Soft Baked Gingerbread Cookie Bars
PIN IT!Tis the season for last minute cookies, fa la la la la la la la la. Tis the season to frantically bake and blog, fa la la la la la la la la.
For real though, why do I always wait until the last minute to post epic recipes on here? Oh yeah – because I’m me. And I work 4 jobs.
Regardless of that, I need to share these, and I don’t care if Christmas is in 2 days and you’re already cookied out. It’s the first holiday themed post I’ve put together in…like a year, so just let me have it.
If we’re being honest, I don’t normally gravitate towards gingerbread. Now, I love the smell and the way it always reminds me of Christmas with my mom, but as a taste? It’s not my favorite. I’m more of a peanut butter thumbprint or chocolate chip kind of girl. But, I was feeling super festive this weekend (after binge-watching Lifetime holiday movies) and decided to give it another go.
Except, instead of traditional gingerbread men, I made cookie bars. With eggnog vanilla bean frosting and cranberries and crystallized ginger. And, instead of a heavy hand of ginger, I added some cardamom from India.
Holy Christmas, you guys. These bars totally changed the way I view gingerbread. They are SUPER soft, moist and chewy – and have just the right amount of spice. Plus, the addition of tart cranberries and sweet candied ginger truly bring them to life. In fact, I’m SO excited about them, I’m making a batch to bring to the queen of cookies herself -my mom!
Now, I know they don’t hold a flame to what she makes, but I’m hoping she likes them enough to give them some space on her world-renown cookie tray. Which is no easy feat, let me tell you. I may be her daughter, but she takes that ish SERIOUSLY. On Christmas Eve, before the appetizer baking and the ham basting, the three of us (my mom, myself and her best friend) put together the trays. She unpacks the coolers (yes, PLURAL) filled with the 8+ varieties of cookies she made that year. Then, like an artist, she arranges them. If a cookie is broken, has a blemish or isn’t perfect, it doesn’t make the cut.
A lot of cookies are sacrificed to my face during that tray preparation. But seriously, I’m not kidding. Cookies are a serious business with my mom. I like to think I got some of her talent in the baking department. We’ll see – if you find me crying on Christmas it’s because my soft baked squares didn’t make the cut, and I binge ate them out of sadness. And then I cried even more b/c my pants didn’t fit.
Oh the holidays. At least there’s wine.
Soft Baked Gingerbread Cookie Bars
Yields about 22 bars. Adapted from Girl Who Ate Everything.
Prep time: 8 minutes
Cook time: 18 – 22 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
For the bars:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- Dash of salt
For the frosting:
- 1/2 cup butter, unsalted
- 8 ounces low-fat cream cheese
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 – 2 tablespoons eggnog*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 cup chopped candied ginger
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cranberries
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper. Sprinkle with flour and spread. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attached, beat the butter, applesauce, brown sugar, white sugar, molasses, vanilla and egg together until smooth and creamy. In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and salt together.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing well after each addition.
- Spread the mixture over the parchment paper using a spatula. Bake for about 18 – 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool in pan. Remove from pan (on parchment paper) and let cool on a wire rack.
- Meanwhile, beat the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, eggnog and vanilla bean paste together in a mixer. Add additional eggnog if mixture is too thick.
- Once bars have cooled, spread frosting over liberally. Sprinkle with candied ginger and cranberries.
Nutritional information per bar:
Calories: 217
Fat: 7.5 grams
Carbohydrates: 35.2 grams
Fiber: <1 gram
Protein: 2.2 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 6
Cranberry, Orange & Pistacho Eggnog Loaf with Silk Dairy Free Nog
Eggnog is one of my favorite holiday indulgences. Sure, I love a nice plate of cookies, a perfectly cooked slice of prime rib and the festive finger foods served on New Years Eve. But to me, nothing can hold a flame to my favorite glass of nog, spiked with bourbon, rum or enjoyed on its own. So, when I was asked to do a post promoting a dairy-free nog by Silk, I was both intrigued and skeptical.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Silk’s products. Their almond milk might just be my new favorite coffee addition ever. However, nog is meant to be full-fat and full dairy, so selling me on something that’s just as tasty without those two components was a little difficult. That was until I had my first sip.
To say I was utterly surprised by the flavor, the taste and the consistency is an understatement. To me, it tasted JUST like my favorite eggnog, just without the fat, the calories and the tummy-ache inducing dairy. As a girl who usually indulges in a few classes of this thick and creamy beverage a year, that’s a pretty HUGE selling point! Oh, and did I mention it has less than 80 calories a glass?
I know. Plus, it’s an amazing accompaniment to the Sri Lankan cinnamon sticks I bought in India for less than 2 dollars. (Humble brag, I know, but it was truly the best thing I bought over there!) Even though I could drink this in it’s beautiful form all day long, I wanted to see how it held up in my favorite holiday loaves.
Typically, soy milk isn’t a great addition to baked goods, but I was totally surprised by how well it held up! My noggy pistachio bread tasted just as good with Silk Nog as it did with dairy nog. And even better? It has far less calories and fat, making each bite a little less guilty.
I’m curious – what are your thoughts on egg nog? Would you try Silk’s Dairy free alternative? Leave a comment below with your thoughts! Oh and make this bread. Your belly (and waistline) will thank you.
Cranberry, Orange & Pistachio Eggnog Loaf
Yields 3 mini loves or 1 large loaf. Recipe inspired by Taste of Home.
Prep time: 15 – 20 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Total time: 75 – 80 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup butter, unsalted and softenen
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup Silk dairy free egg nog
- 1/2 cup 2% Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon freshly zested orange
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Dash of salt
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup sugar
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons eggnog
- About 1/2 cup chopped pistachios
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 3 mini loaf pans (or one standard loaf pan) with nonstick cooking spray. Dust with flour.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and orange zest together. In another bowl, beat the butter, sugars, eggs, eggnog, yogurt and vanilla together. Stir in the dried cranberries.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pans. Bake for about 60 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely.
- Whisk the powdered sugar and eggnog together. Glaze each of the loaves and garnish with chopped pistachios.
Nutritional information per serving (about 1 slice of standard loaf; 2 slices of mini loaf)
Calories: 160
Fat: 8 grams
Carbohydrates: 17.5 grams
Fiber: 1 gram
Protein: 3 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 4
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk . The opinions and text are all mine.
Claire
Tags:cranberry loaf, dairy free nog, easy holiday loaves, eggnog cranberry, eggnog recipes, sponsored posts
Crock Pot Butter Chicken
The seasons have changed, a holiday (or two) has tumbled on by. I’ve been to 6 countries, over 15 cities and a wedding. I’ve learned of two pregnancies (not mine) and hosted a baby shower. The past two months have been nothing short of crazy, as you can see. But now, I’m back, in both senses of the word. I’m back HERE, for at least a second, to share some new recipes. And I’m back home, if only for a few weeks.
Granted, I’m going out of town every weekend, but that’s neither here nor there. In fact, let’s just skip the small talk and move onto things that are a little more epic, shall we say.
Like this butter chicken, obviously and the teensy, tiny, small little fact that I just turned 30.
YEAH. I’ll let you digest that little nugget of information for a second. In the meantime, I’m just going to talk about the creamy pile of bliss in front of your faces. It’s no surprise I’m a fan of ethnic flavors, and Indian is certainly no exception. I’ve always had a deep love affair for creamy curries and spicy chili blends, especially when paired with fluffy rice and naan bread. And my love for the country’s incredibly eccentric (and differing) flavors only intensified during a recent visit to the bustling city of Mumbai.
I have about 15 more Indian recipes I want to share, ones that are based on the vibrant dishes I enjoyed there. But for now, I’m sharing a simple staple – butter chicken. It teeters more on the Americanized version of Indian food than authentic, but it’s still an absolute classic. The best part about this recipe is you don’t need to stir or stew over the stove to make it – you can just toss it all into a slow-cooker and enjoy the insatiable aromas as they fill your home.
With a full-time job, a growing freelance career, a husband, two dogs and a social life, slow cooker meals are really all I can muster these days. But it’s still food, and homecooked food at that, so it beats the alternative.
I thought I’d be ready to discuss the big 3-0 by the time I got to this part of the page, but I’m not. So let’s skip it for another day. Perhaps a day when I’ve been drinking. Heavily.
Crock Pot Butter Chicken
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!
Serves about 6. Slightly adapted from All Recipes.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 5 – 6 hours
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 1 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
- 10 ounces coconut milk
- 4 ounces heavy cream
- Fresh cilantro and green onions for garnish
- + rice
Directions:
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until just translucent, about 3 – 4 minutes. Add the chicken and cook until just browned on all sides, about 6 – 8 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into the crock pot.
- Add in the green onions, spices and tomato paste; stir to combine. Add in the greek yogurt, coconut milk and heavy cream, stir to combine. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook on low, stirring occasionally, for about 5 -6 hours, or until chicken is fully cooked and sauce is thick. Serve with rice, fresh cilantro and green onions.
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories: 400
Fat: 16.5 grams
Carbohydrates: 45 grams
Fiber: 2.8 grams
Protein: 16 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 11
Holiday Survival Tips with Dunkin Donuts Coffee
Raise your hands if you love coffee!
IF you’re not raising your hand, you can excuse yourself from my page. No, I’m only kidding – you can stay. But be warned there is a lot of coffee talk here.
Before we dive into the joy of coffee, let’s talk about Christmas. Can you believe it’s in less than 3 weeks? However, I will say, I have my life a little more together this year than I have in the past. Most of my gifts are ordered and shipped; my Christmas tree is set up and decorated; and my house is decked with hundreds of twinkling lights, festive ferns and hand-knit stockings. As much credit as I’d like to take for this, I owe a lot of it to my family (who helped decorate).
And coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. Despite having my life together on paper, I wouldn’t have done it without the help of my favorite coffee, Dunkin’ Donuts® (which you can easily buy at Walmart with a $1.00 off coupon via Ibotta). It’s been #DunkinToTheRescue this month 🙂
My husband loves their original blend, while I prefer the sweeter varieties, like Blueberry Muffin, Vanilla Cupcake and Cinnamon Roll. I think much of that has to do with the fact that I love these items when they’re not coffee, so it’s only fitting I’d love their flavors mixed in my morning joe.
I recently paired up with Dunkin’ Donuts® to share my tips for holiday survival, which ironically enough, includes their coffee! Aside from that, here are a few other things that have kept me sane this holiday season, despite a packed travel schedule, 9-5 job and busy social life.
Ask for help!
This is a BIG one, and is one of my biggest saving graces during the holidays. I’m normally a very “do it yourself” kind of person (thanks to my slightly OCD personality). As much as I prefer to handle the baking, decorating and wrapping myself, it can be far more stressful to do this. Thankfully, I’ve opened up to more help through the years, which has made my holiday season 10x more enjoyable. This year, I was lucky enough to have my parent’s help with holiday home decorating and my husband’s help with gift buying. Plus, my work friend has agreed to help me bake and decorate cookies and sweets. Even if you’re a perfectionist like me, you’ll quickly see that it’s more fun when you have someone help you.
Make (and bake) in advance
This goes for anything, whether it’s cookies, Christmas dinner or homemade gifts. My mom, as you know, makes thousands of Christmas cookies a year. There was a time she would stay up for 3 solid days, baking, whisking and frosting. Now, after a few too many years frazzled, she spends a few weeks preparing for our families favorites. To store, she simply freezes her delectable sweets in freezer bags until it’s time to enjoy. We’ve taken this same mentality with our Christmas Eve preparations. We make the dips, the cheese trays and the big sides a few days before, then focus on heating, serving and plating the day of. I can’t tell you how much stress this has prevented. Plus, it allows us to talk with our guests and catch up with family members – instead of sweating over a stove.
Simplify your celebration
One trend I’ve noticed lately (and can get behind 100%) is simplifying the holiday season. For many, that means adding less decorations and having a cleaner, fresh look (like my aunts simple green centerpieces from a few years ago). For others, that means buying less presents for kids and focusing only on a few that really matter. For my family, that means simplifying the Christmas menu with just an entree, a side and a few desserts. So many people think the holidays have to be opulent, decadent and flashy to be perfect when really, none of those things matter. Focus on what matters most to your family, and you, and your holiday is guaranteed to be more pleasurable.
Give edible gifts
Despite being in a job that gives me more financial freedom than ever, I’m still very cautious with my money. And it’s very, very easy to go overboard (especially for me) during the holiday season. To keep spending at bay (and give more meaningful gifts, to be honest) I’ve starting sending edible presents to friends, colleagues and clients. In the past, I’ve made little pound cakes, soft-baked cookies or hot chocolate mixes in mason jars. This year, I’m going to add in a bag of my favorite Dunkin’ Donuts® Coffee! Or, to those who I really love, a Dunkin’ Donuts® gift basket, complete with homemade cookies.
As fun as gifts are, the most important thing to remember is making time for your loved ones. Don’t let the stresses of the season prevent you from enjoying those precious moments. Because in the end, people don’t remember the gifts or even the food, they remember the memories. And isn’t that what matters most about this time of year, anyway?
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Dunkin’ Donuts® . The opinions and text are all mine.
Easy No Knead Bread with Fruit Honey Jam
There is nothing better than homemade bread. Seriously. You can try to say other things, like fluffy cupcakes or homemade pasta, are better – but I’ve got a really strong argument for soft, bakery-style homemade bread. And if you need to know what the argument is – you should probably leave this blog and NEVER COME BACK.
Sorry, I’m really sensitive about carbs right now, mainly because I’m trying to cut back on them. I hear the word “bread” and see red. I didn’t even mean for that to rhyme. Okay…moving on.
With as busy as I’ve been the past month, it’s the simple touches of homemade that I crave lately. Even though I’ve been working INSANE hours, am traveling every weekend this month and have a 2 week cruise to Europe in two weeks (omg – I sound so pretentious, I’m sorry), I’ve been cooking even more than I used to. Crock pot beef stew, the world’s best pumpkin muffins, spiced hard cider – you name it, I’ve made it. I like to think it’s because I feel bad for my husband because I’m constantly leaving, but I also think it’s because I love home-cooked meals. When you’re on the road as much as I am, you crave something that isn’t fried, rich, cheesy or heavy. (Says a girl who just got back from the Midwest).
To be honest, I’m not a great bread baker. For every 5 loaves I make, maybe 2 turn out. I just can’t seem to make them rise or look like they should. So when I found this recipe for easy no-knead bread and took a stab, I had VERY low expectations. When it came out, with a golden brown crust and a soft, melt in your mouth inside, I nearly fainted.
I was recently asked by The J.M. Smucker Company to create some unique tips for using a new product and I wanted to share with you how much I LOVE IT. I chose their blueberry lemon jam (which you can find at any Walmart!) and nearly died when I added it to my bread. Unlike many jams (which are loaded with sugar), this one is sweetened naturally with honey. I’m not a huge jam fan, but this stuff is incredible. It’s sweet without being too sweet, full of fresh, plump berries and just a dash of lemon.
In fact, I’m already planning a few other delicious ways to use it in my favorite recipes, so don’t be surprised if you see this tart jam in fluffy muffins, danishes, cakes and even brownies in the next coming weeks. Or, don’t be surprised if you see me eating it with a spoon on instagram when I’ve hit a sugar low. Let’s just go with the second option since that’s clearly a larger possibility given my HOLYCOWICANTEVEN life status.
Easy No Knead Bread
Serves about 8.
Prep time: 2 hours & 40 minutes
Cook time: 18 minutes
Total time: About 3 hours
Ingredients:
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- Dash of fresh salt
- 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
For the topping:
- J.M. Smucker Company Blueberry Lemon Honey & Fruit jam
- Butter
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, salt and yeast together.
- Add in the warm water, a little at a time, and stir after each addition. The mixture will be a little sticky. Grease a bowl with nonstick cooking spray and place the dough into that bowl. Turn the oven off, cover the bowl with a damp towel and let rise until doubled (about 2 1/2 hours).
- Line a crock pot or baking dish with parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Remove dough from the oiled bowl, place on a lightly floured surface and carefully form into a soft ball. Place in the baking dish and let rest for about 45 minutes.
- Heat oven to 450 degrees.
- After it’s rested, place in the oven, cover and bake for about 22 minutes. Remove the cover and bake another 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let cool. Once cooled, slice and serve with butter and Smucker’s Fruit & Honey Jam!
Nutritional information per slice (with 1 tablespoon butter & 1 teaspoon jam):
Calories: 160
Fat: 6.5 grams
Carbohydrates: 30 grams
Fiber: 2.2 grams
Protein: 4.5 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 4
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of JM Smuckers. The opinions and text are all mine. Comments submitted may be displayed on other websites owned by the sponsoring brand.
Claire
Tags:easy recipes, homemade bread, low sugar jam, no knead bread, no knead recipes, quick and easy bread
