Ooey Gooey Caramel Apple Oatmeal Bars   

 

 

It's been a while since I shared a recipe but oh will you be so happy that I shared this one!  These are absolutely A-MAZING!

 

I've had an awful sweet tooth lately and when I saw this post from Kelly at thelilypadcottage.com,  I knew that I had to try them.  And lucky for me, I had everything on hand. 

 

 

 

Her Caramel Apple Oatmeal Bars look absolutely beautiful and you definitely need to head over to her site and check out her post.  She is a great blogger/inspiration and I am totally in love with her decorating style and house!  She is one of the many bloggers I follow!

 

As you can tell by the pictures, my Caramel Apple Oatmeal Bars didn't quite turn out exactly like hers.  Not sure exactly why but maybe it has something to do with that I may have added a few chocolate chips to make them a little ooey gooier!  Not even sure if you could classify mine as a bar....it's more like a gooey caramel apple oatmeal crisp!  Whatever we call it, it's de-lish!

 

 

Here's my version of her recipe. 

 

Ooey Gooey Caramel Apple Oatmeal Bars

 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup melted butter + 1 tbsp

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup oats (I used Quaker Old Fashion)

2 apples, diced ( I used Granny Smith)

1/4 tsp apple pie spice

1 jar caramel sauce ( I used Smuckers.  Of course you can make your own)

1/2 tsp coarse sea salt

1/4 cup chocolate chips (You could also use pecans, raisins.  I just didn't have either of these)

 

Apple Pie Spice:  Mix 4 tsps cinnamon, 2 tsps nutmeg, and 1 tsp allspice.

 

Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sauté apples in 1 tbsp butter over medium heat until soft, about 10 minutes.
2. Sprinkle with 1/8 tsp apple pie spice.  Remove from heat and add caramel sauce.
3. While apples are cooking, mix melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, 1/8 tsp apple pie spice, and baking soda in bowl.
4. Spread 1/2 the oatmeal mixture into an 8 x 8 baking dish lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 10 minutes.
5. Top with caramel apple mixture.  Sprinkle with sea salt and chocolate chips.
6. Layer remaining oatmeal mixture over caramel.  (My mixture was quite sticky so I used a teaspoon to dollop it on.)
7. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until golden brown.  (This may vary based on your oven.  I baked for 20 minutes)
8. Cool slightly and Enjoy!  (Would be awesome topped with ice cream!)

They are super quick and easy to make.  And I promise you that if you make these you will not be disappointed!  They are like a small piece of heaven and I will definitely be making these again and again!

 

Here are a few more enticing pictures! 

Wish you were here to enjoy some of this Yumminess with me!  Please subscribe and your comments are always welcome!

 

 

 

The Semi-Homemade Way

 

 

Hey y'all!  I've been on a little hiatus from my blog the past week or so preparing for the 4th of July!  I love everything about the 4th... the food, the fellowship, the fun!  I hope y'all had a great holiday, relaxed, enjoyed family and friends, and ate entirely too much!  I know I did!

The past few weeks I have been busy but not so much with projects.  Family and a few friends came over to celebrate the 4th, swim, and bbq so I spent a great part of last week just preparing for the weekend.  You know....cleaning house, yard work, grocery shopping, and food preparation (the not so fun stuff).

When I'm throwing a party or bbq, I always make a to-do-list and do as much as I can in advance.  And not everything I make is made from scratch.  Many times I go the semi-homemade way....or as my wonderful mother-in-law so dearly calls it "home baked".  So when putting together my menu for the weekend, I wanted some fun treats for the kids (even though the big kids like them too)!

I decided on cupcakes when Target had the Pillsbury Stars & Stripes funfetti cake mix and frosting on sale.  With the purchase of the cake mix, the frosting was free....  What a bargain for $1.50!  

 

 When using boxed cake mix, I jazz it up to make it taste as close to homemade as possible.  By making a few substitutions, it produces a richer, moister, and denser cake.  Here are a few suggestions/substitutions:

1.  Add one (or 2) more eggs than the directions call for. 
2.  Add 1/2 cup softened butter (1 stick) instead of the vegetable oil. 
3.  Replace the water with whole milk.  
4.  Add a tsp of vanilla extract (or any other flavor).

  Adjusting the ingredients also means adjusting the directions.  First, cream the butter until it's light and fluffy before beating in the eggs.   Add the other ingredients and mix on medium high speed for about 2 minutes .   Bake them  according to the package directions but keep an eye on them during the last few minutes of baking just to make sure they don't over bake. 

 

 

 

 

 Something else I typically always do is bake my cupcakes in a white cupcake liner.  I find that when I use the pretty decorative ones that the design really doesn't show up once they are baked.  I add my pretty liners after they are frosted and ready to be served!

 

 

For a fluffier, bakery like frosting, I  added 1 cup of confectioners sugar and 1 tsp of butter flavored extract to the canned stuff and whipped it for 3-4 minutes.  You can also add in 4 oz of cream cheese ( just be sure to beat the cream cheese until it's light and fluffy before adding in the frosting).

Beating the icing on medium speed for 3-4 minutes makes the frosting fluffier and easier to spread, regardless of whether you're adding anything to it.

I wanted these to be extra special so I piped the frosting on the cupcakes using a pastry bag and star tip.  And of course I sprinkled them with the red, white, and blue sprinkles that came with the frosting.  I also added some cute 4th themed cupcake decorations.

 

 

 

I must say they were pretty YUMMY !  (I definitely ate my share!)  I packaged several for the kiddos to take home using clear punch size plastic cups, cellophane treat bags, and pretty ribbon. 

 

 

So consider taking a little help from the store and don't be afraid of that boxed cake mix and canned frosting..... With a few substitutions, you can make it taste great the semi-homemade way!

 

Thanks for stopping in!  Check back often or subscribe to be notified via email when new posts are added!  See you soon!

 

Apple Yumminess!

 

If you love apples and cinnamon you will love this bread!

  

 

 

Today I thought I would share an easy Apple Cinnamon Bread recipe. 

 

I typically keep a bowl of Granny Smith apples in a beautiful wooden bowl on my kitchen island.  ( The bowl is a priceless treasure given to me by my mother-in-law.) 

 

 

 

 I had several apples that were beginning to get a little soft and needed to be eaten pretty quickly.  So I turned to my favorite recipe site.... Pinterest!

 

 

 

I found several but decided to recreate a version of an apple fritter bread.  The recipe only called for one apple but because I needed to use up a FEW apples, I decided to use at least three per loaf  and make two loafs.... And, too, you can't go wrong with adding more apples to Apple Cinnamon Bread! 

 

There were two things about the Pinterest recipe that got my attention (Well, other than the fact it looked like sheer Yumminess!).  1. It called for some very basic simple ingredients that I had on hand. And  2. It was pretty easy with very few steps. 

 

So here's my version!

 

Ingredients:   (Per Loaf)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2/3 cup white granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 ½  tsps vanilla extract

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ¾ tsps baking powder

½ cup milk

2-3 apples (depending on size), peeled and finely chopped (any kind is fine), mixed with 1 tbsp granulated sugar and ½ tsp cinnamon 

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar and 2- 3 tbsps of milk or cream (mixed together to a drizzling consistency)

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).  Grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan. (I lined mine with parchment paper but it's not necessary.)

Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl.

 

 

Beat granulated sugar and butter together in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.  Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, until incorporated.  Stir in vanilla extract.

Combine flour and baking powder together in a bowl; add to creamed butter mixture alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. 

 

 

Pour half the batter into the prepared pan; add ½ the apples and brown sugar mixture.  Lightly pat apple mixture into batter.  Pour remaining batter over apple layer; top with remaining apples and brown sugar mixture.  Pat apples into batter and swirl brown sugar mixture into batter using a spoon or toothpick. 

Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 – 40 minutes. While the bread is baking, mix together glaze ingredients.  Let cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan and drizzling with glaze.

 

 

Allow glaze to set up for a few minutes.  Cut and Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

This bread is awesome and especially yummy when served warm!  I definitely will be making it again!  It would also make a very nice gift!  (Which is exactly what I did with the second loaf!)

 

I hope you found some inspiration to try this recipe.  You won't regret it! 

 

Stop back by soon!