Heartland Turtle Bars - Club Baked

It's Club Baked time and it's my turn to host!!   Our leader, Karen asked me to choose a recipe from the Cookies and Bars section of Baked Explorations.   Heartland Turtle Bars?   I've never lived anywhere else but the Heartland.  Check! The book says the original recipe for these came from a Minnesota church cookbook and my husband is from Minnesota. Check!  Heartland Turtle Bars it is!

The recipe calls for a 9 x 13 pan.  Not wanting to have quite that much dessert in the house, I cut the recipe in half and used a 9 x 9 pan.  These remind me of Magic Cookie bars, with a homemade caramel topping in place of the Sweetened Condensed Milk.  Although there are several steps and some cooling time in between steps, this is a relatively simple dessert to make.  These bars are delicious, rich in butter and chocolate.  Need I say more?

Heartland Turtle Bars

Servings: 24 bars

For the bar topping and base:

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 and 3/4 cups rolled oats

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

1 cup toasted pecans, chopped into large pieces

1 and 1/2 cups chocolate chips

For the caramel filling:

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

10 tablespoons ( 1 and 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into cubes

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions: 

1. For the bar topping and base: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9-by-13-inch glass or light colored metal baking pan.

3. Line the pan with parchment paper so that the paper overhangs the pan on two sides.

4. Butter the parchment.

5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda.

6. Use your hands to rub in the brown sugar.

7. Add the oats and stir until the ingredients are evenly combined.

8. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour in the melted butter and stir until

the entire mixture is wet and combined.

9. Spread two-thirds of the mixture across the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for about 10

minutes.

10. Remove the pan from the oven to cool (but leave the oven on).

11. Sprinkle the pecans and chocolate chips across the cooled crust.

12. For the caramel filling: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the sugar and

butter together.

13. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly (the caramel will begin

to darken at this point).

14. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the cream, and pour the caramel directly over the

chocolate pecan layer.

15. Use an offset spatula to evenly distribute the caramel.

16. Sprinkle the remaining oatmeal mixture onto the caramel and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or

until the top is golden brown.

17. Let the bars cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then place the pan in the refrigerator and

chill for 1 hour to firm up.

18. Cut and serve.

You can find the links to the other Club Baked members Heartland Turtle Bars here.  Next up for Club Baked, Burnt Sugar Bundt Cake with Caramel Rum Frosting.

I am linking this to On the Menu Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday, Foodie Friday.  

Baked Cheese Grits - Club Baked

It's been a couple of months since I've baked with Club Baked.  They've baked some delicious treats, Grasshopper Bars, Whoopie Pies and Mississippi Mud Pie.  Baked Explorations, the book we are baking from, is normally all about sweet treats.  This weeks recipe is the exception!  We baked a savory dish!

The recipe says to use stone ground grits, not instant grits.  At the first grocery store, I found only instant grits.  In the pouring rain, I stopped at another grocery store and found quick grits.  I am still not sure these are the grits described in the book but I bought them anyway.

My husband isn't fond of grits!  He's from Minnesota and I don't think grits are a part of any hot dish up there!!  However, I think the cheese and butter in these changed his mind.  He had two servings. 

These are so creamy and delicious.  I'd love to try these with different kinds of cheese.  Normally you think of grits for breakfast.  These are the perfect side dish for lunch or dinner.  If you're in a hurry you could easily skip the step of melting the cheese in the oven and serve these right from the stove top! 

 

 Thanks to  Jen of Gourmified for choosing this recipe, these are a winner!  You can find the recipe on her site and links to the other Club Baked bakers here!

Next up for Club Baked, Orange Creamsicle Tart. 

I am linking this to Tasty Tuesday, Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday and Foodie Friday.

Nutella Scones - Club Baked

I love nutella! The combination of chocolate and hazelnuts is so rich and delicious! This recipe combines chocolate scones with a nutella filling. I love the way the Baked bakers instruct you to make the scones. You make a square, fold them and then cut them in triangles. So much easier than the ways I have formed scones in the past.

My scones were a little dry. I think I overbaked them just slightly. I am still trying to get baking right in my new convection oven. I also think they needed more nutella in the middle. All in all I was a little disappointed.



If you'd like to give these a try, you can find the recipe at the PhDcupcaker. Check out the other Club Baked baker's scones here!

I am linking this to Miz Helen's Full plate Thursday, Foodie Friday and Sweet Tooth Friday.

Soft Caramels - Club Baked

As you're reading this, Tim and I are on our way to Florida. We're taking our first ever 10 day cruise! Even more awesome, I won this cruise. We attended a wine tasting at our local Hy Vee store last Spring. As we were leaving, there was a drawing to enter. We both looked at each other, shrugging and saying we never win anything but stopped to fill out the entry. Needless to say, I am so glad we did. I won't be stopping by to visit for the next couple of weeks. I am hoping to have some amazing sunsets as well as a recap of the Chef's Table to share with you after we return.

Caramels are one of my favorite candies. The movement towards salted caramels increases my love even more. Salty and sweet together are the best.

According to the Baked Explorations recipe, the caramels should take about 7 minutes to reach the desired temperature. Mine were there in about four minutes, causing me to scramble to warm the cream. When I make these again, I will warm the cream earlier. Otherwise, these were easy to make and came together nicely. I should have added the sea salt a little earlier. I waited until they were too cool and it was hard to get the salt to stick.



Thanks to Teri of The Freshman Cook for choosing a fantastic recipe. You can find the recipe on her blog and see the links to the other Club Baked members caramels here!

Devils Food Cupcakes - Club Baked

As with most of my scheduled posts of late, I am running behind. I love all things chocolate and this cake is no exception. The recipe as written makes an 8" layer cake. Still recovering from all of the holiday sweets, I didn't want a layer cake around the house. I decided to cut the recipe in half and make cupcakes. I ended up with 12 cupcakes.

I double checked the recipe and am positive, I used the right measurements but my cupcakes didn't rise. Instead of the Angel Frosting the recipe called for, I added cocoa to some leftover cream cheese frosting that was in my fridge. It complimented the deep devils food flavor nicely. Despite their appearance, these cupcakes are delicious. They are light and fluffy with a deep chocolate flavor. I will be making this one again soon!


You can find the recipe at Just About Food Today. Thanks Natalie for a great choice of recipes!! Check out the links to the other Club Baked bakers cakes here!

Baked French Toast - Club Baked

Many times when you read the list of ingredients for a French toast recipe, you'll find it calls for Challah bread. I never seem to be able to locate it and always use a thick toast of some sort. Last weekend while shopping at Trader Joe's, I was thrilled to find Challah.

Baked French toast recipes are perfect for this busy holiday season. You can make it the night before and bake it the next morning. We almost always have some sort of overnight dish on Christmas morning.

My favorite part of this recipe is the raspberry syrup. Yummy! It reminds me of eating at one of those pancake houses where you have all of these flavors of syrup to choose from but tastes so much better!!!

We liked but didn't love this recipe. The 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon wasn't nearly enough. I added more, maybe up to a teaspoon but still thought it lacked cinnamon flavor. I am going to make this recipe again for Christmas using a local bakeries French toast bread which is loaded in cinnamon.


Our host for this month seems to be MIA, so I'll be sharing the recipe with all of you.
You'll find the links to the other bakers French toast here!

Baked French Toast
Recipe Courtesy of Baked Explorations

Ingredients

For the Baked French Toast
1 loaf French, Italian or Challah bread, about 11 ounces
5 large eggs
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup whole skinned almonds, coarsely chopped

For the Raspberry Sauce
1 cup fresh raspberries
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice or raspberry liqueur

Generously butter the sides and bottom of an 8 inch square baking pan. Cut the loaf into 1 or 1 1/2 inch slices and arrange in the pan.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until the just break up. Add the half and half, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Whisk until combined. Pour the mixture over the bread slices. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Use your fingers to flip each bread slice over, making sure to coat the entire surface with liquid. Arrange the bread in an overlapping pattern, sprinkle it with almonds, and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until French toast is golden brown and the mixture is puffy. Set the French toast aside to cool in the pan.

Make the Raspberry Sauce
In a small saucepan, toss the raspberries with the sugar. Cook the mixture over low heat until the berries start to break down, about 10 minutes. Strain the cooked raspberry sauce into a bowl to remove the seeds, then stir in the lemon juice.

Assemble the French Toast

Pour the raspberry sauce directly over the warm French toast (or serve it alongside in a gravy boat) and serve immediately. Top with whole fresh raspberries, if you have any left over.
Bakers Note: If you are interested in a creamier bread pudding type recipe, increase the half and half to 1 cup and the milk to 3/4 cup. And any hearty, crusty white bread makes a great substitute for the baguette.

Buckeyes - Club Baked

I am really enjoying baking and cooking in my new kitchen. Although I didn't set them up this way intentionally, the layout of my cabinets just seems conducive to baking. As I was reading over the recipe for the Buckeyes, I was reminded of these Peanut Butter Balls.

I halved the recipe and ended up with 26 buckeyes. Because it was what I had on hand, I used milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate. My buckeyes have their eyes closed. I am anxious to read the other Club Baked members secrets for dipping these. The first three or four, I dipped were a just a mess. I decided to continue, like I do with the peanut butter balls, and cover the entire surface with chocolate.

Peanut butter and chocolate, does it get any better than this? Nope not really. While these are delicious, I can't get past the grittiness of the graham cracker crumbs.



You can find the recipe at Karen's Cookies and More and the links to the other Club Baked bakers here.