Pinspiration Post- Homemade Lara Bars & Granola Bars

Pinspiration Post #1 ~ Homemade Snacks

I have to admit, I enjoy my Social Media.  Sharing photos and chatting with readers, other breeders, friends, and family on Facebook, sharing photos on Instagram, and checking out all of the amazing ideas on Pinterest can be fun and informational.  The challenge is, as a homeschooling mom of 3, wife, homemaker, family cook, blogger, farmer, breeder, youth club leader, co-op teacher, etc. I really shouldn't be "wasting time" on Pinterest, right?  So what's a lady to do?  There are SUCH fabulous ideas on Pinterest that COULD help me out, be enjoyed, and be fun for the family!  My guilt-free idea was that I must at least use some of the ideas I find rather than just drooling over them all and pinning them to boards to never be looked at again.  With that idea came this post, my "Pinspiration" trials whether they are a success or a total failure, I'm going to share them here with you'll!

This first week I decided to give some healthier, homemade snacks a try.  I've been eyeing some homemade Lara bar recipes for some time now but never took the time to grab the ingredients.  Once I decided I'd post about it, I buckled down, put the ingredients on my shopping list and gave them a try.  Most of them came out SO well that I just HAD to try the granola bar recipe I'd printed out and stashed in the same "To Try" pile.  Although I made some mistakes, they were really good as a whole and the kids actually ate them up! <3  Getting them to go crazy over healthy, easy, grab and go snacks was all it took for me to want to share them.  Here are the Pinterest Homemade Snack Recipes I tried this week.  You can find these and other "Real Food" ideas and recipes on the board labeled as such on our Pinterest page here.  There are so many other ideas on here I'm definitely going to be trying soon so keep an eye out for other Pinspiration posts from me!

First and foremost are those homemade, healthy Larabars I mentioned. 
I began buying Lara bars for my kids after reading about them on the 100 Days of Real Food blog last year.  A pack and go snack with 5 ingredients or less?  AND one that will help my kiddos to stay "regular" (sorry for TMI! but it's so true!)?  AND one that they will actually enjoy and ask for?  I'm all over that!  I loved the Lara bars and became an instant fan but they do tend to be a little pricey AND homemade is always my best choice.  When I saw the Pin for Jessie Monds "How to Make Homemade Larabars" I was on it.

Her genius is not just the taste (which is extraordinary- no exaggeration!) but the simplicity!  These things are SO easy to make and even easier to tailor to your own tastes!  Now that I've made all three of her recipe flavors, the kids and I have tried them with different dried fruit and nut combinations!

The basic steps are:
1. Process your nuts (and any coconut, sunflower seeds, etc. if you're using them) and salt in your food processor until they make nice crumbs.  Pour them in a large bowl and add in any chocolate chips.
2. Process your pitted dates (and any other dried fruit called for in the recipe) until they start to come together in a sticky mass. 
3. Add the sticky, chopped fruit to your chopped nut mix and mash it, knead it, work it with your hands.  Sort of like you do with bread dough until it's nice and mixed together. (Let the kids all grab chunks of the new flavor you're trying.)
4. Press it into your 8x8 lined pan and refrigerate until set.  It takes a couple of hours for them to set really well.
5. Cut into bars and store in the refrigerator.  I also found that if we're taking them with us somewhere for snacks and lunches it works best to freeze them the night before, they do get mushy in the heat. 

There are three flavors we tried-

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough- didn't stick together as well as the others- it could have been my processor

2 cups raw cashews
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts (we used almonds and they were delicious so we're sticking with almonds)
2 cups pitted dates
1/2 cup organic mini chocolate chips (we used dark chocolate chips because of the heart healthy benefits)
Pinch of sea salt

This was the first flavor I tried and it was a hit all around.  I did have trouble with it sticking well.  The dates didn't process as well as I would have liked in my food processor and I ended up cutting many by hand.  In hindsight, I'm fairly certain this is why they didn't "form" well.  Rather than bars we could pick up, we found ourselves eating the bits with a fork but the flavors were amazing!

Chocolate Cherry Pie Torte - Hands down the kids' favorite
1 1/2 raw cups cashews
1/2 cup almonds or pecans (we used almonds)
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup organic dark chocolate chips

This was the second flavor we tried and it went MUCH better than the first.  The cherries helped the dates go through my processor easier and it became the sticky ball it was supposed to.  The dried cherries adds an awesome tangy flavor we all loved.  This came in a close second to my favorite and was hands' down the kids favorite flavor.  I've already had to make more of these for them!

Coconut Cream Pie - MY favorite
2 cups raw cashews
1 cup organic unsweetened coconut
1 cup pitted dates
1 TBL melted coconut oil
1/3 cup organic dark chocolate chips
Pinch of sea salt
Process the melted coconut oil with the dates.

I can only say, "YUM!"  This one is delicious if you're a coconut fan- it tastes like a Mounds bar, seriously.  The coconut oil helped my food processor chop the dates easier and they formed much easier than the first batch.  I DID make an oops and add too much coconut oil which I corrected by doubling the rest of the ingredients and making two batches of these.  No harm there, they're amazing and still didn't last long around here!  The kids aren't the big coconut fan I am so while they enjoyed them, this wasn't their favorite.

Homemade Granola Bars

Okay- my third and final Pinspiration snack trial was from Two Peas and Their Pod.  These are No-Bake Peanut Butter Pretzel Chocolate Chip Granola Bars.  I know, it sounds like a party in your mouth kind of snack, doesn't it?  It is!  After searching through my Pinterest boards, I had my fourth recipe to try and I'm SOOOOO glad I did.  The Larabars were delicious but these were even better- these are completely snack-worthy! As in, the kids would eat them and not ask for deserts instead snack-worthy!  I made all of these for a recent APA-ABA Youth Poultry Club meeting I hosted at the house and these granola bars were gone in the first ten minutes! Seriously, kids LOVE them!

No-Bake Peanut Butter Pretzel Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Yield: 8-10 bars

These no-bake granola bars are easy to make and kids and adults love them! They are perfect for picnics, lunch boxes, or snack time!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups quick oats
1/2 cup crispy rice cereal
3/4 cup chopped pretzels
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Cut out an 8 x 8 inch square of parchment paper. Place the parchment paper in the bottom of an 8 x 8 inch baking pan.
2. In a large sauce pan, add butter, brown sugar, honey and peanut butter. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture starts to bubble. Once bubbling, cook for 2 minutes while stirring. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

3. Stir in the oats, crispy cereal, and pretzels. Stir until well coated. Pour into the prepared pan. Press the mixture evenly into the pan. Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips over the top and gently press into the granola bars with your hands.
4. Place the bars in the refrigerator and let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting. Cut into bars and serve.
Note-I store the bars in the refrigerator. I've kept them in the fridge for up to a week and they are still tasty!

So, there you have it!  I actually made four recipes for the kids from Pinterest this week! I'd definitely say that makes up for some of my Pinning minutes!  No wasted time here!  I enjoyed taking the time to create this post and discovering new recipes that had just been pinned to my boards WAITING for me to use them!  Thanks to you'll for the motivation!  Give these recipes a try, they're great for this time of year with the running around summer seems to create and stop back by and leave comments about how they worked for you!   Check back with me next week for my next Pinspiration!

Breakfast Recipe & Asheville Girls Vanilla Giveaway Day 3 ~ Strawberry Coffee Cake

Breakfast Recipe Week & Asheville Girls Vanilla Giveaway Day 3 ~ Strawberry Coffee Cake

 

 

I hope you're enjoying the Breakfast Recipe Week here at The Egg Basket and you're taking the opportunity to enter to win the Free Asheville Girls Vanilla Giveaway!  We're enjoying sharing with you and we can't wait to hear back how you'll like the dishes!

Today we're doing another coffee cake, it's a little more prep work than the Buttermilk Blueberry Coffee Cake on Monday but it's Oh SO Yummy & Delicious!  I made two of these yesterday morning and froze one for breakfast on a busier day when I don't have time to cook!  All of these recipes freeze well.  Some of them I freeze in individual servings so we can grab, reheat, and go on those hectic, running behind days we have so often!

 

 

Now, although I said it does take a LITTLE more prep work, it's not difficult and anyone can bake it!  It's worth the time, trust us!

 

Strawberry Coffee Cake

 

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1/3 cup Wheat Germ (optional)

1/4 cup Flax Seed (optional)

1/2 cup Sugar

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 cup Cold Butter (or margarine)

1 (Farm Fresh) Egg

1/2 cup Milk

1/2 tsp Vanilla (we LOVE the Asheville Girls Vanilla)

 

Filling

1/2 cup Sugar

2 TBL Cornstarch

6 TBL Water

1 cup Fresh (or frozen) Strawberries

1 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice

 

Topping

1/3 cup Whole Wheat Flour

3 TBL Brown Sugar

4 1/2 tsp Cold Butter

 

In a bowl, combine the flours, wheat germ, flax seed, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Cut in butter until the mixture becomes crumbly.  Whisk egg, milk, and vanilla (you may need up to 3/4 cup of milk if you use the flax seed and wheat germ).  Stir the wet ingredients into the crumble mixture just until moistened~ don't over stir.  Pour into a 9"x5" x3" or similar pan coated with nonstick cooking spray or oil. 

 

Filling~ In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch.  Stir in the water until smooth.  Add your strawberries and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 1-3 minutes until it's nice and thick.  Pour your filling over your batter and cut it through with a knife to swirl.  I'm a terrible "swirler" can't you tell?

 

Topping~ In a small bowl, combine flour and sugar.  Cut in butter until crumbly.  Sprinkle over batter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

 

Now, don't forget to enter today's chances to win that amazing Asheville Girls Vanilla !

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 Blessings,

 

Breakfast Recipe #2 Delicious & Healthy Zucchini Raisin Muffins & Asheville Girls Vanilla Giveaway

It's Breakfast Recipe Week at The Egg Basket with an amazing Giveaway from Asheville Girls Vanilla!  Today's recipe is Delicious & Healthy Zucchini Raisin Muffins! 

 

Welcome to Day 2 of our Breakfast Recipe Week with Asheville Girls Vanilla's Vanilla Giveaway!  Don't forget, there are four easy-peasy ways to enter at the bottom of this post!

Today's recipe is one of my "go-to" breakfast items.  It's not only great for breakfast but perfect for picnics, bento lunches, even the beach.  When everyone else was fighting sandwiches at the beach this past summer, I had our Zucchini Raisin Muffins, cheese sticks, and fruit. They're delicious and nutritious as well!  Don't be fooled by the healthy label~ it's one of my kids' favorite muffins!

Chance made the last batch of Zucchini Raisin Muffins himself and I have to admit, they were even fluffier than mine!  You can also put the batter from this recipe in a bread pan and make a warm, comforting loaf instead of muffins!  Without further ado, our recipe!

Zucchini Raisin Muffins

2 cups grated or pureed zucchini
3 eggs
2 cups honey (you may also substitute maple syrup.  We have also cut the honey in half with good results if you'd like to cut back but we find it best with the two cups)
1 cup oil
3 teaspoons Vanilla ~ We use Asheville Girls Organic Vanilla!
2 cups Wheat Flour
1 cup Unbleached All Purpose White Flour
1/2 cup Wheat Germ
3 TBL Ground Flax Seed
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
3 tsp Cinnamon
1/2- 3/4 cup Raisins (we like a LOT)

Now, there are two ways to start this.  I'm all about convenience with homeschooling 3 kids, a small farm, home, etc.  I put the peeled zucchini in my food processor, grate/puree it and then add all of my wet ingredients to the food processor and "mix" it right in there before adding it to my dry.  Conventionally, you'd grate the zucchini then add it to a bowl then mix in your wet ingredients.  Either way works.

 

In a mixing bowl, add grated zucchini, eggs, honey, oil, and vanilla.  Blend together.  In a separate bowl, add your flours, wheat germ, ground flax seed, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and mix.  Stir your wet ingredients into the dry and mix together until all of the dry ingredients are wet but don't over mix.  Fold in raisins. 

Bake in greased muffin tins (or bread pan, mini loaf pan) at 350 degrees until done, when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 
For muffins I bake for 20-25 minutes
For bread it takes closer to 45-60 minutes.

This is a pretty generous recipe.  I normally will start with 12 muffins and while they cook I pour the rest of the batter into a bread pan.  This gives the kids fast muffins for breakfast and a bread loaf I can use for lunch the next day, dinner that night, or freeze for later use.  This recipe freezes VERY well.  Simply allow to cool and then freeze in freezer bags. Thaw it out in your refrigerator when you're ready for it.  I like to keep several loaves frozen. 

Now, another day, another chance to win that AMAZING Asheville Girls Vanilla!

Remember, to enter you only need to "Like" The Egg Basket on Facebook, "Like" Asheville Girls Vanilla on Facebook, Follow Our Blog (yep! The one you're reading right now!), and Leave comments on any of our Breakfast Week Recipes Posts this week!  That's it! Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Love,

Breakfast Recipes Week & Asheville Girls Vanilla Giveaway

Welcome to The Egg Basket's Breakfast Recipes Week Featuring an Asheville Girls Vanilla Giveaway

 

Last week I mentioned how much I LOVE baking with the Asheville Girls Organic Vanilla so this week I'm going to share my favorite Breakfast Recipes each day that require (Farm) Fresh Eggs & (Asheville Girls) Vanilla!  Along with that, the generous and kind ladies of Asheville Girls Vanilla have offered my readers a couple FREE bottle of  their awesome, organic Vanilla for a sweet Giveaway!  Entering the Giveaway is Oh, So Simple!  Just "Like" The Egg Basket and Asheville Girls Vanilla on Facebook and you've earned yourself two entries!   Now, that was easy, right?  Want to earn MORE entries another easy way?  Okay then!  Follow THIS blog (yep, right here, the one you're already reading!) to earn more entries, then leave a comment (because I so love to hear from you'll!)  on any or all of the Breakfast Recipes this week, try them, let me know how you like (or don't like) them and earn yourself MORE entries!  The contest will run from today through NEXT Monday to give everyone the weekend to try out some of these amazing recipes! 

Okay~ so, without anymore chit chat from me, here's today's first Breakfast Recipe!

Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake

I mentioned this breakfast coffee cake on Facebook last week and received a very positive response and requests for the recipe.  Since I'm delayed in getting it typed up and posted for my lovely readers, I think I owe you more than one!  With that thought in mind, I'm also going to be posting yet ANOTHER deliciously warm, sweet, and comforting coffee cake later this week for your baking pleasures!  It's started out as a snowy, cold Spring here in Virginia- perfect weather for these morning delights!

 

I'm very pleased to say the kids gave this Buttermilk Blueberry Coffee Cake a solid thumbs up on the taste test and I'm pleased I was able to add whole wheat, blueberries, flax seed, and wheat germ to their morning meal to start their day off right!

 

Blueberry Buttermilk Coffee Cake

 

1/2 cup butter or margarine

Zest from 1 Lemon

7/8 Cup Sugar + 1 T sugar

1 Egg (of course we use our Farm Fresh Eggs for the extra healthy, fluffy cakes)

1 tsp. Vanilla (we prefer Organic Vanilla and I LOVE the Asheville Girls Vanilla)

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 Cup All Purpose Unbleached Flour
1/3 cup Wheat Germ
3 Tbl ground Flax Seed
2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

3/4 cup of buttermilk

 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. 

2. Cream butter with lemon zest and 7/8 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.  Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with 1/4 cup of the all purpose flour.
4. Whisk the remaining flours, wheat germ, flax seed, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl.
5. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time alternating with the buttermilk.  Fold in the blueberries.
4. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or similar pan) with non-stick spray (we use organic).  Spread the batter into the pan.  Sprinkle the batter with the remaining tablespoon of sugar.  Bake for 35 -45 minutes.  Ours took the entire 45 minutes but definitely check with a toothpick for doneness at 35 minutes.  You don't want to burn your delicious breakfast!

Step 5 ? Enter the contest of course! 
a Rafflecopter giveaway  



Healthy, Real Food, Easy Honey Wheat Bread

As a wife and mom, eating healthy has always been important to me.  What my idea of eating healthy looks like has changed over the years as our lives have changed and I've grown and educated myself on what I believe is important for my family.

After being diagnosed with a rare autonomic dysfunction and heart disease in my 20s, I began researching and reading about what true healthy eating is.  I discovered that for our goals, it wasn't about the newest food fad or weight loss diet but about truly healthy food for nourishment, energy, and growth.

I realized we needed a more natural, homemade approach to our meals instead of the "sugar-free", "low-fat" processed foods marketed by the big food companies.  What I wanted was a sustainable mix of my Grandma's style and recipes combined with the current trends of local and/or organic foods and whole grains.  It was perfect, or at least the idea was perfect. 

There were some challenges and differences.  My grandma didn't home school, run a small chicken farm, she wasn't driving kids to martial arts, piano, and home school co-ops.  Life moves faster now.  She wasn't battling heart disease and dysautonomia.  However, she also didn't have the luxury of the Internet with amazing online resources to assist her. 

I'll not fib and tell you I have this "whole foods" thing wrapped up nice and neat.  What I will tell you is I do my best.  Do we have weeks when my body gives out on me and my dear, sweet, overworked husband gets stuck handling the meals?  Certainly!  Does he create real food, homemade meals from scratch after working all day and handling MY side of the responsibilities? Heck no!  Do we run late between our Thursday Co-op, chicken chores, and or mad dash to martial arts class?  Yep!  Do I panic and hit McDonald's (GASP!) sometimes when this happens?  Sadly, I'm guilty.  Do I let this hold me back any longer from trying to maintain a healthy, real food lifestyle on the other days? No way!

Life is life, it's unexpected and we just have to roll with it!  I have finally convinced myself that it's one step at a time and I can't take an all or nothing approach!  I AM learning ways to prepare myself and avoid those obstacles.  Cooking some of our favorite, whole food meals in double servings for freezing and taking advantage of our crock pot are two ways.

Finding my perfect, honey wheat, homemade, simple basic bread dough recipe and making it in triple batches is another way.  As a matter of fact, it's also my most tried and true tactic to keeping things "real."  I must admit baking my own bread was intimidating at first.  Rising?  Punching?  Yeast?  I was clueless in the beginning. 

That's why THIS recipe, my friends, has become my honest to goodness stand by.  When the Farm Chick Chit Chat ladies all decided we would have a bread bake off, I knew without a doubt, this was the recipe I would share. 
It's real food, easy to make, easy to freeze & bake later, tastes delicious (even after freezing it!), a great starter bread for your other rolls and recipes, and it's user friendly.  Can you tell I'm proud of my bread?  It's been a big hit here, at friends' homes, at baby showers, and with family's I've taken meals to.  I generally make three loaves at a time and that lasts us approximately a week.  I also send frozen loaves back to college with my baby sister every time she's home visiting and I know she's at least getting some whole grains in her diet.  I love it! Okay, are you convinced to try it now?  Let's bake some bread!


The Egg Basket's Honey Wheat Bread

 

In a medium size bowl combine:
1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
1 TBL milk
2 TBL Olive Oil (or coconut oil or any oil, I like the Olive Oil and it's heart healthy)
2 TBL Honey
2 TBL Brown Sugar
1 tsp Salt

 

In a large bowl, combine:
1 1/2 c. All Purpose unbleached flour
1 1/2 c. Whole Wheat Flour - + extra for kneading
1/3 c. Wheat Germ
3 TBL Flaxseed
2 tsp (1 packet) of Instant Active Dry Yeast

Create a well in the center and add your liquid ingredients.

Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 10-15 minutes).  You may need to add extra flour to the dough if it's too sticky but be careful to just add a little bit at a time.  Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease both sides and cover with a clean towel.

Let the dough rise until doubled in a warm, draft-free spot (about 45 minutes).  I let mine rise in the microwave (do NOT turn on the microwave!) I find I know it's draft free even if the kids are running in and out of the house and the kitchen!

 

Punch down the dough after it's doubled and knead until smooth.  Form into a loaf.  Place the loaf in a greased loaf pan and cover again.  Let the dough rise in the pan in a warm, draft free place again until almost doubled in size (about 30 minutes).  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  If the loaf starts browning too soon, you may lightly lay a piece of aluminum foil over the top. 

Remove the bread from the oven and let it rest in the pan for a few minutes.  After that, remove it to a wire rack and cover with a cloth.  It's best to store your bread in a cloth bag. 

For Freezing-
Make your dough, allow it to rise the first time, punch the dough down and knead it until elastic as above but instead of placing it in a loaf pan to rise a second time, add it to a freezer bag.  Try to get all of the air out of the bag, label it and place it in your freezer.  When you're ready to use the bread, take it out of your freezer the night before, place it in your refrigerator to thaw and rise the second time and then bake it as above.  It's that easy! 

I'd love to hear back from any of you that try the recipe and any tips, tricks you may have!  I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine does!

Love & Blessings!

Tiffany

Cranberry & Chocolate Chip Cookies for Christmas Baking

 

As with some of my other new things to try, this recipe was what I call a Pinspiration!  When my sweet, fellow blogger friends over at Farm Chick Chit Chat decided we would host a Christmas Cookie Swap, I knew I'd need a new, Christmas"y" recipe to share.  Where do I turn when looking for new recipe ideas?  Well, Pinterest, of course!  

I found these amazing, Cranberry and White Chocolate Chip Cookies originally posted by averie cooks.  I knew right away this could very well be the Christmas cookie recipe I'd been looking for so I pinned it and after looking through many others, I came back to this one.  I'm so pleased to share it with you and hope you enjoy the crispy, yet ooey-gooey goodness this amazing recipe brings!  Be sure and make a huge double or triple batch like we did, you're going to want to share them!

I did make changes to the original recipe.  I added some healthier ingredients (YES! I know it's Christmas Cookies so I did leave much of the initial ingredients but I added in my own wheat flour, flax seed, wheat germ, replaced part of the sugar with raw honey, used UNbleached all purpose flour instead of bleached and they were STILL yummy!) Of course, I also only bake with our own farm fresh, free ranged lovely eggs so those were collected fresh that morning!  They ensure much better texture to baked goods I must say!

After making our version of these chewy, soft centered, yummy cookies, we decided to take two batches with us to our homeschool Christmas party.  They were just as big a hit there as they were at my house so I KNEW then I had my recipe for this swap!

Without further ado, enjoy the recipe! 

Cranberry & Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
(this is double the original creator's recipe so you may cut it in half should you choose)

1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup raw honey

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

4 tablespoons cream or milk (I used milk)

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose flour

3/4 cup bread flour (all-purpose flour may be substituted and used exclusively; bread flour yields chewier cookies and is recommended)

3/4 cup Whole Wheat flour
1/4 to 1/2 cup Wheat Germ depending on your family's tastes (you may leave this out)
1/4 cup Ground Flax Seed (again, you may leave this out if it's not in your family's taste)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste

1 cups dried cranberries

12 oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips ~ next time I am going to try dark chocolate chips so if anyone gives that a whirl, please come back and leave comments I'd LOVE to hear how that turns out!

Directions
1. Beat the butter on low speed until smooth. 

2. Add the sugars and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined

 

3. Add the eggs, milk, vanilla, and honey and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy

4. Next, add the flours, wheat germ, flax seed (if using these two), baking soda, salt, and mix until just combined. 

 

5. Add the cranberries and chocolate chips, fold in by hand.

 

6. The original recipe called for you to, "Transfer dough to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, up to 5 days."

I did not have the luxury of the time for this so I put my dough in the freezer for about 20 minutes and it did fine.  You can decide how you'd like to chill your dough.

7. Preheat oven to 350°F, line your baking sheet with aluminum foil, parchment, or spray with cooking spray.

 

8.  Using a scant 1/4 cup measuring cup, place them on the baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until pale golden and edges have just set, even if slightly undercooked in the center, as cookies will firm up as they cool (For crunchier cookies, extend baking time by 1 to 2 minutes).

9.  Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing.

 

Storing & Freezing: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

 

We hope you enjoy these delicious creations, we certainly did!  These cookies were part of our Family Advent Christmas Countdown Series.  If you'd like to read about other activities you can enjoy with your family during the holidays, try here.  If you try the recipe, try it and add your own twists, or new things, please leave us comments about it!  We really love to hear from you!  From the Burchell Family here at The Egg Basket and all of the families at Farm Chick Chit Chat, Happy Christmas Baking! 

 

Love & Blessings!

 

Tiffany

National Tie One On Day with Farm Chick Chit Chat

I'm so blessed to be a contributing author with an amazing group of Farm Chicks over at Farm Chick Chit Chat!  I can honestly tell you, they are creative, talented, compassionate, and plain old good ladies!  <3 

We're celebrating National Tie One On Day on November 21st at FCCC and running a contest for some beautiful aprons from our FCCC girls and contributors!  Head on over to celebrate with us and enter to win!


http://www.farmchickchitchat.blogspot.com/2012/11/tie-one-on-day-and-apron-giveaway.html

Paula Deen's Pumpkin Bars w/ Cream Cheese Frosting- Happy Fall Y'all!

Paula Deen's Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Happy Fall Y'all!

 

 



Here in Virginia, Autumn is in full swing!  It seems like we went from a hot, humid summer to cold, rainy winter overnight so I'm so excited to wake up for some Gorgeous Fall Weather this morning!  Woo Hoo!  Fall is my FAVORITE time of year so I'm a happy farm girl today!  Autumn weather puts me in the mood for all things Fall related which always starts with thoughts of PUMPKINS!  Since it was our week to bring goodies for the teacher's lounge at our homeschool co-op, I thought it was a great time to teach my girls about baking, and of course, we started with a delicous pumpkin recipe!

 

When I think of great southern cooking, one of the first ladies that comes to mind for me is the beautiful and creative southern chef, Paula Deen!  I love that she's so successful and still stays true to her roots, right Y'all?   I'm a big fan!  When I was wasting   spending time on Pinterest I just happened across a yummy Paula Deen treat!  Paula Deen Pumpkin Bars with the most buttery, sugary, creamy, cream cheese frosting you have ever tasted!  If I'm going to teach my girls how to bake goodies, Paula's recipes are the way to ensure success!  *By the way- if you're a fan like I am, Paula actually has a Pinterest page of her own with more dreamy recipes and country ideas!

 

The best thing is, although it's made from scratch, it's a simple recipe!  My favorite combination: homemade, delicious, and easy to put together!

 

Ingredients

 

Bars:
4 eggs
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
15-ounce can pumpkin
2 cups sifted all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:
8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy.

 

3. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth.

5. Spread the batter into a greased 13x10 inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes.

To make the icing:
6. Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth.

7.  Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again.

8. Let cool completely before frosting.

9. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars

10. Cut into bars.

 Oh so yummy!  I must tell you these bars melt in your mouth!  Obviously, there's another goodie on the plate with the pumpkin bar.  I have twin girls and since we needed to make goodies for the teachers' lounge I decided to let them each make different recipes.  Beside the bread is Briana's baked good, Buttermilk Cinnamon Bread! It's delicous also and I'll be posting that recipe next week!

 

 

 I'm so proud of Alyssa for baking these Pumpkin Bars all by herself!  Everything was made from scratch!  It warms my heart to see my daughters taking an interest in homemaking and learning to provide.  It's perfect for our Keepers at Home lessons and it's a joy to share the time and energy together!

The Paula Deen Pumpkin Bars were a great hit in the teachers' loung also! Alyssa was all smiles when my son reported back to her that his teachers were raving in HIS classroom about her bars!  She blushed and grinned so wide when he told her his teachers were in awe that a 9 year old baked it on her own!  I bragged in front of her that my only assistance was placing the pan in the oven (I worry they're still too young to reach it without getting burned).  

  

  The Bible commands every Christian girl to "Use hospitality one to another without grudging," ~I Peter 4:9, so it was such a blessing to be able to homeschool and share the opportunity to provide hospitality to our friends at co-op with my daughters!  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!

 

Love,

 

Tiffany