Oatmeal Almond Crisps

Christmas baking is upon us all!  Honestly, I find all this baking ridiculously overwhelming....but then again....I’ve never claimed to be a baker.  I find baking to be a stressor whereas the opposite happens when I can get into the kitchen and make dinner or a savory treat -- I find that very relaxing.  

So -- when I am diving into the piles of cookie recipes I’ve collected over the years, I find myself counting ingredients and tossing the long recipes over my shoulder in disgust.  For that reason, this cookie recipe came to the top of my pile.  Short ingredient list? Check!  Ease of preparation? Check! Delicious? Double check!  My favorite thing about these babies is their lack of flour.  I love the texture as well -- almonds and oatmeal come together beautifully.  Not to mention they are the perfect crunch mate for coffee or tea!  

Oatmeal-Almond Crisps 

Martha Stewart

1/3 c. packed light brown sugar

1/4 c. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 c. rolled oats (not quick cooking)

1/2 c. sliced almonds

nonstick cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk brown sugar, butter, egg and vanilla until smooth.  Mix in oats and almonds.
3. Drop mixture by level tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.  Spray the underside of a metal spatula with nonstick cooking spray, and use to flatten cookies into 2 1/2 -inch disks.
4. Bake until golden, 14 to 16 minutes.  Cool completely on baking sheets. (Handle with care; cookies are fragile.)

Apple Raisin Bars

I really hope I’m not getting into dangerous territory with another apple recipe.  Overkill?  I don’t think so....apples just fit so happily into fall eating....so don’t be surprised if apples show up again in the next 7 days.  Boom.  

Anyway -- these Apple Raisin Bars are so. freaking. scrumptious.   I’ve made them a couple times.  The first time I followed the recipe to the tee {since I’m a little challenged in the baking area, I get a little nervous going out of the box} and they were your typical delicious bars.  This time, I took these babies to the next level by adding some extra apples.  {Actually, I just chopped up way more apples than I needed and thought, “ah, the hell with it, I’ll throw ‘em all in there and see what happens.”}  Well what happened was magical.  After the bars cooled and I began to slice them, I became extremely nervous that they weren’t baked all the way through.  Not the case.  Holy cow, those extra apples just made these bars extra moist and cake-like.  Now, I’m a gigantic fan of apple cake and that’s what the bars tasted like.  W.O.W.  You need these in your life.  Seriously.  Now.

Apple Raisin Bars

from Family Circle Magazine

2 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 c. packed light brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 c. diced golden delicious apples {I used 2 1/3 - 2 1/2 c.}

3/4 c. raisins

1. Heat oven to 350.  Liberally coat a 13x9x2 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Set aside.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt, set aside.
3. With an electric mixer, blend together sugar, eggs, butter and vanilla for 3 minutes or until smooth.  
4. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture.  Mix 2 minutes or until just incorporated.  Stir in apples and raisins and spread into prepared pan.  
5. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool completely and cut into bars.