Cranberry Date Nut Bars

Do you want a cookie but not the calories that go with it?  That’s what I have here.  Well, it’s not technically a “cookie” per say, but I’m calling it close enough.     😉  These no bake bars taste like a berry fruit roll up snack, except these bars are loaded with healthy ingredients. Cranberry Date Nut Bars Recipe (16 servings) Ingredients: 1 cup almonds 1 cup dried cranberries 1 cup pitted dates 1 tablespoon sweetened coconut flakes 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 cup miniature chocolate chips (optional) Directions: Combine the almonds, dried cranberries, pitted dates, coconut flakes, and …

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Chocolate Gingerbread Bars

I’m a big fan of Tory Burch and her handbags.  I find that they are pricey but every now and then I like to splurge.  I saw (on her blog) that Tory’s Thanksgiving menu involved a gingerbread brownie for dessert.  Chocolate and gingerbread combined into one goodie?  I’d never heard of such a thing.  It got me thinking…why not?  Fast forward through all my research to these chocolate gingerbread bars and now I’m in love with the combo.  In fact, I’m a bit obsessed with it and I wonder how I ever managed without it. These bars are a moist gingerbread chocolate cake loaded …

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Shortbread Cookies

Buttery goodness.  Crumbs that melt in your mouth.  Decadent vanilla flavor.  Do I have your attention?  These shortbread cookies may look boring, but they are quite the contrary.  After one bite, these cookies will become one of the most irresistible cookies that you’ve ever had.  To quote my taste tester and husband extraordinaire, “Yea, these don’t suck.”  Which was said while eating several pieces after the one I’d handed him as a taster. Shortbread Cookies Recipe (Makes 16 cookies) Ingredients: 1 cup (equivalent to 2 sticks) butter, room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups cake flour 3/4 cup powdered sugar 1/2 …

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Oreo Cheesecake Bars

I have a lot of fun finding inspiration from my fellow bloggers.  My friend, Gloria from Simply Gloria, recently made two kinds of desserts using Oreo cookies (Snickers Oreo Caramel Bars and Oreo Pudding Cookies).  They both look amazing and you should check them out, along with many of her other great ideas. Since seeing those Oreo desserts I’ve been itching to bake with Oreo cookies.  Plus I have been in the mood for cheesecake.  The perfect solution to both was to combine the ideas and create Oreo cheesecake bars.  These bars are a classic cheesecake loaded with chunks of Oreo cookies on …

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Peanut Butter Frosted Brownies

When I was a kid, my school cafeteria sometimes served a peanut butter and chocolate graham cracker square for dessert.  You could only get them on certain days and only if you bought the lunch.  They were so good that I’d specifically buy lunch on those days even if I didn’t like the lunch option.  Ever since that dessert, I’ve been a huge peanut butter and chocolate fan. These peanut butter frosted brownies take me back to when I was a kid and I adore them every bit as much as those cafeteria desserts.  These fudgy brownies are topped with sweet …

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