No-Bake Coconut Graham Cracker Cookie Bars.

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I know these last few weeks of summer are for lighting sparklers and baking banana bread. I know this. There are even three bananas ripening on my counter, waiting to be smashed into some kind of loaf-cake that I will try to pass off as breakfast, and there are still seven things on my summer bucket list waiting to be crossed off. 
But... I'm ready for fall. I can't help it. I'm dreaming of pumpkin spice cakes, cozy sweaters, and homemade kettlecorn. I'm dreaming of baked cinnamon things, stomping on leaves, nutmeg in my coffee, and picking out pumpkins.

I'm dreaming of seven, sun, sand, and ocean-filled days in Hawaii.

Oh and hot chocolate picnics... this should totally be a thing.

Wait.

One of these things is not like the other.

Pumpkin patches... cinnamon and nutmeg ... beaches?

Yes. This is real! In between pumpkin spice scones and cozy sweaters, I'll be spending a week in Hawaii   this fall and to be honest, I will be absolutely useless until then... unless it involves coconut, sundresses, new wedge sandals, summer beach reads, and, you know, important stuff, like figuring out how to twist my hair into a beachy side-braid or the exact amount of tequila it will take to dull my fear of flying.

Without ending up in a scene out of Bridesmaids. 


That was awkward.

Look. Sugar!

These no-bake bars are kind of like Hawaii in the fall. Graham crackers and pecans... totally fall flavors. And coconut!
Let's take a peek.

Slightly soft graham crackers sandwiched around a crunchy, sweet coconut-pecan-graham cracker filling, all topped with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting.

And it all starts with graham crackers.

This is how you know you're off to a good start.

Now top those graham crackers with a buttery, sweet mixture of coconut, chopped pecans, and crushed graham crackers.

It's kind of like a tropical pecan pie filling.

... I'm liking all these words.

More graham crackers. Good things are happening here.

Good things like sugary cream cheese frosting. You're worth it!

Summer baking = not baking = more time to shop for wedge heels. And... go!
No- Bake Coconut Graham Cracker Cookie Bars
Printable Recipe
Bars1 (16-ounce) box of graham crackers1 cup crushed graham crackers1 1/2 sticks of butter1 cup granulated sugar1 egg1/2 cup milk1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)1 cup shredded coconut
Cream Cheese Frosting8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Line a 13-x-9-inch baking pan with graham cracker squares. 
Melt the butter in saucepan and add sugar. 
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and milk. Slowly and continuously stir into the butter mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly (to keep the egg from scrambling). Remove from heat.
Stir in nuts, coconut, and crushed graham crackers. Pour over graham cracker squares and spread evenly using a spatula. Top with another layer of graham cracker squares, pressing them down gently into the filling.
For the cream cheese frosting, place cream cheese in a bowl and soften using a rubber spatula. Gradually add butter and beat together until smooth and creamy. Sift in powdered sugar and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla and stir to combine.

Spread frosting over graham cracker bars evenly. Or not. No big deal.

Chill. Cut into squares. 
Best if kept in the refrigerator and served chilled.
Source: Graham cracker bars from Paula Deen. Frosting from Martha Stewart.

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Banana Bread.

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Sometimes you have days where you have to make your own happy.

This is that.

This banana bread was baked on a lazy August morning, with bright, slanted, summer light, creamy raspberry coffee, and my comfiest pajamas.  
It was baked with a fistful of determination and chocolate... determination that for 50-60 minutes I was going to put all the stresses of work, life, and laundry on hold. Just put it all on hold, bake banana bread, drink coffee, and watch as much Pretty Little Liars as possible. 
And chocolate... because this is straight-up cake for breakfast. Cake that genuinely smells like Christmas... if Christmas smelled like bananas, berries, and home. It's a quickbread thing. Banana bread, raisin bread, zucchini bread, lemon bread... they will always, always remind of lazy afternoons at the pool, best friends, summer vacation, and coming home to Mom pulling a fresh-baked loaf out of the oven. It's right up there with grilled cheese, pancakes, and apple pies. You know. Stuff only a mom can make.
Banana bread, right out of the oven, brimming with fresh raspberries and melty chunks of dark chocolate. Would it be weird to eat this with a spoon?


Okay fine. I'll slice it.

Speaking of determination and sugar, this is summer bucket baking times two! Making banana bread meets baking with berries.


Andddd I had kettlecorn for dinner the other night. Summer bucket success!

Raspberry Dark Chocolate Banana Bread

Printable Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 large bananas)
1/3 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate chunks or chips
1 cup halved raspberries, tossed in 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer (or in a larger bowl with a wooden spoon), beat the sugar and softened butter until well-combined, about 1 minute. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the banana, yogurt, and vanilla extract and beat until well-combined. 
Stir in the flour mixture just until moist. Do not overmix! Gently fold in the chocolate chunks and halved raspberries tossed in flour.

Pour evenly into prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle with a handful of dark chocolate chips and halved raspberries. 
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.* Cool 15 minutes in pan on a wire rack, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely.

*Note: If the edges start to brown before the center is fully baked, carefully place folded strips of foil around the edges of the pan to keep from burning. I had to place a sheet of foil over the top as well during the last 15 minutes of baking to keep the top from over-browning/burning. 
Source: Recipe Boy.

Real Life... how to brown butter.

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2012 is all about browning your butter. It's the new red velvet, if you will. 
But first: I interrupt this post to bring you the view outside my window...

Ginormous fire. Totally under a "shelter in place" warning. But, no biggie, let's talk about butter!

Brown butter is simply unsalted butter melted over medium-low heat until golden amber and nutty. If you want to get fancy about it, it's the process of separating the butterfat from the milk solids. The milk solids to sink to the bottom and turn a toasty hazelnut color and all is right with the world.

Basically... it's baking magic and I refuse to stop. 
Also if someone could please invent a brown butter-flavored coffee, that would be wonderful. 
Brown butter in action:


These cookies are stuffed full of peanut butter truffles, chocolate chips, and brown butter. It was good living... even if I had to google "question: how exactly do you brown butter?" as I set out to make them.
Brown butter chocolate chunk cookies. That golden color! Put it in your life! 

Cheesecake filling optional/totally not optional at all. 
Andddd... these cookies. Coming at you tomorrow. See those tiny browned butter flecks? That's where happiness and good times live. 

Can we make this a thing? Can we put brown butter in everything?

And seriously: brown butter coffee. Invent it.
How To Brown Butter

Melt unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir or whisk frequently until it turns an amber-golden brown color, gives off a distinct nutty scent, and little brown bits appear at the bottom of the pan (about 7-9 minutes). 
Keep an eye on your butter as it cooks down; there is a small window between brown butter and burnt butter... it will brown quickly after it foams up and subsides.
Once it reaches this point, remove from heat immediately and pour into a heat-proof bowl to cool.

Magic! Make it happen!

Brown Butter Oatmeal M&M Cookies.

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Part of being a pro girlfriend is having the supernatural ability to forget overlook totally important things, like directions and movie times and what your boyfriend really said and something-something-something about an oil change? and being able to remember all the unimportant, tiny details. 
Things like... how you still open doors for us, even when we're being difficult and snappy with each other. We like that. We like that way more than being reminded to check the air in our tires. 
Things like... how you put justthismuch cream in your iced coffee and a packet and a half of Splenda. Seriously.
Things like... everything you've ever said about our clothing, make-up, or hair. We get it. More tank tops, less make-up, and stop curling your hair and hiding it all up in a ponytail!

What I'm trying to say is... I definitely remember how three or four years ago, my boyfriend said something along the lines of, "I hate mini M&Ms. They're just not the same. They're tiny and weak." 
Check out this act of rebellion!

... which apparently he never said? Or didn't mean? Or was having a bad day? 
Because he walked in the door, found these cookies, and promptly ate them.
Then took them to work for breakfast the next day. Real life.

These thick, chewy, rainbow M&M cookies must be magic. They're changing minds, passing for breakfast, and are stuffed full of all kinds of good things. Oats. Cinnamon. Chocolate. That extra something special from brown butter.  

See the tiny brown specks of brown butter? It's love.

Summertime baking means scooping cookie dough with an ice cream scoop. Can we put this on a waffle cone and call it breakfast?

I say yes. It's summer! Bake with ice cream scoops, change minds, and eat cookies for breakfast.

Oh and butter. Brown it!

Brown Butter Oatmeal M&M Cookies

Printable Recipe

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup mini M&Ms
1-2 tablespoons milk, optional (if dough is crumbly)

Heat a small saucepan over medium heat and add butter. Whisking constantly, brown your butter by cooking until bubbly and small brown bits appear at the bottom of the pan, about 5-6 minutes (more details on how to brown butter here). Immediately remove from heat, pour into a heat-proof bowl, and allow to cool completely. It should not be warm to the touch. 
In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon; set aside.
Once butter has cooled, add to a large bowl. Whisk in sugar and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla, whisking until smooth. Slowly stir in dry ingredients. If dough is crumbly, add a tablespoon of milk at a time until dough begins to come together. Stir in mini M&Ms. 
Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes. 
Preheat oven to 375°F. Scoop dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet using an ice cream scoop, flatten slightly with a spatula, and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until bottoms and edges are golden. Let cool before serving.

Makes 12-15 big cookies.

Source: How Sweet It Is.

Chocolate Chunk S'mores Brownies.

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How To Hunt for Your First Apartment Together 101. 
1. When you walk in the door... does it feel like home? Can you imagine living here and making memories together? Hint: If you're already planning date nights of making dinner in the tiny kitchen, shutting out the world, and catching up on Once Upon a Time, with a couch against the wall here and the TV right there... the answer is yes.

2. Start a Pinterest board. Obviously.

3. Check out the closet situation. Preemptively claim 3/4 of it. 
4. The kitchen: can you bake cookies in this kitchen? Does it feel like home too? Is it bright and full of natural light? Does it make you want to bake banana bread, late-night s'mores, Christmas dinner, and pumpkin pies?


5. Remind your boyfriend that this is a model apartment. The flatscreen is just for show. Also not sure what you're looking in the refrigerator for.
6. Decide where will the Christmas tree will go. No, seriously.
7. This deck is cute... but can I photograph stacks of brownies out here without the neighbors noticing?
8. So... these bright orange accent walls. We can paint, right?
9. Allow yourself a full minute to panic over lease lengths, deposits, rent, square footage, and the fact that you no longer have an excuse to avoid the gym. 
10. Let's be honest: how close are we to a Starbucks?


Can I be honest with you for a tiny moment? Looking for an apartment can be completely overwhelming.

There. I said it.

You know what's not overwhelming?

Making chocolate chunk brownies on a lazy summer day.

Except, at the last minute, like the total adult you are, you swirl in marshmallow fluff and a handful of crushed graham crackers.

Just because.

I think we can agree... s'mores need no reason. Especially s'mores in the form of thick, fudgy brownies full of chocolate chunks, dark chocolate chips, swirls of marshmallow dreams, subtle, crunchy bits of graham crackers... and a crackly graham cracker top.

Impulsive baking. It's now a thing.



This is summer. This is easy-living. This is not an accent wall. I can handle this. 
Chocolate Chunk S'mores Brownies

Printable Recipe

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar2 large eggs1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/3 unsweetened cocoa powder1/2 cup all-purpose flour1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 cup chocolate chunks (I used a mixture of chocolate chunks & dark chocolate chips)1/2 cup crushed graham crackers1 cup marshmallow fluff
Preheat oven to 350°F. 
Grease or line an 8x8-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together the melted butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Mix in cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder until well-combined. Fold in chocolate chunks and crushed graham crackers using a wooden spoon.
Microwave marshmallow fluff for about 10-20 seconds, give it a quick stir, then add to brownie batter. Fold in a few times until just combined. You want there to be visible ribbons of marshmallow cream throughout the brownies.
Pour into baking dish and spread evenly. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until done and a toothpick inserted into the center of brownies comes out clean. 
Allow to cool completely before serving.