Brown Butter Cranberry Bliss Bars.

One of my favorite Starbucks holiday treats- soft, chewy, buttery blondies full of cranberries and chunks of white chocolate, all under a layer of white chocolate-spiked cream cheese frosting, cranberries, a hint of orange, and white chocolate drizzles.

As much as Pinterest would have me believe, December isn't always all twinkle lights and snow days.

{Source}

It's also a dizzying blur of holiday parties, family, presents, tradition, getting things done, celebrating, spreading peace and joy, and, let's just be real with it: that balance of too many late-night peanut butter blossoms and rainy days spent running.

How do you make time for yourself in these twenty-five days of rushing and wrapping? I handle my holiday stress in one of two ways (if we're not counting champagne. And we're not... since we all know champagne doesn't count in December): either immediately find my way to a coffee shop and a sugar-free peppermint iced coffee with too much cream or I stress-bake.

These white chocolate blondie bars combine both of those simple, guilty pleasures: my favorite Starbucks holiday treat (cranberry bliss ❤) and just enough time spent in my tiny kitchen browning butter, zesting an orange, and breaking white chocolate into chunks to distract myself from everything else I should really be doing.

The base for these cookie bars is a buttery-soft, chewy blondie full of dried cranberries, chunks of white chocolate, and just enough cinnamon to know they mean business. The original recipe called for melted butter whisked together with brown sugar. I went one step further (because it's December and all) and baked these with brown butter.

I know. I'm already asking you to zest an orange and make cream cheese frosting with white chocolate drizzles. But in the time it would take you to order a Starbucks latte and wait in the drive-thru on a rainy Saturday afternoon is the exact amount of time it will take you to brown your butter. It's an extra step, but it is so, so worth it. The brown butter adds a rich, nutty flavor that complements the brown sugar and cranberry flavors so perfectly.

All that white chocolate. These Starbucks copycats have officially nestled their way onto my must-bake Christmas list, right between the peanut butter cup treats and cut-out sugar cookies.

Brown Butter Cranberry Bliss Bars

Printable Recipe

Blondies

3/4 cups (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces white baking chocolate, coarsely chopped

Frosting

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 ounces white baking chocolate, melted
1/2 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Prep. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13-inch with nonstick spray or line with parchment paper.

Brown your butter. Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly, until golden brown. Once butter is browned, remove from heat. Stir in brown sugar and pour into the bowl of an electric mixer. Allow to cool to room temperature. (For more information on how to brown butter, see my post here.)

Whisk. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. 

Mix. When brown butter mixture has cooled to room temperature, mix in eggs and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture to the butter mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until smooth. Stir in cranberries and chopped chocolate (batter will be thick!) 

Bake. Spread blondie batter into prepared pan. Bake for 18-21 minutes (I baked mine for 19 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake! Cool completely before frosting. 

Frost. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until combined. Gradually orange zest and half of the melted chocolate; beat until blended. Frost blondies. 

Sprinkle + cut. Sprinkle with chopped cranberries and drizzle with remaining white chocolate. Let frosting set before cutting into triangles or squares. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. 

Source: Adapted from Taste of Home.

Brown Butter Cookie Butter Truffle Brownies + a C25K Update.

It's been almost thirty days since I last created, thought up, baked, or wrote anything that wasn't these sweet lemon-blueberry cupcakes or dark chocolate-raspberry banana bread. My summer baking dreams have quickly turned into the bittersweet resignation that (for now) I will never be that girl who can balance life, laundry, baking, running, a full-time job, sleeping, True Blood, a boyfriend, and, you know, the really important things: like catching up on a year's worth of Revenge and Once Upon a Time. 

They've also turned into pumpkin daydreams. I'm ready for fall, a change of space, a week in Hawaii, and a moment to breathe. 

What's taken over my summer?

Work. In real-life I work a high-stress, fast-paced, unpredictable job... and now that I've recently been offered a promotion, the stress has tripled. As has, coincidentally enough, my collection of wine glasses.

Running. I started running Couch to 5K in June and have since done Week 1 and 2 twice, Week 3 three times, and am currently starting my third week of Week 4 (week 5 ends with a 20-minute 2 mile run and I don't even want to talk about it yet). I run each week until it's no longer a challenge. To be honest, I thought I would never get where I am today... and I'm only halfway through the program!

I started running every other day three times a week like the program suggests. Just the one minute run made me feel like I would definitely be giving up by Week 2 or 3... but I stuck it out.

Slowly I started adding in extra time at the gym after my run and by Week 3, I was adding in "fun runs." These are my favorite. Where my actual C25K days are something I "have" to do, these are the days where I go to the gym and just run. It started with 5 minute runs and half miles. Now for the first time ever I can run a mile without walking. I bested my high school mile time instantly and today... I ran my fastest mile yet.

I wake up early. I fit it in before work. Instead of being a thing I have to make myself do, it's part of my day, something I look forward to. And I'm noticing changes. I'm happier, less stressed, more confident. After I run, even if it was a challenge to the very last second, I feel like I can do anything the rest of the day.

And no big deal, but I've signed up for a Color Run in October.

But let's get real: you came here for the chocolate, brown butter, and cookie butter truffles.

Has cookie butter made it's way into your life yet? This glass jar of dreams looks like innocent creamy peanut butter... but tastes like gingerbread, snickerdoodles, honey graham crackers, and salted pretzels, all at once, and with tiny crunchy bits of Speculoos cookies in every sugary spoonful. It's something you have to experience.

Another thing to experience? Cookie butter truffles: Creamy Biscoff spread/cookie butter + powdered sugar, rolled into dough balls and chilled. Honestly we could just end this post here, but running makes me dream of all things chocolate... so let's bake these truffles into brownies!

Brown butter brownies alone are the best brownies you could ever dream of... even more so than the Baked brownies I made a few years ago. But these? These were irresistable and over the top, with crisp edges, molten, fudge centers, hidden pockets of cookie butter truffles, and that rich, toffee-caramel, something-extra from the brown butter that just enhances the chocolate flavor. And then, to top it all off, they're studded and sprinkled with semisweet and dark chocolate chunks.   

See how thick and fudgy these are? Almost like squares of chocolate cheesecake.

I really believe cookie butter was meant to be paired with chocolate.

P.S. I baked these brownies before work... and came home to half the pan missing and this note from my boyfriend's friend.

Honestly.

Brown Butter Cookie Butter Truffle Chocolate Chunk Brownies 

Printable Recipe

Cookie Butter Truffles
1/2 cup Biscoff spread (I used Trader Joes creamy Cookie Butter)
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Brownies 
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) salted butter
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks (I used a combination of semi-sweet + dark chocolate)
Additonal chocokate chips for sprinkling on top

Prep. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13-inch baking dish with baking spray; set aside.

Make truffles. To make thetruffles, combined cookie butter (or a Biscoff spread) and powdered sugar in a bowl and mix until combined and the consistency of cookie dough. Roll truffles into 3/4-inch balls and place on a wax paper- lined baking sheet. Place in freezer until ready for use.

Brown your butter. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until golden brown (for more information browning butter, see this post). Pour butter into heat-proof bowl and allow to cool slightly.

Mix. Pour cooled brown butter into the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add the sugar and cocoa powder and beat until smooth. Add the salt, water, and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until throughly combined. Add the flour and chocolate chips and mix well. Batter will be very thick!

Bake! Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth with a spatula. Press frozen Biscoff truffles into the batter until just poking out. Sprinkle additional chocolate chips over the top of the batter, if desired. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.

Source: Adapted from Something Swanky. 

White Chocolate S'mores Sugar Cookie Bars.

Today I wanted to bake the thickest, chewiest, richest sugar cookie bars ever... and smash a layer of white chocolate s'mores inside.

Because it's summer. And because white chocolate s'mores. 

In the perfect summer I've dreamed up inside my head, I would eat nothing but s'mores, margaritas, giant slices of banana bread, and kettlecorn... especially s'mores. Two graham crackers, a burnt, crispy, gooey marshmallow, and melty milk chocolate = love. What, you put peanut butter cups in your s'mores? Just stop it. I can't even think about it/how amazing would mini peanut butter cups taste sprinkled inside these cookie bars?

And yes... I will forever be that girl who set her s'mores mallows on fire. On purpose.

In my real-life summer, I'm trying to be about my new Couch to 5K app I've downloaded for absolutely no reason (peanut butter cupcakes) onto my phone. I'm two weeks in and I'll be honest and real with you: this writing is just pure and simple me needing someone, anyone, to know about it, and maybe high-five me a little... because it means bright purple running shoes (not ashamed), just... just a whole lot of running, waking up early, and running. 

Oh and daydreaming about all the buttery, sugary things I wish I was eating. 

Like s'mores. And white chocolate. And sugar cookies.

Another confession? I love sugar cookies, almost more than any other cookie... because they usually come with buttercream frosting, twinkle lights, red and green sugar sprinkles, and Christmas trees. In fact, I think this is the first time I've ever baked sugar cookies outside of December. Just the smell of these sugar cookie bars baking, even on a hot June day, made me stress out a little... like I had some presents to wrap or some shopping to do. 

Calm down. Cookie bars. 

These cookie bars could not be any easier... and it all starts with a thick, sugary cookie dough base.

 I made the biggest batch ever (5 cups of flour!) of rich, chewy, buttery-soft sugar cookie dough, pressed half of it into the bottom of a 9x9 pan, layered it with squares ofgraham crackers, mini marshmallows, and white chocolate chips, and pressed the remaining cookie dough over the top of everything ever. It felt a little bit like baking a pie. A cookie pie. Be about it.



Sugar cookie + graham cracker + marshmallows + white chocolate chips  + sugar cookie = a blonde twist on the traditional chocolatey campfire treat.

Could you cut corners and use pre-made dough from the store? Of course. It's summer. Less whisks and spoons = more time at the pool. Live your life.

The thickest cookie bars ever. Two hands totally needed. Tip: I think if I made these again, I would bake them in a 9x13-inch pan for thinner squares and easier cookie bar-handling... and drizzle some kind of white chocolate/vanilla bean/caramel icing on top of everything. Let's definitely do that.

Summer baking = the best thing ever. Smash a s'more in it!    

White Chocolate S'mores Sugar Cookie Bars

Printable Recipe

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
5 1/2 graham cracker sheets
1 (10-ounce bag) white chocolate chips
2 cups mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9-inch baking dish with foil, making sure the foil extends over the sides and spray with a non-stick baking spray; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. 

With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing until just combined. 

Divide cookie dough in half. Press half of the dough into the bottom of the baking dish. Layer graham crackers side-by-side on top of the cookie dough. Sprinkle with marshmallows and white chocolate chips. Top with the remaining cookie dough, pressing down gently. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cookie bars tests clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. When cooled, use the foil to lift bars from the pan, cut into squares, and serve. 

Source: Inspired by Picky Palate's white chocolate s'mores cake bars. 

Peeps Rice Krispie Treats {...or how I accidentally browned butter.}

Real quick. Before I head off down the coast for a spring weekend vacation (and, let's just all be honest, to avoid packing) I need to tell you a few things.

Like how I am not ashamed to be posting a Peeps recipe twenty-five days after Easter. I'm just not. 

Like how the only thing my boyfriend ever wants me to bake him is Rice Krispie treats. A bundt cake? He is just not impressed. Oh there's bourbon in these chocolate chip cookies? I mean... I love you. But could you just melt some marshmallows and cereal?

Or how between Instagram, counting marshmallows, and catching up this season of the Vampire Diaries (what is even happening with this show?!?) it's definitely and totally possible to accidentally brown butter. 

Yes. It happened. It's real. I accidentally browned butter. 

But honestly... I can't think of anything wrong with brown butter Rice Krispy treats. So I'm just going to own it. Like it was all on purpose. 

Okay. So sometimes baking is simple. Sometimes it's not even baking at all... it's just melting bright, colorful, sugary marshmallows and stirring in crispy cereal. That could totally be a thing, right? 

This is a melt, bake, and eat situation. It's the perfect way to live like it's spring, while getting ready for easy, no-oven summer baking.

A tip: I was impatient and chose not to let the Peeps get fully melty. I wanted marshmallow-y chunks of Peeps and it was fully a good decision. 

I mean, what else was I going to put in these crispy bars? Bourbon? Stop it.

Another tip: one ounce of Rice Krispies cereal = one cup. So you don't have to google it in the cereal aisle. Don't be like me. 

Peeps Rice Krispie Treats

Printable Recipe

3 tablespoons butter
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
35 (7 sleeves) assorted colors of Peeps (I used pink, purple, blue, & yellow)

Prep. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with baking spray.

Melt. Melt butter in a large pot over low heat. Add Peeps, keeping each different color in it's own section in the pot. Do not stir. Remove from heat once Peeps have melted (about 8-10 minutes).

Mix. Add the Rice Krispies cereal and stir to combine until well-coated. Pour into prepared baking dish and press down evenly. 

Eat. Allow to cool completely, then cut into squares and serve.

Source: Serious Eats.

Peanut Butter Rolo Blondies w/ White Chocolate Chevron.

Peanut butter blondies + pastel Easter Egg stripes. I mean... really. Could Friday get any better? 

It could. Because Rolos!

So far 2013 has been about combining my favorite flavors into something else entirely... and in totally unexpected ways. Brown butter and bourbon. Chocolate chip oatmeal cookies and s'mores. Oreos and white chocolate raspberry. I literally get inspired (and make it through my work day) by thinking of two things I love and dreaming up ways to smash them together. 

Like peanut butter and caramel and white chocolate M&Ms. 

I knew about chocolate and peanut butter. Seriously... trust. And I knew about peanut butter and marshmallows (obsessed/in love). Peanut butter and spoons is also a true thing to appreciate. But peanut butter and caramel? Get into this immediately/where have I been living!

Like oatmeal and brown butter, bourbon and chocolate, these two rich, honey-sweet flavors complement each other in an even sweeter, richer, meant-to-be flavor.

The best part about these blondies? They're a buttery, sugary-sweet blank canvas for all kinds of cookie doughs, flavors, and add-ins. Chocolate chip cookie dough, sugar cookies, all-chocolate cookies, or fudgy brownie batter mixed with chocolate chips, nuts, candy bars, crushed cookies (Thin Mints! Oreos!) M&Ms,  or marshmallows. The oven's the limit.

For these, I went with a peanut butter blondie batter and Rolo candies (you could also use Hershey's caramel kisses). These peanut butter cookie bars start with a simple peanut butter cookie dough base that's pressed into a pan for quick baking. They bake up extra-thick, soft, and chewy, studded with bursting pops of bite-size chocolate caramel chunks and couldn't be any easier to throw together.

Also: let's discuss how those pops of bursting caramel could easily be miniature peanut butter cups.

Next: the chevron stripes. We're going to need some some Easter egg colors! 

I used pastel-colored white chocolate (Easter seasonal) M&Ms. For these stripes (and to make sure I had enough of each color), I needed three bags. 

You could also use regular M&Ms, dark chocolate M&Ms, or Reese's Pieces. Mix up the colors for the holidays! Red, white, and blue chevron stripes in July or orange, yellow, and white candy corn stripes in October are simple ways to make any cookie bar instantly impressive. Or look like an Easter egg.

First things first: get organized. Separate your colors. The Type-A in me loved this step a little too much. 

Then gently press the M&Ms (with the "m" facing down) into the cookie dough in a chevron stripe. You can use a knife to trace stripes into the cookie dough to guide you, but we're just making blondies here! It doesn't have to be perfect. 

It all starts with three triangles. Easy. We're doing this.

Keep adding triangles facing in alternate directions...

Take your time. Totally stop to eat some Rolos. It's a necessary thing.

And... done. Fifteen minutes later.

And that's it. They're ready to bake! 

These peanut butter cookie bars stuffed with chocolate, gooey caramel, bright pops of colors, and crispy white chocolate Easter egg stripes are all I'm thinking about this Friday... and how quickly I can bake these bars again (... and what new things I can smash into them) for Easter Sunday. Trust me... after making these chevron stripes you will feel like you can do anything. Look what you did with just M&Ms! You totally just made candy art. 

Happy Easter!

Peanut Butter Rolo Blondies w/ White Chocolate Chevron

Printable Recipe

1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup Rolo candies (whole or chopped)
White chocolate M&Ms (for these stripes, I needed 3 bags)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with baking spray and set aside.

Melt the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the creamy peanut butter until smooth and combined. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

When the peanut butter is cool to the touch, stir in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Pour into the flour mixture and stir until combined. Fold in the Rolo candies, either whole or halved (I used a combination of both... the whole Rolos had a bigger burst of caramel which I loved, but the smaller chunks made it easier to press the M&M candies on top of the dough.)

Transfer batter to prepared baking dish and spread evenly. To make the chevron design, separate your M&Ms into each color you want to use. Make sure you have enough!

Gently press M&Ms into the cookie dough ("m" side facing down) in chevron stripes (you could also trace lines in the cookie dough with the tip of a knife to help guide you). It doesn't have to be perfect! 

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is golden and the edges are slightly browned. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Source: Cookie bars from Two Peas & Their Pod.