did! And when it does, you will not regret the wait. There are three luscious layers that are totally delicious on their own, but when they come together in this cookie bar, bingo, you’ve hit the lotto. The sandy buttery short bread crumbles, bending to the chewy sweetness of the caramel, while the chocolate rules, creamy and smooth. But it is those fat crystals of sea salt that make the magic. The salt makes all the flavors reflect a different light, adding an inexplicable complexity and prism of profiles—sparkle.

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These were definitely a sweet addition to our Christmas roster. Hope everyone had a delicious and marvelous holiday, surrounded by the people (and foods) you love!           

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12.24.14

RER 12.24.14

 

MangiaMore: PUMPKIN snickerdoodle blondies

RER 12.18.14

Once again I turned to Averie Cooks as the pumpkin master. After using her recipe just last week for Cream Cheese-Filled Pumpkin Bread, I had a ton of pumpkin puree left over. Apparently I used a giant can for a small job.

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RER 12.17.14

After Googling “things to do with leftover canned pumpkin puree” in various iterations, I was back to Averie Cooks and dreaming of these Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Blondies. I love blondies (like these and these), so these seemed like the right fit.

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This variety has a simple blondie recipe with a generous amount of melted butter, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice, but what makes them so special is the cinnamon sugar topping. Once topped, those pumpkiny treats are ready to bake and become even more delicious.

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RER 12.17.14

A liberal sprinkling of three tablespoons of sugar and two tablespoons of spicy cinnamon produced a dusty sweet layer on top of the cooked bar cookies. The texture of the crunchy dry cinnamon sugar was in stark contrast of the creamy and fudgy innards. Initially, the cinnamon was too strong, but I am hoping after time, the moisture of the blondies will absorb the flavors, deepening the complexity of the dense pumpkin base.

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Despite whipping up these pretty late fall blondies, I still have a ton of pureed pumpkin left. What to do next? No, really, what should I make next? I need your help!

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12.17.14

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