Chocolate Salted Caramel Cookie Bars

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I made these last weekend for a girl's night/party I had at my house. They were pretty simple and turned out SO good, I ate all the leftovers myself...

Make sure not to skimp and use Fleur de Sel, with this recipe it makes a difference!

INGREDIENTS
For the Crust: 
9 tablespoons (in other words 1 stick + 1 tbsp)unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for parchment 
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar 
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
1/4 teaspoon table salt

For the Filling: 
2 cups of milk chocolate, chopped 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 
1/4 cup water 
6 tablespoons unsalted butter 
1 cup heavy cream 
1/2 teaspoon table salt 
1 tablespoon fleur de sel

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides; butter parchment, excluding overhang. Beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add flour and table salt, and beat until just combined. Press dough evenly into pan, and bake until lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, washing sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming, until amber, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter, cream, and table salt. Bring to a boil, stirring until smooth. Pour over chocolate. Let stand for 2 minutes. Stir to combine, and let stand until cool, about 10 minutes.

Pour mixture over crust. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, or overnight. Run a knife around edges; lift parchment to remove whole bar from pan. Sprinkle with sea salt. Trim edges, and cut into 16 bars. If you're going to save some, refrigerate and sprinkle with salt only when ready to serve.
 

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

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These are my favorite type of cookies and after a lot of experimenting, this has been my favorite recipe for a few years now! Great for a summer picnic!

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup raisins
3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line cookie sheets with baking mat. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl and set aside. Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a mixing bowl until well blended. Stir in the flour mixture and then the raisins and rolled oats.

Shape dough into generous 1 1/2-inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Bake 1 sheet at a time until the cookies are lightly browned all over, 12-14 minutes. Let stand briefly and the cool on wire rack.

Gingerbread Cookies

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Always a favorite this time of year! You can use store bought cookie icing or if you're looking for something to make your homemade icing harden for better stacking, try meringue powder (found at a specialty baking store).

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1 tbsp vinegar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS
In a mixing bowl beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in molasses, egg, and vinegar until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill dough about 3 hours or until easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a cookie sheet. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough at a time until 1/8 inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut into desired shapes. Place 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for 5 to 6 minutes or until edges are light brown. Cool on cookie sheet 1 minute. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. If desired, decorate cookies with icing.

Ranger Cookies

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So I made these about a week before we moved. Now we have moved and things are chaos and I wish I had these cookies... I had all these blog posts planned for moving week but alas I never got them written.

1/2 cup butter, softened                    
1/2 cup granulated sugar                    
1/2 cup packed brown sugar                
1/2 teaspoon baking powder                    

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla                    

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour                    

1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cup raisins, dried cherries, dried cranberries, and/or mixed dried fruit bits

 

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour, the oats, coconut, and dried fruit.

 

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are golden and centers are set. Let stand for 1 minute on cookie sheet. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool.

 

 

 

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

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Love these, they are a favorite in our house!

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup shortening 
3/4 cup butter 
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs  
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 12 ounce package (2 cups) white chocolate chips
3 1/2 ounce jar of macadamia nuts (chopped)

DIRECTIONS
In a large mixing bowl beat shortening and butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, and baking soda. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Stir in white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. 

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake in a 375 degrees F oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool. Makes about 60 cookies.

 

Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies

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I didn't make this recipe today but someone asked me about it, so I said I would post it tonight:

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 3/4 cup flour
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large mixing bowl beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the 1 1/2 cups sugar; beat until combined. Beat in eggs, cream of tartar, baking soda, vanilla, and salt until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Cover and chill for 2 to 3 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in the 1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar. Place balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 9 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to wire racks and let cool. Makes 48 cookies

These cookies are super easy and delicious. I've skipped the chilling part and it still works fine, the dough is just more difficult to work with.

Power Cookies

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When I used to live in Kitsilano (in Vancouver), I often frequented Capers (which is now Whole Foods) for groceries. I fell in love with these cookies, I often took one for breakfast on my way to class or work. They are healthy and filling, I never felt guilty for eating them. A few years ago my parents put together a recipe that sort of replicated them, we are currently searching for this recipe. Until then, google will have to suffice.

I found this one. I'm calling them power cookies cause that's what they're supposedly replicating. They are 100% Vegan.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat bran (the recipe suggested oat bran but I couldn't find it)
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup coconut
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (dark chocolate is even better)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 large pinch nutmeg
1 large pinch cardamom
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl mix up everything from the flour down to the cardamom. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add the dry to the wet and mix well.

Roll a tablespoon of the mixture into your hand and then flatten. Place on a silicone baking mat on top of a cookie sheet and bake for 14 minutes or until the tops feel dry. Let rest on cookie sheet for 3 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in covered tin/tupperware.

Next time I think I'm going to try cranberries instead of raisins and sunflower seeds instead of sesame, just for something different. They turned out really well and I'm glad we have healthy snacks for the week. I wonder if Griffin will like them?