Granola Bars with Raspberry Jammy Bits

Granola Bars with Raspberry Jammy Bits

Hi everybody :)
My daughter, Patrina, raided my freezer and discovered 2 bags of Raspberry Jammy Bits I had stored away. She looked online, found a recipe, and made these bars a few days ago. She been so busy that she asked me to share them with you all. Well, let's get it started...

Granola Bars with Raspberry Jammy Bits adapted from King Arthur Flour
1 2/3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats (I used Old-Fashioned)
3/4 cup Sticky Bun Sugar (1/2 cup brown sugar)
1/3 cup oat flour, or finely ground rolled oats (I used King Arthur Whole Wheat flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
1 1/2 cups nuts*
1 cup Raspberry Jammy Bits (I used 3/4 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup melted butter or vegetable oil ( I used coconut oil)
1/4 cup honey, maple syrup, or corn syrup( I used corn syrup but, think agave would work fine too)
1 tablespoon water
*3/4 cup sliced almonds and 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut.
 
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease (I used parchment paper instead of greasing the pan to make cutting the bars and lifting them out easier) a 9" x 13" pan. (Bars were thin, for thicker bars use a 7"x12" pan.)
 
Stir together the dry ingredients, including the nuts and Jammy Bits.
 
In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter or oil, honey or syrup, and water.
 
Toss the wet ingredients with the dry until the mixture is evenly crumbly.
 
Spread in the prepared pan, shaking the pan to evenly cover the bottom, and pressing in firmly (I used plastic wrap to help press the bars down).
 
Bake the bars for 25 to 30 minutes (It only took me 22 min.), until they're just starting to brown, and are bubbly around the edges.
 
Remove them from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.

Use a knife to cut the bars while they're still warm. Let cool completely before removing from the pan.  (I removed the parchment paper from the pan in order to cut the bars, and placed the paper and bars back in the pan to finish cooling.)
 
Yield: about 1 dozen 2" x 4 1/2" bars
What She Did and/or Thinks:
The changes she made are in Italic and Purple.  
The  Taste: Although she used less brown sugar and less jammy bits, I think the sweet taste should be cut down a little more. But all in all these were delicious, and we would definitely REPEAT this using agave or honey in the place of the corn syrup and 1/3 cup brown sugar. 
ENJOY! Come again...
Linked to:
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Heart-Shaped Cheese Ball & Homemade Crackers

Heart-Shaped Cheese Ball & Homemade Crackers

   
Hi everybody :)
I've been so busy lately, I missed from posting the other day. To make things right, I'm sharing two recipes in today's post.
Since, February is considered a month for romance; cheese,  crackers and a bottle of wine are the prefect way to start off a romantic occasion.  We that in mind, I'm sharing Heart-Shaped Cheese Ball and Homemade Crackers. Let's get it started...

Homemade Plain Crackers
1/2 package (1 teaspoon) active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water (105° to 115°)
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 slightly beaten egg white
Coarse or seasoned salt, grated Parmesan cheese, toasted wheat germ, or toasted sesame seed

In a small bowl dissolve yeast in the warm water. Stir in oil, sugar, and the 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl stir together flour and soda. Stir water
mixture into flour mixture. 

When the dough becomes too stiff to stir, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until thoroughly combined. Then knead for 1 to 2 minutes more to make a moderately Stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Place in a sealed plastic bag and chill for 1 hour. (Dough will rise slightly.)

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into 1/8 -inch thick  rectangle. Brush off excess flour. Cover dough and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, grease a baking sheet, set baking sheet aside. (Dough will rise slightly.)

Using a pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut dough into 2-inch squares, triangles, or diamond Shapes. Or, using a 2-inch round cookie cutter cut dough into rounds. (I used a small oval-shape cutter.)
Place on the prepared baking sheet. Using the tines of a fork, prick crackers well.

In a small mixing bowl stir together egg white and 1 tablespoon water, lightly brush crackers with egg white mixture. Sprinkle with coarse or seasoned salt. Parmesan cheese, toasted wheat germ, or toasted sesame seed. 

(I sprinkled garlic salt & parsley on some and salt on some.) 
Bake in a 350° oven for 10 to 12 minutes or till done. Remove crackers from the baking sheet and cool on a wire rack. Makes about 60 (I got about 48)

Homemade Whole Wheat Crackers: Prepare Homemade Plain Crackers as directed at left, except reduce all-purpose flour to 1 cup. Stir 1/4 cup whole wheat flour into the flour mixture. Bake a 350° oven for 12 to 14 minutes or till done.

 (I sprinkled toasted wheat germ on some and salt & pepper on some.)
Source: Better and Gardens Old-Fashioned Home Baking

Heart-Shaped Ranch Cheese Ball
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons dry ranch dressing mix
1/2 teaspoon salad supreme seasoning
1/3 cup Cheddar Cheese 
1 (2 oz.) package bacon bits (2 tablespoons)
Paprika for coating 

In a medium bowl, mix  together all the ingredients except paprika.  

 Shape into a heart.

To coat:  Sprinkle  a layer of paprika about the size of the heart on plastic wrap. Place cheese ball heart on top of paprika, sprinkle paprika to cover. 

Wrap in plastic wrap and place in zip-lock bag and refrigerate until ready to serve. (Great if made-ahead for flavors to blend.

What I Did and/or Think: 
I divided the liquid mixture in half to make half plain and half wheat crackers. The other changes are in Bold, Italic, and Purple.

The Taste: The crackers have the same taste and crunch of  saltine soda crackers. They were great with the cheese ball without being overpowering. I love the flavors of the cheese ball. It contained two of my favorite thing after all; bacon and cheese :). 

I think the next time I make the crackers, I'll add a little butter flavoring to the liquid mixture. It's an A.G.R. (Another Great REPEAT).

Being romantic can be very tasty :) Now what are you waiting for? Get an head start, make them today.

ENJOY! Come again...
I was featured on Bizzy Bake!!!


Linked to:
YeastSpotting! @ wildyeast 
BYOB @ Roxana's Home Baking : (Feb 2013) Bake Your Own Bread  
Recipe Sharing Monday @ Jam Hands  
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Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen  
Bizzy Bake Recipe Box
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Zentmrs: Tuesday Table  
Pint Sized Baker: Two Cup Tuesday #5 
Katherine Martinelli: Valentine's Day Round Up    
 

Honey Wheat Sourdough Rolls: Baking & Cleaning

Honey Wheat Sourdough Rolls: Baking & Cleaning

 Hi everybody,

The Connecticut shooting is still weighing heavy on my heart, I just can't imagine what the parents are going though. My thoughts and prayers are still with them...

In times of despair... when I'm feeling hopeless, I sometimes find I little distraction in baking and cleaning. Yesterday I  mixed up 4 batches of the Sourdough French Rolls, but making them more healthier with a honey wheat variation. It basically the same recipe with a few changes here and there. Here's what I did...

 SOURDOUGH ROLLS

Honey Wheat Sourdough French Rolls

Prep: 15 min. + rising  BAKE: 20 min. + cooling

1   package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1 3/4  cups warm water (110° to 115°)
2 cups wheat flour
2 1/4  cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup Sourdough Starter - Taste of Home  
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoon salt

Italian Garlic Butter Topping

2 tablespoons garlic butter, melted
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning

1. In a large mixing howl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add Starter, oil, honey and salt;

add the flours, mix well.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead gently 20-30 times (dough will be slightly sticky).
Place in a greased bowl, turning, once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Divide each halves in half again to make 4 equal parts. Shape into hoagie-style rolls. (See photos on Sourdough French Rolls) Place onto greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Brush roll gently with garlic butter and sprinkle with Italian Seasoning. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes.

I love the slight hint of honey of these rolls. I was just playing around with the topping but I love the flavor it added to the rolls as well. I'm so glad I made extra batches because they are a new favorite at my house. Definitely REPEATING!

ENJOY! Come again...

Honey Wheat Sourdough Mini Rolls (see photos for Mini Herbal "Hoagie" Rolls

Linked to:
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Wheat Germ Crackers: The 3 S (Salty, Sweet, or Savory)

Wheat Germ Crackers: The 3 S (Salty, Sweet, or Savory)

Hi everybody :)

This is a first for me, in all the years I been baking, I never made crackers before! I don't know what took me so long to start, but now that I did; this wouldn't be the last time. I love baking cookies but it didn't occur to me to bake my own crackers until now. I seen some interesting crackers recipes on Pinterest too and even pinned some of them, so it still hard to believe.

This recipe comes from my collection of cookbooks. I thought it would be a great heart-healthy recipe to share because it contain wheat germ and oatmeal. I may be wrong....but I'm giving it a try anyway. So here we go...  

















Wheat Germ Crackers adapted  Pure & Simple: Beta Sigma Phi

Ingredients
3 cups oatmeal (I used old-fashioned oatmeal)  
1 cup wheat germ (I used toasted wheat germ)
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
Salt to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix first 5 ingredients in bowl.

Dry Ingredients

Mix in mixture of oil and water.

Water & Oil

Water Added to Dry Ingredients

Divide dough into 3 balls.

Dough into 3 Balls

Roll out each ball on cookie sheet. Cut into cracker size. Sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Yield: 48 crackers.

What I Did  and/or Think:
I downsized the recipe to make half. I wanted to have a little fun with the recipe. I divided the dough into 3 balls as stated above. With the first ball; I sprinkled coarse salt on top of the crackers as stated.

Salty

The second ball I sprinkled the top of the crackers with cinnamon/sugar mixture and

Sweet

for the third ball the top with Mrs. Dash Onion & Garlic Seasoning and Salad Supreme.

Savory

I used my heart-shape cookie cutter and bake them on my Silpat Baking Mat.

The dough was shiny because of the oil and was easy to work with after refrigerating for about 30 minutes.
Because of the oatmeal and the wheat germ the dough is brown already so be careful when baking them to avoid over-browning.

The taste: The crackers overall have a nutty crunchy taste. The salted crackers remind me of wheat thins and would go great with cream cheese spreads or chicken salads  The cinnamon/sugar crackers had a lightly sweetened taste to it and would be great with peanut butter. The savory crackers had a nutty, onion, earthy taste and would be perfect for meat and cheese trays.

Although this goes without saying, but I'm going to say it anyway...y'all know what this recipe is....IT'S A REPEAT!

If you haven't made homemade crackers before, this is a easy recipe to try out. Don't put it off like I did :) Get in the kitchen NOW...HURRY and make some crackers! :D Have fun and experiment with the toppings, I would love to know what flavors you come up with.

ENJOY! Come again.....

Shared with: 
Lady Behind the Curtain: Cast Party Wednesday: Link Party #58, 
A Little Nosh: Tastetastic Thursday
Show Case Your Talent  @What's Cooking Love 
BYOB @ girlichef: BYOB - Bake Your Own Bread
Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage
What's Cooking Wednesday