Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Spiced Caramel Pecan Bars

Desserts

I’m finally starting to get into the Christmas spirit!  I’ve been humming along to Christmas carols and doing a bit of online gift shopping. I love finding the perfect little something for everyone. I’ve also already squeezed in a little holiday baking!

I made my first batch of cookies this weekend to share at Shannon’s annual cookie swap! There were tons of decadent treats and such lovely company – Boston really has the best food blogging community. To check out what everyone brought (and vote for your favorite cookie!), check out Shannon’s recap here.

My bar cookie contribution was centered around warm spices (cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and cloves), an ooey gooey layer of caramel, and a crunchy pecan topping. After whipping up a spiced sugar cookie dough, I mixed a small portion of it with both ground and chopped pecans. I baked the remaining dough, topped the partially baked bars with caramel sauce, and then crumbled the pecan dough on top and finished the up in the oven. Yum!

Spiced Caramel Pecan Bars
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup ground pecans (I pulsed whole pecans in the food processor until ground)
1 cup chopped pecans
1 10-ounce jar Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce from Trader Joe’s 

Directions:
Heat oven to 350˚F. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Mix in eggs and vanilla extract; stir in flour, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, baking powder, and salt until soft dough forms. Place 1/2 cup dough (4.5 ounces) in a medium bowl and stir in ground and chopped pecans; knead until the nuts are well incorporated. Spread remaining dough in bottom of a greased 13×9-inch pan. Bake 15 minutes at 350˚F or until light golden brown on the edges. Remove from oven and evenly spread caramel sauce on top. Crumble pecan dough evenly on top and bake an additional 13 to 17 minutes at 350˚F or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour, and cut into bars. Makes 32 bars.

Nutrition: 201 calories, 11.5g fat, 1.1g fiber, 2.3g protein per bar
Cost: $0.26 per bar

Pineapple Ice Cream Sundaes

It’s my birthday tomorrow and I’m turning the big 3-0!  I'm not exactly sure how this happened so quickly, but I’m excited for the future and by the fact that Apolinaras promised to bring home my favorite carrot cake cupcakes from Petsi’s Pies! Speaking of birthdays,...
Make this

Nutella Brownie Cups

So, I had this idea to make some Nutella mousse - slightly sweetened whipped cream mixed with a generous amount of chocolate hazelnut goodness. My original plan was to top some cute little brownie cups with it, but umm, by the time the brownies were cooled, there was...
Make this

Peanut Butter and Banana Parfaits

I may have a hard time remembering most facts, but my memory is almost perfect when it comes to recalling the details of remarkable meals. Two of my very favorite desserts we enjoyed while living in Chicago featured bananas. We devoured crispy cannoli shells filled...
Make this

Spiced Apple Cupcakes

I figured it’s about time that I actually post a cake recipe - you know, since my blog is called Cake, Batter, and Bowl and all... I couldn’t resist the cute word play on Shake, Rattle, and Roll when I was brainstorming names with my Dad over Christmas last year, but...
Make this

Fruit-Filled Coconut & Chocolate Dessert Sushi

When my hubby and I got married, we had a sushi feast at our rehearsal dinner. To keep with the theme (like all good brides strive to do...), I wanted to serve dessert sushi. I searched the internet to see if there was something I could make and called bakeries, but...
Make this

Caramelized Plantain Dessert Quesadillas with Nutella

I recently read about Sugar High Fridays on Heather’s blog Diary of a Fanatic Foodie. It’s a fun monthly event dreamed up by Jennifer at The Domestic Goddess, where bloggers post an original dessert recipe. When I read Heather’s theme this month was desserts inspired...
Make this

Peanut Butter Chubby Hubby Bars

Have you ever thought you didn’t like an ingredient and then suddenly realized that you’d actually been enjoying it for years? This recently happened to me. I never liked Whoppers growing up and remember being thoroughly confused about why someone would prefer a...
Make this

Banana Mascarpone Mousse Trifles

I’ve been on quite the popsicle kick lately. This unbearable heat wave means our oven hasn’t been turned on in weeks, so I haven't baked any desserts. My sweet tooth still needs to be satisfied though, and popsicles are just the perfect low calorie refreshing treat! I...
Make this