June, 2014 | Just About Baked

Skinnier Cheesecake Bars

June 13, 2014
Mir
Bars n' Brownies, Cupcakes and Cheesecakes, Healthier Indulgences
8 Comments

There are certain facts of life that are indisputable, so here are a few:

1) A perfect nap is harder to find than a good life partner.

2) Summer dresses are the best part of being a girl.

3) Beaches are magical.

4) Even if it sucks, you have to sweat every day to feel good.

5) Cheesecake is the best and worst dessert of all time.

What was that last observation?

I love cheesecake. LOVE it. Most people do, you know. But when you see how much gets loaded into the batter, it’s kind of sad. Because all that deliciousness usually comes at quite a price, health-wise. Fat? Check. Calories? Check. Indigestion? Double check.

But fear not! You don’t have to drop cheesecake from your repertoire. These bars do the trick quite nicely and you will never know they’re skinny!

Fudge Crumb Bars

I sometimes get weary, people. Bone-tired. Can’t-take-it-anymore tired.

Whoops, I lost myself for a bit there. But there’s this thing that happens when you have small kids. It’s commonly known as “stomach flu,” but annoying know-it-alls will constantly tell you that this scourge has nothing to do with the flu. Thanks, smarty pants. Wanna feel what I’m feeling right now?

Okay, that sounded bitter. It’s just that I’ve had, on average, five friendly stomach viruses per year since becoming a mom. And as someone who loves to eat, I always resent the havoc these episodes wreak on my taste buds. Because for days and even weeks post-sickness, my palate reverts to childhood. All I want are chocolate chip cookies, cheese sandwiches and hot dogs. With the occasional sushi roll. Weird.

Chocolate Chunk Pookie

I just got back from my usual summertime stop at the fro yo joint. I’m feeling much more energized after a generous helping of frozen yogurt topped with candy and more candy, so bear with me as I talk about the pookie.

Yes, the pookie. As in, a pie/cookie hybrid. Please. Don’t tell me you’ve never had one!

Peanut Butter Cup Stuffed Brownies

Have you ever had Magic Middle cookies? If not, you are missing out. I’ll be baking some in the next few weeks to share with you. Basically, it’s a chocolate cookie with a peanut butter center. It’s the best thing ever!

Well, along with these brownies. I’m a big fan of putting peanut butter cups in everything, and these are no exception. Except instead of using just mini-cups, I’ve used two sizes. Why not? Sometimes a girl just needs to go that one step too far!

Magic Bar Pie

June 6, 2014
Mir
Pie Day
12 Comments

There’s a bakery chain in the DC area called Firehook. They sell a lot of good stuff, to put it mildly. I used to pop in for soothing cups of tea and baked goods on long cold walks from my condo to grad school. I was not a fan of grad school, and it seems like sugar always helped me out with that.

In those long-ago days, I pretty much always hoped to find a big chocolate chip cookie behind the glass cases at Firehook. They were good. And don’t get me wrong. I still love those big cookies! But one day, I saw a big bar wrapped in plastic. It was called a seven-layer bar, and I’d never heard of that before. Don’t think I’m oblivious. It was like thirteen years ago!

When I tried the bar, I couldn’t believe all the fun packed into that one square! Coconuts and pecans and chocolate chips, all atop a fantastic graham cracker crust. I later learned that this concoction is also known as a Hello Dolly or a Magic Bar, and you know, I preferred the latter name. Those bars taste like magic!

Oreo Tunnel Pound Cake

When I was a kid, we used to take these two-day drives to New York from Indiana to visit my grandparents. It was kind of torture. There I was, in the middle of the back seat, sandwiched between my brothers with my knees hunched up as they jockeyed for leg room.

Those trips were loud. Really loud. And I really never liked car trips, not then and not now. Still, I always enjoyed the part where we drove through tunnels. Suddenly it got all dark and quiet, just a gentle flash of low lights slipping by as our car sped through the serenity. I always felt regretful when we burst out into the sunshine again and the noise recommenced.

So it stands to reason that I have a soft spot in my heart for tunnels. Tunnels of any kind. I love watching animals as they burrow or kids as they wiggle through small spaces. And I have a strange love of desserts that have a surprise in the middle.

Loaded Peanut Butter Banana Bread

June 2, 2014
Mir
Bread Basket, Dessert for Breakfast, Gluten-Free Goodness, Let Them Eat Cake
12 Comments

You know how much I love peanut butter by now, right? Because I really, really, reallyreally need that fix every day. Preferably in some kind of peanut butter cup, but I’ll take the stuff straight up as well. Stirred, not shaken. With a spoon!

Years ago, I was part of a tour group in a foreign country. We stopped in a grocery store, and there on the shelf was a jar of Peter Pan, imported and outrageously marked up in price. I bought it immediately and without any hesitation, despite the fact that everyone in my group was mocking me for spending so much on a jar of peanut butter.

Well, folks, the laugh was on them. I sat on the tour bus, opened the jar, inhaled the sweet aroma and looked up, only to realize that the entire bus was eyeing my Peter Pan with what can only be described as mad lust. And for the rest of the trip, people kept asking if they could have a taste. They missed it so much, you see, and I was the smart one. I was also nice and shared, but not after a whole lotta “I told you so” lectures.

Salted Oatmeal Caramel Bars

Years ago, when I was still single in the city (and pretending I could be as cool as Carrie Bradshaw), I used to go to a place called Teaism. It sold lots and lots of tea, but also really good food. One day I walked in and noticed a salted oatmeal cookie. I remember thinking, “That’s gross.”

Oh, I was so young and stupid. The salted caramel trend was still a few years away from starting and I never stopped to consider that salted baked goods were the best thing to happen to the dessert industry since peanut butter and chocolate. But like I said, I was not that clever. I was in my twenties and had perfect skin. But I was dumb.

Anyway, eventually I climbed onboard the salty dessert bandwagon. And here I stay, until long after it will be considered trendy. I’ll be one of those annoying grandmothers who still bakes salted caramel stuff while her grandchildren roll their eyes and say, “But Grandma, it’s all about sardines dipped in ganache right now.”