I don’t need a whole lot of extra reason to get into the mood for baking and warm coffee creations than this awesome Autumn crispy weather, but the HEB insert that came in my mailbox enticed me further to want to bake with their 10% off baking sale event.
So that being said. I a few weeks ago I made Walnut and Cranberry Buttermilk Scones, which are great. I had yet to find a good scone recipe until Rachel over at Surviving the Stores posted one HERE. And this is my favorite.
Also, I wanted to share my most recent concoctions: Apricot Bars & DIY Pumpkin Spice Latte. My go to Starbucks drink these days is a Tall Iced Latte with a shot of Pumpkin Spice. It is has just enough Pumpkin Spice flavor but not too overpowering. And it reminds me that it’s fall every time I drink it. I really like it. But it’s kind of expensive to have a Starbucks drink every time you have a craving, so I tried out a DIY version today that I found HERE. It’s pretty good. I tried it hot and iced today and both were not too shabby. Even though it’s probably not quite like the real deal, it allows me to get that pumpkin latte fix without breaking the bank.
I also wanted to pass along this yummy recipe for Apricot-Almond Bars that I got from Woman’s Day a while back. I just made them today I thought they were awesome and pretty easy.
Apricot-Almond Bars by Woman’s Day
- 1 bag (6 oz) dried apricots, chopped
- 3⁄4 stick (6 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
- 2⁄3 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 11⁄2 tsp almond extract
- 1 cup white whole-wheat flour
- 1⁄4 cup wheat germ
- 1⁄2 tsp baking soda
- 1⁄4 tsp salt
- 1 cup quick-cooking oats
- 1⁄4 cup plus 1 Tbsp sliced almonds
1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Line a 9 x 9-in. baking pan (I only had a foil ready to go pan that was a 10×8 and it worked great. I stuck it atop a regular baking dish)with nonstick foil (let the foil extend about 2 in. above pan at both ends).
2. Bring 1⁄4 cup water to a boil . Place apricots in a food processor; pour boiling water over apricots (I actually only have a blender and I had to use about 1/2 cup to get the apricot mixture to become smooth, but it was fine). Cover and let stand while proceeding with recipe.
3. In a large bowl with electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and almond extract.
4. With mixer on low speed, beat in flour, wheat germ, baking soda and salt just until blended. Stir in oats and 1⁄4 cup of the almonds.
5. Press 11⁄2 cups of the dough into pan. Process apricots and water until smooth. Spread over top of dough. Crumble remaining dough over top. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbsp almonds.
6. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until top is golden. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.
7. Holding foil by ends, lift from pan onto a cutting board. Carefully cut lengthwise in 4 strips and then cut each strip in 6; remove foil. Enjoy! They were super yummy!
Happy Fall!
(*you can see the recipe HERE as well)
Andrew & Amanda LeJeune 