Almost Done...

I'm writing to you from the comfort of my warm bed this morning (or afternoon...) Still in my PJs, finishing up my bowl of cereal and watching reruns of Top Chef: All Stars. An excellent morning, to finish out an excellent week. I AM OFFICIALLY DONE WITH CLASSES! Hallelujah! Just two finals and a paper stand in my way of sweet, sweet Winter Break freedom. I cannot flippin' wait to go home.

There will be lots of ball playing...

Hanging out with friends...

Playing the Wii and getting super pissed, cause it happens, especially Mario Kart...

(please do not let my game face frighten you and excuse the boxer PJs)

Eating too many crescent rolls...

Sledding and ice-skating (hopefully!)...

And tea parties with the niece.

And of course lots of baking! I've got a list going and can't wait to get started on it. I will most definitely be making these apple bars again when I go home.


Don't they look delicious?! I LOVE the crust and crumble topping on these babies. Sooo buttery, sooo good.

Apple Streusel Bars
adapted from Lovin from the Oven

Crust/Crumble Topping-
2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. real unsalted butter, softened
1 egg, beaten

Apple Filling-
1/4 c. white sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
3 sliced, peeled baking apples (I used Granny Smith)

Glaze (optional)-
2 c. powdered sugar
3 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. almond or vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until you have pea-sized crumbles. Gently mix in beaten egg.
Grease 9X13 or 9X9 pan. Gently pat about 2/3 of crumb mixture onto the bottom of the dish.

To prepare filling, combine flour, sugars, and cinnamon.


Toss with apples and spread apples onto prepared crust. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over apples evenly and bake for about 40 minutes or until crumb topping is lightly browned. Cool completely.

To prepare glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, extract and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Place glaze in Ziploc bag and cut off very small portion of one corner. Drizzle glaze over cooled pastry and allow to harden. Cut into bars and enjoy!

Peanut Butter Fills the Cracks of the Heart

Two weekends ago was a semi-sad one here in L-town for this kid. I had planned on going on a super fun retreat with my Campus Christians group, but had to stay home and work on a flippin' paper for a STUPID class. (Just thinking about this class makes me want to start throwin' punches. Grrrr.....)

I had a guy up-chuck and then proceed to pass out on my porch late Friday night. 911 was called, puke was cleaned up and I'm out a mop now, exciting.

And to add to the sadness...I dropped my iPod. :( As soon as it happened I was like, "GOO! NO, NO, NO, NO!" And as if it were a crying child, I scooped it up and coddled it. It turned on normal and relief came over me. Whew...Fast forward a couple hours later. I turn it on and it starts making a clicking noise and this shows up....


Damn.

It's sad, really sad, but my iPod is kind of a big deal to me. You have better chances of finding my iPod on my person rather than my phone. I listen to it on my walk to class through campus, working out and falling asleep at night. And now, I've got silence. Ok, not really, but you get the gist. I can no longer fall asleep to this. I can no longer rock out to this. I can no longer just chill to this.

Ok, I still listen can via my laptop, but you know, it's just not the same. (And carrying my laptop around campus like a boom box would just get darn tiring.)

So in the mean time, I'm borrowing an old iPod shuffle til a new iPod is acquired. And I'm eating these Chocolate Peanut Butter Crumble bars to mend my broken heart.


Peanut butter and chocolate. Chocolate and peanut butter. Need I say more? A better combination hasn't come along since, well, frankly I don't think a better combo has come along. Nothin' beats P.B. and chocolate. Nothin'. Well, maybe a working iPod...Nah.



Chocolate Peanut Butter Crumble Bars
adapted from Piece of Cake
makes 16

5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chips or chopped
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, soft but still cool
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup old-fashioned oats (not instant or quick-cooking)
1 egg, at room temperature
7 ounces (about half a can) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (crunchy is ok, don't use natural peanut butter)

Position an oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with a strip of parchment paper or aluminum foil that will fit along the bottom and up two opposite sides of the pan with a bit of overhang to create "handles" to easily remove the bars later.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together into a large bowl. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles large breadcrumbs. Stir in the brown sugar, and oats. Put about a quarter of this mixture (roughly 1 1/2 cups) into a small and stir in the chocolate bits. Set aside.

Into the remaining three-quarters of the crumb mixture, stir in the egg until it comes together into an evenly moistened mass, sort of like a loose cookie dough. Pat the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan and pre-bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together the sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter until well-blended. When the bottom layer of the bars is finished pre-baking, spread the peanut butter mixture evenly over the warm layer. Sprinkle the reserved chocolate-crumble mixture evenly over everything and press down lightly.

Return the pan to the oven and bake for 20 more minutes, until golden brown. The bars will feel very soft and not done in the center, but they will set as they cool. Let the bars cool in the pan for 10 minutes before running a thin knife along the edges and removing the slab to a cooling rack to cool completely. Cut into 16 squares. Store any leftover in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.