Cheesecake Party!

November 29, 2011 Keep It Sweet 27 Comments

I am a big fan of cheesecake, although not quite as much as my husband. In fact, the first time we celebrated his birthday together, I cooked dinner and made a special trip to the Cheesecake Factory for a slice of their Oreo Cheesecake to surprise him. It wasn’t long after that, though, when I realized I could make my own version. Eight years later, (yes, our 8-year dating anniversary is tomorrow!), and I’m making cheesecake left and right without a second thought. Below find some delicious cheesecake inspiration from the blog world, you might never make plain cheesecake again!

Cheese Pie and White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake and from The Keenan Cookbook

White Chocolate Cheesecake from Sweet Peony

Apple Cheesecake from Dainty Chef

Apple Pecan Cheesecake from Baked by Rachel

French Apple Cheesecake from The Keenan Cookbook

Pumpkin Cheesecake from The Avid Appetite

Frosted Chocolate Chip Cheesecake from Everyday Desserts

Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Basil Roasted Peaches from The Spiffy Cookie

Mini Raspberry Swirl Cheesecakes and Lemon Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce from Baked by Rachel

Peanut Butter Snickers Mini Cheesecakes from Macaroni and Cheesecake

Petite Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecakes from The Little Ferraro Kitchen

Amaretto Chocolate Mascarpone Cheesecake Bars The Spiffy Cookie

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars-Two Ways from Dainty Chef

And there are quite a few cheesecake recipes on Keep It Sweet, but some of my favorites are the Salted Caramel and Brownie Cheesecake Bars, Margarita Cheesecake Bars and the Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Cheesecake Bars.

If you liked this, check out previous blog parties: Peanut Butter Party, Sweet & Salty Party, Pumpkin Party and the Gooey Chocolate Dessert Party

The next Blog Party them is “lighter” desserts and it will be on Tuesday, December 27th. Email me keepitsweetlcl at gmail dot com with your posts!

*The cake mix giveaway is still open.*

`[pinit]`

Blog, Recipes

Caramel Apple Cake Trifle and Giveaway!

November 27, 2011 Keep It Sweet 85 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I am swimming in leftovers. The thing is, I can’t decide if it is a good or bad thing. I have plenty of food to get us through the next few days. But really, how much turkey can one person eat? If only I could get sick of cookies the way I could get sick of turkey. It just doesn’t seem to happen.

But even with half of a chocolate pecan pie left, a bowl of caramel sauce, dozens of cookies in my freezer, and a tight pants, I always am ready to bake something new. After many Thanksgiving-related hours spent in the kitchen cooking, baking and cleaning, though, I welcome something easy. Something where I don’t have to pull out my mixer, wait for butter to soften or open up a few cookbooks. Something that only requires a few more minutes of active time on my feet.

That is where this layered beauty comes into play. While I don’t always advocate box mixes and canned fruit, there really is a time and a place. And when you come up with something that incorporates those shortcuts, is creative, and looks impressive, no one has to know that a box mix was involved. Usually your friends will be too busy asking for seconds to even think about it.

For this trifle, I used one of Dunkan Hines new decadent cake mixes. I chose the Apple Caramel flavor because, how could a cake that is gooey and moist be bad? It can’t. Even by itself the cake tastes pretty good, but layered with Comstock apple pie filling, cinnamon flavored cool whip, cheesecake pudding and gingersnap crumbs it is even better.

And better news for you, I have some cake mixes to give away! Two readers will win coupons for four free Dunkan Hines products (details below).
Caramel Apple Cake Trifle
Serves 8

Ingredients:
1/2 of a prepared Dunkan Hines Apple Caramel Cake
1 15.75-ounce can Comstock apple pie filling
1 8-ounce container of cinnamon flavored cool whip (if you can’t find that, fold cinnamon into regular cool whip to taste)
1 prepared 1-ounce container cheesecake pudding mix
1/2 cup gingersnap crumbs (about 8 cookies)

Directions:
Cut cake in to 1-inch cubes
Layer ingredients in a large trifle dish or bowl as follows: cake, pie filling, cool whip, cookie crumbs, pudding
Repeat layers again and top with extra cookie crumbs
Best served immediately; cover with saran wrap and store trifle in refrigerator up to 4 days

Giveaway Details:

The giveaway is open through Wednesday, November 30 at midnight est. The giveaway is open to anyone and there are three ways to enter (please leave a separate comment for each entry):

1) Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment below, anything you want!

2) Follow Keep It Sweet on Twitter

3) Like Keep It Sweet on Facebook

Disclaimer: I received the coupons for Dunkin Hines cake mix and Comstock pie filling as a part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program. All of the opinions expressed in this post are my own.

`[pinit]`

Blog, Recipes

Gooey Pumpkin and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars {Gluten-Free}

November 21, 2011 Keep It Sweet 20 Comments

These gooey and delicious oatmeal bars are made with just basic ingredients, they are gluten-free and guilt-free!

Ever since I made these bars a couple of months ago, my sister has been asking me to make a pumpkin version. I’m sorry it took so long but glad I squeezed this recipe in before Thanksgiving. These are so easy to make and as a welcome change to the other holiday desserts, these aren’t actually all that bad for you!

Gooey Pumpkin and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars {Gluten-Free}
Makes 24 bars

Ingredients:

3 cups gluten-free rolled oats (oatmeal is naturally gluten-free but may be processed with other gluten foods; check the package if serving anyone who has a gluten allergy)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie seasoning
3/4 cup smooth natural salted peanut butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray
Whisk together oatmeal and baking soda; set aside
Beat peanut butter and pumpkin on high speed until light and creamy
Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy
Add egg whites and vanilla; beat on medium speed until combined
Stir in oatmeal mixture
Pour batter into prepared pan
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until knife comes out clean
Allow to cool before slicing
Store at room temperature in a covered container up to 2 days or
freeze up to 1 month
Adapted from the Gooey Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Bars

What are you most Thankful for this year? After a rough couple of years for some loved ones, I’m especially thankful for my family’s health.

`[pinit]`

Blog, Recipes

Pumpkin Pie Cookie Dough Truffle Pops

November 20, 2011 Keep It Sweet 40 Comments

We are just a few days away from Thanksgiving and although I’ve been putting pumpkin in my oatmeal since the end of August (I have no shame), I’m not even close to sick of it. It is actually a miracle that my skin isn’t orange given the fact that I go through the cans of Libby’s (no other brand can compete) like it is going out of style. I used to think the big cans were too much to open up, but now those puny 15-ounce cans are like a tease.

Hopefully you are also still on the pumpkin bandwagon, unlike my husband who seems to have missed the memo on winter squash (Which, lucky for me, means I get to eat an entire pan of roasted Costco butternut squash by myself. Seriously, how am I not orange?).

Although Matt doesn’t hate pumpkin like he does peanut butter (nope, eight years together and I’m still not over that), he just isn’t a huge fan. So when I gave him one of these Pumpkin Pie Cookie Dough Truffle Pops to taste and said, “just pretend it isn’t pumpkin,” he said, “these are amazing!” Don’t worry, I did enough cookie dough sampling yesterday to tell you these are seriously good shit delicious. The pumpkin flavor in the creamy cookie dough plus the hard chocolate shell and crunchy spicy gingersnap crumbs is an incredible combination.

Oh and worried that you can’t make these after Thanksgiving? I, for one, will be consuming pumpkin desserts for the next few months. But for the normal people out there, who don’t have to worry about their skin turning a strange color because they only eat pumpkin in the fall, these can completely pass for a special holiday dessert thanks to the gingersnaps.

So if you can make these and keep from eating them yourself, serve them at a party. No utensils necessary.

[print_this]

Pumpkin Pie Cookie Dough Truffle Pops

Makes 30 pops

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 ½ sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
½ cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
¼ cup milk (any type)
1 1/4 pound chocolate (I used white and dark chocolates)
3/4 cup gingersnap crumbs (about 12 cookies)

Directions:

Prepare cookie dough filling
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt; set aside
Beat butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy
Add pumpkin and milk and mix on medium speed until well combined
Stir in flour
Refrigerate dough for two hours or until cold enough to roll into balls
While chilling dough, line two jelly roll pans with wax paper
When ready, mold cookie dough balls by hand, about 1 1/2 tablespoons each (I used a cookie dough scoop to measure) and place one of the sheets of wax paper
Stick lollipop sticks into each ball so that the stick comes out of the top and goes almost all the way through the dough ball
Place prepared cookie dough in freezer and chill for two hours or until hardened
When dough is frozen, melt chocolate for dipping
Place chocolate of choice into a microwaveable bowl; melt by heating in 30-second increments and stirring in-between
Dip cookie dough pops one-at-a-time into chocolate and coat each entire dough ball; use a spoon to shape the chocolate around the cookie dough and form a thin layer
Place dough ball down onto unused sheet of wax paper and sprinkle pop with gingersnap crumbs; repeat for remaining dough balls
Once finished, chill pops in refrigerator until ready to serve
Store in refrigerator up to three days or freezer up to four weeks

Notes:

You will need to chill the dough between each step to make sure your pops keep a round form

When dipping pops in chocolate, I recommend keeping some dough balls in freezer and working with about 10 at a time; this will keep dough from getting too soft before dipping in chocolate

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Are you pumpkined out yet?

Blog, Recipes

Salted Caramel and Brownie Cheesecake Bars

November 17, 2011 Keep It Sweet 68 Comments

This dessert has been haunting me since it came out of the oven. I took photos yesterday morning and it was all I could do not to devour the entire pan, sliver by sliver. These cheesecake bars are not for me so unfortunately (or fortunately) I was forced to keep my mouth shut after a quality control taste.

A thin layer of brownie crust topped with creamy salted caramel and a silky cheesecake layer makes these bars impossible to resist. The salted caramel layer also adds a depth of flavor that forces you to try another bite. Need another dessert for Thanksgiving or really something delicious just because? Make these.

[print_this]

Salted Caramel & Brownie Cheesecake Bars

Brownie Layer:
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Cheesecake Layer:
2 8-ounce blocks reduced fat cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Caramel Layer:
1 11-ounce bag of caramel bits
1/3 cup milk (any type)
1 teaspoon sea salt

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Line a 13×9 pan with parchment paper; set aside

Melt chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan over low to heat, stirring constantly

Remove from heat

Stir in sugar

Stir in eggs and vanilla

Whisk in flour until smooth

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for ~8 minutes or until center is glossy and edges start to look cooked

While brownie layer is cooling, prepare cheesecake filling

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees

Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer using the whisk attachment; beat on high until cream cheese is smooth and creamy

Beat in sugar

Mix in eggs

Stir in flour

Stir in vanilla and set aside

Place caramel bits and milk in a microwaveable bowl

Heat in microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each, until completely melted and smooth

Pour caramel over brownie layer; sprinkle salt over that

Pour cheesecake batter over brownie and caramel

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until edges begin to come apart from sides of pan and cheesecake is set

Brownie recipe adapted from Bakers

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A reminder that the cheesecake blog party is less than two weeks away. Send me your favorite links!

Blog, Recipes

Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Dough Brownie Bites

November 13, 2011 Keep It Sweet 59 Comments

Fudgy brownie bites stuffed with a layer of peanut butter cup cookie dough

The apartment is finally starting to feel like home. It isn’t because I unpacked 99% of my things (the other 1% includes books and underwear that is still MIA). It also is not because we finally have shelves in the closet so that my sweaters aren’t piled up in various places around our home. And it certainly isn’t that all of the furniture we ordered has arrived and our dreaded IKEA trip is in the past.

While all of those things make the stress of moving a little less acute, the real reason I feel like I am home is the kitchen. Of course I unpacked all of my dishes and appliances before anything else and have been to the grocery store 17 or so times. But Friday morning, while Matt was at work and I was waiting for our new night stands to arrive, I had the first opportunity to bake. Just the thought of that makes my shoulders relax and my breathing slow down. Working around our new kitchen where I actually had to walk more than one step from refrigerator to utensil drawer, I couldn’t stop smiling. And the fact that the first thing to come out of my oven was a chocolate and peanut butter dessert certainly didn’t hurt.

Oh, right, these little things. Fudgy brownie bites stuffed with a layer of peanut butter cup cookie dough, I haven’t felt more at home in a very long time.

[print_this]

Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Dough Brownie Bites

Makes 2 dozen brownie bites

Ingredients:

1 Box Brownie Mix (I used Trader Joe’s Chocolate Truffle) + ingredients the mix calls for
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup salted creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tablespoon milk (I used skim)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped peanut butter cups (~7 peanut butter cups)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan
Prepare brownie mix as directed and full cups with brownie batter (about 2 tablespoons each)
Bake for 12-14 minutes or until a knife comes out clean; do not over bake
Set brownies aside to cool and prepare cookie dough
Whisk flour and salt in a small bowl; set aside
Beat together butter, peanut butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy
Mix in milk and vanilla on low speed
Stir in flour mixture just until combined
Stir in peanut butter cups
Once cookie dough is ready, take your brownies and slice each in half horizontally so that you have a top and a bottom
Place a rounded disk of cookie dough on each bottom half (about one tablespoon of cookie dough each)
Press tops of brownies lightly onto cookie dough layer so that you can still see the cookie dough from the sides
Serve immediately or freeze in an airtight container up to one month

[/print_this]

Cookie dough recipe adapted from here.

What is making you smile lately?

Blog

What I Learned at Foodbuzz and the Food that Came With It

November 10, 2011 Keep It Sweet 59 Comments

Last weekend I had an amazing time in San Francisco for the third annual Foodbuzz Festival (my first time going). Not only was it a long weekend full of delicious food and blogging tips, but it also was a weekend full of new friends and new blogs to read. I have so much to share with you but I’ll limit this post to some of the food conference, blogging and social networking-related tips (in no particular order).

1) There were a lot of tips for blogging, but by far the number one theme is to be yourself. Find your voice, find what you love, and blog that way.

2) Engage with readers. Respond to comments and emails. Comment on their blogs, too. When you do that, they will come back.

3) Take good photos*. Backdrops can be as simple as construction paper or crumpled parchment paper and as elaborate as fancy china and linen. Use a DSLR or an iPhone. Just make it appealing to the eyes. *more on that in an upcoming post

4) Instead of being jealous or comparing yourself to other bloggers, focus on doing everything you can to get where you want to be.

5) Use Twitter and Facebook to interact with others. Twitter is an especially good way to connect with other bloggers and readers. Don’t only use social media to promote your blog.

6) Jessica is just as awesome in person as she is on her blog. Unfortunately, we never got a chance to talk, but she was on a “taking your blog to the next level” discussion panel and her blog personality definitely came through in real life. Oh, and same thing for Joy.

7) Always charge your camera battery; no pictures for the first night of Foodbuzz #fail

8) Take a camera break; no camera for the first night of Foodbuzz also meant I could focus on meeting new people and enjoying the food.

9) It is perfectly acceptable to drink your chocolate.

10) String cheese can be eaten the next day without refrigeration. You never know when you may need a snack.

11) Fresh fruit tastes so good in between indulgent samples.

12) Keep packaged samples as a treat for later when you are going through foodie withdrawal.

13) In a sea of amazing foods to try, a vat of guacamole is still exciting.

14) Godiva chocolate is always a win. I was addicted to their pumpkin spice coffee but now I’m addicted by the truffles that inspired it.

15) Mini cupcakes are more fun because you can sample lots of flavors.

16) Burberry is even better in brownie form

17) Cinnamon caramel is heavenly

18) Don’t fill up on foods you don’t love, there are too many other foods to try.

19) Take advantage of the opportunity to meet awesome people. Some of the friends I made at Foodbuzz include Nicole, Audra, Krissy, Julie, Dennis, and Tina.

20) Find an awesome roommate who will spend as much time as possible eating their way through San Francisco with you.

Have you ever been to a food blogger conference? Do you have any tips to add?

Blog

Cinnamon Sugar Swirl Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread {Guest Post}

November 8, 2011 Keep It Sweet 17 Comments

Hi, friends! I have so much to share with you from my Foodbuzz weekend but an apartment full of boxes is keeping me from the blog right now. In fact, I still haven’t found my underwear (thank G-d for now having a washer and dryer in the apartment!). On the upside, I don’t have to go to the gym yet since I can’t find my sneakers either.

In the meantime, I have another guest post for you. This one is from my amazing sister, Jessica. She is the reason I started the blog so I owe all of my Keep It Sweet life to her. The best part about this guest post? I get to eat this delicious pumpkin bread when she brings it for Thanksgiving.

Full disclosure: I do not bake. My sister and my mom – they bake. Me – I cook. I clean the dishes when they bake. But any time I try to bake, I am reminded of why I don’t bake.

Despite this fact, I offered to do a guest post for my sister while she takes care of the 8 million other things going on in her life. Ya’ know, like moving and preparing to host Thanksgiving dinner for our family.

So I decided to make one of my mom’s classic and easy recipes – pumpkin bread. Classic because everyone knows it and loves it. Easy because I was able to make it through the whole recipe without asking any questions. And to add my own little touch, I took one of my mom’s favorite touches – chocolate chips and cinnamon sugar – and put it in the center. And here’s what I got: Cinnamon Sugar Swirl, Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Of course, being the non-baker that I am, something still went wrong. When the top of the loaf started burning and spilling over the edges before the center was cooked, I realized that I filled the pan way too high. Note to self: When they say flour makes bread rise, they mean it. Take that into consideration before filling a pan to the top.

[print_this]

Cinnamon Sugar Swirl, Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Adapted from My Favorite Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

Dry:

3 cups sugar

3 ½ cups flour

1 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp baking soda

1 ½ tsp salt

Wet:

1 cup oil

2 cups pumpkin

2/3 cup water

4 eggs

Filling:

2 ounces semi-sweet mini chocolate chips plus additional for sprinkling on top

2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar (I used a pre-mixed version but you can make your own to taste)

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

First mix the dry ingredients, then mix them in with the wet ingredients.

Spray two 2-pound loaf pans.

Fill pans about halfway and then sprinkle cinnamon sugar and chocolate chips.

Pour batter on top, filling the pan about ¾ of the way (take it from me, you don’t want to fill it all the way). Sprinkle with additional chocolate chips.

Cook at 350 for about an hour.

Enjoy Smile

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Blog, Recipes

The Ultimate Thanksgiving Recipe List

November 3, 2011 Keep It Sweet 45 Comments

What a week this has been! We moved yesterday and although we made good progress, my bedroom is stacked with boxes of clothes and no where to put them yet. Luckily we prioritized and the kitchen is ready to go. Both of us are loving our new place and with twice the amount of space as our last apartment, it is nice to be able to come home and breathe! I’d love to finish everything here, but I’m off to San Francisco tomorrow morning for the Foodbuzz Festival, a weekend of blog networking and food., ie heaven.

And in other exciting news, this will be the first year that Matt and I will host Thanksgiving. I’m so glad we had five years of practice because now I don’t have to be too nervous. On the other hand, I have so many desserts much food that I want to make and I need to work on my menu editing skills! Otherwise I’m going to need to spend the next three weeks in the kitchen.

So since I’m busy with menu planning, I figured I’d share some ideas from Keep It Sweet and other blogs for your holiday dinner!

Appetizers

Brussels Sprout and Pancetta Flatbread (We Are Not Martha)

Cheddar Bacon Ale Dip (Dinners, Dishes and Desserts)

Fall Bruschetta (Eats Well With Others)

Pumpkin Soup with Chili Cran-Apple Relish (The Keenan Cookbook)

Side Dishes

Bacon Cheddar Cornbread (Slow Like Honey)

Baked Potato Soup (Dainty Chef)

Buttermilk Whipped Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes (Prevention RD)

Butternut Squash with Pepita Cilantro Vinaigrette (Eats Well With Others)

Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese with Caramelized Onions, Bacon and Apple (The Spiffy Cookie)

Cornbread Dressing with Tempeh Bacon, Cherries and Portabella Mushrooms (Peas and Thank You)

Maple Cayenne Roasted Brussels Sprouts (Not Rachael Ray)

My Favorite Pumpkin Bread (Keep It Sweet)

Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Brown Butter and Toasted Pecans (How Sweet it is)

Pumpkin Maple Baked Bean Cornbread Casserole (Oh She Glows)

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto (La Casa de Sweets)

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette (In Good Taste)

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash with Apples (What Megan’s Making)

Spiced Maple Roasted Apples and Squash (My Kitchen Addiction)

Sweet Potato Casserole with Toasted Marshmallows (Keep It Sweet)

“Turkey”!

Crockpot Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili (Skinny Taste)

Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Meatballs (Lauren’s Latest)

Thanksgiving Sandwiches (Crepes of Wrath)

The Best Thanksgiving Turkey Breast (Heather’s Dish)

Turkey & Carrot Meatloaf (Weekly Bite)

Turkey Shepard’s Pie (Sweet Pea’s Kitchen)

Turkey Taco Pasta Skillet (All Day I Dream About Food)

Zesty Turkey Burgers (Yums and Loves)

Desserts

Apple & Pear Crisp (Keep It Sweet)

Apple Cider Spice Cake (Confessions of a Cookbook Queen)

Apple Pecan Cheesecake (Baked by Rachel)

Apple Spiced Brown Butter Blondies (London Bakes)

Caramel Apple Cake (Pass the Sushi)

Caramel Apple Cider Shake (The Avid Appetite)

Caramel Apple Cookies (Blog is the New Black)

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (Keep It Sweet)

Cinnamon & Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pie Cookies (Keep It Sweet)

Cinnamon Ice Cream (Chocolate & Carrots)

Cinnamon Roll Cookies (Keep It Sweet)

Cinnamon Roll Pumpkin Vanilla Sheet Cake (Picky Palate)

Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Dulce De Leche (The Novice Chef)

Double Crumble Hot Apple Pie (Keep It Sweet)

Double Decker Pumpkin Caramel Pie (Recipe Girl)

Fall Trifle (Keep It Sweet)

Frozen Pumpkin and Chocolate Yogurt Pie with Salted Caramel Cream Sauce (Keep It Sweet)

Overnight Pumpkin Pecan Croissant Bread Pudding (The Yummy Life)

Pear, Cranberry and Gingersnap Crumble (Smitten Kitchen)

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting (Espresso and Cream)

Pumpkin Chai Cupcakes (Dessert for Two)

Pumpkin Cheesecake Stuffed Snickerdoodles (Willow Bird Baking)

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Bars (Keep It Sweet)

Pumpkin Gingersnap Cookies (Two Peas & Their Pod)

Pumpkin Pie Rice Krispy Treats (Baking Bites)

Pumpkin Shaped Orange Velvet Whoopie Pies (Cookies and Cups)

Pumpkin S’more Muffins (Keep It Sweet)

Mix and Match Chocolate Bars (Keep It Sweet)

Skillet Apple Crisp (Brown Eyed Baker)

Southern Style Pecan Pie (Young Married Chic)

The Best Homemade Applesauce (Keep It Sweet)

Whole Wheat Maple Walnut Spice Cookies (Keep It Sweet)

What are your Thanksgiving plans? I hope they involve someone you love and delicious food!

Blog, Recipes

Chocolate Caramel Apple Bars {Guest Post}

November 1, 2011 Keep It Sweet 21 Comments

I am so excited to share another wonderful guest post with you today! Rachel is a blog friend turned real-life friend and she is here to share her recipe for Chocolate Caramel Apple Bars (how good does that sound?!). This is a huge help to me because I am in the process of moving apartments. I’m so excited for our new place but wow is it a lot of work. In the meantime, enjoy Rachel’s post and be sure to check out her blog for other delicious recipes like Pizza Dip, Layered Oreo Cake Bars, and her Banana Bread Smoothie.

Hi Keep it Sweet readers! I’m Rachel! I blog about all things food over at The Avid Appetite and all things life over at The Peach & The Pit. I am so excited to be guest posting here today. Lauren was one of my first real ‘blog’ friends and I am so happy that we found each other! She keeps my stomach rumbling with her amazing and super creative dessert recipes and I always look forward to her posts each week.

When I first thought about guesting over here on Keep it Sweet, I knew that I would have to come up with a delicious and decadent dessert recipe that would be worthy of standing next to Lauren’s delectable creations. And since I know she loves chocolate, that obviously had to be a key ingredient.

I have long had a love affair with appley things. For as long as I can remember, anything with apples was instantly my favorite dessert. Pies, tarts, coffee cakes, crumbles, you name it. When I started thinking about a recipe to share with you, I knew that combining my love of apple, cinnamon and caramel with Lauren’s love of chocolate would surely be a winner. Right?

Right?!

Well let me tell you about them and perhaps you’ll agree. Ooey gooey apple and caramel scattered atop a layer of semisweet chocolate, then sandwiched between crumbly oat goodness and topped with even more sticky caramel sauce is what these bars are all about. And if that’s wrong, I don’t want to be right. You won’t either; trust me on this one.

[print_this]Chocolate Caramel Apple Bars
*bar base adapted from Betty Crocker Cooky Book’s Date Bars
3/4 C shortening, such as Crisco
1 C brown sugar
1 3/4 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 C old fashioned oats
1 C semisweet chocolate chips
2 tart baking apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored and diced
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ C caramel topping or sauce (such as 1 jar Smucker’s caramel flavored ice cream topping)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 13×9″ pan with foil (one strip lengthwise, one strip widthwise), letting the foil hang over the edges. Grease well. Mix the shortening and sugar together in a bowl. I used my stand mixer, but a hand mixer (or even by hand) would work too.
In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. Beat into the shortening & sugar mixture. Stir in the oats. Press 2/3 of the mixture into the greased, foil-lined pan.
Next, peel, core and chop the apples. Mix with the sugar and cinnamon and set aside.
Then, melt the chocolate (I do it via microwave) and carefully spread over the oat dough. It won’t be perfect, and that’s ok! Pour the apples evenly over the chocolate. Drizzle 1 cup of the caramel sauce all over the apples. Gooeyness!
Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over top and drizzle the remaining caramel sauce over that.
Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool and set. To cut up, remove from pan by using the foil as handles. Peel away and cut into bars. Gooey, decadent, stretchy pants-inducing bars.[/print_this]

I hope you enjoy these! I can’t wait to make them again and again!

News on the next blog party: The theme is CHEESECAKE! and it will be posted on Tuesday, November 29th. Send me your links by the 28th to keepitsweetlcl at gmail dot com.

Keep It Sweet Desserts

Monthly Archives: November 2011

Cheesecake Party!

Amaretto Chocolate Mascarpone Cheesecake Bars The Spiffy Cookie

`[pinit]`

Caramel Apple Cake Trifle and Giveaway!

`[pinit]`

Gooey Pumpkin and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars {Gluten-Free}

`[pinit]`

Salted Caramel and Brownie Cheesecake Bars

What I Learned at Foodbuzz and the Food that Came With It

Cinnamon Sugar Swirl Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread {Guest Post}

The Ultimate Thanksgiving Recipe List

Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Dulce De Leche (The Novice Chef)

Chocolate Caramel Apple Bars {Guest Post}

Cookie cakes, dessert platters, pop-ups and more!