One of the blogs I really enjoy is
Sophistimom. It is written by a talented mom of 3 named Jaime whose parenting mantra is "Well read. Well bred. Well Fed". She shares a blog full of recipes and the photography is her very own....she has amazing skills both in the kitchen and behind the camera. All of her recipes are so beautifully photographed that you are inpsired to make everything she features because it just looks so dang delicious. I love making my kids homemade treats for their school lunches as I have a strong dislike for pre-packaged things that are full of not-so-good ingredients.
As a back-to-school feature last week, Jaime showcased recipes that would make excellent school bake sale treats. I loved this feature and the Peach Cobbler Bars are but just one of the amazing treats she shared with her readers. The following features both her photo and recipe instructions. Enjoy!
Just a word of warning: in the experimenting, I made them in a 9 x 13 inch pan, so in the pictures, you see a much thicker bar than how the recipe says to make them. After finishing them, I decided it would be better to spread them out thinner so that the cooking time isn’t so long, and you get more bars from the same batch. If you don’t have a nice half sheet pan, though, or want the thicker bars, you can definitely make them in a 9 x 13 inch pan. Simply reduce the temperature to 325 (165 degrees celsius), and bake for about 10 to 20 minutes more.
peach cobbler bars
1 cup (2 sticks or 224g) unsalted butter at room temperature2 cups (380g) granulated sugar1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract1 teaspoon pure almond extract4 eggs3 cups (300g) unbleached all-purpose flour3/4 teaspoon salt
for the filling:6-7 peaches, peeled and thinly sliced1/4 cup brown sugar1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
for the glaze:1 cup powdered sugar2 tablespoons cream1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 180 degrees celsius). Grease a large cookie sheet (half sheet) with butter or nonstick spray. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar, until smooth and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add in eggs, one at a time, incorporating well after each addition. Add in vanilla and almond extract. Slowly add flour and salt, and mix until just incorporated.
2. Spread three-fourths of the mixture into the prepared pan. Mix the peaches, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium sized bowl, and distribute evenly over the batter. Drop the rest of the batter by tablespoonfuls over the peaches, and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges start to turn golden brown.
3. Whisk together the powdered sugar, water, and cream and drizzle half of the mixture over the warm bars. Allow to cool, cut into 3 inch squares, and drizzle over the remainder of the glaze.
I am having lots of fun 'mothering' these 2 little girls. They are so cute & cuddley....and they make your day seem fun and bright. I spend lots time putting the girls out and then bringing the girls in. They have periods of peppy play followed by big naps...they are still babies. The kids are having lots of fun with the girls and they are definitely learning responsibility when I call, "Hunter/Tyler, your dog just peed. Go get the mop please."
On Monday, I spent several hours in the kitchen making pickled beets. This is only my second time making them and this was my first attempt to make beets on my own. I picked up 10 lbs. of beets at the Farmers' Market on Saturday for this project and I was really pleased with how it went. We will probably open our first jar for Thanksgiving dinner.
