Cranberry Crumble Bars

Need an excuse to eat some more cranberries?  Look no further.  This crumble bar has it all: nuttiness, sweetness, a wonderfully messy texture.
I originally pinned this recipe from The Daily Garnish, but made a few little tweaks to punch it up a bit.  Oh, and I made it even more easy by using a store-bought cranberry sauce.  (Trader Joe's was out of fresh cranberries, and I just couldn't wait for a new shipment to come in!)  Feel free to substitute your favorite berry sauce for this, though; I think it would be superb with 2 cups of blueberry jam, a blackberry compote, or Haley's excellent homemade cranberry relish.  Substitute pecans for almonds, or add more sugar if you want it to be sweeter.  This recipe is totally open for interpretation.

Cranberry Crumble Bars (modified from The Daily Garnish)
1 15 oz. tub of cranberry sauce (or desired berry filling)
1 1/4 c. rolled oats
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. almonds
1/2 c. coconut oil
1/4 c. maple or agave syrup
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine all ingredients except sauce in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground.
3. Press half the crumble in an 8x8-inch pan, spread sauce on top, and press the rest of the crumble on top.  Pop in the oven for 30 minutes.
4. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes, then cut into 9 squares and serve!  (JP says they would be best served warmed with ice cream on the side- who am I to argue?)

Pumpkin Seven Layer Magic Bars

Yowza, these bars are good!  Picture this: a crumbly graham cracker crust layered with basically a pumpkin pie filling, a firm bite of Granny Smith apples, and topped with chocolate chips, butterscotch pieces, almonds, and a sprinkling of coconut.
It's like a piece of autumn just fell into your mouth.

I found this recipe on Bakers Royale, and had to make them immediately.  Some friends came over for a movie night last weekend, and I served these up to counteract the bitterness left in our mouths after Arbitrage.  Nothing to cure cynicism like sweetened condensed milk.

Of course, I tweaked things a bit: decreased the coconut, added butterscotch, used more almonds than suggested.  I just always think of the topping of a bar cookie as a recommendation, not something that's actually been written in stone.  Don't mess with the proportions of eggs, flour, etc., but everything else is fair game.  My heart wanted butterscotch in these bars.
I certainly can't deny my heart's desires, can I?
Enjoy these with good company, and I do think they would be an excellent addition to a Thanksgiving dessert bar.  You hear that, Dad?  I may be serving these up down in Florida...

Banana Oatmeal Bars

As much as my sister and I love food (between the two of us, we could probably eat the entire contents of both our kitchens in one day flat.  Haley, should we try this?), we don't often swap recipes.  There's no hard feelings behind this, just that we don't really cook for each other as we did back in Florida.  At college, Haley was a frequent visitor at my apartment during junior and senior year, and we would spend lots of time looking through cookbooks, trying out baked goods, and eating lots of pasta together.  Living in two separate time zones has really put a kink in that, though.

She did, however, pass this recipe on during my recent bachelorette weekend, and I knew I would have them waiting for John Paul when he got home.  I used her suggestion of substituting applesauce for the vegetable oil, and also added 1/4 c. melted peanut butter for a little nuttiness. 

HOLY BANANAS.  Just make them.  They're gooey, soft, and unbearably decadent for a dessert with no butter.  And Haley, keep those recipes comin'.  You've totally proven your worth in the baking department, yet again.