So what is the craze with salted caramel lately? Its everywhere you look. I have to admit though, it is pretty tasty. Salt and caramel. hmmm. Who would thought? It really adds a lot to the flavor profile. It seems like I have been trying it a lot lately, which is why I guess you are seeing it here a lot. Don’t worry though. I am only publishing the ones that really turn out well. These little temptations are light so you don’t feel so guilty having more than one. Enjoy.

Salted Caramel Shortbread Cookies

Cookies – 1 1/2 butter, softened, 3/4 C sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla and 3 1/2 C flour

Topping – 1 bag (14oz) caramels, 2 TB milk, 4 oz. semi sweet chocolate, chopped, 1 TB butter and 1 tsp. course kosher or sea salt.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl beat 1 1/2 C butter until creamy. Beat in sugar and then vanilla. On low speed, beet in flour until blended.

Divide dough in half. Between 2 sheets of waxed paper, roll 1 portion of dough to about 1/4″ thickness. Use a round cookie cutter or jar like I did to make a round cookie. ( I like them big, but you can do any size you want). Place cut outs about 2″ apart on a cookie sheet  and bake 12-14 minutes until just barely light golden brown(do not overbake)! Cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Once the cookies are cool, use a medium microwaveable bowl to heat caramel and milk, uncovered on high for 2 minutes and 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds so caramel doesn’t burn. stir until melted and smooth. Frost each cookie with about 1 rounded teaspoon of caramel mixture.

In a small microwaveable bowl, melt chocolate and butter uncovered for 1 minute and 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds. Drizzle chocolate over cookie or dollop in the middle. Sprinkle generously with salt. Let stand and set up.

So we have probably all have been here or have heard this story, but I am going to tell it again.

My daughter comes home from school on Friday and tells me that she needs me to make a dessert for her dive team meet on Tuesday. I give her points because she told me more than 24 hours in advance. Okay I say, no problem. Monday, she then comes home from school to tell me that I cannot make cookies since everyone else is making cookies and I need 100 of  something else. Points now being taken away since I now have 24 hours to come up with a lot of “something else”. So, Tuesday, I put on my thinking cap and make blondies.  Only 80 though.   Brownies are easy, but not too many people make blondie brownies. I can make a lot of them( if I cut them small)  without getting sick of being in the kitchen. We proceed to the meet on Tuesday to find an array of goodies. Yes, a lot of cookies and cupcakes, but as I find out, I really did  not need to make 100. If I did, apparently nobody else felt the need either.

What I love about this recipe is that I have tried a lot of different variations, but I am going to give you my favorite and list some of the other variations that I have tried at the end.

Blondies – Serves 16 bars

1 C flour, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. baking soda, 1 C Dark brown sugar (important-don’t use light),  1 stick of butter, 1 egg, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 3/4 chopped walnuts, 1/2 C butterscotch chips.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8×8 pan with spray.

Whisk flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a small bowl. Beat brown sugar and butter in a large bowl for 2-3 minutes until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. At low speed, beat in flour mixture. Stir in walnuts and butterscotch chips.

Bake 25 minutes. Cool completely in pan.

I have also tried pecans and  and almonds instead of walnuts. I have also added cran raisins, coconut, chocolate chips and white chips too.

Light brown sugar works, but the blondies will be much lighter and not as much of a distinct flavor.

I apologize for the poor picture. This really is much better than what it looks like here. Trust me! My husband describes it like a warm blueberry donut. I am not a huge fan of blueberries, but I must say that this is pretty delectable.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Bread pudding – Serves 6

4 Eggs, 2 C Milk, ½ C plus ¼  C Sugar, 1 ½ tsp. Vanilla, 1 tsp. Cinnamon, ½ tsp. Nutmeg, 1 loaf of Cinnamon Bread, 1 (12oz) package of Cream Cheese, 1/2-3/4 container of Fresh Blueberries or frozen

Preheat oven 325 degrees

Whisk together eggs, milk, ½ C sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg until sugar dissolves.

Cut bread into cubes and add to egg mixture.  Mix Well.

Put half of the bread mixture in the bottom of a pan. Combine cream cheese with remaining ¼ C sugar and spread o top of bread mixture. Place blueberries on top and cover with remaining bread mixture.

Bake until pudding is browned on top and set-About 45 minutes.

** I make these in individual soufle cups when I don’t have 6 people ordering the same item.

Another, yes another recipe from Pinterest. These are quite tasty too. So, now I make lemon bars, which are tart, lemon brownies which are mellow and cake like and now lemon oat bars which is a bar with a gooey tart center. You’ll have to let me know which you like better. They are all so different, yet all quite good. They were even good a few days later too. I took this picture off of Pinterest since it looked a lot more appetizing that the one I took.

Lemon Oat Bars – 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk, 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest, 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, 1 1/4 cups flour, 1 cup old fashioned oats, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Heat oven to 375ºF degrees. Coat 8×8 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Mix milk, lemon zest and lemon juice in medium bowl until thickened; set aside. Mix remaining ingredients in medium bowl until crumbly.

Press half of the crumbly mixture in pan; bake about 10 minutes or until set.

Spread lemon milk mixture over baked crust. Sprinkle remaining crumbly mixture over the lemon milk mixture, press down gently. Bake about 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown and center is set but soft. Cool completely.

The following recipe comes off of Pinterest as well. You may see this often. I feel it is my duty to try out some of these recipes and report back. Its pretty good and it really does taste like a brownie. Its a nice mixture of cake like and fudge like as well.

Brownie Cookies – Serves 20

1 Package of fudge brownie mix. I used Pillsbury, 1 1/4 C Flour, 1/4 C brown sugar, 2 eggs, 1/2 C butter, melted and cooled, 2 TB water, possibly more if needed, 1 C dark chocolate chunks

Whisk together brownie mix, flour and sugar. Using a wooden spoon, stir in eggs one at a time, followed by butter and 2 TB water. If the batter appears like there is too much flour, add 1 more TB of water. The batter should be very thick!

Fold in chocolate chunks. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet and drop heaping teaspoons of dough on cookie sheet. You want thick cookies here to get the brownie feel. Press down slightly, but don’t flatten. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 2 min before transferring to a wire rack.

Okay, so I will admit it. Pinterest has been my new obsession. I got this recipe off of that site. For me, the jury is still out on this one. Don’t be mistaken though, this is nothing like a lemon square/bar. It is moist and really not too tart. I like that it is different, but I don’t know if its a keeper. My guests, husband and friends enjoyed it. I thought it was average and my teenage daughter who loves sweets just thought it was okay. I would love your opinion. Let me know.

Lemon Brownies

Brownies - 3/4 C flour, 3/4 C sugar, 1/4tsp. salt, 1 stick butter, softened, 2 eggs, juice from 1/2 lemon (about 1TB), zest from 1/2 lemon (about 1tsp). I used a little more, but your choice.

Glaze – 1/2 C powdered sugar, 1 T lemon juice and additional lemon zest – Stir together.

Combine flour, sugar and salt. Mix in softened butter. In another bowl, whisk eggs and lemon juice and zest. Add this to the first bowl and mix well. Pour into an 8×8 pan and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Spread glaze on cooled lemon bars.

The first time I enjoyed this recipe is when I was about 8 years old. My  parents visited some friends in the Waupon area who took us to their cottage on the lake. Pattie, the woman who made this recipe for us, was a great cook. I think I talked about her all the way home. My mom doesn’t bake very often, so I am sure she was tired of hearing about this. I did ask for the recipe though and made it a couple of times when I was young. I came across it the other day though and I thought I have to try this again to see if I still enjoy it just as much. Yes, I do and I hope that you will as well.

Oatmeal Caramelettas

Preheat oven 350 degrees

32 caramels, 5 TB evaporated milk, 1 C flour, 1 C oatmeal, 3/4 C brown sugar, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 tsp. salt, 3/4 C butter, softened, 6 oz. chocolate chips and 1/2 C crush pecans

Melt the caramels withe the evaporated milk over low to med. heat stirring often. Let cool.

Combine flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and butter until crumbly. Press half of this mixture into an 8×10 pan. Bake for 10 min. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. When warm spread the chocolate and sprinkle nuts over the chocolate. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate and nuts. Sprinkle with remaining crumbs and bake 15-20 minutes. Watch carefully so caramel does not burn. Cool completely before cutting and enjoying!

I love, love, love this recipe. Its easy, fast and AMAZING! If you need that chocolate fix, this can be yours in 20 minutes from start to finish. I have been postponing putting it on here because it only serves four. I was hoping one of our guests would not eat one so I could warm it up and break open the center for you two see how pretty it looks inside and out, but they are always gone so you will just have to see for yourself the wonderful surprise inside.

Chocoalate Lava Cake- Serves 4

4 oz. semi sweet baking chocolate, 1 stick of butter, 1 TB of Cabernet wine, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 C powdered sugar, 2 eggs, 1 egg yolk, 6 TB flour, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp of ginger.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray 4 6oz. custard cups. Place on a baking sheet.

Microwave chocolate and butter  in a bowl for 1-2 min. until chocolate is melted. Whisk Choc. until blended. Whisk in eggs and yolk. Stir in remaining ingredients and spoon evenly into prepared dishes.

Bake for 15 min until sides are set but soft in the center. Let stand one minute and sprinkle with Powdered sugar.

*Do no over bake, otherwise the middle will not be soft and it will just be cake.

This is great little appetizer to put out for when you have some expectant guests. It does take some preparation to make sure you have everything you need, but it is very light and pretty when all said an done. With all the great vegetables at the Oshkosh Saturday Farmers Market  right now, this is a real treat. I played around with the new Pillsbury Artisian pizza dough and really like it, but I am sure you can make your own or use a different kind and it will work out just as wonderful

Garden Vegetable Tart

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

New Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust, butter, 2 ears of fresh sweet corn, 1 med zucchini, thinly sliced lenthwise, homemade salsa with large chunks of tomato or (1 pint of cherry tomatoes, tomato paste and water) and 4 oz. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a lightly floured pizza pan, roll out pizza dough pressing to a large rectangle. Prick dough with a fork so it does not bubble when baking. Lightly brush butter over the top. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Boil corn for about 10 minutes. Brush zucchini, tomatoes(if using) and corn with 1 TB olive oil. Sprinkle with a dash of salt and grill on an indoor grill pan over med heat, 5-7 minutes turning occasionally until tender.

If using tomatoes paste, whisk together paste and water and spread on dough. If not spread  your salsa over the top of the dough. Cut corn from the cob. Top dough with cheese and vegetables. Bake for 10 additional minutes.

This is recipe makes a statement and its ohhhhh so good. Great for a our wine and cheese socials or having a few people over. Not bad for a snack either. We also served cheese, crackers and sausage this day as well.

Strawberry Gorgonzola Bruschetta

3 TB olive oil, 1 TB balsamic vinegar, 12 slices french bread, sliced about 1/2″ thick, 1/4 tsp salt, 6 oz. gorgonzola cheese, softened, 4 TB chopped chives, 2 C thinly sliced strawberries and 1/8 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Heat broiler. In a small bowl, combine oil and vinegar. Lightly brush oil mixture on one side of each of the bread slices. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Place on a baking sheet 6′ away from broiler and brown for 1-2 minutes. Set aside.

In another bowl blend cheese and t TB chives. Spread toasted bread with cheese mixture. Arrange strawberries on top. Sprinkle with remaining chives and pepper.

This recipe reminds me of summer. Chase,  my daughter, asks me to make it once in a while in the winter, but I usually say no. I know, I can be so mean once in a while, but I just think of it for summer for some reason. The key is bake it long enough so it isn’t runny, but not too long so it dries out. Its an easy recipe, but just keep an eye on it.

Lemon Bars Serves 26

Preheat Oven 350 degrees

1 C (2 sticks) butter, ½ C Powdered Sugar, 2 C plus 1/3 C Flour, 4 Eggs, 2 C  Granulated Sugar, 1/3 Frozen Lemonade, and 1 tsp. Baking Powder

Grease a 9×13 pan.

Mix butter, powdered sugar and 2 C flour together and spread in pan. Bake for 20 min.

Beat eggs until light and foamy.  Gradually add sugar, lemonade baking powder and remaining 1/3 flour.  Beat and pour over crust.

Bake 25-30 longer

Cool completely.

Cut into squares and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Some may call it wine and cheese, but we like to call it Happy Hour! Every Friday and Saturday nights from 5:00-6:00, we enjoy a wine and cheese and more happy hour with our guests. It allows everyone to get to know each other better. Everyone loosens up and after a few minutes, its like we have known each other for years. Kind of like friends coming for a visit.

Every weekend it depends on the size of the crowd on what we serve. Sometimes it is just cheese and sausage and sometimes I like to get more creative. Tonight we will be having a extra sharp cheddar and swiss with summer sausage and crackers, white bean and roasted red pepper hummas (recipe to follow at another time) served with flax tortilla chips and my famous tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil and reduced balsamic bruschetta .

Fresh Mozzarella and Tomatoes

Fresh Mozzarella (half dollar size, cut in half), fresh whole leaf basil (grilled), cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half, fresh shredded parmesan, 1 C balsamic oil, and 2 TB brown sugar.

Once your fresh mozzarella is cut in half, sit on a plate that you would like to serve from.  Add fresh basil leaf to the top of the mozzarella. I like to grill mine for just a few seconds for a little crunch. If you do this, brush with olive oil first though, otherwise it is just as good without grilling. Add tomato half on top of basil leaf. Sprinkle fresh parmesan over the top and then drizzle or reduced balsamic oil over everything for a touch of sweetness.

Reduced balsamic recipe

Combine the vinegar and sugar in a small pot over medium-high heat and bring up to a bubble. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the liquids until they’ve reduced by about half and are thick and syrupy, about 10 minutes. Save whatever you do not use in a squeeze bottle in the refrig for future use.