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Sunday, February 13, 2011

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

I made these for Hudson as a snack and thought they turned out pretty good! You can alter the recipe to make it healthier by adding a dried fruit in place of the chocolate chips. I also saw on a review for the recipe that someone replaced the butter with canola oil. I needed to bake mine a little bit longer then the 15 minutes that the recipe calls for to keep them from falling apart. Refrigerating them may also help to keep them from falling apart. 

 Ingredients:

  • Vegetable cooking spray
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup (1-stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 cups old fashioned oats
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted, *see Cook's Note
  • 1/3 cup miniature chocolate chips
Directions:

Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 7 by 10 3/4-inch nonstick baking pan with vegetable cooking spray. Lay a 6 by 18-inch piece of parchment paper in the pan, allowing the excess paper to hang over the sides. Spray the parchment paper lightly with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, using a hand beater, beat the egg white until frothy. Stir in the peanut butter, brown sugar, and honey. Add the melted butter, oats and almonds. Stir to combine, then add the chocolate chips.

Using a rubber spatula, spread mixture into the prepared baking pan, pressing lightly to form an even layer. Bake until the edge of the mixture begins to brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 1 hour. Cut into 1 1/2-inch squares and serve.


*Cook's Note: To toast almonds, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven until lightly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Recipe by Giada  De Laurentiis

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Valentine's Day Cupcake





Made some cupcakes for Amy's Birthday and decorated these for Valentine's Day. They are vanilla cupcakes with vanilla butter cream frosting, and they have a raspberry mousse filling. I piped on the hearts on top with some raspberry preserve. Then I rolled the edges of the cupcakes in white sanding sugar from Williams Sonoma. The cupcake liners are by Meri Meri, and can be found at Francesca's Collections. Happy Valentine's Day!