Let’s face it – halloween for me this year won’t be full of cookies and and pumpkin carving. With a baby due next week (!) I’ll be on the sidelines. The candy has been bought, the pumpkins are ready to be carved by my parents who are flying in to take care of Bastien, and I’ll be firmly on the couch the night of halloween.
But, that’s not to say I can’t make a few treats before hand!
I was recently sent the cookbook Dessert Mashups: Tasty Two-in-One Treats Including Sconuts, S’morescake, Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie and Many More
by Dorothy Kern who writes the blog Crazy for Crust. The book itself is kind of insane. Dorothy mixes up two desserts to create a totally new dessert. There are things like Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cupcakes, S’morescake, and Truffle-Topped Brownies. Prior to making the blondies I treated my family to her Blueberry Muffin Waffles which were pretty good, but definitely more of a treat for once in a while. So far, the two items I’ve made were very sweet and I recommend this book only if you really have a sweet tooth. After the blueberry waffles we all passed out for a nap, with my son even requesting a nap at 11:00 – an hour earlier than his usual time.
But if you are looking for new desserts to satisfy that serious sweet tooth, this may be the book for you. Another small warning, because the desserts are a mash up of two desserts, there is often quite a few steps such as making a crust, followed by a brownie, followed by a cheesecake. These are teeny tiny steps, but nonetheless do add up time wise.
I decided to tackle these Cake Batter Blondie Bars which used rainbow sprinkles and instead substitute them for some halloween sprinkles I had bought a while back (I used these). I liked the fact that they really say halloween without going into the ghoulish territory – which is fun too but not what I wanted right now.
She uses butter extract to really make the blondies taste like cake batter. I have to admit I looked for butter extract at Loblaws, Metro and Target and didn’t find any. I know it probably does add flavour, but she uses only 1 tsp so I decided to forgo and it was still good. And it did sort of taste like cake batter. I have no idea how but it did!
Anyways – try them out and let me know what you think!
Click here for the cookbook: Dessert Mashups: Tasty Two-in-One Treats Including Sconuts, S’morescake, Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie and Many More
ps If you are looking for other Halloween Food ideas and recipes check out my Pinterest page with 200 ideas!
Recipe excerpted from Dessert Mashups: Tasty Two-in-One Treats Including Sconuts, S’morescake, Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie and Many More
(Ulysses Press) by Dorothy Kern.
- Blondie Bars
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp butter extract
- ½ cup sprinkles
- Frosting
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups powdered (icing) sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp milk
- sprinkles, for garnish
- Make the Blondie Bars
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with cooking spray or line with foil and spray with cooking spray for easy cleanup. (I didn't use foil and it was fine)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the baking powder, salt and flour. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter extract, and beat until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in the sprinkles.
- Press the dough into the prepared pan. (The dough will be sticky; spray your hands with cooking spray to keep it from sticking to you.) Bake for 22 to 24 minutes. It will be slightly golden, but still have the slightest jiggle in the centre. It will set as it cools. Cool completely before frosting.
- Frosting
- Using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth. Slowly add in the powdered (icing) sugar, and mix until crumbly. Add the vanilla, and milk and mix until smooth and fluffy. (My note: When you taste the icing it shouldn't be overly sugary and grate on your teeth - it should be light and fluffy - but it will still be sweet.) Frost the bars. Top with sprinklers and cut into bars.
- Store covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Best eaten at room temperature within 5 days.
Michelle Little
Writer & Photographer
I can’t wait for Halloween, these are so nice.
They are! Just use the right sprinkles for a halloween feel!
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