Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

You need to make these, now! These bars are a healthier version of a classic combo -- peanut butter and chocolate. I adapted the recipe from one of my husband's grandmother's. I don't know if she'd approve or not, but they are pretty yummy.

Here's the recipe I used as a base. It's pretty standard so there's room for lots of fun customization. I went a little wild; substituting coconut oil for shortening, almond butter for some of the peanut butter and honey for some of the sugar. I also used brown rice flour and sprinkled in some flax for good measure.

The batter was very sticky, but that seemed OK to me.

This is the fun part. Add whatever toppings you like and/or have on hand. And if you don't feel like it, you definitely don't HAVE to do a topping. I sprinkled chocolate chips on the still warm bars and spread it for a glaze, then added chopped pecans and coarsely crushed peanut butter-covered pretzels (because I had these on hand, and why not!).

The Recipe

makes about 12 bars

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup almond butter
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup coconut oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup brown rice flour (or whatever kind you have)
flax (optional)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)

Cream sugars, peanut butter, almond butter, honey and oil until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spread into a greased and floured 9x9-inch pan and bake at 350F degrees for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Do not overbake.

For toppings, spread chocolate chips over still warm brownies for a glaze. Add whatever else you might want -- chopped nuts, crushed candy bars, pretzels, marshmallows, dried fruit.

Banana Yellow Squash Muffins

Yellow squash may seem like a bit of an odd ingredient, but think of it like zucchini. It makes a deliciously moist quick bread or muffin and you can throw just about anything in with it: raisins, chopped nuts, seeds, chocolate chips, chopped apples, lemon zest, shredded carrots. Get creative.

Just remember, when mixing, don't overdo it! Especially when making muffins. While you may be giving your arm a good workout, your muffins will turn out dense and tough. Use a light touch when blending the wet and dry ingredients (but feel free to whip the sugar and egg mixture thoroughly).

The Recipe

makes 2 loaves or about 24 muffins (12 jumbo)

2 ripe bananas
2 yellow summer squash - grated/shredded
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oats
1/3 cup wheat germ and/or flax (or more wheat flour)
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup agave (or honey)
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup chopped pecans

In a large bowl, mash bananas and mix with shredded squash. Add eggs, beat lightly. Add oil, sugar, agave/honey, milk and vanilla. Mix ingredients well.

In a separate bowl, combine flours, oats and wheat germ/flax. Add spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add this mixture to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Gently stir in chopped nuts.

Spoon into greased and floured muffin tins or loaf pans. Bake at 350F degrees (about 1 hour for bread, 15-20 minutes for muffins). Check periodically to make sure the top isn't getting too brown. Cover loosely with aluminum foil, if necessary.

Oatmeal Bread

Nothing beats the smell (and taste!) of freshly baked bread. For those afraid of yeast bread recipes, this one is fairly forgiving. Start by mid-afternoon and you'll have it for dinner, and plenty for leftovers, too.

Make sure to let the oat mixture cool before adding the yeast mixture. Super hot temperatures may kill the yeast. You can put the oats in the fridge for a bit to help the process along. I added some flax and wheat germ to the oat mixture for a nutrition/fiber boost.

Let the dough rise until it's puffy, but watch it closely if it's especially warm in your kitchen. If it rises for too long, it can start to deflate. After baking, don't forget to rub the top with a little butter -- it gives it a nice sheen. Enjoy fresh, and for the next few days as toast!

The Recipe

makes 2 loaves

1 cup quick oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups boiling water
1 package of yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
1/2 cup warm water
5 cups white flour (any combination of flours/flax/wheat germ you dare)

Combine first five ingredients and pour 2 cups boiling water on mixture. Let cool! Dissolve yeast in a small bowl with the 1/2 cup of warm water. 

Combine the cooled oat mixture, dissolved yeast mixture and white flour. Knead for five to 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl and let rise until doubled (about one hour).

Shape into two loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Let rise (about one hour). 

Bake at 350F degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and rub butter on top of each loaf. Cool on a wire rack so they don't steam in the pans.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch

Rhubarb! It's in season, so time to make some baked goods. For this crunch, I tweaked a recipe from my husband's grandma. I love messing with old recipes! Basically, I cut back on the sugar and added some local strawberries -- because those are in season, too.

Fresh rhubarb! Get it at your local farmers market or neighbor/friend who has a surplus crop. You can also usually find it at the grocery store.

The crust. I added about 1/4 cup oatmeal. It tasted sort of like an oatmeal cookie -- delicious.

I used sugar in the raw, and also a little brown sugar, because that's what I had. Being out of white sugar isn't such a bad thing! The strawberries added to the sweetness, I think.

The Recipe

makes about 9 smallish-medium-sized bars

1/2 cup butter - softened

1 cup + 3 tablespoons flour, divided (I added about 1/4 cup oatmeal to the crust)

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sugar (I used about 3/4 cup, but probably could have gone with 2/3 cup)

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb

vanilla ice cream

optional: strawberries (I added about 1/2 cup chopped)

Heat oven to 350F degrees. Combine butter, 1 cup flour and powdered sugar. Mix until ingredients are fully combined and pat into lightly greased 8x8-inch pan. Bake for 15 minutes and remove pan from oven.

Beat eggs with sugar, remaining flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in rhubarb and pour over baked crust. Bake for another 35 to 40 minutes. Cut into 9 squares and serve hot with vanilla ice cream.

Bosnian Pita (Burek)

This is not something I would have attempted on my own. But my sister had recently watched her husband's grandmother (grandmother-in-law?) slave over some burek and thought she could replicate it. The recipe is legit as the grandmother is legit -- she only speaks Bosnian and my sister's husband had to translate during the baking spree.

Rolling out the pita dough is the toughest part. Apparently the grandmother used to roll it out on a large cloth sheet, but we just stuck with a floured counter top. We couldn't get it quite as thin as she did, but it should be as thin as possible without tearing. It's OK if you can see through it!

OK, this part is pretty hard, too. The trick is getting the right amount of filling on the dough, and therefore avoiding blowouts. We definitely had a few. It's OK -- they still taste great. 

This is my favorite part. Spiraling the rope! Do it carefully so the filling doesn't ooze out. Then gently put your snail of Bosnian goodness in a lightly greased pan. Brush with melted butter for extra deliciousness.

The recipe

makes about 5 to 6 medium-sized rolls

Pita:

2 cups flour

4 tablespoons sunflower oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water

Filling:

8 ounces farmer's cheese

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sour cream

additional oil

melted butter

additional sour cream

Form dough out of first four ingredients. Knead until smooth. Coat in additional oil and let sit for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, mix cheese filling  ingredients.

Roll out pita dough on a floured surface (in a rectangle shape) until it is paper thin and almost see-through. Trim edges and discard. Cut dough into 4-inch strips lengthwise. Put filling along middle. Roll up lengthwise, being careful not to let the filling ooze out. Roll rope into a spiral shape and place in a lightly greased pan. Brush top with melted butter.

Bake for about 45 minutes at 350F to 400F degrees. They are done when golden brown on top. Serve with additional sour cream and salt.