passion fruit bars

you guys, these bars are killer! they are reminiscent in look, texture and concept to lemon bars so you'd think they are practically the same but passion fruit has a very distinct flavor and it. is. awesome! they are a little less tart than lemon bars but have a lot more character to them. also, i like that these aren't overly sweet. they're super easy to make and a hit at bbqs. unfortunately i think that i slightly undercooked mine, which wasn't so much a problem in mouth feel texture as it was annoyingly unpretty when i cut through them. even so, these are soooo good! make them!!...orrr you can stalk the next bbq i go to and sneak one for yourself.

*i used Goya brand passion fruit puree found in the frozen aisle at Safeway

Passion Fruit Bars  

(i got the recipe here)

ingredients:

for crust: 

- 2 sticks butter, melted and slightly cooled

- 1/2 c granulated sugar

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 2 c flour

for filling:

- 8 large eggs

- 2 1/3 c granulated sugar

- 1 1/2 c passion fruit puree

- 1/2 c flour

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. line a 9x13 pan with foil so that the foil extends over the sides. spray with cooking spray

3. in a bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt for the crust

4. once mixed add flour and mix until evenly incorporated

5. scrape into the foil lined pan and press into an even layer

6. bake crust for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown

7. while the crust is baking, in a large bowl whisk together eggs, sugar and passion fruit puree until the consistency is even

8. sift the flour over the filling mixture and whisk together until smooth

9. pour filling mixture over the hot crust

10. reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F

11. bake for approx. 25-30 minutes or until the center barely jiggles when you tap the pan

12. remove pan from oven and allow to cool to room temp

13. refrigerate bars until you are ready to serve

14. when ready, pull the sides of the foil up so that all contents in the pan are removed

15. with a large, sharp knife cut into bars

16. sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving

pineapple coconut cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

"if you like piña coladas...." just kidding...that was lame. and that song came along well before i did so i don't know who i think i am reciting random lyrics when i don't even really know any words past those five. anyhow, if you do like the flavor combination of pineapple and coconut then you are sure to love these cupcakes as well. they are super moist and have a little chew to them from the pineapple and coconut in the cake batter. add velvety cream cheese frosting topped with crunchy toasted coconut and you've got a winner. 

totally licked the mixer afterward 

like my sports paper liners? they're all they had a the store. 

pineapple coconut cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

makes about 24 cupcakes

ingredients:

for cake:

- 2 c flour

- 2 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 3/4 c vegetable oil

- 3/4 c buttermilk

- 3 eggs

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 2 c sugar

- 1 8oz. can crushed pineapple, drained

- 1 1/2 c shredded coconut

for frosting:

- 1 c shredded coconut

- 8oz. cream cheese, softened

- 1/2 c butter, softened

- 2 c powdered sugar

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

directions:

for cake:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F 

2. line muffin pan with paper liners 

3. in a medium bowl combine flour, salt and baking soda

4. in a large bowl whisk together oil, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla

5. to the wet mix, incorporate sugar, pineapple and coconut

6. mix in flour mixture until just combined

7. evenly spoon cake mix into prepared muffin pan so that the batter fills 2/3 each paper liner

8. bake for approx. 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean after insertion

9. allow cupcakes to cool before frosting

for frosting:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. line a baking sheet with foil and sprinkle the shredded coconut into a single layer

3. bake for approx 3-5 minutes stirring occasionally as the coconut browns

4. once coconut is toasted, set aside to cool

5. with an electric mixer, mix together sugar, cream cheese, vanilla and butter until completely smooth

6. frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with toasted coconut

banana cupcakes with honey cinnamon frosting

dilemma: you've got bananas that are ripening at a rate too fast for you to catch up with. bright yellow quickly turns to pale and black speckled. in an attempt to slow down this process you toss them in the fridge but in a day's time you find your bananas have practically died and they're nearly black. sure, you could toss them but you bought them with the intent of eating them. they've got a destiny to fill and because you're their purchaser you have a duty to make that happen. what to do? what to doooo? solution: banana cupcakes with honey cinnamon frosting because honey and cinnamon are staples in your household. thanks, Martha Stewart, for providing such an easy recipe and for helping my bananas fulfill their destiny.

banana cupcakes with honey cinnamon frosting

banana cupcakes

ingredients:

- 1/12 c all purpose flour

- 3/4 c sugar

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1 stick butter, melted

- 1 1/2 c mashed banana (approx 3 large bananas)

- 2 large eggs

- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. line 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners

3. in a medium bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt

4. make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients

5. to the well, add butter, bananas, eggs and vanilla and mix together

6. stir in flour mixture until ingredients are just combined evenly (do not over mix) 

7. evenly distribute batter into muffin pan

8. bake for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean

9. remove cupcakes from oven and allow to cool on wire rack

10. frost with honey cinnamon frosting

honey cinnamon frosting

ingredients:

- 3 c powdered sugar

- 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temp.

- 2 tbs honey

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

directions:

1. with an electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, honey and cinnamon for approx 4-5 minutes or until smooth and fluffy

browned butter pumpkin spice oreos and salted caramel oreos

fall has made it's presence with crisp morning air and mentions of Halloween everywhere. fall also comes with an abundance of pumpkin everything. pumpkin lattes, pumpkin cheesecakes, pumpkin pies and bars and cookies and cupcakes. people are even throwing pumpkin into oatmeal. it's ridiculous! i decided that pumpkin oreos was fitting my fall ventures in baking. i looked up a browned butter pumpkin spice frosting to fill the oreos with but me and buttercreams have a hate/hate relationship. i don't love them (because they're literally too buttery) and also i always sometimes have a hard time making them for some reason. often they won't fluff up and i end up with something unusable. so just in case that happened this time, i also made a salted caramel filling as backup. luckily both of them worked out fine so here are two variations of oreos for the fall season! 

oreo cookie (recipe taken from here)

ingredients:

- 1 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled

- 3/4 c sugar

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1 c semisweet chocolate chips

- 1 egg

- 1 1/2 c all purpose flour

- 3/4 c cocoa powder

- 1 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

directions:

1. in a microwave safe bowl, melt butter and chocolate chips, stirring every 30 seconds until melted.

2. whisk in sugar and vanilla until combined

3. whisk in egg

4. in another bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda

5. stir dry mixture into wet mixture until it becomes solid

6. transfer dough to a sheet of parchment paper large enough to roll and twist the ends

7. shape dough into a log about 2" in diameter

8. place dough at edge of parchment paper and roll up, twisting the ends to keep the shape intact 

9. refrigerate for at least 2 hrs 

10. heat oven to 325 degrees F

11. slice dough into 1/4" thick slices and place on a prepared baking sheet

12. bake for approx 15 minutes or until tops of cookies are firm to the touch

13. allow to cool before filling

salted caramel filling (recipe taken from here)

ingredients:

- 1/2 c salted butter

- 1 c dark brown sugar

- 1/3 c heavy cream

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 2-3 c powdered sugar, sifted

directions:

1. over medium heat, in a small pot, melt butter

2. once butter is melted add brown sugar, heavy cream and salt. continue to cook over medium

3. heat until the caramel is boiling. allow to boil for three minutes and take off stove to cool (no more than 15 minutes)

4. once cool, beat in powdered sugar until you've reached desired consistency. add powdered sugar to make more stiff or heavy cream to thin out.

browned butter pumpkin spice frosting (recipe taken from here)

ingredients:

- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, divided (1/2 stick at room temp)

- 2 T dark brown sugar

- 1/4 c pumpkin puree

- 1 t pumpkin pie spice

- 2-3 c powdered sugar, sifted

directions:

1. over medium low heat, melt butter in a sauce pan

2. continue to cook until butter browns and has a nutty scent

3. add dark brown sugar and cook until sugar has melted

4. remove from heat and allow to cool

5. in a bowl, beat remaining butter until smooth

6. beat in browned butter and pumpkin spices

7. beat in powdered sugar until you've reached desired consistency