Rhubarb Crumble

This is my all time favourite Rhubarb Crumble.
Secret is in the vanilla syrup....so easy and so good!

Rhubarb Crumble (8 servings)

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup brown sugar

¾ cup quick cooking oats

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup melted butter

4 cups chopped rhubarb

1 cup white sugar

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

• Mix flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and butter together until crumbly.
• Press half of the crumbs on to the bottom and part way up the sides of a greased 9x13 baking pan
• Sprinkle rhubarb over base
• In saucepan, combine white sugar and cornstarch then add water and vanilla.
• Heat to boiling. Cook and stir until thickened. Pour over rhubarb.
• Place remaining crumbs on top.
• Bake 350 degrees for 45 – 60 minutes.
• Serve warm with either ice cream or whip cream

Double Chocolate Chip Bars

Really felt like Chocolate Chip cookies but didn't feel like being in the kitchen, fiddling with cookie trays, in and out of the oven so, Voila. 

Remembered I had this recipe for cookie bars. One of those recipes you cut out of the newspaper for someday.

Super easy. Hardest part is spreading the dough out in the pan. Have fun with chocolate chip flavours too. We have added butterscotch, white or even dark chocolate.

Double Chocolate Chip Bars

1¼ cup quick cooking oats (I have used regular)

½ cup butter room temperature

½ cup brown sugar (packed)

½ cup white sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• Put oats in food processor and process until finely chopped. Set aside.
• In large bowl beat butter, brown and white sugars together until well blended.
• Beat in egg and vanilla.
• In small bowl , combine flour with baking soda and salt. Add your finely shopped oats.
• Add flour mixture to butter mixture, just until blended.
• Add your milk and chocolate chips (I have used all sorts of different chip combos)
• Drop spoonful of dough all over greased 15 ½ x 10 ½ x 1 inch jelly roll pan. Using fingertips (I keep mine damp with water) gently press dough evenly into pan the best you can. Then smooth out, I again use fingers but can use spatula. (Odd gap will fell in when dough cooks)
• Bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes or until golden around edges.
• Let cool on wire rack for 15 minutes.

Cut into bars and remove to wire rack to cool. (40 bars)  

Stoned Hillbilly Cake

Be warned this is a special treat...there is no pretense of a  healthy version of dessert here, but if you love the taste of butter, brown sugar and a whole lot of delicious then this cake is for you. Sometimes you just have to have that cheat day:)

My Aunty Bev and her family lived in West Virginia for a short time and I believe this is one of the recipes that came back with them.

This was one of my favourite after school treats.

Stoned Hillbilly Cake

1 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Walnuts chopped

1/2 Cup Butter or Marg.

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 Cup Cold Water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Cup Raisins

1/2 teaspoon Allspice

1/4 teaspoon Cloves

• Mix all ingredients in a sauce pan. 

• Boil 1 minute. Let cool slightly.

• then add flour and baking soda and mix well.

2 Cups sifted All- Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

        

• Put in to prepared pan and level off with spatula.

Bake in greased and floured 9 x 13 pan 350°F for 25 minutes.

Topping

1/2 cup Butter or Marg melted

Add

2/3 cup Brown Sugar

2 Tablespoons Milk

1/2 Cup unsweetened medium Coconut

• When well blended pour over hot cake and spread evenly.

• Broil until just brown. I rotate the pan to get an even colour

*** Watch carefully as you can go from brown (pictured above) to burnt in seconds.***

Bakers Original Chocolate White Chip Cookies

When my boys were little there was a group of us stay at home Mom's that would get together for a sanity break. Kids would play and us girlfriends would actually hold adult conversations. This recipe will always remind me of Coffee morning get together with my girlfriends at Kristen's.

Bakers Original Chocolate White Chip Cookies

1/3 cup marg or butter (room temp)   

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

2 squares unsweetened chocolate (melted and slightly cooled)

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 225 g bag White Chocolate Chips

• Mix: Marg with sugars until well blended.
•  add vanilla then egg blend well
• Then add you melted chocolate. 
• Stir in dry ingred. 
• Then add white chocolate chips.

• Drop by teaspoon onto cookie sheet

• 10-12 minutes 350 degrees

I always make a double batch of dough and add one package of chips as I like more cookie the chips...just my personal preference.

Breakfast Grab-and-Gos

These are my husbands favourite snack or breakfast on the go. He has low blood sugar and these seem to help him get to lunch without crashing. Also, the perfect cookie to throw in your purse or car for a "I don't have time to eat, type of day." These are also my goto camping cookie. Perfect for roadtrips and a camping breakfast with a freshly perked pot of coffee around the campfire.

I make a batch of these wrap up in saran wrap and pop them in the freezer.

Shout out to Marilyn Smith  for a family staple.

Breakfast Grab-and-Gos

11/2 cups oat bran

1 1/2 cups  large flake oats

1 cup  whole wheat flour

3/4 cup  ground flaxseed      

1/2 cup  Scottish, Irish or steel-cut oats

2 tbsp  wheat germ

2 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp  baking soda

1 cup dried cranberries or blueberries (I love orange infused cranberries in these)      

1/4 cup at least 60% cocoa mass chocolate chips (Good quality is the key here)

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped coarsely

2 eggs

1/4 cup canola oil 

3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

One – 4.5 oz. jar baby food strained prunes  (I use organic)

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

• preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Remember to put oven rack in middle position.
• Mix together all dry ingredients in a large bowl.

• Stir in cranberries/blueberries, chocolate chips and walnuts.

• In a medium size bowl whisk together the brown sugar, eggs, prunes, oil and vanilla until well blended.

• Add this mixture to the dry ingredients in large bowl, and mix until really well blended. I have a Kitchenaid that works great for this recipe.

• I use a ice cream scoop with a release button and make 18 cookies divided onto two large baking sheets. Lightly press down ball of dough to make flat cookie. I have tried all sorts of items to do this and a damp hand works best.

• Bake until slightly brown 13-15 min.
• Let cookies cool slightly on baking sheets then remove to racks to cool. 

• When completely cool, wrap them in Saran Wrap. Pop in large freezer bag and store in freezer for up to 3 months.

Makes 18

Beet Hummus

Beets you either love them or you hate them. I adore beets, roasted, steamed, or an Aussi favourite, pickled beets in a Hamburger. 

Saw this recipe posted on Elana's Pantry and had to try it.

The colour is amazing, taste divine...even if I did go a bit heavy on the garlic.(one normal clove only needed)

Beet Hummus

4 med beets.....roasted and peeled (probably steam them but I love the sweetness of roasting)

¼ lemon juice (fresh is best)

¼ cup tahini

1 garlic

¼ tsp salt (I like either Celtic or Pink Himalayan)

Throw together into a food processor and blend until smooth.

Serve with rice crackers and veggies. Or anything else you like to dip in hummus. 

Tracy's Monster Cookies (Bowron Lake Favourites)

Tracy's Monster Cookies (Bowron Lake Favourites)

In  Aug 2010 we canoed the Beautiful Bowron Lake chain in British Columbia. Such an epic trip and Tracy's Cookies were hands down our favourite treat. http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/bowron_lk/

6 Eggs

2 Cups Brown Sugar

2 Cups White Sugar

1 ½ tsp Vanilla

1 ½ tsp corn syrup

4 tsp Baking Soda

1 cup marg or butter

2 ¾ cup peanut butter

9 cups oats

2 cups chocolate chips

2 cups smarties or M&M’s

2 cups nuts (peanuts, walnuts or I like pecans)

• In a large bowl cream butter and sugar. 
• Add eggs and beat well between each egg.
• Add rest of ingredients and mix well using what ever method works.
• May have to use muscle, as these have been known to burn out mixers.

This makes a monster batch!

Drop by heaping teaspoon onto parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake 350 for 12 minutes.