Today, with the Husband up north, the house to myself and the holiday spirit humming within me, I took a page from my mom's book and baked up a storm. I baked enough that my cat, hungry for some attention, took it upon herself to pull a soup bowl off the ottoman, breaking it.
I baked enough to make quite a mess. Here's a shot I snapped when I was already half way through the clean up!
I made my mom's famous Nanimo bars. (I haven't perfected how to make them pretty yet. But they taste fantastic!) I confess that the Husband and I made these two years ago, and when the chocolate on top refused to cut nicely without breaking, we deemed them not worthy for presentation and ate the WHOLE PAN ourselves.
Chocolate chip butterscotch bars. This was a new recipe and they turned out pretty damn delicious, if I do say so myself.
And my first go at shortbread. I don't think I'll use this recipe again, but they have Toblerone pieces in the, so how bad can they be?
Next week, with my lovely Husband, it will be time for sugar cookies and gingerbread! We got some awesome cookie cutters as part of a very generous wedding gift and we can't wait to use them.
Oh! And don't fear for our figures! We have a few holiday events to attend, so all of this is being baked so we can spread it around. After all, that tropical honeymoon is fast approaching...
8 comments:
Tammy! So delicious :) What is the recipe you used for the chocolate butterscotch bars? Those sound like the yummiest ever :)
That previous comment was Shawna Kennedy by the way :) I forgot I had my nickname on this account
I'm just home from brunch at Cora's, full of food, yet reading your blog today made me want to eat. What's up with that????
PS - Everything looks delish, even the nanaimo bars!!!
Shawna, I suspected that was you. Welcome to my blog! Courtesy of "Mrs. Fields Best Ever Cookie Book," here is the recipe for you:
Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Bars
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 300. Grease an 8 x 8-inch baking pan.
- Combine flour and soda in a medium bowl. Mix well with whisk and set aside.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to blend the sugar and butter. Add egg and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until light and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the flour mixture, pecans and chocolate chips. Blend at low speed until just combined. Do no overmix.
- Transfer batter into the prepared pan and level top with a rubber spatula. Bake in centre of over for 35 to 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean but centre is still soft. Cool on rack to room temperature. Cut with a sharp knife into 1 x 2-inch bars.
Confession! I used walnuts instead of pecans and chopped up semisweet baking chocolate instead of chocolate chips, because that's what I had on hand. And they turned out beautifully!
Happy baking!
Oh dear, those look dangerous :) I've been following your blog for a couple weeks now, after I saw you post something on facebook about your wedding/planning? I'm guilty of trying to steal ideas!! It looked like a beautiful evening :)
Do you mind if I ask if you liked/loved your photographer?
Shawna, we LOVED Cory! Not only did we find his price reasonable considering the high quality of his shots (there are a LOT of crazy expensive photographers in this town AND a lot of inexpensive, mediocre photographers), but we also clicked with him when we met him. He's just a super nice guy, easy-going and enthusiastic. He came with his wife as his assistant/second photographer and she was also lovely.
Make sure you're comfortable with whoever you choose, because if you're uncomfortable, that's going to come out in the photos.
If you want to bounce any other wedding ideas off of me, feel free! Happy planning.
A bit late but a little secret for cutting the nanaimo bars and keeping them looking good is to use a hot knife. Usually just dipping it in hot water is sufficient. Sort of melts its way through the bar instead of breaking them all up. Have fun eating.
Thanks Dad! I've been thinking that I need to make another batch, so I'll try this tip out. Love you!
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