Busy Brunette Bakerista

Year-Round Holiday Cookie Bars *I will be taking a break for a while so look for my next post in April or May 2018* Happy Baking Everyone!! Sometimes the best cookie recipe is the easiest. Bake these for any special occasion, holiday, or birthday and I bet they’ll be a family favorite. You can use different colored sprinkles, sugar, or cupcake toppers too. 2 eggs (1 cup) two sticks of butter, softened 2 bags of sugar cookie mix {17.5 oz. bag} 1 can of vanilla frosting (or homemade frosting of your choice) sugar sprinkles (holiday colors) Follow instructions on bag of cookie mix. Heat 350 degrees for nonstick or 375 degrees for regular cookie sheet. Using a large spatula or wooden spoon stir two bags of cookie mixes, two eggs, and two sticks of softened butter in a large mixing bowl.  Spread dough into a large baking pan with a rim (you can use a sheet cake pan, jelly roll pan, etc.).  Bake for 15 min. Cool.  Spread wit

It’s that time of year when children and adults start planning weeks ahead in anticipation for one night of obtaining bags of free, delicious, hyperactivity-inducing candy of all sorts – Halloween. Since stores start selling candy right after Labor Day, my kids are ready for something new by mid-October. This is the only “bark” recipe I have and can I say, better than any other candy – but a bit pricey. So if you have any to share with friends or neighbors, don’t. Adapted from an old recipe from Bon Appetit magazine, “candy bark” refers to a candy, usually of chocolate with large pieces of nuts, made in flat sheets. Afraid-of-the-Dark Halloween “Bark” 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate chips 3 (2.1 ounce) Butterfinger candy bars – cut into irregular 1-inch pieces 3 (1.4 ounce) Skor or Heath toffee candy bars – cut into irregular ¾-inch pieces 8 (.55 ounce) peanut butter cups, each cut into 8 wedges ¼ honey-roasted peanuts 3 ounces white chocolat

When I worked at a local nonprofit, one of my co-workers was Ms. Alyson. She was a native Georgia girl who had moved out to California a few years back and missed her mama’s cooking.   This bread reminded her of home and I ended up baking two…one for her and one for the staff!  Oh one more little thing,   Alyson was Ms. Wheelchair California in 2009   and runner up at Ms. Wheelchair America. Yes, I do know some celebrities…check out her   blog !   This is adapted from one of Paula’s recipes. Alyson’s Banana Bread ½ cup of butter at room temperature 1 cup of sugar  ½ teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon maple flavor or extract 1 ½ cups flour (sifted) 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 4 ripe bananas ¼ cup to ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips  cooking spray Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a (9” x 5”) or (11”x 4”) loaf pan with cooking spray. Mix together the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and stir

It's been three years to the day since I shared this recipe on my blog and I still make it all the time! My sweet sister-in-law, Maria, gave me this personalized rolling pin that says “baked by pam”. For it’s inaugural use I had to make my grandmother’s sugar cookie recipe that she wrote on a plain piece of stationery. You make the dough, put it in the fridge, or “ice box” as she called it, roll out, cut, and bake. Ice Box Sugar Cookies   1 ½ cups of butter (softened to room temperature) 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup white granulated sugar 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla pinch of salt 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour {1 cup chopped pecans – optional} Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter and both sugars in a large bowl with a mixer.  Slowly add eggs, one at a time, mixing as you go. Add in vanilla and salt and mix again. Add flour slowly in ½ cup increments mixing on low speed until all flour is incorporated. Mix for 30 seconds on medium unt