Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Everyone has that one movie. The one that you wouldn't think of when people ask you about your favorite movie, but whenever it is on TV you can't help but watch it. Basically an almost favorite movie. For me that movie is Drop Dead Gorgeous. Drop Dead Gorgeous is a dark comedy starring Kirsten Dunst, Denise Richards, and Kirstie Alley about a high school beauty pageant in small town Minnesota that turns, well, deadly... It is awesome.  
I've loved that movie ever since it first came out and they did a "behind the scenes" article in Seventeen Magazine (yep, this movie came out in the late 90s). When I saw where it was filmed, knew I had to see it. It was love at first view. I loved the movie so much, in fact, that freshman year of college I made my roommate, who was from Texas, watch it so that she could experience its gloriousness (I figured since she put up a Texas flag in our dorm room, it was only fair). She wasn't as excited as I would have hoped. 
I admit, part of the reason I love the movie so much could be because it takes place in Minnesota, my home state. I noticed my fondness for it grew once I went to college out of state, and the Minnesota mannerisms and thick accents served to help my Minnesota homesickness. However, if you have seen it, don't assume that is how the entire state is like (for example, the place they say is the Mall of America is not, in fact, the Mall of America, and urban Minnesota, Northern Minnesota, and Southern Minnesota are all pretty different culturally). Despite that, however, this movie is still awesome, and I recommend that everyone see it.
You are probably wondering right now why I'm talking about this movie when this technically is a cooking blog. Well, last week, after going apple picking with my family, I came home with 2 large bags of apples that were just way too much for me and my husband. I decided to make some Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars for a girls night I was going to, along with another batch to bring to work, in order to use up some of those Haralson apples we had picked. I had made them last year for Thanksgiving, and were really delicious. However, for some reason, the entire time I was making them, a line from the movie kept popping up in my head: "And please... help yourself to some coffee and bars" (said in a thick, Minnesotan accent). Kirstie Alley said this at the beginning of the movie while her character was addressing the possible pageant contestant after they found out Gladys had taped over the beauty pageant introduction tape with "Days of Our Lives". It is a super random line from the movie, yet it remained in my head. 
Bars are a staple at any Minnesota get together, even being apart of many "You know you're from Minnesota when..." lists. I blame my Minnesota heritage for why I continuously bring them to girls nights and get togethers with our friends. These bars, however, are incredible and easy. Even if you aren't from Minnesota, you may become a bar convert.
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars From The Girl Who Ate Everything 3 cups flour 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar 1 1/2 cups butter 3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese 3/4 cups and 2 Tbs. sugar 3 eggs 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 3 chopped baking apples (I used Haralson, but you can also use Granny Smith) 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg 1/2 cup quick cooking oats 1/2 cup caramel topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 2 cups of the flour and 1/2 cup of the packed brown sugar, and cut in 1 cup of the butter until crumbly. You can do this with a pastry blender or 2 forks. 

Press into a 9 x 13 baking pan lined with foil and bake for 15 minutes.
Beat the cream cheese with 3/4 cups of the sugar until smooth. If you have an electric mixer, do so at medium speed. Add the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla. Pour over the crust. 

Stir together the chopped apples, 2 Tbs. sugar, and the cinnamon and nutmeg. Top the cream cheese mixture with the apple mixture.

Combine the rest of the brown sugar and flour along with the cooking oats and 1/2 a cup of butter. Sprinkle this mixture over the apples. 

Bake for 40-45 minutes. Once it is finished baking, drizzle the caramel topping on top. Let cool, and then refrigerate until you are ready to serve. 

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter S'mores Bars

I don't understand the phrase "nothing tastes better than skinny feels"? Really? The only thing I can think of that skinny could possibly feel like is hungry. And when I'm hungry, it makes me cranky. So really, skinny feels like being cranky. In my opinion, pizza and chocolate taste a million times better than feeling cranky feels.

I just want to be clear, I'm not advocating overeating. I know I'm feeling my best when I'm eating healthy and exercising on a frequent basis. But the occasional piece of cake or that night you ate that entire medium pizza (Not piece of pizza, the entire pizza... Not saying I've done that or anything...) just keeps you sane.

This really is a pep talk before I share with you this next recipe. It tastes amazing, and is not healthy. Just being honest. I can spin it all you want and talk about the protein in the peanut butter, or the health benefits of chocolate, but I just want to be real...

Seriously though, the calories are worth it.

Peanut Butter S'mores Bars
From Little Kitchen, Big Bites

1 cup butter
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/4 cups peanut butter
1 can marshmallow fluff
1 bag chocolate chips
1 bag mini peanut butter cups
1 9 x 13 baking pan

Melt the butter in the microwave. Mix the melted butter with the graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and peanut butter. Press this mixture in the bottom of your backing pan to make the crust.

Spread the marshmallow fluff on the crust. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave and pour on top of the marshmallow fluff.

Chop up the mini peanut butter cups.

Top the S'mores Bars with the peanut butter cups, and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Before serving, cut into bars.

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter, Chocolate, and Pretzel Fudge

Tonight is our work Christmas Party, and I am ready.

 

Got my outfit.

Got the drinks (a good Kansas City beer).

and got some fudge. Why fudge you ask? Because we needed to bring something, and this sounded delicious. It's peanut butter fudge on top of a chocolate pretzel crust and covered in chocolate ganache. Holy smokes!

This isn't my first time making fudge. I did make it in home economics class at Farmington Middle School back in the 7th grade (that and pajama pants I still have somewhere at my parent's house). I have a feeling this recipe is slightly more complicated than what we made back then.

The original recipe makes maple peanut butter fudge, but I couldn't for the life of me find maple extract at the grocery store. I ended up just making peanut butter fudge, but if you can find maple extract I would suggest adding it (1 1/2 tsp.) because it sounds amazing.

Peanut Butter, Chocolate, and Pretzel Fudge

Adapted from Sprinkle Bakes

For the pretzel crust:

1 cup finely ground pretzels

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

4 Tbs. butter

2 Tbs. sugar

1 egg, beaten

Grease a 9 x 9 inch baking dish, or line with parchment paper. Put the chocolate and butter in a medium heat-proof bow and place on top of a saucepan of simmering water. 

Allow to melt, stirring occasionally. Add the egg and sugar. Cook until slightly thickened. Remove from the pot and stir in pretzel crumbs. 

Once combined, press the mixture into the prepared pan with buttered hands.

For the peanut butter fudge:

2 14 oz. cans of sweetened condensed milk

2 10 oz. bags of peanut butter chips

Combine the condensed milk and peanut butter chips and microwave for 2-5 minutes, until smooth. Pour over the crust and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

For the chocolate ganache topping:

1 cup chocolate chips

3 Tbs. heavy cream

Some ground and thick cut pretzels

Combine chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over simmering water and stir until melted (about 3 minutes). Spread the ganache over the fudge with a spatula. Top with ground and thick cut pretzels.

Refrigerate 2 hours to overnight. Cut into squares. Yum!