Blackberry Plum Crumb Bars

Once I saw the delicious picture for this recipe, http://www.bakeorbreak.com/2008/09/17/blackberry-crumb-bars/, I just knew I had to make them too. I did not have any fresh blackberries on hand but my boyfriends mom just gave me some homemade blackberry plum jam that I thought would work just as good. These bars are honestly one of my (and my co-workers) favorite recipes that I have made so far. The bottom layer has a nice and light white cake texture, the jam layer works perfectly with bringing out the sweetness in the bars, and the top layer has the best crunch and flavor which ties everything together. I would make these again in a heart beat and maybe even try different jams or fresh fruit next time too ! I followed the recipe exactly except for replacing the berries with jam (I used about 1/2 Cup of jam spread evenly over the cake layer) but you can find the original recipe here, http://www.bakeorbreak.com/recipes/2008/09/17/blackberry-crumb-bars/ and try them for yourselves!

Butterscotch Blondies

I haven't made a good blondie for a while so I found this recipe, http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/007188blondies.php, and remembered that I had butterscotch chips in my cupboard. I changed the recipe slightly by using light brown sugar, instead of dark brown sugar, and added en extra egg yolk for tenderness to my blondies. They turned out soft and chewy just like a fudgey brownie with a great caramelized taste form the brown sugar and butterscotch chips. This blondie recipe might actually be my favorite that I have made so far especially because its so easy and fast to clean up and make since you only use one bowl. I've posted my adapted version of the recipe below but you can easily substitute the butterscotch chips for milk chocolate, white chocolate, or even peanut butter chips.


Butterscotch Blondies

1/2 Cup butter (melted)
1 Cup packed light brown sugar
1 Large egg
1 Large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 Cup all-purpose flour
1/3 Cup butterscotch chips

1) Preheat oven to 350F and line and grease an 8in pan
2) In large bowl, beat together melted butter and sugar with a wooden spoon
3) In separate bowl lightly beat eggs then add them and vanilla to butter mixture
4) Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to butter mixture
5) Fold in chips and pour batter into greased pan evenly
6) Bake for 30min when top is golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean
7) Cool in pan on wire rack completely then enjoy!

Blackberry Jam Brownies

I brought these brownies to work yesterday and they were devoured in less than 10min (I think that's a record for my co-workers). I was kinda of hesitant to add jam to my brownies but the sweetness from the jam enhanced the richness from the unsweetened chocolate and they turned out great. The brownies were fudgey and chewy with a great fruit and chocolate flavor combination. I got the idea from my Joy of Cooking: All About Cookies cookbook and started searching for similar recipes and found this recipe, http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/brownie-recipes/choc-raspberry-brownies.htm. I would definitely make these again but maybe trying different flavors of jam like raspberry or strawberry. Below is my altered half version of the razzle dazzle recipe (http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/recipes/index.htm) but by following the baking instructions from my JoC cookbook.

Blackberry Jam Brownies

1/2 Cup unsalted butter
2 1/2 Ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 Cup sugar
2 Large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
5/8 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 Cup blackberry jam (or jam of your choice)

1) Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8in pan with tinfoil and grease
2) Melt butter and chocolate in small heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly
3) Once melted, remove from heat and whisk until smooth and let cool to room temperature
4) Meanwhile, beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla with a wooden spoon until well combined
5) Add cooled chocolate mixture to egg mixture and fold in
6) Sift in flour, baking powder, and salt to chocolate egg mixture and stir until just combined
7) Fold in chocolate chips and pour batter into greased pan
8) Evenly drop jam by teaspoon over batter and use a knife to swirl jam into batter about 1/2in deep (making a nice swirl pattern)
9) Bake for 40min or until toothpick in center comes out clean but still moist at bottom
10) Let cool completely in pan on wire rack then set in fridge for about 1 hour to make cutting easier and enjoy!