Hi All Happy Monday!  Funny story as to why I picked this post.  I am a little tight on time as a last minute trip to Vancouver sprung on me Friday evening with a sudden retrun trip from Vancouver came right after on Saturday morning.  I arrive home Saturday night to pack for my conference in Philadelphia starting on Sunday.  We are at Blue Bell PA staying at Normandy Farm.  Ever been?  It is quite nice so far.

There are about 9 of us who traveled together and as I was sitting on the plane I could hear one of my colleagues behind me asking his seat buddy this… Hey ever spend any time in Philadelphia?  My other buddy says ” No but I hear they make one heck of a cream cheese”

I turned around with a smile and said…. this is going on Zesty!  So as I am a little pressed on time – I wanted to share this post with you to get your taste buds grooving for the week.

Hey Zesty Cook readers, it’s Jenny over at Picky Palate.  I am thrilled to be guest posting here at Zesty’s!  At Picky Palate, I create simple family friendly meals and desserts for even those picky little eaters, come on over for a visit sometime

I am sharing one of my all time favorite sinful desserts today that I think you will love!  Caramel Apple Cream Cheese Cookie Bars.  I was even lucky enough to be featured on Bettycrocker.com with these bad boys!

The best part of this recipe is that it’s a breeze to whip up, the kids can help and you can find all of the ingredients at any grocery store.  Hope you all enjoy!!

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons melted butter
• 3 Cups Golden Graham Cereal, ground in food processor
• 1 Roll Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough
• 8 oz softened cream cheese
• 1/4 Cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 21 oz can apple pie filling
• 1 -  5 oz package Nature Valley Oats N’ Honey Crunchy Granola Bars (2 count), crushed (I use a rolling pin to crush them right in the bag before opening)
• 9 -  5 oz Kraft Caramels
• 1/2 Cup half and half

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine melted butter and ground cereal into a large bowl; press into an 8×8 inch baking dish lined with foil that’s been sprayed with cooking spray.
3. Bake for 10 minutes then remove from oven.  Crumble half of the cookie dough over partially baked crust.
4. Place cream cheese, sugar and vanilla into a mixer; beat until smooth.  Pour over crumbled cookie dough layer.
5. Bake for 25 minutes then remove from over.  Top with 3/4 of the apple pie filling (I chose to just add part, but you can add the whole can if desired).
6. Next top with remaining cookie dough, breaking off into little pieces evenly over top.
7. Sprinkle with crushed granola bars and bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes clean from center.
8. Let cool completely then cut into squares.
9. Melt caramels and half and half according to package directions.
10. Drizzle over each bar.
11. ENJOY!

Take care

zesty

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Hi ZestyCook readers! It’s Megan from Megan’s Munchies. Since Zesty tends to be a meat loving guy, I decided his blog needed a little extra sweetness. Browsing through the recipes on the Betty Crocker website, I found the perfect recipe to do the trick.

Who can’t resist graham crackers, melted chocolate, and warm gooey marshmallows? This recipe requires very few ingredients and is easy to make. I guarantee these bars would be a hit at any party. They are amazing served warm right out of the oven. When cutting the bars, use a knife dipped in water to avoid the marshmallows’ stickiness causing serving difficulties. ENJOY!

Warm Toasted Marshmallow S’more Bars

Ingredients:

• 1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 3 cups milk chocolate chips (18 oz)
• 41/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, stir together cookie mix and crumbs. Stir in melted butter until soft dough forms. Press into ungreased 13×9-inch pan.
2. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until set. Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes or until chocolate begins to melt.
3. Spread chocolate evenly over crust.
4. Set oven control to broil. Sprinkle marshmallows over melted chocolate.
5. Broil with top 4 to 5 inches from heat 20 to 30 seconds or until marshmallows are toasted. (Watch closely; marshmallows will brown quickly.)
6. Cool 10 minutes. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Serve warm.
7. Store any remaining bars tightly covered.
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When slicing these squares, try running your knife in hot water to ensure a nice clean cut for your friends.

Thanks Megan for a great recipe, I cannot wait to try them.  Have a great Wednesday and look forward for another great post tomorrow.

Take care

zesty

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Welcome everyone and happy Tuesday! I am very excited to share a guest post with you by Tina from Carrots and Cake. If you have not done so already, I suggest you drop over and pay Tina a visit. Her blog is really informative and very upbeat. It really is a great find and definitely one to bookmark.

Follow along below and make your own Pumpkin Coconut Bars.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour*
• 1/2 cup white flour
• 1 cup brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup of Splenda brown sugar)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1/2 cup chopped dates
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

*I used 1/2 cup of whole wheat and 1/2 cup of regular white flour for this recipe. The bars were tasty, but pretty dense. I recommend using 1 cup of white flour and nixing the whole wheat flour all together.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine pumpkin, brown sugar, vanilla, and oil, then mix in flour (both kinds) and baking powder.
3. Stir in dates, coconut, and walnuts to mixture.
4. Coat 8X8 baking pan with cooking spray and spread mixture evenly in pan (photo below).
5. Bake for 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees until batter is mostly firm.
6. Top with additional coconut shavings and cook for another 8-10 minutes on 450 degrees until coconut begins to brown.
7. Let cool for 10-15 minutes, and the cut into bars (mine were
   approximately 2″ X 2″).

Here’s the mixture before going into the oven…

… and here’s the final product, piping-hot with golden-brown shredded
coconut on top.

I hope everybody enjoyed the guest post from Tina.  Feel free to comment and tell us what you think of these yummy coconut pumpkin bars.  Have a great day!

Zesty

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