Berry Crumb Bars

Hey all! It has been quite a while since I've been on here, and I just don't like that! My apologies to those waiting for recipes ;) I've been quite discouraged with this whole blog thing, but I guess I just need to write more to get more views. As long as people enjoy what I post, I will keep posting!

I was really in a baking mood today, but had no idea what to make... until I remembered I had two half full (or half empty ;) ) containers of berries in the fridge that were on their last leg. *Last leg, meaning still good, but only for another day or two before I'd toss them out* So I was going to do a cobbler, but I've never had cobbler before, so I didn't want to make something that would go to waste. That's when I was inspired by a recipe for Raspberry crumb bars. BARS. This caught my attention. I don't care for mushy fruit, surrounded my more mushy stuff. BARS sounded crisp and firm, which sounded perfect for me!

I didn't have any raspberries though, so I used strawberries, diced, and blueberries, whole. I really REALLY love how these turned out, and will absolutely be making these again with whatever fruits I impulse buy at Sam's Club on my next trip ;)

SO, If you're like me, and you love buying way too much fruit, then use this recipe to make yummy crumb bars!

Hope you enjoy!

---- Berry Crumb Bars----
makes approx 20 bars

2 sticks of cold butter (16 tbsp, cut into cubes)
1 cup, plus 1/2 cup of sugar, seperated
1 tsp baking powder
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
zest of 1 lemon
4 cups fresh berries (I used blueberries and diced strawberries)
1 large egg, beaten
juice of 1 lemon
4 tsp corn starch

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pan, and set aside. (My pan was actually a 10 x 14, BUT it still worked just fine)

In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, salt, and the flour. Add in the zest of 1 lemon, the egg, and the cubed cold butter.

Using a pastry blender, (or a sturdy whisk) cut/blend everything together, until the pieces of butter are evenly distributed. The largest chunks of butter should be no bigger than a pea. * If you use your hands for this part, make sure the butter never gets too soft, otherwise put the bowl in the freezer for a few minutes before you continue*

 Your mixture should be crumbly, with little to no loose flour.

In another bowl, mix your berries, with the remaining half cup of sugar, the juice of 1 lemon, and the cornstarch.

Pour half of the flour mixture into the bottom of your pan, and press down making one solid layer.

Spoon the berries over the cookie layer, and make sure the layer is even and every bite gets some berries. Then sprinkle the remaining flour mixture over the berries, and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the crumbles on top are golden brown.

Be sure to let the bars FULLY cool before even trying to cut them. I find it easiest to run my knife around the entire outer edge of the pan, then cutting the squares in whatever size you prefer.

These babies are so good... I couldn't help myself while I was snapping pictures!.....

HEY! Where'd that 4th bar go.... hehe ;)

ENJOY!!

Chewy Oatmeal Craisin Cookies

Hello all! I know it's been such a long time since I've made a blog post. We've been both busy, and somewhat lazy around here the last month or two. My apologies for depriving you of such tasty recipes ;)

I made some empanadas de cajeta (dulce de leche empanadas) last night, and it just made me want to bake again! So I decided to share the recipe I've been using all year for oatmeal raisin cookies... only I use craisins! Incase you don't know what those are, they are just dried cranberries! They are so much tastier than raisins (in my opinion) and not as sweet!

I usually make these for Will to take with him to work, and they're always a hit, so I figured, why not share :)

Hope you try these out! Enjoy!

----Chewy Oatmeal Craisin Cookies----
(makes approx 4 dzn small cookies)

3/4 cup room temp butter (1 1/2 sticks)
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 3/4 cup oats (i use quick oats)
1 cup of craisins

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees.

In large mixing bowl, cream together butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Add in eggs and vanilla, and mix until light and fluffy.

Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt to the bowl and mix until well combined, scraping down the sides of your bowl as needed. Your cookie dough should be pretty sticky at this point, which is perfect.

Once combined, fold in the oats and craisins. I had to switch from a rubber spatula to a wooden spoon, because it takes a bit of elbow grease to get everything folded in evenly.

Now that everything has been combined, your cookie dough is ready to be spooned onto non stick baking sheets.

Spoon rounded teaspoons of dough onto baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes. If your cookies still look a bit wet, or moist (haha) when coming out of the oven DO NOT BE ALARMED!

This is fantastic! Leave the cookies to cool for atleast 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before moving them to a cooling rack to fully cool.

Once fully cool, put them in an airtight container so they stay nice and chewy and soft!! :) ENJOY!

Bennett's Second Easter

Well folks, Easter has come and gone. Bennett had a fun day at home with Mom and Dad. We ate candy, hunted eggs, played basketball with the eggs (thanks to Daddy), and watched Disney movies. I decided to post the Easter pictures I took on our blog, instead of Facebook, because I took a lot of pictures of our backyard egg hunt, and figured this would just be easier.

We were really missing home this Easter, seeing all the pictures of everyone dressed so nice, and having big family dinners. Will worked and slept most of Easter Sunday, but we still managed to squeeze some fun in there!

His eggs had money and candy in them, mostly quarters and pennies. He didn't care for any of the candy, except the sourpatch kids jelly beans I bought for Will. He loved the change, and LOVES putting his 'monies' in his minion piggy bank from his Tia Claudia. He is so cute. I would apologize for taking so many pictures of this stud, but let's be serious........... I'm not sorry, at all. He's the best.